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If you get excited flipping the church calendar from April to May, you’re not alone! May is a favorite month for many because it livens up the spring season. Flowers begin blooming, the air turns warm and inviting, and outdoor activities start popping up in the community. There are many days this month to acknowledge like National Day of Prayer and Memorial Day. However, one key date that should be given special attention is Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is the 3rd most attended church service of the year.
Even if your ministry doesn’t have a specific celebration planned for May 13th, it’s still a good idea to prepare for new visitors and an uptick in attendance. To help, we’ve listed 5 simple ways for your church to prepare for larger crowds this Mother’s Day.
1. Greet newcomers with signs and welcome stations
Welcoming visitors is essential for every service. But, when attendance increases, you need to take your efforts up a notch. Begin by greeting people in the parking lot and then guiding them to the welcome station. If you don’t have a lot of volunteers, that’s okay! You can make simple and affordable signs that help visitors along the way.
The welcome station should be inviting with coffee, water, friendly faces and welcome packets. Have a knowledgeable volunteer or church member ready to answer questions. Incorporate a giving kiosk with information about your current generosity campaign. You can also display fresh flowers to make the area even more welcoming.
2. Seamlessly collect visitor contact information with a giving kiosk
Some people don’t realize how many features giving kiosks have. Giving kiosks allow you to seamlessly gather contact information, accept gifts, manage multiple generosity campaigns at once, and much more.
You can set up one or many giving kiosks at your church, and they’ll keep the data organized for you. This frees up your time, so you can focus on visitors at the service, and not administration work. When you’re ready to retrieve the visitor data that was collected, all you need to do is go to the control panel.
The primary reason to collect contact information is that new visitor retention rates are highest when you follow up within 48 hours. If you don’t have the contact info to follow up immediately, you’ll miss the window. In the follow-up, include the next steps like an invitation to a special event or an upcoming sermon series.
3. Stay organized with online giving tools
Staying organized for larger crowd sizes on Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be stressful. We’ve already discussed how giving kiosks capture contact information and accepts digital gifts. Beyond kiosks, incorporate branded donation pages, mobile and text giving, and integrate a Facebook giving app on the church’s page. Churches that have multiple ways to give see an average increase in overall giving of 32%.
If you think multiple ways to give is going to complicate the process, think again! Church administration members can efficiently manage gifts given from the different devices and apps. You simply go to the control panel, choose the custom report you want to run, and access the information. It is all in one place for you!
4. Update your website with current pictures and information
Each year, over 17 million non-churchgoers visit church websites. So, you can count on people visiting your website around Mother’s Day. Take a few moments to get it up-to-date with accurate and helpful information. The design should be clean, easy to navigate and represent the church’s values and mission. Answer common questions like where to park and what to wear for those that aren’t familiar with the area or attending church.
5. Keep your welcome packet simple
Welcome packets are a fantastic way to give visitors something tangible to leave with. When newcomers carry welcome packets, it helps active church members identify them so that they can strike up a conversation. But, you don’t need to put everything and the kitchen sink in your welcome packet! Keep it simple and include information like:
• Bible study and activity schedules
• A heartfelt welcome letter from the pastor
• A short description of the church’s mission and vision
• A flyer or invitation to an upcoming event
If you want to include a free gift such as fresh flowers or a coffee voucher, you can (but it isn’t necessary). There should also be a section in the welcome packet that invites visitors to find you digitally, so be sure to include your Facebook page, website information, and other media outlets that the church uses.
Of course, there’s always more you can do to prepare for large crowd sizes. But, the 5 ways listed above are easy to apply and effective – even if you’re strapped for time!
Access multiple ways to give and a seamless reporting system by contacting easyTithe today! Call 1-888-778-4843 or email sales@easytithe.com.
