Communication Is Key to Growing Generosity

Communication is Key to Growing Generosity

1) What do we communicate?

• Proposed budgets, contribution statements, thank-you’s.
• The ministry that is being accomplished because of the financial support given by the congregation.
• The ministry that is being accomplished because of the willingness of members to give of their time and abilities.
• Celebration of the exciting things being done in your church. Get your members excited and tied-in to the ministries that are currently happening in your church. The more people feel connected to ministry, the more they have the desire to give, both financially and of their time and talents.

1) How often do we communicate?

• Most churches provide their members with an annual statement of contributions for easier reporting for tax purposes. However, doing so more frequently throughout the year is beneficial. If done quarterly, members can be given a statement of their contributions year-to-date.
• If your church uses an estimate-of-giving type plan, this statement can serve as a reminder for a member to compare their actual giving to what was pledged. Along with the contribution amount, this piece can also be an opportunity to highlight one or two ministries per communication. Testimonies or stories collected by the church staff/ministry committees help tie-in ministry to dollars.

2) How best do we communicate?

• Most of us are inundated with things to read from a variety of sources. Communication to your members should be short but informative. Personalized letters to each member is best, but if a very large church this may not be feasible. An article with ministry highlights and/or testimonials written by the deacons or from a representative of a chosen ministry could be included in your church newsletter.
• Before the budget is proposed for the next year, members should have a good idea of what their dollars support. A line-item budget may be necessary, but creating a narrative budget in addition to the line-item budget, helps members consider ministry rather than dollars.
• Inviting a guest speaker from a church-supported ministry who talks about what the financial and prayer support of your church means to their ministry can be powerful.
• Use a chart to encourage members to prayerfully consider what percentage of their income they commit to give for church support, and challenge members to increase giving by one percent the next year..
• Ideally, if church leadership is aware of the ministry in which an individual member is involved, a personal handwritten note on their contribution statement thanking them for their particular service is a nice touch.