Volunteers are an essential part of the church. They assist when church leaders are spread thin and have a way of inspiring other members to join in the culture of service. On top of that – volunteers give 2X more to the church than non-volunteers. But, recruiting people to donate their time can be a challenge.
With your year-end generosity campaign behind you, thank you notes sent out, and a fresh year of church fundraising ahead, it’s time to follow up with givers. A follow-up is simply touching base. It’s not an ask for a donation or volunteer work. It’s not even a thank you for past gifts (although, you can always thank givers again during the follow-up).
A leading pain-point for church leaders and admin members is organizing online giving information and generosity campaigns. And when you think about it, this makes sense. Online giving grew 11.4% last year, and the increase was much higher than anticipated.
Recurring giving programs continue to grow in popularity for churches and tithers alike. Churches appreciate recurring gifts because they help with forecasting and donor retention. Tithers love the program because it’s convenient and simple to incorporate into their budget.
There’s no shortage of data in the world today. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! According to research, more data was created in the last year than in the previous 5,000 years. And it’s no wonder between fast internet access and the capabilities of technology. In some cases, the abundance of accessible information is a good thing, and in other cases (like organizing it) – not so much.
There’s nothing like starting with a fresh slate to begin yearly planning for your church! With 2017 behind us, and January just revving up, now is the ideal time to focus on what’s ahead. Even with a lot on your plate this month, don’t push planning to the bottom of the list. Yearly planning is essential for growth, development, & increasing giving in 2018.
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