Your big event was a HUGE success! You dedicated the time needed to find the right volunteers who were passionate about your ministry. You had the perfect food and drinks for everyone. The children LOVED the fun games and other activities you planned. Your greeters and parking lot attendees worked in perfect harmony together. And most importantly, your attendees – long-time congregants and new visitors alike – bonded in fellowship together and brought glory to Him.
It sounds like a good time to close up shop and rest on your laurels, right?
NO.
Not without completing one final task, anyway. Before you put this event in your rearview mirror, be sure to follow up with everyone involved with your event. This includes:
- Volunteers and staff
- Attendees in the congregation
- Attendees who are new visitors
- Those who registered but couldn’t attend
As you probably know, following up with those who attended or helped make your event a success is relationship building 101. Without that all-important “thank you,” at best people might feel used or taken advantage of…and at worst, insignificant and irrelevant to your ministry. I think we’ve all felt that from time to time in our lives, so let’s talk about ways you can prevent that from happening in your church.
Thanking volunteers and staff for their time
A key step you don’t want to miss is thanking all those who gave their time, talents, and other efforts to help make your event a success. Using Realm church management software can pull a quick report of all the individuals on that church volunteer team and send them a quick “thank you” email. Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s not still from the heart, and your volunteers will recognize and appreciate that.
Thanking your congregational attendees
You may know them personally and see them at every Sunday service, but not following up with your church family just because you know them is no excuse. Remember, they chose to come to your event, so let’s not take their time for granted.
Similar to the “thank you” email you sent to your volunteers or staff earlier, Realm allows you to filter the list of attendees who are also church members. This way, you can send targeted church communications that make sense for someone who’s been at your church before rather than general communications that lose their effectiveness.
Thanking and following up with new visitors
Arguably the most important step of this follow-up process is reaching out to those who are new to your church. Hopefully, you made them feel comfortable and at home with your church family during the event; now it’s time to continue building that relationship using the right church tools to follow up with them.
Realm has built-in tools for follow-up called Pathways. Pathways allow you to place your new visitors in any follow-up process. Since the process is completely customizable to your church’s unique needs, you can place them on a growth track that works best for your ministry.
For most churches, the first touchpoint after an event will be a follow-up call or email. This is easy because Realm’s event registration tools allow you to collect that information when they register. After you’ve made the first follow-up with them, simply move them through your pathway. As each step is completed, the step leader is notified of step completion. Those who oversee the entire pathway can see who’s on track or behind on their discipleship journey and take action to get them back on track.
Following up with non-attendees
Life happens, right? We’re unable to control so many aspects of our daily lives, and sometimes we have to make a decision. In this case, for a (hopefully) small pool of registrants, it was not to attend this event. But that’s ok! Realm provides your church with ways of thanking them for registering and that you hope to see them again at a future event.
If you used Realm’s check-in solution for your event or just took attendance at the door, then you can easily find those who registered but were unable to attend. Send them a quick email thanking them for their interest. If you have any upcoming events planned, it’s also good to send them a registration link in the email to get registered for your next event.
By following these small steps, you’ll make a big impact on your volunteers, attendees, non-attendees, and new visitors and give them a feeling that will last long after your event is over. To find out more information on how Realm can help you create better events in your church, check out Church Event Management Software.
