Five Steps to Develop a Year-Long Appreciation Strategy

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Why do people stop giving to your church? 

Use these five practical steps to develop an appreciation strategy that lasts year-long. 

ONE: SET GOALS 

An effective appreciation strategy begins with clear goals and objectives. Your appreciation goals should align with your church’s values and culture. Define what success looks like regarding giver retention, engagement levels, and overall satisfaction.  

Once you have your benchmark, you can establish your goals and measure their impact. Outlining your goals provides direction and focus for every interaction related to donor appreciation moving forward.  

Your goals will include: 

• Increased giver retention. 

• Generosity success. 

• Enhanced giver engagement. 

• Boosted reputation and public image. 

Write down your goals, assign them to staff, and share them with leadership. This will keep everyone accountable and motivated. 

TWO: TAILORED APPRECIATION STRATEGY 

The appreciation strategy you create should complement your ministry's vision and overall culture. Work with leadership and board members to design your strategy. Once you have your plan, you can incorporate it into your annual fund campaign and any other strategy you implement throughout the year.    

Part of your strategy includes personalized recognition. Develop customized appreciation efforts for different segments. Giver segments to include might be: 

• Financial Leaders.

• People who have given to a specific project. 

• People who have hit a giving milestone. 

• Planned givers. 

Offer specific acknowledgments highlighting the unique value of each giver's contribution to your church’s mission and goals. Appreciation will look different for different audience segments. For example: 

• Visit givers in their homes or take them out for coffee to share impact progress and stories. 

• Send personalized thank-you notes, emails, or videos detailing how their contribution has made a difference.  

• Create giver spotlights in newsletters to share individual stories and contributions, inspiring and informing the wider community.  

• Offer private webinars with key staff members for a time of vision casting so givers can ask questions. 

THREE: YEAR-ROUND ENGAGEMENT  

Write a calendar of activities to ensure you have a year-long appreciation strategy. Knowing what should happen, when, and who will receive it is essential.  

Add all your appreciation events and activities to your calendar to maintain regular engagement. This can include:

• Quarterly giver luncheons.  

• Annual recognition for givers and volunteers. 

• Periodic update meetings.  

Next, visual content, like impact stories and diagrams, should be integrated to illustrate the continuous contributions and achievements made possible by givers. To get you started, check out this practical and comprehensive outline to create your appreciation strategy.

As part of your appreciation strategy, make sure your communication is consistent and incorporate different channels to reach everyone.  Use newsletters, emails, and social media platforms to: 

• Provide regular progress updates.  

• Announce significant news and events within your church.

• Share resources with givers such as articles, videos, eBooks, courses, etc. 

• Highlight success stories and life changes resulting from giver support. 

• Share engaging content such as videos or blog posts showcasing impact, encouraging ongoing involvement and support. 

FOUR: INNOVATIVE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES 

Technology has made engaging with givers faster and easier. Software and automation allow you to send appreciation messages to the right person at the right time. In addition, you can choose from various interactive platforms that will increase engagement in real time.  

These platforms allow you to: 

• Set up online forums or groups where givers can connect with ministry leaders and each other, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.  

• Host virtual events, such as webinars or live Q&A sessions, to keep everyone informed and involved, especially those who cannot attend in-person events.  

• Send group messages to keep everyone updated with news and progress. This could be for a specific campaign or program centered around shared interests. 

FIVE: CULTIVATE A CULTURE OF GRATITUDE 

Implementing the four steps above will help you show appreciation. Still, to truly create a year-long strategy, you need to develop a culture of gratitude that starts within the church and radiates outward.  

A culture of positive appreciation will need: 

• Authenticity: Gratitude is only effective when it is heartfelt and meaningful. Go beyond words and find other ways to express gratitude.    
• Intent: Your words and actions must reflect appreciation. Your goals will keep you focused in this area.  
• Time: Culture is not built overnight or by a meeting alone. A culture of appreciation happens when gratitude is expressed daily. 
• Support: Start by getting the buy-in of leadership. These individuals are essential in showing appreciation to givers, staff, and volunteers. 
• Reinforcement: Once you have the support of your leadership and know how grateful you are, you will notice that staff and volunteers do the same with each other and with givers.  

IMPACT OF APPRECIATION 

Appreciation has a profound impact on the church and givers. It cultivates long-term relationships built on trust and understanding, resulting in dedicated and motivated givers who continue to support your mission. 

As you prepare your year-long appreciation strategy, ensure it aligns with your other stewardship initiatives and your nonprofit's strategic plan.