By Trevor Cornejo
An ongoing challenge for churches is navigating how to continually encourage giving. What once was a simple concept of passing an offering plate pew to pew on Sunday mornings, now takes much more strategy and thought.
In an age that is becoming more and more reliant on technology, even things like church giving are switching to digital alternatives. Establishing an online giving presence can transform giving at your church. Not only does your church need proper resources to launch giving campaigns but also you need the support of congregants and for them to believe in contributing to the church’s mission.
Here are five keys that can help increase giving.
1. Be generous to your community
People will rally behind a cause or mission that they feel drawn to and can invest in and less so to statistics and numbers. A key in church giving is identifying specific outreaches to which people can give directly. Connecting congregant’s donations with a tailored cause in the community that your church can contribute can help individuals feel like they are making a difference.
2. Be transparent
We have all been in situations where it is uncomfortable to talk about money. Creating transparency can break the awkwardness of the topic by making funds available for all to see. Publishing statements and church budgets are two ways to give people easy access to the church’s financial information. The more transparency people see around funds, then the more compelled they will be to give.
One way to help with this is to provide people quick and easy means to access their own giving statements. Find a giving platform that will provide charts you can share with congregants to show how people are giving and what giving is going toward.
3. Be patient and flexible
Both patience and flexibility are skills with which almost everyone has a hard time. However, they are essential to develop when waiting for donations to come in or seeing how your congregation reacts to the call of tithing.
When implementing online giving, it may take a while for congregants to adopt the method. Ensure you are providing ways to give utilizing technology congregants are already using to help with this. Most people are already online and on their devices for a number of reasons from online shopping to banking so utilizing their device for online giving will be natural.
4. Be thankful
Letting contributors know that you appreciate their donations and are thankful for their support is important. Showing your gratitude makes giving more personable and hopefully, congregants will be encouraged to give more because of the connection and personal tie.
Customizing an automated message that sends after someone gives is a great way to add a personal touch that removes the distance often felt when interacting online.
5. Be a wise steward
Carefully cumulating and showing every cent that is directed to your overall church mission is a way that church members can see exactly where their money is going. Knowing what impact is being made in the community can encourage further generosity.
Remember, tithing isn’t about money. It’s about Jesus. By making everyone in your church a wise steward of God’s resources, you can help create disciples with generous hearts who are eager to serve through their gifts and talents.
Trevor Cornejo is a Customer Success Manager at Faithlife, a church technology company offering integrated ministry solutions, including Faithlife Giving. Faithlife is hosting a free webinar on May 26, 2021, on how to boost church giving and break the summer slump. Get details
I’m grateful that this was posted. We have very little being published on the state of giving particularly how to reverse declines in giving. While this is good in theory it left a lot of practical advice out. Great keys but how do you apply those keys? That would have been helpful. Without a plan you will always struggle financially. Finally, the one key that many leave out is discipleship. From our small groups to our sermons we need to make teaching about the stewardship of life a discipline that we teach regularlyh and consistently. How can we talk about money during a pandemic? Becaues the path to financial security lies in being a good steward!