Three proven ways to increase giving

Every effective church wants to maximize the giving potential of the congregation for the sake of fulfilling the Great Commission. Yet not all effective churches take advantage of some very simple, but proven ways of helping their members and constituents grow in their response to God’s grace through their growth in giving.

Below are just three of the many ways Aslan has helped churches increase their giving and thereby increase the resources available for life-changing ministries. Almost any church can do these three simple things and see an immediate increase in giving.

Monthly Giving Statements.

There is almost nothing that will have a more immediate impact on giving than mailing monthly giving statements to all donors. We live in a culture in which each year is divided into 12 financial periods with the end of the fiscal year coinciding with the end of the calendar year.

People in our culture live and give on a monthly and annual basis. Every secular business knows this. That is why the Power Company, the Telephone Company, the Credit Card Company, and every other entity wanting money from us send us a monthly statement. Even if you have a credit balance on your account at the phone company, they will still send you a monthly statement! They know that it is important to stay in front of their constituents every month.

Then why do churches only mail giving statements annually or quarterly and not monthly? There are several reasons. Here are a few:

They believe it is too expensive to mail first-class giving statements each month. This is a classic “penny wise and pound foolish” approach. Monthly giving statements will generate far more in increased giving than they will ever cost. Countless churches have proven this year after year.

They do not believe it is necessary to send a monthly “reminder” to donors. They believe that most Christians give out of a sense of duty or in obedience to the Lordship of Christ. Often almost every leader in the church gives out of a great sense of commitment and responsibility and they believe everyone does or should give for the same reason. The fact is most giving by most people in most churches is giving done in response to a need (compassion) or a relationship (community – see Dr. Kennon Callahan’s writings on Giving). The monthly statements places the need to give on the agenda of most donors in a format that can help them give for the reasons they are motivated to give.

They believe people who are really committed do not need “reminders” and the problem is not the need for monthly reminders, but to “get them more committed.” This is a classic denial of reality at best and at worst it is attempt to force one view of reality onto every other person. After all, “If they would just do what they ought to do, they would give without a reminder, like I give without a reminder.”

Yet every church which does a good job with monthly statements will see their giving increase. Aslan has experience with churches which have tried monthly statements for a time then changed to quarterly statements because “the monthly statements cost too much to prepare and mail.” In every case, giving decreased. When they went back to monthly statements, giving immediately increased. And the increase was far in excess of the nominal cost of the statements.

Business Reply Envelops (Postage Paid Envelops)

Every communication about giving should include a BRE (Business Reply Envelope). This will serve as a convenient tool for the donor to immediately return a check to the church upon receipt of the communication (monthly statement, letter of thanks, special appeal, etc.).

Many recipients who do not immediately choose to give will keep the BRE on their desk, in their checkbook, or by the computer, and it will be a continual reminder of the need and opportunity to give. Some will even choose to bring a check to church on Sunday rather than use to BRE in an attempt to save the church’s money. The motivation to “save the church money” is the little extra motivation many people will need to help them make the desired gift.

If this works so well, why do less effective churches choose not to do it? Again, for many of the same reasons as those stated for not sending monthly statements, with the primary reason being cost. There is the cost of the envelope enclosed in each mailing, plus the cost of someone placing it in the mailing, plus the cost of the postage due when used by the donor.

Yet none of these is a significant cost when compared to the return on the investment generated by always including the BRE. It is the experience of Aslan that churches who have taken this advice, never regretted doing so.

Say “Thank You.”

Effective churches find effective ways of saying “Thank You” to those who give to support the ministries of those churches. Ineffective churches rarely if ever say “Thank You” to the very people they are dependent upon for giving to support their work.

Captain Kangaroo taught a generation of Baby Boomers (a generation about to become the richest generation in the history of the world) the magic words: “Please” and “Thank You.”

People appreciate being appreciated. People appreciate being thanked. We simply like for someone to thank us when we have done something we did not have to do, but chose to do out of the goodness of our own hearts. Almost nothing has a more bitter taste than ingratitude.

Every communication about money, giving and finances should include a “Thank You.” It can be nothing more than an insert in the Monthly Giving Statement which briefly highlights a ministry and then simply says something like: “Thank you for your giving. It is because of your giving we were able to take 25 fifth graders on a Confirmation Retreat and 18 of them received Christ as their personal Savior. Your giving makes a difference and your church thanks you.”

A “Thank You” might also be appropriate every Sunday at the time of the offering. This can be as innocuous as making a statement like the one above just before the offering. More effective churches will find more and more effective ways of simply saying, “Thanks.” Less effective churches will continue to expect folks to simply “do their duty,” or “fulfill their vows of membership.”

The Aslan Group would like to help you discover any number of ways to increase the effectiveness of your ministry and of your church.

For more information or to enlist some significant help contact:
John Butler
jbutler@aslangroup.com
678.592.9241

May God richly bless you as you serve Christ
making disciples in more and more effective ways.