We’re getting closer to Christmas and end of year giving – should we be doing anything different?
Yes! You should. I find that most churches are always sending out letters, or emails, about the Christmas or end of year offering. That’s great. However, most are missing the opportunity to be specific with their communication. Language that directly applies to the person reading the communication usually means that person is able to hear or relate to the message more. This is important. In age where we are constantly getting different pieces of communication, it should be our goal to reach that person using specific language. Here are 4 groups of people/donors that you can reach out to with specific language in mind.
1. Donors that gave anything last year, or this year.
These donors already get it. Let them know how much you appreciate their consistent giving. It’s also important to continue to paint a picture of what your church plans to accomplish next year with this giving – assuming you’re raising funds for an outreach or kingdom builders fund. If not, no worries, just let them know what your church is doing and continuing to do. Don’t forget to talk about growth, your mission as a church, and how they are helping to fulfill that mission and goals.
2. People that have attended or done something at your church this year, but haven’t given.
🚀 Boost Giving! Reach new donors by connecting with people ready to give when presented with the opportunity.
This is easily my favorite group of people. These folks might have attended church on a Sunday, or maybe attended an outreach event, but for whatever reason, they haven’t gotten involved in your giving ministry. It can be tough for new families to give for a variety reasons. This is an opportunity to remind them what your church does, how it’s trying to reach new families like them, and ultimately ask them to get involved in your giving ministry so that your church can continue to do that.
Remind them about the events you held over the last year, or how many kids you checked in on weekend services and taught, anything to remind them about why they love your church and how them giving continues to make those things possible.
3. Donors that gave 2 years ago, but not last year or this year.
This is a great opportunity to reach back out to these folks. Maybe they’ve gotten disconnected from your church simply because life got in the way, and this is a chance to get in front of them. Maybe they’re gone forever, and any communication will be wasted, buuuuuut maybe not?
“We haven’t seen you in awhile, and just wanted to remind you of all the great things we’re still doing.”
Don’t overcomplicate things, less is more.
4. Top Donors
This one seems to catch some heat every now and then, but if you’re behind the scenes at a church you know how important these donors are. I find most churches have their top 20% of donors contributing anywhere between 65% – 80% of their total budget! Reaching out to these donors and reminding them how important they are to the church doesn’t have to be weird. No gift from any donor is anymore significant than another (bigger amount or not), but we have to remember that your church operates like any other business and needs funds to continue discipleship.
Reaching out to your top donors, and letting them know that they’re big givers shouldn’t feel taboo. In fact, there’s a very good chance all of these donors will enjoy hearing that they have a significant impact on your church.