Which is better: a giving system or a giving model?
Models assume:
1. The variables are the same.
2. The expected outcome is the same.
3. The objective is to reproduce what has already been done somewhere else by someone else.
Systems assume:
1. The variables are NOT the same and are specific to context in which it exists.
2. The expected outcome is NOT the same but dynamic and will need to be adjusted and refined over time.
3. The objective is NOT to reproduce what has already been done somewhere else by someone else but to create a platform for growth that is unique and indigenous to the culture in which the system exists.
When it comes to addressing stewardship and generosity in your church, are you building an organic system or attempting to replicate an existing model?
It’s clear which one leads to long-term, sustainable funding.
(Hint: It’s not a model.)
Is your church giving being impacted by Haiti?
Eric Foley, author of the Transformational Giving blog, had an excellent post last week about church giving and Haiti. Joanne Fritz provided some great commentary on the same post in “Is your Nonprofit losing out to Haiti?”.
Most church leaders have thought the same thing at one time or another over the past several weeks. It’s beyond my imagination that more than $500 million has been raised in the three weeks since the tragic earthquake. (In no way am I diminishing the need or the response.) To put that amount in context, Giving USA reported that total giving to churches in 2008 (2009 numbers not available yet) was just over $100 billion. If what some church leaders are saying is true (that the people in the pew don’t have money to give), there where is all this “extra” money coming from?
Attacking Haiti is not a great strategy. In fact, it was a very appropriate response by the larger Christian community to mobilize to play a critical role in the recovery process for these people who were already living in the midst of devastating poverty.
My interest lies in what can we learn about this response to better inform how we fund our budgets. We need to focus our efforts on how to create a long-term, sustainable strategy that includes creating a culture that values, teaches, and practices the spiritual discipline of giving. It’s too easy to fund our churches by creating a crisis. It’s impossible to create a strategy and be intentional when our entire funding plan consists of putting our fires as they arise.
What steps are you taking today to create a culture of generosity, grounded in stewardship, that will ensure money doesn’t inhibit your ability to fulfill and complete the vision God has placed on your heart?
What’s your church giving plan?
We plan for everything. We plan our exercise schedule. We plan our vacations. We plan our retirement. We plan our day. (The list goes on and on and on.) It’s interesting to me that when it comes to some of the most important things in our orgaizations, we DON’T plan at all.
The church is the only institution ordained by God at Pentecost to carry forward the earthly ministry of Christ until His ultimate return. There is no Plan B. If the church shuts its doors because it can’t afford to keep them open, then there is no viable substitute available. That means church leaders have to ensure the long-term viability of the organizations we represent and are called to lead.
Compassion International. Word Vision. Bread for the World. All great organizations. While the work they manage must be done, they cannot and do not have the responsibility of facilitating spiritually transformative experiences with individuals and cultures. That responsibility lies with the church.
That being the case, don’t you think we should be very careful in our planning to ensure there is enough money to fulfill this God-sized task? It has been my experience that some church leaders rest on the strategy that “if I preach good enough and pray hard enough” the money will take care of itself.
WRONG!
I’m not denying the role of the Holy Spirit, but I am saying that such an EXCUSE doesn’t stand up to the call God has placed on the life of a church leader. Money and ministry are intricately connected, and those of us to who lead churches will be held accountable for our ability to cultivate what God has brought to us through the people in our pew in time, talent, and treasure.
Here are some great ideas for improving church giving. The article was written to the traditional nonprofit organization, but you can see the parallels. I would use these 10 things to guide you in developing a church giving plan.
DO SOMETHING! Today! Right now!
3 questions every church leaders needs to ask when giving is down
When giving is down, you have a choice to make:
1. You can either do nothing and hope it gets better. (Hint: Probably won’t get better. Most likely will get worse.)
2. You can work to better understand what led to where you are and intentionally address the source of the decline.
If you choose option 1, then there is no need to continue reading this post. In fact, never come to Church Giving Matters again because this blog will completely frustrate you. Choosing option 2 options the door for corrective action that will create a much different finish in 2010.
For those who choose option 2, there are three questions you need to ask as you begin the discovery process:
1. Is there a shared sense of clarity of purpose, vision, and mission among the church staff and lay leadership?
2. Is your church program list a conglomerate of events or is there a convergence of activity? (In other words, are you just busy, or is there a reason behind it all?)
3. Are you listening to what the people in the pew are saying? (It doesn’t matter what “you” say about you, it matters what “they” say about you.)
Just because giving is down (and maybe has been down for a long time) doesn’t mean the future isn’t bright. The only sure thing is that the best way to paralyze a church is to stop trying to understand what’s working and what isn’t.
Church Giving Matters: Top 7 posts in January 2010
January was a great month for the Church Giving Matters blog. (Thank you!) Just in case you missed a post or two along the way, here are the top 7:
1. A Week of Videos: My Generosity Story
2. Leaving LifeWay, Joining Generis
3. Push the limits of church funding: Get beyond small thinking
4. Push the limits of church funding: Survival mode off
5. Push the limits of church funding: Break the silence
10 ways to ensure “no Sunday services” doesn’t break the church budget
Cancelling Sunday worship services can be a scary decision to make. The financial impact of losing one week’s worth of contributions can be enough to take your breath away.
The good news is that there are ways you can prepare for the inevitable (unless you live somewhere like San Diego, CA where the weather is beautiful 100% of the time). I would guess that most churches already have all the pieces in place. It’s just a matter of defining a plan of action once the decision to cancel services has been made.
4 platforms to communicate to your membership (Your membership is already using these platforms. Why aren’t you?)
1. E-mail
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. Automated phone system
Bonus: Send a follow up letter as soon as possible that describes the measurable ministry impact that occurred even though the weather was bad enough to cancel services.
Bonus #2: Record a video message using a flip video. Put it on your church’s Web site with a list of easy giving options. Use that link in your cancellation communication.
3 options for them to give (There is no “holy” way to give. Make it easy for everyone by providing multiple options.)
1. Online.
2. Mail.
3. In person. (Obviously, this option would only be available once it’s safe to get out.)
3 points to make in your message (People are busy. Tell them what they need to know and what you want them to do.)
1.Worship services were cancelled for THEIR protection.
2. Ministry isn’t FREE simply because Sunday morning services were cancelled. (Outline the measurable ministry impact of the week. Don’t expect them to figure it out.)
3. State the contribution options available and that ASK them for their support even if they aren’t there is person.
We don’t get to deduct a portion of our mortgage payment because we were out of town a week during the month. We don’t get to prorate a car payment because we didn’t use it for the weekend. It’s not unreasonable to expect members to give even though a member is not physically present. The ministry of the church is (or at least it should be) much larger than Sunday services.
Why should I give to your church?
If you can’t answer that question…
Neither can the PERSON in the PEW.
That’s a BIG problem. And a proven strategy to NOT FUND your organization.
This is your most important asset. Focus on it. Lose sleep over it. Write it over and over until you get it right.
THEN…practice saying to yourself, your wife, your closest friends (and maybe your biggest critics).
Only when YOU’RE convinced will you be able to inspire others to join you (notice I assume you are already funding your vision).
Answer the question in 30 seconds or less.
BETTER…answer the question in 30 words or less.
Then you’ll know you know what you think you know.
And then you’ll be ready to “ask” others with confidence and expect a generous response.
11 ways to turn year-end statements into dollars
It’s almost “that” time of year again. Tax time! (yipee!) For churches, this involves (among many things) providing year-end contribution statements. I want challenge you to rethink the usefulness of this mailing (or e-mailing for those you now sending these electronically).
There is more to this piece that just a report over last year’s giving. It is an opportunity to:
1. Celebrate your ministry achievements in 2009.
2. Articulate your ministry intentions for 2010.
3. Substantiate the 2009 financial contribtuions of the individual.
4. Invite the individual to be even more generous in 2010.
When you send your year-end contribution statements, include three things:
1. Letter from the pastor (Share your heart.)
2. Contribution Statement (Compare year to year giving. We keep score in every area of life. People only grow in giving when they are challenged to do so. In fact, it’s like that for just about everything in life.)
3. Postage-paid return envelope (Most effective piece that suggests action on the part of the contributor. Some people will make a special donation on the spot. Be sure to include online giving link at bottom or on back flap of envelope. When was the last time you got something from World Vision or Compassion international WITHOUT an envelope?)
In the letter:
1. Restate your vision. (It has to be BIG enough to inspire.)
2. Provide evidence of ministry impact. (Demonstrate results.)
3. Outline your expectations moving forward. (Why you need them? What’s in it for them?)
4. Encourage them to TAKE ACTION. (Tell them what you want them to do.)
Please….PLEASE…don’t miss the opportunity to begin building on 2010 giving while you reflect on 2009. If you’re going to take the time to do it, be intentional about leveraging this piece as a way to generate funds instead of just another expense item.
What to say at your next church business meeting
Kivi, author of Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications blog, cracks down on boring business meetings and attacks ridiculous income/expense reporting habits of countless organizations (including churches).
“You raised money and you spent it. So what? What do your income and expenses tell us about your values, your decision-making, and your impact?”
Are you prepared to show people in the pew the Kingdom difference you are making with the money they have given?
Stress about this answer. Spend hours rehearsing it in front of the bathroom mirror.
It must be articulated with a sense of clarity and precision that leaves no room for doubt that their return on ministry investment is beyond their wildest imaginations. If you don’t, then you’ll break trust with your people, your most prized asset (and God’s intended vehicle for funding the work of the church).
The consequence? They will naturally begin to pay closer attention to the MILLIONS of other organizations looking to them (the person who sits in YOUR pew) for funding, too.
About Ben
Ben Stroup recently joined GENERIS, an innovative stewardship consulting firm focused on accelerating generosity and funding the work of the Kingdom, after more than five years of ministry with LifeWay Christian Resources.
His primary focus is helping churches maximize their giving capacity and diversify their funding streams while providing the structure needed to build long-term sustainable ministries.
Ben writes and presents at various events on the subject of establishing sustainable funding models for ministry. His writing has been published in magazines such as Church Solutions and Church Executive.
He maintains an ongoing dialogue about stewardship and giving with pastors and church leaders through the Church Giving Matters blog, Twitter (@ben_stroup), and Facebook (Ben Stroup).
Ben calls himself the “Chief Broker of Opportunity” because he helps pastors change the conversation from “What do we have to cut to survive?” to “What does God want us to do next?” He graduated cum laude from Belmont University. Ben and his wife, Brooke, and son, Carter, live near Nashville, Tennessee.
Ben published his first book in 2009 which has sold more than 6,100 copies. He is already working on his second one which is expected spring 2011. Ben’s sophmore project will expand upon the role multiple funding options play in maximizing giving capacity.
View Ben’s profile for more information.
