Creating content to share with your givers can be overwhelming. But it’s an important thing to do. Consistent content and communication will not only engage your donors but also encourage consistent giving within your church. We’ve developed an easy system for you using 4 basic elements: Thank, Educate & Empower, Disciple, and Inspire. Whether sending an email, a letter, recording a video, or talking from the stage on Sunday, incorporate these four elements to make communicating with givers more effective. And, as an added bonus, this will also equip you with a simple formula to work with.
#1 Thank
Start or end each communication piece thanking givers. Create 2-4 key thank you sentences and use them in rotation for one year. When it comes to consecutive communication pieces, remember to switch out which thank you sentence you are using. People will get used to hearing and seeing these sentences regularly. Here are two important things to remember:
- Don’t just say “thank you for giving.”
Incorporate multiple elements into the thank you sentence. Disciple and educate givers while saying thank you at the same time. For example:
“Thank you for your faithfulness giving online to the ministries of (church name).”
Why is this example sentence successful? Because this sentence acknowledges how they give (use of online platform), a spiritual principle (faithfulness that comes through giving) and informs them where money is allocated (to church ministries).
- Emphasize the individual.
Don’t just personalize the communication. Personalize the thank you. Here are 3 simple ways you can do this in a thank you sentence below:
“You make ministry happen! Thank you so much for faithfully giving online.”
“Thank you for your act of worship giving online to (church name). “
“None of this would be possible without your faithful giving.”
Lastly, remember this. You can never say thank you enough. A kind, sincere thank you is greatly appreciated by a giver!
#2 Educate & Empower
Both are extremely important and complement one another, which is why these are considered to be one element. Let’s define both…
When you educate, you inform your givers WHERE and HOW they can give. Make sure to include the various giving methods your church offers along with instructions and tutorials on how to use them. Be clear and concise when you do this.
When you empower, you inform givers WHY they should give. Share spiritual and practical benefits that giving provides to both churches and donors.
If you’re addressing a specific type of giver, be specific about the benefits too. For example: Share with online givers the spiritual and practical benefits recurring gifts provide donors and churches.
Want to make educating & empowering your givers more approachable and less awkward? Create questions, not statements. This softens the language and helps avoid “asking for money.” Use the “Did You Know?” model. Here are some examples:
“Did you know you can set up a recurring gift in just 2 minutes? CLICK HERE to begin.”
“Did you know recurring gifts help the church budget more easily and prayerfully plan ministry efforts?”
#3- Disciple
There are 3 effective ways to disciple givers in a communications piece.
- Share God’s Word.
Paraphrase, quote, cite or reference what the Bible teaches about giving, attributes of generous people, life with wealth/money/possessions and the Kingdom of God.
- Write a mini devotional.
Quote or cite a Scripture and then share 2-3 ways how someone can apply it to their life. The goal? Help them grow as a faithful steward/giver. Can be as simple as 3-5 sentences.
- Emphasize spiritual principles.
Discuss concepts like faithfulness, giving as an act of worship, the grace of giving, storing up treasures in heaven not on earth, giving in faith, obedience, discipline, first-fruits principle, etc.
#4- Inspire
This part may be outside your daily job duties (or job description for that matter), but it is essential! Spend time and be intentional gathering stories and collecting data from different ministries. Get this info through church staff and all-star volunteers.
Share statistics and stories that inspire. Include stories of people blessed to give and blessed to receive. A good rule of thumb? Incorporate 1-2 examples of God at work in the life of your church within a communications piece. Here are some great examples below:
- Highlight a statistic: “This past month, over 300 households received groceries through our church’s food pantry. This was made possible by the kind donations from our church family and last weekend’s offering of $_______ to benefit our food drive!”
- Share a meaningful quote from someone who gave: “This is not just about full bellies, but full hearts too. I was overjoyed to help a family put dinner on the table during these trying times and lift some of their burdens. Plus, Jesus calls us to feed those who are hungry. What a simple, profound way to display His love.”
When I worked in full time ministry, I was responsible for communicating with thousands of givers. When I brainstormed and developed content to share with givers, I found this system extremely helpful. The 4 elements I highlighted above will strengthen each piece, engage your givers, and ensure you will not run out of content to share. Continue to thank, educate & empower, disciple, and inspire God’s givers one quarter, month, or week at a time.