Blog 4 of 4
As we enter this new year and head into spring, we’ve been exploring what key habits can shape our church’s giving trends. A robust stewardship program is built on consistent and committed work year-round. In this series, we’ve explored a habit for each day, each week, and each month that can make a big difference in donor engagement.
So far these habits have been focused on our cultivation, appreciation, and engagement of the donor. We’ve looked at acknowledgments and storytelling as ways to let our givers see their impact on our church’s day-to-day mission in the world.
Quarterly Habits
Today, we’ll look at a quarterly habit that is more internally focused but equally important. This habit is a review of your donor patterns and records. Set aside time at least once each quarter to review your givers. Has a consistent giver fallen off? Has someone who had been giving $50 a week increased their gift? Have you noticed someone who lapsed started making a monthly contribution again?
Part of appreciating and stewarding donors is recognizing when something significant has changed in their giving patterns. Someone who’s increased their commitment deserves special acknowledgment. Someone who had been a faithful giver but has stopped should be a flag for contact. Sometimes it’s as simple as an expired credit card on a recurring giving platform. Other times, people need to hear that they are missed and to receive a pastoral call to become re-engaged. Each donor is an individual whose gifts deserve thanks and appreciation.
A quarterly review of these patterns could fit nicely with a review of your overall contribution goals and trends as a church. Are you pacing ahead or behind where you must be for the year? Major changes in individual donors’ patterns can inform that review and help you plan.
Giving Platforms
We encourage churches to offer a recurring giving platform to donors and educate them on how their monthly or weekly automatic gifts help the church plan financially. If you’ve promoted such a platform to your congregants, use the quarterly review to identify how that is working and if there are groups of donors who might benefit from additional communication about automatic recurring giving.
The time to start talking about stewardship and donor impact is not during the annual pledge commitment campaign. I hope these simple habits will help you and your congregation grow donor excitement for your ministry in the coming year. A small investment of time each day, week, month and quarter can make a huge difference and change the trajectories of your members’ generosity.
Better Donor Engagement through Four Habits
You can grow your church’s giving program through four simple habits. A small investment of a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly habit will cultivate your members’ generosity. These habits help demonstrate to them how giving to the church changes lives.
In this article, learn the four key habits that will put your stewardship program on a healthy course.
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Tim has over 30 years of experience in Church, Non-Profit Administration, Management, and Fund Development. Serving as an Executive Pastor and Chief Development Officer in growing Churches and Non-Profit Organizations. He has provided a wide range of expertise and resources. Tim serves as the Founder and CEO of Non-Profit DNA. A boutique firm committed to helping nonprofits and churches. Building their capacity through fundraising, leadership, team building, staff recruiting, and coaching.
