Sometimes it’s the little things that can make all the difference when it comes to inspiring a culture of generosity in your church. One of the most undervalued giving tools a church can deploy is the giving statement. While it certainly fulfills a legal obligation in its most basic form, the statement can also be transformed into a vehicle that communicates impact and inspires growth in giving. It's rarely just one strategy or best practice that makes all the difference. However, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another tool you can utilize between Sundays that will offer more opportunities to reinforce the principles of giving and provide a pathway to increase giving than when you reimagine the giving statement as a ministry tool rather than an accounting function.
It’s very difficult for people to think about life in 12-month increments. Most people are focused solely on the day ahead. The more frequently you send them out, the more opportunities you give people to increase their current giving levels.
This letter should be from the pastor. Life change is the currency of charitable giving. No one gives to satisfy budgetary requirements. Instead, they want to be part of a solution to a problem they see around them.
The senior pastor is the primary communicator and spiritual leader of the church. Nothing says giving is vital like the attention of the church's leader. Our use of money is an external reality of an inward state. When our spiritual leader calls our attention to something as important as the impact of our giving or perhaps asks if the numbers reflected on the statement reflect God's goodness in our lives, with the help of the holy spirit, people are confronted with the spiritual reflection of their money habits, creating an opportunity for spiritual growth. Don't miss this disciple-making opportunity.
It’s too easy today to include someone’s name on the outer envelope and in the letter itself. Personalization makes all the difference. When someone gives to your church, it’s a personal gesture. Honor that by using their name. If you are still mailing statements, include a handwritten signature and a note at the bottom, making it even more personalized.
If the giver is not using automatic recurring giving, invite them to. Send a QR code or sign-up link and offer assistance if they would like someone to help them set it up.
It’s rare to have someone who can quickly assemble a year-over-year comparison between last year’s giving activity and the current year’s giving activity. The variance—whether up or down—will provide context. If giving has dropped, then they may not even be aware of the change. If it’s up, you allow them to celebrate God’s blessings in their life.
Since your giving statement will be primarily focused on the impact of giving and why to be generous, you expose all your members to the difference you are making in the lives of those you serve. This reinforces the value that giving is an integral part of the Christian life and the life of a church member. It is a non-confrontational way to remind people of the difference their church is making because of the generosity of others. It will, at the very least, help non-givers recognize the potential impact they could have if they started giving to your church.
Don’t feel like you need to implement all ten ideas immediately. The quarters will come and go faster than you might imagine. So, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try new things. Consider trying one or two of the best practices outlined above and observe the impact on giving in your church over the next 90 days.
Trying new things can be hard, but doing the same things and expecting different results can be equally frustrating. Rethinking your approach to contribution statements could be the very thing that encourages non-givers to give, current givers to give more, and perhaps even surface ministry opportunities you didn’t know existed. At a minimum, telling God’s story through life change and impact in your church never gets old because transformation is what making disciples and funding ministry is all about.
Do you want access to more practical tools to help you cultivate a culture of generosity in church? Visit our Giving365 resource center.