MEET
As you’re launching into your winter ministries, now is the perfect time to prepare your year-end giving campaign.
"...when online giving started to gain traction years ago, churches were slow to respond..."
And we know – your ministry teams likely don’t think they can add one more thing to their schedules. But here are four things you can start doing this week to help meet (or even exceed) your year-end giving goals.
- Set goals for your groups of givers. Take a look at your giving records and divide your givers into categories based on their giving habits. Who gives regular gifts? Who makes larger one-time gifts? People will likely follow those same patterns as the year winds down, so start making plans for how you’ll reach them.
- Cast vision for your staff, and encourage their gifts. Make sure your staff and key volunteer leaders are fully committed to your year-end goals and giving projects. Encourage generosity and reinforce your church’s commitment to your year-end goals as actions really do speak louder than words.
- Show your appreciation to your most faithful givers. Right now, before expectations for a year-end gift start coming into play, reach out to your most faithful givers and "...download free year-end giving resources..."let them know (again) how much you appreciate their financial support. Let them know once again how their generosity has helped bring your shared ministry visions to life.
- Start educating your members and regular attendees on their giving options. Make sure your giving options are communicated regularly to your attendees in your email newsletters, weekly bulletins, and the giving materials available at your welcome center – everywhere. And keep publicizing those options anywhere and everywhere you can.
By laying the groundwork now, your year-end giving efforts will be that much more effective and you’ll start the new calendar year on even more solid financial footing.
Missed Part 1? Check it out here: "Engage The Hearts of Your Givers Pt. 1"
EXCEED
When online giving started to gain traction years ago, churches were slow to respond. Fortunately, church leaders have come around – only to realize that simply offering an online giving option doesn’t mean people will automatically start giving.
Because 'offering' the opportunity to give online is only half the formula.
The option alone does not make someone generous; simply offering online giving does nothing to cultivate the generous habits of individuals and families.
People give to a vision, not to a line item, budget or project. And if we believe that giving is an external reality of an inward commitment, then we can safely make the assumption that those who give are ‘all in.’
And when churches integrate their online giving with their church management software, they experience a measurable increase in online giving participation and greater clarity about the people in their pews.
There are several ways a church management system can enhance your church’s ability to cultivate online giving and increase generosity. Here are just a few to consider:
- It records information to help connect personally with each individual giver. When you can assess giving habits, you gain a sense of life situations which creates opportunities for you to minister them in ways they never expected.
- It creates a system to help you track and follow up with first-time givers. When your church management software and online giving systems are connected, it’s easy to follow-up with first-time givers.
- It helps ensure you have an accurate picture of your members, their habits, and measurable trends. It allows you to assess giving patterns in concert with other engagement milestones and markers.
- It ensures that you have the most accurate data since every number is recorded in the same place. Using tools that aren’t connected to your church management software leads to silos and disconnected data.
- It provides a better understanding of the overall health of your church. You can measure if a family is fully engaged by looking at their attendance, volunteer involvement, and giving records all in one comprehensive place.
***PRO TIP: Put a ‘give now’ button on your homepage.
***BONUS PRO TIP: Did you know people are more likely to click on buttons than links? And they’re even more likely to click on that button if it is red instead of green?
Missed Part 1? Check it out here: "Engage The Hearts of Your Givers Pt. 1"
Here’s the bottom line: By connecting your online giving process with your church management system, you increase your ability to better steward and care for your people. When you care for people more effectively, they tend to give more frequently. And when your givers can see the names and faces of people whose lives are better because of their gifts, that support becomes even more meaningful.
There's always a next step:
Turn your focus to elevating the giving conversation in your church and download "The Ultimate Year-End Giving Resources."
