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Giving to the church for the first time is an emotional experience before it’s a financial one. While finances do play a role in the decision, people give with their hearts. But, only 19% of those that give once are likely to donate a second time. There are a lot of reasons for this, and a primary one has to do with how you engage with first-time givers.
To help ensure your ministry is engaging with first-time givers successfully, we’ve created a simple guide with 5 easy steps.
Step 1: Make it easy to give for the first time
Did you know 67% of giving happens on a day other than Sunday? People give every day of the week via text, on their smartphones, and on your church’s website. For first-time givers, donating online is often more comfortable because there’s less pressure when it can be done at their convenience and through their own devices.
Equip your church with online giving tools so that first-time givers have all available options to donate when their ready. By making it incredibly easy for your ministry to give online, inspiring those that haven’t given before is more effective.
Step 2: Design a system to inform you when first-timers give
Engage with first-time givers is more effective when you know that they’ve given. The best way to achieve this is to design a system that alerts you when someone donates for the first time. With easyTithe’s reporting system, transaction reports can be set up to be emailed to you daily, weekly, and monthly. You can also encourage first-time givers to leave a short message in the “additional comment” section to further the reporting insight.
Step 3: Have a plan ready for your next steps of engagement
Before someone gives, you should already know what your next steps of engagement are. It can be as simple as sending a handwritten note thanking them for their gift. Reach out promptly because if the person doesn’t feel appreciated, they’re less likely to give a second time. Try to get your message out within a week (if not the next day) of the donation and make sure it’s heartfelt.
Step 4: Follow-up with the results of the first gift
Because giving is part of one’s spiritual journey, donors appreciate seeing the results of their contributions. The follow-up is separate from the thank you and lets them know how they’ve impacted the church’s mission and helped the community.
For instance, if your church is raising money to rebuild a family’s home that was taken by fire, let the first-time giver know the progress of the mission. You can use before and after pictures in the follow-up as well as quotes from the family to highlight how their lives have been positively impacted.
Step 5: Ask for a second gift
Roughly 63% of those that give a second time are likely to give again. And that’s why this step is so crucial. While you don’t want to bombard people by continually asking, first-time givers can benefit from a little prompting on your part. Reach out by detailing the church’s goals for raising funds and let them know how their gift can help further their community.
By following these 5 easy steps, you’ll see an increase in tithes because first-time givers turn into recurring givers!
Make it incredibly easy to give to your church for the first time! Check out easyTithe’s online giving features by reaching out to sales@easytithe.com or 1-888-778-4843.
