JOG Host Resources
Thank you for inviting others to experience the joy of a generous life through hosting a Journey of Generosity (JOG) retreat! For 20+ years our team has had the privilege of walking alongside hosts like you, and we want to share what we have learned. Our hope is that these resources support you as you pray, plan, invite, and watch God move through the JOG.
Scheduling your JOG
Select a Date
- Allow six to eight weeks to plan your JOG.
- Start by identifying a few individuals or couples from your list who you think would be most excited to experience a JOG. Talk with those key people first and gain their buy-in. Once they are committed, it is easier to build the rest of the group.
- You can host an overnight JOG, a one-day event, or an online gathering! Our team has provided these recommendations to choose the JOG format that's right for your group.
Pick a Venue
- You can host a JOG in a home, vacation home, board room, or over a Zoom call!
- If you are gathering in-person, consider your group size when picking a venue. We have found about 12-16 people to be an ideal group size.
- A JOG host is responsible for providing food and beverages, so an ideal venue has a separate space for the group to eat.
- The best venue is one that allows guests to engage in meaningful discussion without distractions.
Submit the JOG Registration Form
- Once you have chosen a date and venue, please fill out the appropriate form using the links below. Then our JOG Concierge will send you a material order form and work with you as you plan your event.
- When registering your JOG, you will need to choose an agenda format. You can view our JOG agenda options here.
- If you need Generous Giving to provide a volunteer to facilitate your JOG, let us know by marking that on the form.
Invite Your Guests
Receive Your Custom Email Invitation
- Upon registering your JOG, you will receive a custom email invitation from our team that you can forward to your guests. This e-mail contains a link for your participants to register. Each time one of your guests registers, you will receive an e-mail notification.
- When forwarding the e-mail invitation to your guests, we recommend the following language:
Hi NAME,
I hope you are doing well! I want to invite you to a mini-retreat I am hosting soon. It is called a Journey of Generosity (JOG), and I would love for you to attend. A JOG is a casual gathering with a small group of people centered around the topic of biblical generosity.
The retreat is relaxed and conversational! We’ll watch some video stories about people living out generosity in their own lives, read scripture, and talk about it.
The JOG was developed by a ministry called Generous Giving. Generous Giving is privately funded, so they never ask for donations at their events. The JOG allows you to explore the joy of generosity with a group of like-minded believers.
To learn more about the event, watch this video and peruse their website!
SHARE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH A JOG HERE.
Would you pray about joining us? Feel free to call me anytime to discuss the JOG. I look forward to connecting with you soon.
NAME
Make your Guest list
- Prayerfully consider who to invite. Think through your different spheres of influence: small group, board members, family, friends, neighbors, church, employees, and co-workers.
- Write down a list of names, knowing that you’ll likely need to extend double the amount of invitations to fill your JOG.
- We recommend inviting more people than the ideal group size of 12-16. It is a fair assumption that a few people will cancel before the event, so do not be afraid to over invite.
invitation Language
After two decades of inviting people to generosity events, we have developed language that can help you explain this unique experience. Below are a few suggested lines to use when inviting friends and colleagues to a Journey of Generosity. However, there is no better language than your own heartfelt words. If you were impacted by a JOG, then we suggest that you share your own personal “WHY” as you invite people in your life.
This opening line assures guests that this invitation does not imply that they are not generous. Instead, the opposite is true:
“Because I have experienced you as a generous person, I'd like to invite you to a gathering where you'll be around other people who are like you and who will encourage and inspire you!”
Because I have experienced you as a generous person, I would like to invite you to a special event. A Journey of Generosity (JOG) is a retreat where I was inspired, and I hope it will be a blessing to you as well!
Other Resources for Inviting
Planning your JOG
Communicate with your Attendees
- Upon registering to attend the JOG, attendees will begin receiving automated emails from Generous Giving to help them prepare for the experience. As the host, you will receive these emails as well. For an overview of the email sequence your attendees will receive leading up to the JOG, select your JOG type below.
- Keep your guests informed if there are additional details you would like to communicate to your guests that are unique to your event. (i.e. parking instructions, gathering food preferences, etc.)
Coordinate Meals
- About 2-4 weeks before the date of the JOG, we recommend you begin planning the food and beverages you will provide your guests. This depends on the JOG agenda and start time you have chosen. You can view JOG agenda options here.
- If you are hosting a Two-Day JOG you would provide refreshments in the afternoon, dinner in the evening, and breakfast the next morning.
- If you are hosting a One-Day JOG you would provide refreshments and at least one meal, depending on your start time.
Food and Beverage Tips
- Snacks: Plan on offering some salty and sweet options.
- Drinks: Provide your guests with plenty of water. It’s always a good idea to have some caffeinated options throughout the JOG as well!
- Lunch and Dinner: These meals should enhance the experience but are not meant to be the focus. Most hosts find it helpful to order catering or prepare food in advance, especially if they are attending the JOG themselves!
- Breakfast: We have found that light, grab-and-go breakfast options work well for JOGs. Some hosts choose to cater or buy trays of fruit, pastries, coffee, and juice.
- Hotel/other venues: Make sure you discuss food and beverage details with your venue in advance.
- Personalize it: Do you have a local bakery or coffee shop that you love? Surprise and delight your guests with something special!
Request your JOG Materials
Generous Giving will send you a box with your JOG booklets, Facilitator booklet(s), pens, and nametags the week of your JOG.
- Three weeks before your JOG date you will be emailed this JOG Materials Form. Please fill this out as soon as possible to ensure a timely arrival of your JOG box!
Finalize your Technology Plan
- Two weeks before your JOG, we suggest that you coordinate with your facilitator to make a solid technology plan!
- During the JOG, the facilitator and/or host will be using their phone, tablet, or laptop to connect or stream videos from a TV.
- If you are not streaming, you will need an HDMI cord. Make sure to connect with your facilitator on this!
- As a back-up, we always suggest downloading the videos in advance, especially if you are hosting the JOG in a more remote location with unreliable Wi-Fi.
- You can read more detailed instructions on how to access the JOG video playlist, download, and stream JOG videos here.
Other Hosting Tips
"To me, hospitality is like saying, 'I thought of you before you got here.'"
ASHELY MARSH, Generous Giving Champion
We would like to share a few unique ideas we have collected from fellow JOG hosts over the years. These are by no means required, but are meant to inspire you as you dream of ways to reflect hospitality and generosity to your guests.
- Before your event, spend time in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit what videos would speak most effectively to your guests. Read these summaries and discussion questions for each video and coordinate with your facilitator to determine which videos are best for your group.
- Offer childcare for guests, especially in the case where that may be a barrier for them to attend the JOG.
- Print out “Welcome” yard signs to direct guests to the venue.
- Provide thoughtful welcome gifts for your guests upon arrival.
- Organize a local restaurant to cater the experience, or hire a private chef to make the meal a fun experience.
After your JOG
JOG Host Survey
After the JOG, you will have the opportunity to reflect on the experience and provide feedback to the Generous Giving team by completing this JOG host survey.
Charitable Contributions Form
When you are asked to help further the message and mission of Generous Giving, the expenses that you incur in doing so may be considered a ‘Charitable Donation’. See more instructions and our Charitable Contributions Form here.
How to Keep the Conversation Going
As you rest and reflect on the ways the Spirit is moving in your heart and in the hearts of those who attended the JOG, you may ask, “Now what? How can I keep this conversation going?"
- Share another story with your group via text or e-mail. You can view our video library here.
- Make plans to gather again as a group to discuss what God has been doing since your JOG, or read a book on the topic of generosity together.
- Pray for God to continue to draw the attendees closer to Him.
- Call attendees individually to discuss what they learned.
After experiencing a Journey of Generosity together, your group will now have a special bond. We pray that the conversations organically continue throughout the life of your friendship as you seek to grow together!