phase i preparation and recruitment · as they are completed. if you do not receive your materials...

phase i

Preparation and Recruitment

Contents

What Is Angel Tree®? 1

Angel Tree Christmas Guidelines 2

Step 1: Get with the Program! 3

Step 2: Recruit Your Team 4

Step 3: Invite the Guests of Honor 4

Contact by Mail 4

Contact by Phone 5

A Note of Encouragement 5

Step 4: Now Get Everyone Involved 5

Prepare the Angel Tags 5

Coding Suggestion 6

Prepare Tracking Cards 6

The Tree 6

Other Preparations 7

Collecting Gifts 7

Storing the Gifts 8

Gift-Wrapping Party 8

Angel Tree Resources CD Contents 9

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1-800-55-ANGEL www.angeltree.org

What Is Angel Tree®?Thank you for your interest in Angel Tree. This unique

program gives your church an opportunity to share Christ’s

love by helping to meet the physical, emotional, and

spiritual needs of the families of prisoners. Many churches

make an annual commitment to this highly rewarding

program and recognize it as a way to care for some of the

most overlooked members of our communities.

Angel Tree Christmas works by connecting parents in prison

with their children through the delivery of Christmas gifts.

In most cases, local church volunteers

purchase and deliver gifts, the Gospel

and a loving message from the

incarcerated parent.

Participating in Angel Tree is a

powerful way for your church

community to lovingly answer the

biblical call to minister “to the

least of these” (Matthew 25:40).

1

2 P h a s e I : P r e P a r a t I o n a n d r e c r u I t m e n t

angel Tree® Christmas GuidelinesBecause each local church and its ministry are so individualized, you, as the church coordinator,

should feel free to personalize the details of Angel Tree Christmas. However, the following

basic standards should be retained:

each child is to receive a minimum of one gift. The prisoner-parent has made a fun gift type

selection from the Angel Tree Gift Guide that chaplains distribute during the sign-up process.

The caregiver will determine if this selection is appropriate, or if a clothing item for the child is

preferred. Each gift that is purchased should be new and valued between $15 and $25.

Gifts are delivered to children in one of three ways:

1. At a church Christmas party

2. At a church open house

3. Home deliveries

Gifts are delivered on behalf of prisoner-parents

in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and to

strengthen the relationship between the child and their

incarcerated parent.

You are not obligated to provide gifts for other children in the household who are not listed

on the participation form. If you do include these children, please consider the following:

1. Angel Tree Christmas is about strengthening parent-child relationships, not just about

Christmas gifts.

2. Anything given beyond one gift per child is from the church, not the prisoner-parent.

3. Serving add-on children this year may create an expectation for years to come. Please

make only commitments that you can reasonably fulfill.

When the gifts are delivered, a Gospel presentation is made using the Holy Bible, the Gospel

Presentation Card provided in Phase 2 of your kit, or resources your church incorporates into

its evangelism and outreach ministries.

if provided, the prisoner-parent’s message to their child should be transcribed from

the assignment information you received to the angel Tree gift tag. The message

from the prisoner-parent is often just as important to the child as the gift itself.

We encourage photos and videos of your home deliveries and angel Tree Christmas

parties, however, be sure to obtain the permission of the caregivers using the Photo

Release Waiver provided on your Resources disk.

step 1 Get with the Program!Angel Tree Christmas begins with the informed, enthusiastic support of your pastor or other church

leadership. Next you’ll need to determine the size of the Angel Tree Christmas program at your church.

Before you received this kit, you assessed the number of children you would help. Now it’s time to plan

for how many volunteers you’ll need and the amount of time it will take to carry out the various

responsibilities. Place the activities outlined in Steps 2 through 4 on your personal and church calendar.

3

Bulletin Inserts Flyers to distribute at church services and other church functions to promote your Angel Tree Christmas program.

Angel Tree Posters Poster-sized advertisement to be displayed prominently in your church or community meeting area.

Angel Tags Peel-and-stick gift tags that are placed on each Angel Tree gift.

Gospel Presentation Card Simple and creative resource to share about Jesus Christ and capture the family’s interest in church follow-up or additional information.

Volunteer Response Card Provides the opportunity for volunteers to confirm their gift delivery and Gospel-sharing experiences to the Angel Tree church coordinator. Feedback on these cards is used to complete the Church Reporting Form, which is submitted to Angel Tree.

Hosting an Angel Tree Party Booklet A booklet containing helpful tips, sugges-tions, and tools for hosting a successful Angel Tree party.

Helpful Hints for a Successful Angel Tree Ministry A booklet providing helpful hints to the church coordinator for a successful Angel Tree program.

Quickstart Guide Provides an overview of the basics to implementing the three phases of the Angel Tree program.

Phase I Handbook Focuses on the preparation and recruitment components of the step-by- step process for implementing Angel Tree Christmas in your church.

Phase II Handbook Describes the gift collection and distribution processes. Also provides suggestions on how to clearly and sensitively share the Gospel with Angel Tree children and families.

Phase III Handbook Explains the significance of year-round min-istry to Angel Tree families. Includes practi-cal information on ministry activities and tips for contacting partner organizations focused on a child’s spiritual, emotional, and social development.

Christmas Promotional DVD Includes a 3-minute video that is a great tool to share with Sunday School classes and youth groups as you begin recruiting volunteers.

Angel Tree Resources CD Includes the forms and letters referenced in Phases I and II Handbooks and the Hosting an Angel Tree Party Booklet of the church resource kit. It is identified with this symbol: Please review the contents of this disk and use the appro-priate forms for contacting families and reporting on your experience.

as you organize your calendar and prepare to carry out the next steps, be sure to schedule time to familiarize yourself with the materials and tools provided in your kit. each resource listed below is specifically designed to maximize your church’s angel Tree Christmas experience. The kit includes:

APPLICATION ID#

CAREGIVER’S LAST NAME

ZIP CODE

❍ I delivered the gifts at the children’s home

❍ I delivered the gifts at a gift party or open house

CHILD’S FIRST NAME

_____________________________________ ❍ ❍

_____________________________________ ❍ ❍

_ ____________________________________ ❍ ❍

This child accepted Christ

ATVC

Please complete and return this card to your church coordinator. It will help in creating the fi nal report for Prison Fellowship.

V O L U N T E E R R E S P O N S E C A R D

The Gospel was shared with this child

PHASE II

Gifting and Evangelism

PHASE II I

Going Beyond Christmas

angel Tree Resources CD

step 2 Recruit Your Team Identify the individuals from your church that you feel will enjoy helping

you organize and implement your Angel Tree Christmas program.

step 3 Contact the Guests of HonorSince it may take several attempts to reach caregivers, it is

strongly recommended that you make initial contact as soon

as you receive the information on your Angel Tree children.

Contact by MailChurches that make contact by mail

report an immediate response of

almost 80 percent for all contacts. The

Gift Request Letter on the Angel Tree

Resources CD should be printed and

mailed right away to the caregiver.

When using the Gift Request Letter,

fill in the name of the child or children

before mailing. Remember, Angel

Tree is a program of your church, so

all communication with the families

should reference your church.

potentially the most challenging

part of Angel Tree Christmas is

making contact with the caregivers

of the children for gift requests.


You may want to call or visit

with each potential volun-

teer, explain the program,

and invite them to join you in

this opportunity.

Also be sure to make public and written

announcements inviting people to get in-

volved with the program. posters and Bul-

letin inserts can be found in the Church

Resource Kit to assist you with this task.

You will need to equip

your recruits to fulfill their

tasks—tips on specific

responsibilities appear

later in this guide.

assignment of children will begin in October and reports will be distributed

as they are completed. If you do not receive your materials or names, let us

know immediately so we can check the status.

The common volunteer job opportunities include:

calling the caregiver to verify gift wishes, setting up for

Angel Tree Sunday, serving as table attendants to collect

Tracking Cards and answer questions, wrapping gifts,

delivering gifts, and praying for prisoners’ families.

Use the church address and telephone number or a P.O. Box return address on all mail (not a home address).

Confirm the gift wish and obtain appropriate sizes/colors as needed.

Write “for (prisoner’s name)” under your church’s return address. The caregiver will be more likely to open and respond to your letter.

provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the care-giver to return the Gift Request Form.

Clearly mark the return deadline on the Gift Request Form.

if not returned within 14 days, attempt a phone contact.

Contact by phoneThis method gets information more quickly than by mail. Follow the Phone Interview Script.

If a family cannot be contacted by phone or does not respond to the second mailing, you

may consider using web resources such as whitepages.com to locate and/or verify address

and phone information. You may also want to follow these guidelines:

a Note of encouragementWe appreciate the commitment you have made to make a difference in children’s lives for Christ.

Although we do our best to provide you with current and complete contact information, we have to

rely on the data supplied by the incarcerated parent. If the inmate’s family has recently moved, or if

they are unwilling or unable to maintain regular contact with the inmate, the information you receive

from Angel Tree may at times be incorrect, outdated, or inadequate. As a result, you may have dif-

ficulty locating some families. Don’t get discouraged! We encourage you to use the sample letter and/

or phone scripts provided in your church kit to assist you as you attempt to establish contact with

families. This is also the part of the process where you are able to confirm appropriate gift wishes

for your Angel Tree children and lay the foundation for a Christ-centered relationship between your

church and your Angel Tree families.

We would like to be able to confirm that all the information on applications is complete and accu-

rate, however, the number of applications we receive prevents us from being able to screen each one.

We appreciate your understanding and willingness to verify the information and to minister to those

you are able to contact.

Quickly identify that you are a volunteer with angel Tree. State your church’s name and

your intention to provide Christmas gifts for the children in the prisoner’s name (mom or dad).

Mention the prisoner’s name early in your introductory statement so that the caregiver quickly

makes a connection with you when you call.

Be sensitive to the apprehension of a prisoner’s family member. Fear may come across

as anger or ingratitude. Do not take this personally. The caregiver may have been conned

in the past. To some families, this program may seem “too good to be true.”

a caregiver may refuse to participate because he or she doesn’t want to be associated

with the prisoner (restraining orders or other problems may exist). If so, write the

prisoner using the Unable to serve Letter to let him/her know the family refused

participation, and list the family on the Children Not served Form. If the refusal is be-

cause the family is able to provide financially, explain that the program is not based on financial

need. Rather, the goal is to build a relationship between the prisoner and child.

Confirm the gift wish and obtain appropriate sizes/colors as needed for each child.

Confirm the address. Ask if they have any plans to move. Ask for directions that

will simplify delivery. If you are hosting a Christmas party or church open house,

be sure to provide the caregiver with clear directions to your church and any

instructions they will need pertaining to the event.

ask for additional gift requests if the items suggested are too expensive, or if

the gifts would promote violence or other inappropriate values.

5

step 4 Now Get Everyone InvolvedHolding an Angel Tree Christmas Sunday event is an ideal way to promote participation in this

ministry throughout your church. What follows is a suggested plan for holding this event.

prepare the angel TagsA supply of angel-shaped

tree tags is included in

the Church Resource Kit.

Volunteers can fill out

the Angel Tags as they

contact the families.

Coding suggestionAn easy coding system keeps track of each gift and identifies wrapped gifts so they can be delivered

to the appropriate child. The unique code number also identifies which gifts have been delivered to

the church by gift purchasers. A recommended coding method follows:


each angel Tag lists:

1. The code number of the gift to be purchased

(coding is covered below)

2. The first name only of the child

3. The gender and age of the child

4. The specific gift request, including size/color for clothing items,

and cultural sensitivities such as racial preference for dolls

5. a message from the prisoner-parent if one is provided

assign each application a

family number starting with 1.

If you have 10 applications

assigned to your church,

you will have families

numbering 1-10.

1

Number the children

on each application

(#1, #2, #3, etc.)

2

each child will be receiving

a minimum of one (1) gift:

Gift # (1) and Gift # (2).

3

each child’s code number

is found by this formula:

(Family Number)

(Child Number)

(Gift Number)

example:

Family #9 has

three children:

1. Alex

2. Michelle

3. Robin

Michelle’s gift code

number would be 9-2-1.

Alex’s first gift code


Robin’s second gift code


4

MiCheLLe’s GiFT CODe

Family # (9)Michelle (2)

Gift # (1)

9 -2-1

prepare Tracking Cards A Tracking Card is strongly recommended for each Angel Tag. This tool

identifies and records the purchase of each gift and facilitates follow-up for late

gifts. Gift purchasers fill in their name, address, and phone number and leave the Tracking

Cards with the volunteers at the distribution area on Angel Tree Christmas Sunday.

The Tree A tree is an attractive and useful decoration for Angel Tree Christ-

mas Sunday and throughout the Christmas season. The tree can be

real or artificial and should be set up well before the congregation

arrives for the first service. It should be positioned so that everyone

entering or leaving the church will have an opportunity to select an

Angel Tag and fill out a Tracking Card. It is strongly recommended

that you group tags by family to ensure that all children in a family

are selected at one time.

Other preparations

Collecting Gifts It works best to give gift purchasers no more than two weeks to purchase and return

gifts to the church. Do not have gifts brought to the church office at midweek unless

there is a way to secure them.

The gift must be brought in as specified by the church coordinator (either

wrapped, in an open gift bag, or unwrapped).

The angel Tag with the code number should be securely attached to each gift.

after the gifts are collected, use the Tracking Cards to determine if any gifts are

missing. Immediately contact gift purchasers and remind them to bring in the gift.

have a sign or flyer clearly indicating where and when you will collect gifts.

7

Tables

The tree should have

tables nearby that are

attended by volunteers

that ensure Tracking

Cards are completed

along with Angel Tag

selections.

Miscellaneous items

Additional recommended supplies to

have on hand include: pencils, extra

Tracking Cards, extra Angel Tags, extra

ornament hangers, sign-up sheets for

volunteers and gift purchasers, and

a basket for cash donations. Cash

donations given to the church may be

used to buy supplies for preparation

and delivery such as giftwrap, gas for

delivery vehicles, etc.

storing the Gifts Arrange for a secured gift storage area—a room at the church, or a

room or garage at a volunteer’s home. Prepare a large plastic bag

(a clear garbage bag is ideal) for each household receiving gifts.

Print out the Delivery Information Cards from the

Angel Tree Resources CD, cut them apart, and use

them to record key information about each family. Tape

the card to the side of the bag. This card lists:

Gift-Wrapping party The benefit to having gifts brought to you unwrapped is that you can ensure that they are new,

appropriate, in the correct price range, and that siblings will receive comparable gifts. The challenge

is to get the gifts wrapped efficiently, and a gift-wrapping party is a great way to do it.

1. The Family Code Number

2. The address and phone number

3. any delivery instructions

4. The name of the prisoner, shown on the card as “from ______”

5. The number of gifts that should be in the bag

at the party

assign the entire bag for each family

to an individual wrapper or to a team of

wrappers. Be sure all the gifts for one

family are wrapped and returned to the

large sack before assigning another

family bag to be wrapped.

Continue to assign families until all gifts

are wrapped and back inside the correct

bag. If there are gifts for the caregiver,

wrap these at the party and put them in

the bag also.

pray for the families.

Before the party

Check to see that gifts are sorted by family and that all the gifts for each

family have been received.

put unwrapped gifts into the large plastic bag for that family, along with the

wrapping paper and gift bags for each gift.

ensure the code number for the gift is written on the back of each angel Tag.


suggestions for Obtaining party supplies

1. extra angel Tags on your tree for cash

donations.

2. extra angel Tags that designate items

such as wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, etc.

3. Youth group fundraiser or scavenger hunt

for these items.

4. special collection in adult or children’s

sunday school classes.

5. Collection box for the items that are

needed.

9

Your angel Tree Resources CD includes:

• Church Faxback Reorder Form - Use this to reorder Angel Tree material.

• Phone Interview Script for Home Deliveries - Used by phone volunteers to introduce Angel Tree and request approval from the caregiver, then verify child eligibility, gift choice, and delivery information.

• Phone Interview Script for Church Parties or Open Houses - Used by phone volunteers to introduce Angel Tree and request approval from the caregiver, then verify child eligibility and gift choice and invite family to church-sponsored event.

• Gift Request Form - Used during phone interview to collect information from caregiver Also helps phone volunteers organize individual gift requests for each child.

• Gift Request Letter - Sent to the caregiver on church letterhead requesting their approval and gift information for participation in Angel Tree.

• Second Gift Request Letter - Reminder letter sent to those who have not returned the first mail request.

• Tracking Card - Identifies the purchaser for each gift. Also used to track late gifts.

• Delivery Information Card - Provides at-a-glance information for home-delivery volunteers.

• Unable to Serve Letter - Letter sent to the prisoner-parent on church letterhead, advising them that the church was unable to deliver gifts to their children, and the reason why.

• Children Not Served Form - Completed by church coordinator and returned to Angel Tree to assist with updating participation records for the current season.

• End of Year Report Form - Completed by coordinator to provide feedback to Angel Tree on the church experience.

• Release Form (for church use) - Used by the church to obtain permission from subjects of video, audio, and digital images or photos to be used for media purposes by the church.

• Release Form (for Prison Fellowship use) - To be completed by subjects of video, audio, digital images, or photos and submitted with such media to Prison Fellowship to be used for publications, advertising, and/or promotional purposes.

• Hosting an Angel Tree Party Forms - Used to recruit and track volunteers and invite Angel Tree families to an Angel Tree Party.

• Need Help to Locate Letter - Letter sent to inmate to ask for additional information when church is unable to contact the family.

• Helpful Hints - Provides helpful hints to the church coordinator for a successful Angel Tree program.

• Church Served Child Letter to Inmate - Letter sent to inmate to let him/her know their child(ren) have been served.

angel Tree Resources CD

1-800-55-ANGEL www.angeltree.org

ATXP1

44180 Riverside Parkway Lansdowne, VA 20176800-55-ANGEL www.angeltree.org

Angel Tree® is a registered trademark of Prison Fellowship Ministries®.5/2013

phase i preparation and recruitment · as they are completed. if you do not receive your materials...

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