Telling people to give 10 percent without equipping them to manage the other 90 percent just won’t work. But this is no short-term effort. It will take a long time, but you can help people in your church and in your city with money.
So, in order to move the needle, take a long-term view.
Rule #6: Take intentional steps to encourage people to give online.
Did you know that gifts that come to churches online or through digital means tend to be larger than gifts that come in the form or cash or checks?
Did you know the younger the person, the more likely they will ONLY give when presented with digital options?
Did you know recurring, automated contributions can significantly mitigate the risk from weather-related cancellations?
There’s a whole lot that goes into a healthy stewardship system, but if there was a secret sauce, the closest thing to it would be emphasizing recurring giving.
Getting this fully functional, and then emphasizing it using all communications tools on a regular basis, is worth your time.
It’s worth the transaction fees.
It’s worth figuring out the technology.
It’s worth the announcements.
I would not force people go give this way, and if you have adults who feel part of their act of worship is putting something in the plate, I would go out of my way to affirm that. But I would offer and emphasize digital giving and show your church why it’s better for your church.
There are lots of solutions that make this easy. Here’s one that combines online giving, recurring giving, mobile giving and text giving with no monthly fees.
Rule #7: It’s nearly impossible to say “Thank You” too much.
Dan Glaze from the National Christian Foundation says the six most important words in fundraising are “thank you, thank you, thank you.”
So even though you may have a thankful spirit, it’s really important to go out of your way to thank your donors.
Chances are, they don’t feel appreciated enough.
And it’s nearly impossible to overdo it.
