Today I’m giving you a letter that will transform the quarterly giving statements in your church. Outside the church, fundraisers know it’s all about the donor. If you appeal to the needs of the donor, rather than the needs of the organization, you’ll inspire more generous gifts. Alaska did a great test of this recently. Could […]
Category: Year-Round Generosity
Time to Dust Off the Missional Budget
Paul Begala, a former Clinton presidential advisor, once said, “The budget is a profoundly moral document.” He then quoted the Bible, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be.” Budgets, after all, reflect our priorities. The decisions we make about how and how much we spend our money reveal our values and demonstrate […]
A Tale of Two Sausage Suppers
A word about how generosity is inspired… I’m very fortunate to live in an area where a number of churches have sausage suppers. Rural German farmers have a higher standard for sausage – each congregation is very proud of its own recipe. A typical plate comes with their specially made sausage, mashed potatoes, white beans, […]
Upgrade your Quarterly Statements
It’s that time of year again! No, not tax time. Churches are preparing to send out quarterly giving statements to their donors. Last week I made a compelling case for saying “Thank You” to your financial supporters. Today I show you one easy way to do it. Put a Thank You note in every giving statement […]
How About a Christmas Giving Experiment for your Congregation?
Good Thursday morning – It’s just a week until Christmas Day. No doubt you have many, many loose ends to tie up in the next six days. At the risk of adding another task to your to-do list, let me offer this simple suggestion. Many congregations will provide an opportunity for a special offering this […]
Generosity in July?
Pastor, I see you sitting in your study, wondering where your adherents have gone on vacation. And probably planning your own vacation as well. You’re contemplating next week’s worship service and sermon, realizing that attendance will be down, the offering will be down. How can you inspire generosity in July? Here are some tips to jumpstart […]
Can you stomach this topic?
In the workplace, it’s generally a good idea not to discuss politics and religion. In the church that’s a different story – the topic we avoid the most is money. Churches and pastors get squeamish when it comes to money. Especially when it comes to the issue of whether the pastor is knowledgeable about contributions […]
God Loves a Cheerful Giver
One offering I will never forget – I was young, new to ministry, and it was my first Vacation Bible School as an ordained pastor. We had a top-notch team of adult volunteers and a fabulous week planned. But I wasn’t prepared for the offering that week. Our director that year was captivated by Heifer […]
Why Write Thank You Notes?
I’ll be honest – I didn’t get the point of Thank You notes when I was growing up. Every Christmas morning, when I rushed to see the contents of my stocking, way down below all the fruit and candy and cool little gadgets Santa had brought, that last little item in the stocking, what could […]
3 Times 3 Equals Generous Givers
In his book, Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate, Clif Christopher identifies “three pockets of giving” — The Earned-Income Pocket: “monies that we are earning from our salaries or retirement checks.” The Capital Pocket: