I have been requested to give a brief account of how correspondence lessons on Harvest Ingathering soliciting have been conducted for our people in the Oklahoma Conference. Believing this might be helpful to others who would like to carry out a similar plan, the experience is gladly passed on.
It was evident that more of our people would take part in this endeavor and that they would find more pleasure in it and have greater success, if they were better prepared for it by proper instruction and training. The only feasible way of reaching a large number throughout the conference during the month preceding the campaign was by correspondence. So a set of lessons was prepared with questionnaire blanks. These were run off on the mimeograph and stapled together, then sent to the church officers to be given to those who wished to take the course. Many took advantage of the opportunity, and most of those who enrolled finished the lessons and mailed in the blanks. A simple certificate was prepared to give to those who had met the requirements.
The first year we divided the course into four lessons, and but one lesson was sent out at a time. Those taking the course were required to send in the questionnaire on the lesson received before the next one was sent to them. But this was not as satisfactory as the next year's plan of sending at one time the entire set of lessons and questionnaires stapled together (ten mimeograph sheets). This made it more convenient, saved mailing expense to the conference and our people, and conserved the time in the office in going over and mailing out so many lessons.
The lessons were prepared on the following topics:
1. An Ideal Solicitor.
2. How to Approach the Prospective Donor.
3. The Solicitor's Spiritual Preparation.
4. Learning a Canvass.
5. Pulling Points.
6. How to Carry the Magazines.
7. The Need of Co-operation With the Church.
8. The Most Important Qualifications of a Solicitor.
9. How to Make Soliciting More Pleasant.
10. What Should Be Our Individual Goal?
This material was divided into six lessons. The assignments for study of the lessons, for study of the Ingathering magazine, for practice in giving the canvass, etc., were all given in the questionnaire blanks. The six lessons were covered in three sheets, which were mimeographed on three different colors of paper so they could be easily identified.
These lessons were sent out in bulk to the churches the latter part of June. This gave six weeks in which to complete the lessons before the campaign began, leaving out the two weeks for camp meeting. Thus the information received was fresh in mind when the campaign was launched the first of September.
As a result of these lessons, some took part in this campaign work for the first time; others said they found more pleasure in it, for they felt they were better prepared and so were more confident. Certain of these secured more donations than they ever had before, and nearly all who met the lesson requirements and sent in the blanks expressed appreciation for them.
Oklahoma City, Okla.
