Almost 30% of all charitable giving happens in December, and the last few days are the most important.

It may feel like the week after Christmas is the time to pull back, slow down on communication, and talk about anything but stewardship. If that's your gut instinct, then this would be one of those times not to trust your gut. 

Just about everyone in your congregation is thinking about where they'll make their final charitable contributions for the year. They will see a sharp uptick in communication from education, hunger relief, healthcare and other nonprofits, each sharing how they are making a difference in the lives of those they serve. If you remain silent it is likely your church or faith-based nonprofit will be overlooked by many of your regular donors who are making year-end discretionary gifts.

Giving is Up, but Not to Churches

2020 is shaping up to be a banner year for charitable giving, but giving to the church is down 4.4%. According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, giving is up among small (19.2%), mid-level (8.1%) and major (6.4%) donors over the same period last year. The same cannot be said for giving to the church, which was down 4.4% according to a recent Lake Institute Study. Why? Largely because most churches are not effectively sharing their stories of impact or asking donors to invest in their ministries in ways that resonate with them.

This trend of giving shifting from the church to other nonprofits is not unique to 2020. It is a long-standing trend going back to 1990 when religion received twice the share of U.S. charitable giving as it does today. The good news is that about 20% of churches are riding the wave of increased giving, and most of these will finish 2020 stronger than ever!

Start Now!

There is no reason to wait. If you missed the huge opportunity to take part in #GivingTuesday, there is still plenty of time to make December 2020 your best month of giving ever. The first step is to download the Horizons Year-End Giving Guide and begin to work the remaining five strategies.

For the remainder of this blog, we are going to focus on Strategy Six, Sending Email Appeals the Last Week of the Year.

Year-end giving communication should be the primary focus of your social, web, and email for the final days of the year. Starting December 26, it should be the first thing they see on your website, regular reminders via email that come almost daily, and reminders via social media should all be in full swing.

  • Year-end giving is a big deal for your financial leaders: It's not uncommon to see stock transfers, large cash transfers, or even large checks come through in the final week of the calendar year. Be sure to designate someone with the authority to be available to answer the phone or be onsite at the church to facilitate these transactions.
  • Timing of your email matters: Your email is most likely to be read if it arrives in the early morning, late afternoon, evening, or on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
  • Add a Personal Touch: Sending an email from a real person (rather than the organization) results in significantly higher readership.
  • Use a Matching Gift Challenge to Increase Giving: Incentivizing donors using a matching gift at year end can increase your response rate by 50%.
  • Use a Goal Tracking Bar: Engage donors by setting a goal and tracking progress on your homepage. Donors love to see momentum.
  • Include Your Give Now Button (at the bottom of the page, not the top): Donor participation was 28.2% lower in email appeals that included a donate button at the beginning of the appeal rather than at the end. Be sure to make your case first before asking for the gift.
  • Create a Sense of Urgency: Use a countdown clock to create a sense of timeliness and urgency. Research showed a 61.8% increase in donor conversion rate as compared to the same message without the clock.
  • Make Online Giving Feel More Secure: Setting the credit card fields apart from the background and adding a simple padlock icon increased the number of donors by 14.4%.

A Simple Year-End Giving Plan

Here is what a coordinated plan might look like for your church from December 26 to December 31. You can vary this as you are comfortable. Below is a road map for you to follow and suggestions or prompts. Feel free to make it your own. Please note: The repetition is intentional.

Year-End Communication Road Map

December 26

  • Update your website to remind people about year-end giving and the impact it could make through your church. This should be a banner image that is at the top of the website when it loads on mobile or desktop.
  • Link the banner image to your giving page which has been updated with the tips above.
  • Share a story of life change or resend one of your most impactful stories of 2020 by email and through all your social media channels. You can write it a couple of different ways and post twice throughout the day on social media (do not email twice).

December 27

  • Send out an email message about all the ways to make year-end gifts to your church. Don't forget to include links to make it easy for someone to complete their gift. Also, include a contact name, phone number, and email for special giving requests or needs. Be sure to include all the ideas discussed in the Horizons Year-End Giving Guide.
  • On social media, share another story of life change or resend one of your most impactful stories of 2020 by email and through all your social media channels. Be sure to link to your church's giving page. You can write it a couple of different ways and post twice throughout the day.

December 28

  • Prepare year-end giving slides and/or bulletin inserts to put in the announcement rotation during your worship experience.
  • Deliver an offering talk during your weekend services that includes an important story of life change that demonstrates how generosity accelerates discipleship engagement and changed lives. Be sure to clearly invite members and guests to include your church in their year-end giving, share who and how to contact about stock transfers or other gift questions. Let everyone know you are sharing a different story each day of the difference your church made in 2020.
  • Email and post a video of the offering talk on social media. Be sure to link it to your church’s giving page.

December 29

  • Send an email out in the evening that highlights a story of life change and impact from 2020. Keep it short, and invite people to make their final, tax-deductible gift by December 31. Be sure to include a give now link at the bottom of the page.
  • On social media, share another story of life change or resend one of your most impactful stories of 2020. Be sure to link to your church's giving page. You can write it a couple of different ways and post twice throughout the day.

December 30

  • Send a short video from the pastor reminding everyone of the many ways in which the church successfully continued its mission in spite of the challenges of Covid-19. Cast a Vision of hope for 2021 as you put 2020 in the rearview mirror. Thank everyone who has supported the ministries of the church and wish everyone a safe and happy new year! Use an uplifting subject line like: Special message of hope from Pastor… In the accompanying text, insert a short reminder there is still time to maximize charitable deductions for 2020 and advance the ministry of the church by making their gift before midnight, followed by a give now button.
  • On social media, share another story of life change or resend one of your most impactful stories of 2020 by email and through all your social media channels. Be sure to link to your church's giving page. You can write it a couple of different ways and post twice throughout the day.

December 31

  • Send a brief email with the subject line, “There is still time to maximize your 2020 Charitable Deductions.” Simply explain how to make a year-end gift to your church. Include online options, dropping a check by the church office, or who to contact for non-cash or special giving opportunities.
  • On social media, share another story of life change or resend one of your most impactful stories of 2020 by email and through all your social media channels. Be sure to link to your church's giving page. You can write it a couple of different ways and post twice throughout the day.

Don't Forget to Say Thank You

Of course, don't forget to say thank you early and often to everyone who demonstrates generosity during year-end giving. Some of those thank you's may fall into the first week of the new year. 

Make sure you review your online giving confirmation email, acknowledge gifts appropriately and align with your general appreciation strategy, and provide a personal thank you to any substantial acts of generosity. Giving is first a spiritual experience and second a financial one. So a gift is a response to spiritual growth. Don't miss the opportunity to celebrate that. 

Year-end giving can be a game-changing financial experience for your church. Most churches never prioritize this giving season. As a result, many of the dollars that could have been used to maximize impact simply were directed elsewhere. Your members want to see their church succeed. When you show them why and how to give to your church at year end, you'll see them respond.   

Do you want access to more practical tools to help you cultivate a culture of generosity in your church? Visit our free online Giving365 resource center or click here to request a free consultation by a Horizons Generosity Coach about how your church can increase ministry funding and improve discipleship through a process we call Next Level Generosity.

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