November 12, 2008
Free E-giving and Event Manager service generates interest
Lots of conversation today about our E-giving and Online Event Manager service.
Below is a collection of the top posts related to E-giving in no particular order.
1. Is online giving a growing trend?
2. The results of online giving are in...
3. Electronic Giving Part 1: The Forbidden Conversation
4. Electronic Giving Part 2: Future or Fad?
5. Revisitng E-giving
6. Book Review: Digital Giving
7. Church increases use of onling giving
8. Concerns about E-giving
9. Study reveals that 50% will donate online this holiday season
Review the entire E-giving catagory.
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November 11, 2008
Book Review: Not Your Parents' Offering Plate
Note: Craig recently commented in an online forum for Church Administrators about this book. It sounded interesting, and I wasn't aware of it. He was gracious and wrote a review for the blog. Thanks Craig. Great job. (And now I have one more book to add to my "must read" list.)
Not Your Parents' Offering Plate
by J. Clif Christopher
This is a short, very direct book that will challenge many of us who have been involved in raising financial resources for our churches. The author takes the position that our biggest "competition" for our people's giving dollar in not other churches but other 501 (c) (3) organizations that do a much better job "targeting" those they hope to receive money from. He spends a whole chapter and many parts of other chapters suggesting that the Senior Pastor must be the primary fundraiser in our churches. He challenges the opinion of many by insisting that the Sr. Pastor must know and cultivate a relationship with those in the church that have the resources to support the mission of the church.
One of the features I found very helpful was at the end of each chapter he asked questions directed at the way we fundraise and gives actions steps. His final chapter deals with the first ten steps he believes we need to take to position our churches to beginning to receive the funding we need to fulfill our mission. This book helped our leadership and financial teams take a different look at and come up with a plan for our next year. We will approach our people in a different way because of the insights of Dr. Christopher.
Craig Zastrow is the Executive Pastor of Central Christian Church in Beloit , WI . Central Christian Church is a nondenominational church with a weekend attendance of over 1900. Central Christian Church was one of the churches featured in Dr. Thom Rainer's book Breakout Churches. He has been in this position for 15 years following 15 years as the director of a county wide paramedic system and 8 years as the executive director of a two county outpatient mental health clinic.
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November 4, 2008
Local church promotes giving in tough economy
"If this economic crash has taught us anything, it is that it is an illusion for us to think that we can find any security in anything material," said Stephen McSwain, author of 'The Giving Myths.'
This church brought in a noted author to encourage believers to "keep the faith" in the midst of uncertain times.
What is your church doing?
(Hint: Panic isn't an option. Hope is not a strategy.)
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November 3, 2008
Top 12 posts about church giving in an economic crisis
Just in case you missed these the first time around, here are the top 12 posts (in no particular order) about church giving in an economic crisis:
1. Free Webinar on church giving in a struggling economy (and Free Webinar on church giving and economy now on-demand)
2. Reduced optimism about the climate for church giving
3. Even in tough times, make the ask
4. Connecting philanthropic behavior to church giving habits
5. USA Today features charitable giving trends
6. Church givers expect ministry to continue in hard times
7. 3 ways church administrators will respond to economic crisis
8. Get strategic about church giving
9. Average donation per person may go down in 2009
10. Encouraging words for church giving in times of economic crisis
11. What's really happening to churches and church giving
12. 3 steps to position your church to address an economic crisis
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October 30, 2008
What's really happening to churches and church giving
There is a lot of speculation that church giving will plummet and as a result we'll see mass closings of churches all across this nation due to the decrease in individual/family discretionary income which directly impacts church giving.
As of yet, this is not the case. In fact, some churches are reporting little direct impact on church giving due to our current economic crisis.
The LA Times recently picked up an the AP story Churches could be facing hard times financially, just when congregants need help, too.
Here are some interesting quotes from the article:
Among the congregations faring best are those with a strong tradition of tithing -- the biblical mandate to give at least 10 percent of one's income to the church.
Churches who teach Biblical principles related to personal finances and church giving have prepared their congregations for situations just like the one we find ourselves in now.
What is your church doing to provide practical financial solutions for families? You might consider making these classes part of your core christian education goals - maybe even a requirement for your new member classes.
Plan and prepare is the best strategy to hedge against uncertain financial times.
A recent report by the Christian research group Empty Tomb Inc. studied six recessions since 1968 and found that donations by church members declined in three and increased in three. Another study, by Giving USA Foundation, found that religion-related charitable giving fell slightly in six of 11 recession years since 1968.
Despite our "intuition" telling us that we are in the worst position in history, church giving is just about as cyclical as the economy. There are ups and downs. Yes, we are in a down. If we know that church giving is cyclical, we can address it in a comprehensive, systematic way.
What's your long-term strategy to provide for fully funded ministry budgets and sustainable ministries?
However, many churches rely on income from investments for their financial health and are already slashing their 2009 budgets.
Our current economic situation is largely driven by the stock market. Those churches who have placed a significant percentage of their operating expenses in one catagory (i.e. the stock market) ought to consider expanding their portfolio.
Maybe it's time to get some organizational financial planning advice?
A wise person once told me, "It's never as bad as it seems, and it's never as good as it seems."
I think that sums up our current economic situation - especially as to its impact upon church giving.
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October 27, 2008
Study reveals that 50% will donate online this holiday season
A new study on charitable giving revealed that nearly 50% of online consumers plan to donate during the holiday season in 2008. Further, the donations are estimated to be similar to the 2007 holiday season.
This is good news given the fact that most non-profits (this includes churches) aren't exactly sure what to expect over the next several months.
What was most interesting was the emphasis on online donation tools being identified as an essential medium to collect a majority of those donations.
"More than 50 percent of online consumers say that they plan to donate via the Internet during the 2008 holiday season," said Vinay Bhagat, Chief Strategy Officer and Founder of Convio. "This level of online support shows that nonprofits of all sizes need to make sure that their web sites and other electronic communications meet consumer expectations. It is also important to make sure that traditional appeals such as direct mail, television and events provide people with the option to give online. If it is difficult to give to your organization online consumers will find an alternative."
Does your church currently offer online giving? If not, maybe it's time to have that conversation.
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LifeWay Envelope Service at Missouri Baptist Convention
I'm exhibiting at the Missouri Baptist Convention for the next few days, but you won't find me in my own booth. I'm actually in the Cooperative Program/Stewardship booth for Missouri. Spencer (the State Executive for Stewardship) asked me to come and be present in his booth to talk to pastors about our new Cooperative Program Offering Envelope Series.
So if you're attending also, stop by booth #43 and say "Hi!"
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October 24, 2008
Save a tree. Download out latest catalog.
In an effort to be a good citizen of this earth, we have made a commitment to promote the eletronic version of our 2009 catalog. It's easy to download.
Step 1 - Go to LifeWay Envelope Service.
Setp 2 - Find Download Our New Catalog. Right click on your mouse to save.
Step 3 - Open with Adobe Acrobate Reader.
Thanks for your help!
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October 23, 2008
Best comprehensive church giving research available
If you're looking for the best comprehensive research on church giving in one book, look no further than The State of Church Giving through 2006.
(Note: I recently purchased my copy direct from Amazon.com.)
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Get strategic about church giving
If you're the pastor, church business administrator, executive pastor, stewardship/finance committee chairperson, etc., you're probably feeling completely underprepared for this moment in time. Unfortunately, you are saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the NPO (a.k.a. Church) that you're leading will have enough resources in 2009 to keep things churning at least the same level they were in 2008.
What are your options? What can you do? In my opinion, you have two:
1. Go sit in a corner and cry about it.
2. Roll up your sleeves and make something happen.
So what if it's going to be a tough year for church giving? Advertisy often creates innovation which creates brands which creates loyalty...you see where I'm going with this. 2009 might be a difficult year, and it might be scary to think about an interruption in the "easy" and "predictable" giving habits of the last 6 years or so.
Experts weigh in with some suggestions for leaders of NPOs to consider as they're hammering out their strategy for 2009 and wondering how they are going to fund it.
Most interesting one to me is: Focus the mission, focus the message. If there is any NPO best positioned to do this, it's the church. No other NPO is in front of their donors (a.k.a. church members) as frequently as churches get to be. (The rest of the NPO world is very jealous of this.)
So take advantage of your strengths. Be proactive. Commit to survive and thrive. The opportunity for ministry will be great, so it's imperative to act strategically to fully fund the ministry God has in store for your church in 2009.
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October 22, 2008
3 ways Church Administrators will respond to economic crisis
Is the world of church giving headed for doom and gloom for the next 12 months? Exactly how bad is it? It's easy to allow ourselves to include ourselves in "group think" and begin believing that these are the worst times ever. Below are three contrasting ideas/insights about giving in tough economic times and what this means for the church.
Insight #1 - Church giving will plummet in light of the current economic crisis.
Donors Start Cutting Back is some of the worst news a Church Business Administrator wants to read. If we believe this, then we make the assumption that ALL people give out of their excess instead of out of their first-fruits.
Insight #2 - Church giving will remain consistent in light of the current economic crisis.
One wealth expert believes that the stock market has little to do with people's regular disposable income or the source of much of philanthropic (that includes church) giving. His claim is the the stock market only impacts a nominal percentage of the average households monthly income. This is good news for Church Business Administrators
Insight #3 - Church giving will increase in light of the current economic crisis.
Ok. I realize this might be a tough sell. But one investment firm is claiming an increase of 12% in grant-giving to NPOs from its benevolent investment funds. If church adminsitrators have done their homework and managed the church business conservatively, then there will be a pile of money somewhere to assist the church during an interruption in normal giving habits.
Perhaps there are some who don't want to use these funds. My question is: Why not? That's what these funds are for. Once we emerge from the recession or crisis or whatever you want to call it, the funds will be replenished.
If the church coffers are choked and ministry is suspended for fear of not having enough, then the church won't be able to help or assist faithful members who now find themselves in need and members of the community who are turning to the church for help.
How you respond says a lot about what you believe. Adequate business management should have prepared all churches to thrive even with short-term interruptions in normal giving levels.
This too shall pass.
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October 15, 2008
3 brutal facts about giving grounded in the Pareto Principle
The Pareto Principle is more commonly known as the 80-20 rule. In other words, 80 percent of the result is generated by 20 percent of the effort.
This can be applied to church giving habits too. 20% of your congregation is driving 80% of your funds. This will either paralyze you or motivate you to become more strategic.
The reality is the it's the 20% who end up on stewardship and finance committees. These leaders can't imagine or understand why 80% of the congregation doesn't give.
What I've found true is the often the 20% thinks they are actually 40% or 50%. Most church leaders think their church is different (i.e. better) than the average. (Ever run into that before?)
Here are the brutal facts:
1. When your long-term funding strategy is hung on the giving habits of a small percentage of your entire congregation, you are tempting fate. Someone in that small group will leave the church, change jobs, loose their job, die, etc. If you're not building giving habits with the 80% group, you are leaving yourself wide open for disaster to happen.
2. Providing things like e-giving and offering envelopes are primarily to encourage giving and make it easy for the 80% to do so. The 20% don't need offering envelopes or e-giving. They are going to give anyway. If the pastor requested all donations be made into pennies, the 20% would take off from work early to stop by the bank and exchange paper for pennies. (Over dramatic, yes. But you get my point.)
3. Stewardship is more important than your sermon preparation. (I'm anticipating getting some negative feedback for this one. So I'm ready.) Stewardship is about discipleship. It speaks to giving of ourselves - our time, talent and treasure - because we recognize that everything we have is from God and is designed to be used to multiply kingdom efforts. While years are spent preparing pastors to preach, without a consistent stewardship education program pastors won't have a pulpit to preach from. (Pulpit can be symbolic if you are natually opposed to the piece of furniture that usually is found center stage at tranditional churches.)
Now more than ever pastors and church leaders must concern themselves with the fundamentals of organizational funding, stability and sustainability.
Let me sum it up by saying this: More Money. More Ministry. No Money. No Ministry.
That's the brutal facts.
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October 14, 2008
Anne Jackson talks about tithing
Anne Jackson, blog celebrity and author, talks about a very negative experience she had while on church staff regarding the subject of tithing.
Below is my response. I'd welcome your comments too.
You have uncovered a powerful paradox. Churches are the only God-ordained institution designed to continue and sustain the earthly ministry of Christ until his ultimate return. Churches are also non-profit organizations who are exponentially becoming more complex in structure and needs as the demands from members and communities are becoming more complex.
I've summed up my work with churches in this area into a simple phrase: "More Money. More Ministry." It's essential the we begin bringing a level of sophistication to Church as an organization to ensure that it's fully-funded and sustainable over time. Like it or not, this takes money. So the burden falls upon the church leaders (aka "non-profit managers") to ensure long-term sustainability. Our secular and religious non-profit brothers and sisters have been doing this for a long time. It's time the church steps up to do the same.
It sounds like the conversation you had while on a particular church staff was very inappropriate and most likely is the result of the wrong person being in the wrong position (or at least given the wrong task and strategy). However, that doesn't discount the reality that church leaders should be modeling the behavior that they expect from the membership. It's sounds like you were the victim of poor communication habits.
As church members are becoming less convinced the their tithe should be entirely allocated to the Church, it becomes the Church's responsibility to justify why the tithe should be given completely to the church. They "you-should-give-to-the-church-just-because argument" no longer works--if it ever did.
Thanks for the dialog on the essential subjects of stewardship and church giving!
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October 13, 2008
Exploring the impact of American Idol on church giving
"Participatory Philanthropy" may be the next revolution in charitable giving. TripAdvisor.com is asking the public to decide which cause the company should support.
Here is how the program works: TripAdvisor.com is offering five options for the public to choose how the $1 million dollar pledge will be divided. Polls close on a certain date, and then the results will determine how the money is spent and which organizations/causes are supported.
I wonder what this might look like in church. What if the initial budget presentation to the church body signaled the opening of the "polls" where members could pledge their monetary gifts for the specific ministries they want to to support? Then after a certain period, the "polls" would close and the results tallied. The end result would be any ministry that was significantly underfunded would be cut from the budget.
This works for American Idol which is arguably the most successful talent-seeking competition in history. It has also produced multiple pop stars who have been and continue to be very successful.
The dark side of the process is that sometimes, even the talented get cut. This would also have to be considered within the church setting. It may mean the a long-standing ministry might end up so underfunded that it would also be subject to the proverbial axe.
The appeal for me (even as a church leader) is that it puts the power back in the people in the pew - the ones who are giving the dollars to fund the budget. And people tend to be more committed and give more when they have a say in how their donations are used.
Given the precedent of undesignated giving within church settings, would an "American Idol" approach to giving work?
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October 8, 2008
USA Today features charitable giving trends
I was so proud yesterday. USA Today added a complete section to their Tuesday, October 7, 2008, edition of their newspaper that shed a spotlight on Sharing in the USA.
For someone who lives and breathes in the world of philanthropy, church giving, fundraising, stewardship, etc., this was like a candy store experience.
Here are a couple of articles that I hope you'll take the time to read from this section:
1. The new face of giving - Electronic giving methods such as giving via text messaging and online giving are opening the world of charitable giving to younger audiences. And electronic giving options are also increasing the speed at which the donations are being received.
Charitable giving is a serious subject. The article cites that in 2007, giving exceeded $300 billion for the first time. There is also a growing interest among younger givers that don't simply want to write a check to an organization. They actually want to know how there money is being used and see giving more than extending a hand to a fellow human being and less of supporting the causes of an institution.
2. Offerings make up a third of U.S. donations - This article features a LifeWay employee and his family who've made a commitment to tithe. It also discusses the importance the act of giving is within all the major Western religions.
What was very interesting to note was a digram printed in the bottom right hand page (6E) that illustrated a striking reality: personal incoming giving to charity has remained the same (2.3% of disposable income) from 1967 to 2007.
Wow! What a day of news in the world of giving and stewardship.
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October 7, 2008
Teaching children stewardship
I've noticed over the past two weeks that the top five keywords/phrases people are searching for which results in finding Do More Ministry are different variations of teaching children stewardship.
I'd like to hear from you. What exactly are you looking for? Are you finding it? If you could wave your magic wand and have the "perfect" resource/solution to help you teach children about stewardship and giving, what would it be?
I'll wait to hear from you.
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October 6, 2008
4 tactics to consider for your next contribution catch up letter
We are quickly approaching the end of the year. Many churches will be looking at their ministry budgets and contributions to date closely as well as reviewing past trends in giving during Q4. About this time of year many churches make a final "catch-up" contribution appeal as a final push to ensure contributions fully-fund all ministry expenses.
As more and more people experiment with online giving, I found this research on the success rates of online giving appeals quite interesting.
The internet seems to carry with a sense of urgency. This can translate into an opportunity for your church members to respond immediately to your next "catch-up" contribution appeal.
It's worth trying.
And if you do try it, let me know how it works.
(Shameless plug: we offer churches who purchase their offering envelopes through us e-giving with event manager for FREE!)
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September 30, 2008
Consider stewardship for your next evangelism emphasis
LifeWay News recently featured It's A New Day, the national stewardship inititative of the Southern Baptist Convention. At the head of this movement is Ashley Clayton.
Ashley, Phill Burgess with Holman Bible Outreach International (HBOI) and yours truly with LifeWay Envelope Service developed a set of resources that we believe will support a church's effort to address debt as systemic within our society and thinking.
Debt relief may be one of the most effective bridge-building opportunities the church has with a lost world. Our modern, western, super-sizing American culture is literally squeezing the life out of believers and non-believers alike. And people are looking for a way out. It's critical that the church respond with practical help that will lead to a larger dialog of spiritual as well as financial transformation.
Why not see this campaign as an evangelism opportunity? Crown logged more than 17k salvations in 2006 from people who completed their program.
Who would have ever thought that stewardship might very well be the theme of your next outreach strategy?
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August 5, 2008
Free Webinar on Church Giving in a Struggling Economy
I just registered for a free Webinar exploring how church giving is being impacted by our struggling economy. It's Thursday, August 7th, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. I'm interested in hearing how they approach this very sensitive subject and what practical solutions they provide for churches to ensure that their ministry remains fully funded throughout this difficult time.
In the meantime, feel free to browse previous "Do More Ministry" posts on the same subject:
The economy and ministry in review
The Church emerging from a spiraling economy
LifeWay Research looks at economy and giving
Thom Rainer asks which economy are we trusting in
10 Tips for Fundraising in Tough Times
Will the economy impact church giving?
Ministry impacted when church giving drops
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July 3, 2008
The economy and ministry in review
Earlier this week, my post Thom Rainer asks which economy are we trusting in centered on how Christians should approach economic questions from a different, Kingdom perspective. With that in mind, I'd like to point to two previous posts to help us in our conversation.
The Church emerging from a spiraling economy
LifeWay Research looks at the economy and giving
What are you doing in your church to help your members form a Kingdom perspective on our current economic outlook?
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June 18, 2008
Increasing interest in offering envelopes
As gas prices continue to rise along with other living expenses, my conversations with churches are changing. They are asking better questions about financial integrity and ways to hegde any loss of contributions from their membership. I'm excited about the increase in interest from church leaders about becoming more intentional about their stewardship and giving practices.
I wanted to point back to 8 qualities of church financial health for quick reference.
I'm curious. What are you doing to ensure that church giving doesn't become then next line item cut in your members' budgets?
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June 6, 2008
LifeWay Envelope Service at the SBC in Indy next week
I'll be attending the SBC Convention in Indy next week. That means I'll be taking a week off from posting content. I'll pick back up again the week of June 16. Until then, feel free to browse around. There's a lot to read.
By the way, LifeWay Envelope Service will have a booth in the LifeWay area of the Exhibit Hall. I encourage you to stop by to say "Hi" and introduce yourself.
I'd love to meet you.
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May 28, 2008
Online giving poll
Please take a moment to cast your vote with respect to your position on online giving. The results will be used in an upcoming feature on the discussion and use of online giving within Southern Baptists Churches today.
Voting will just take a few minutes. (And I know you already have an opinion.)
Look for the poll question in the lower right hand side of your screen. You may have to scroll down to find it.
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April 21, 2008
Think Christian on The Tithing Minority
Think Christian is a blog that I read frequently. Their mission is to engage Christ, culture and faith in the context of everyday life. (A very worthy goal.)
The Tithing Minority asks the same questions I raise in Barna reveals trends in tithing and church giving.
The reality is this: the level and volume of contributions that the church depends upon is at risk of being diverted to other like-minded organizations as more choices become available to the people in our pews. I'm consistenly surprised at how few church leaders approach this subject with a sense of urgency.
Unfortunately, most are dealing with the tyranny of the urgent instead of establishing an intentional strategy moving forward. Another force that I believe is working against this larger conversation is that most people only respond to "pain."
For a lot of churches, they are currently fully funded or only slightly down in giving. The levels of contributions are enough to sustain the ministry of today. My contention is that our responsibility is not only to ensure that our ministry is fully funded today but also sustainable over a long period of time.
Most complex organizations understand that sustainability is one of the key ingredients to long-term success. The church may be the most complex organization to ever exist. And yet it's also the least likely to be concerned with sustainability.
What does all this have to do with tithing? Money offers churches the ability to accomplish the ministry that God has laid on the hearts of the people. Where the people in the pew place their dollars demonstrates what they believe about the church's ability to accomplish the ministry or work that they are most concerned with.
If that place isn't the church, then we as church leaders must take a step back and evaluate the places of ministry we've decided to invest in to ensure that it matches what God has placed on the hearts of the people in the pew.
But most church leaders aren't likely to do that. Why? Because most church leaders are highly skilled at talking--not listening.
And the irony is that what the people in the pew are asking of church leaders is the very thing church leaders are asking of the people in the pew.
Maybe it's time we start listening to each other. Can we really afford not to?
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April 15, 2008
Barna reveals trends in tithing and church giving
A shift is taking place. We have some important decisions to make.
Barna confirms the trend in tithing and donating is just as we expected. People are choosing to donate a portion of their charitable giving to non-church organizations.
The church is worth fighting for. It's time to get our "A" game on and give people measurable results with our ministry decisions. It's time to make our case that the church is the primary vehicle God has designated to empower and expand the Kingdom until His return.
Choosing silence or choosing to do "more of the same" will encourage this trend.
How are you planning to address this trend in your church?
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April 9, 2008
Book Review: Digital Giving
In his book Digital Giving: How Technology is Changing Charity, author Richard C. McPherson seems to be responding to the challenge of Leonard Sweet in Soul Tsunami: Sink or Swim in New Millennium Culture. Leonard Sweet writes about the massive wave of change rolling toward the church. His advice is to grab a board and ride the wave or, refuse and be buried beneath it. Both McPherson and Sweet are strong proponents of embracing change, not as a negative force, but as a positive step toward being more effective and in sync with where society is.
Digital Giving was written after the author conducted a large number of interviews in which he asked two questions: "what are the big technology needs facing charity?" And "how can organizations embrace them to find public support?" McPherson wrote the book Because as he wrote, "I believe enormous technological changes, daunting as they may seem to busy organizations, will be for the better." Several interesting statistics are noted in this work, from the Pew internet and American Life Project, that support the author's view of rapidly changing technology. About 30 percent of the day is spent specifically using media. In addition, the project reported that 66 per cent of an individual's working day finds that individual immersed in some form of electronic media. The report also finds that the average American home has 26 electronic devises and that the average American spends more time using media than any other activity.
It is on the basis of statistics or information amassed from numerous interviews that McPherson wrote Digital Giving. From the results of his interviews the author sites three "Whopping Big Trends." The three trends deal with democratization. In the first trend, the "Democritizing of Media" he points out the trend toward more and more information sought from blogs, podcasts, personal web pages, and social networks. In the second trend the "Democratizing of philanthropy" McPherson writes that donors are assuming roles, once held by fund raisers, in deciding what gets funded. In this trend the donors demand more ownership, understanding, accountability and responsible relationships with the charities. The third trend noted in the book is the "Relentless demand for convenience". Here the idea is presented that, for charities to be effective and successful they are going to have to find ways to make donating easier. The answer to the need for "easier" giving is to be found in technologies' offerings.
McPherson sums up the three trends by writing "as the competition for donations intensifies, successful charities will be the ones that offer the most engaging variety of donation choices, endorsed and promoted by friends and peers, with the most convenient paths to involvement."
In presenting the opportunities for dealing with the trends he has noted the author turns to practical applications. His explanation of "Web 2.0" is easy to understand. In explaining that "Web 2.0" is writeable he opens the possibilities for greater donor involvement and access. He quotes Sheeraz Haji:president of Convio.com, "Nonprofits should actually dominate Web 2.0 because it's all about passion and interest." Sheeraz suggests that, before technology, a charity should develop its story. He states "To get people involved, your organization has to tell a great story." To McPherson it is important to focus on the message before worrying about delivery channels.
Only when the story is perfected should the best channel for delivery be chosen. The author writes that the "blogosphere" is a phenomena that can target groups of people inexpensively and credibly. McPherson quotes Jon Abbott of WGBH "It is getting much easier for people to share what they care about." The strategy of WGBH is to "follow the rhythms of our consumers."
McPherson quotes Pew Internet reports that "91 percent of all Internet users send e-mail and 91 percent use search engines. He writes that a successful charity will not necessarily go looking for people but will attract attention in such a way that people will "look" for them. How a charity might tap into the multiple listings and directories to attract interested and potential donors is one of the many topics covered in this work.
An interesting phenomena also discussed is the evolution of the cell phone and the not too distant reality of having a total information and computing center in one hand-held devise. This reality may be much closer or arriving faster than even McPherson visualized in 2007.
Digital Giving is a clear call to rethink old ideas of charitable giving and fund-raising. It seems, from the practical advice, based on trends observed from multiple interviews, that any charitable non-profit organization will want to read and reread McPherson's call to grab a board, with Len Sweet, and learn to ride the surf. With McPherson's well documented work in hand it will be a great ride.
Don Campbell is the State Stewardship Director for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. Thanks Don for a great book review!
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April 2, 2008
Seminary students talk about stewardship
I'm on my way to visit my friends Dr. David McQuitty and Dr. Scott Preissler at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. David has asked me to come speak with his students about what we've been discussing on the Do More Ministry blog.
I'm not an expert, nor do I bill myself as one. But I'm pleased to see that the conversation of stewardship and giving is expanding. It's a converstaion worth having, and it's nice to know that I'm not just talking to myself.
I'll let you know how everything goes.
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March 26, 2008
Ken Hemphill believes tithing is biblical
Ken Hemphill responds to CBS Sunday Morning's recent headline story on tithing. (See CBS Sunday Morning weighs in on Tithing.) He takes issue with the historical and theological presentation of the principles behind tithing as they were represented in the news story.
What I most appreciate about Ken is that he brought the focus back to where it should be.
But "tithing" is not the entire story. The Bible teaches that the stewardship of all of one's life -- time, talents and treasurers.
We tend to take tithing and make it the "big" issue. The reality is that God is interested in all of our lives. And stewardship is lens through which we see everything as God's--that includes our time, talent and money.
(If you're intersested in more about what Ken has to say on this issue of stewardship, read Ken Hemphill talks about making change and Ken Hemphill on pastors, preaching and money.)
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March 19, 2008
Revisiting E-giving
I've had several conversations recently about churches and e-giving. I thought it might be helpful to review some of what we've already discussed.
Is online giving a growing trend?
The results of online giving are in...
Electronic Giving Part 1: The Forbidden Conversation
Electronic Giving Part 2: Future or Fad?
I think people like talking about e-giving because it's new and "cool." I also think its a response by churches to address two cultural trends: 1) how we exchange funds and 2) the fact that the average regular attender in church today comes two times a month.
But the reality of service fees, transaction fees and implementation challenges will keep many churches at bay until it becomes more mainstream. Plus, most churches will need to become more sophisticated in their reporting and financial management tools before they will be able to provide enough data to identify e-giving as the source of increased contributions over time.
I still find myself coming to the same conclusion as I did in my previous posts. It will eventually become a hybrid model where e-giving is just one more option churches make available to its members. Just as printed newspapers and books didn't disappear with the advent of the internet and eletronic file transfers, neither will traditional means of cash and check contributions disappear from churches with the introduction of e-giving.
I'd be interested to hear from you. What has your experience been with e-giving in churches?
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March 4, 2008
CBS Sunday Morning weighs in on Tithing
The lead story on CBS Sunday Morning was on tithing--an unexpected way to begin their broadcast. I was in the process of flipping over to Sesame Street (a new Sunday morning tradition at my house) when the story overview began. I was hooked.
I'm not sure that any of the information presented is new. But I'm impressed that enough people are talking about it that it made the headlines on this major news network.
Tithing has always been a hot topic of debate within the church. Now it seems to be the subject of national news as well. Just last November the Wall Street Journal wrote "The Backlash Against Tithing."
And last fall, we discussed the series "The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing."
Read the entire series:
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing, an Introduction
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (continued)
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (Part 3)
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (Part 4)
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing, in Conclusion
With the conversation already in full swing both inside and outside the church, this is a great atmosphere to open a dialog with those whom you're spiritually responsible.
If someone asked you "Why should I tithe?", what would you say? (And "just because" doesn't count as a valid response. It doesn't work with children; why do we think it will work with adults?)
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February 27, 2008
15 Ways to Increase Your Church's Offerings
More than 19,000 people are concerned about stewardship and giving. That's the number of hits this article has received.
Remarkable.
With numbers like that, it's difficult to call the conversation on stewardship and giving "marginal."
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February 25, 2008
Offering envelopes increase giving
We've talked a lot about stewardship and giving. And I think offering envelopes (yes, I'm biased) are instrumental and critical to any holistic strategy to increase church giving. They are the most proven method to "make the ask" and provide a compelling reminder that each person is responsible for giving a portion of the monetary resources God has given them to provide for the ministry of the local church in which they participate.
Here is one pastor and State Convention president who agrees:
During our annual planning and budgeting, I ran across your article in the September/October 2007 Facts and Trends article that featured LifeWay Envelope Service. I copied the article and handed it to my finance team. We looked at it as an investment that was sure to bring a return. After our first month, we had one of the largest regular offerings we've ever had. We expect to come in about $1,500 more than our weekly average in January 2008. It’s pretty crazy. I would have never thought that mailing offering envelopes to our members would have such an impact on our giving. There is a good chance we could come in over budget! This will be a first in 12 years as a Pastor! I’m a believer.Travis Smalley, Senior Pastor
Lakota Hills Baptist Church in West Chester, OH
Current President, Ohio State Baptist Convention
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February 13, 2008
Teaching children about stewardship and giving
I had the opportunity to meet with my former Children's Pastor yesterday. It's interesting how our paths have crossed at two different points in our lives. He was the Children's Pastor at my church in Houston. And now 20 years later, he is one of the director's of childhood ministry publishing at Lifeway.
I was sharing with him about what I'm doing now. I took the opportunity to express to him how difficult it was to find curriculum to teach children about stewardship and giving. He pointed me to a children's stewardship lesson series that is absolutely FREE.
I'd be interested in your feedback once you've had a chance to review and "try it out" with children.
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February 12, 2008
10 ways to increase church giving 10-25%
The Christian Stewardship Association is a professional organization of Christian stewardship professionals. I stumbled across 10 steps to better church giving while searching their site for something completely different. I was impressed at how simple and practical the suggestions were.
The only step that I see missing is implementing an offering envelope mailing program. (But maybe that's because I'm a little biased.) That aside, offering envelopes may be the most effective "call to action" tool that any church can consider as part of their overall strategy. Helping people understand the "what" and "why" to give isn't enough. You have to give them a way to respond--a way that is simple and instant.
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February 11, 2008
The jackpot of church fundraising resources
As you work toward building your church giving plan, you can browse the jackpot of church fundraising resources that I found on Michigan State University's Web site today.
I want to give a big thank you to everyone who put this together. This bibliography of Articles, Books, Web sites, etc. will be invaluable to you as you educate yourself about the "whys" and the "hows" of church fundraising.
Have fun browsing! And if one of these proves to be very helpful, let me know. I'd be happy to draw attention to it on the blog.
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February 7, 2008
Develop a church giving plan
Yesterday we looked at how the loss of senior leadership at two different churches affected church giving. And I raised this question: is there was anything that churches and church leaders can do to ensure that the necessary money is be available to continue the ministry of the church with or without senior leadership?
Before we go any further, I need to make the observation that it will always be eaiser to raise money or increase church giving when stable, senior church leadership exists. Particularly when that senior leadership has the support and trust of the congregation. But what happens when the situation is less than perfect?
Perhaps we could consider treating this scenario just like we do our own investment portfolios--with a plan. More often than not, stewardship is only invoked and the stewardship committee active when building projects are in progress. Such behavior and thinking is short-sighted.
Stewardship Committees should be bearing the responsbility of working with church staff to develop a holistic plan that speaks to the contiuation and growth in church giving no matter the circumstances.
I think I found some information that will contribute to this dialog. I came across an article written by a seasoned fundraising professional. It speaks to a personal giving plan, but I think it can be easily translated into a corporate terms and used by churches.
Religious givers who see themselves as stewards of God’s resources should be even more careful to ensure that their giving is effective and well planned. One way to exercise the kind of care of which Rockefeller speaks is to develop a written giving plan.
I suspect that the hard work it will take on the front end to put together a comprehensive church giving plan will be worth the effort and will ensure that the ministry of the church continues with or without senior leadership.
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February 6, 2008
Ministry impacted when church giving drops
I was talking to a staff member of a large church in a metropolitan area today. He expressed to me that they've had to make some difficult decisions recently. Giving has dropped, so they needed to control their expenses. And the easiest way to make up a loss is to cut personnel--which is typically the largest line item in any church's budget.
It's an unfortunate situation that this staff member feels horrible about. I asked him why he thought giving was down. He speculated as most people do and then revealed what he believed to be the true answer: they are without a senior pastor.
This is contrasted with another conversation I had recently with a completely different church--still large in size and located in a metropolitan area. They recently lost their pastor too--only church giving has grown. In fact, they collected more money than they needed this year. They are moving forward with finding a new pastor and carefully considering how they'll invest the additional contributions to grow the Kingdom.
These are two different churches in similar demographic settings who are both without senior leadership. Only one is suffering deeply from a decrease in church giving while the other one is continuing to thrive.
A church's ability to minister to others is directly connected to its level of giving. That's a given. That being the case, I wonder what a church can do to protect itself from the loss of its senior leadership to ensure that when that happens (for whatever reason) the ministry and giving habits of the church continue to thrive.
Any ideas?
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January 8, 2008
Is online giving a growing trend?
A friend e-mailed me a post he read on Think Christian - a blog that attempts to address the collision between faith and everyday life. This particular post is about online giving. David's thoughts have also incited a good bit of discussion representing a variety of positions.
It's worth taking a few minutes to read through.
If you're not already thinking about online giving and how this cultural trend IS ALREADY impacting church stewardship and giving, you're behind. So catch up!
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January 7, 2008
The results of online giving are in...
I found this post very interesting. It analyzed 70 non-profits to evaluate the overall effectiveness of their online giving strategies. The prevailing theory is this: online giving will increase donations and overall effectiveness at raising the funds necessary to support the operational needs of the organization.
Here is a piece of what the survey revealed in the area of retention:
The groups we surveyed retained 70% of their online monthly donors in their first year, but retention rate dropped to 52% the second year.
On average, 12% of online monthly donors missed at least one monthly payment in two years.
People's behavior appears to be the same--whether donations are electronic or via paper. So for the average non-profit (or in our case the church), is online giving the "magic bullet" that will yeild a more consistent stream of income and increase giving, or is it simply another medium for people to choose from?
You decide.
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December 31, 2007
Intelligent Giving
I'm just getting caught up on the RSS feeds I missed over the holidays. I read this great post on the Get Rich Slowly blog.
It raised an important question in my mind: If an independent source was set up to evaluate churches and their worthiness of donations, what type of rating would your church get?
That may be a difficult question to ask or even consider. The reality check is this: your memebers are already evaluating the ministry of your church and deciding themselves if you are worthy of their donation.
It's a scary thought. But consistent with the trends we've been discussing in "The Pulpit vs. The Pew" series. If you haven't read it, click on the December archives to review.
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December 18, 2007
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing, in Conclusion
We've talked a lot about the inherent need to revisit how we deal with the teaching and preaching about stewardship and giving over the last four posts. As we bring this string of posts to an end, I'd like to conclude with some practical steps that should be able to make a measurable difference in re-claiming the most essential need for any ministry, money. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: No Money. No Ministry.
5 Steps to Ensure More Money for More Ministry
1. Establish a systematic strategy.
Any strategy should be in writing and should be agreed to by both staff and lay leadership. You may also want to consider getting "buy in" from key influencers who may or may not be lay leaders. Their assitance will be invaluable.
This strategy should exist on a macro and micro level. Those churches who have been the most successful at getting the money they need for the ministry they feel called to do establish an annual stewardship and giving strategy that is comprehensive in nature. In addition, each element of the macro strategy is outlined. This provides a road map. Just follow the path and at the end of the road you'll most likely end up where you intended to be.
One thing is for sure: if you're unsure about your plan, you'll certainly fail.
2. Start Talking About It.
Communication theory tells us that ideas are not "real" until we speak them outloud. This is one reason why talking is essential to the human development process. Take the marriage relationship for example, successful marriages have open lines of communication. This is an intentional decision and doesn't just happen by accident.
It's the same with tithing in the church. Talking about it makes it less scary and provides the opportunity to deal with objections from the pulpit and the pew. This is the only way to overcome the assumptions many make about church giving.
The more we ignore the subject, the more mysterious it becomes. And the more removed we are from the truth on the subject.
3. Set Expectations.
Tell your church from the beginning that you don't pay the light bill with a note of prayer. People need to remember that it takes money to operate any organization. Believe it or not, the people in the pew are very busy. And even though you give them a monthly operational budget in review, it's easy to forget the daily needs to operate the church. It's important that people are reminded that just like it takes money to operate a home, the church needs money too.
Plus, as expectations rise for churches to provide programs to meet the needs of the community, those programs have an expense associated with them. Quantify those costs and justify them. If the program doesn't warrant the investment, then don't do it. If it does, then your people will understand the fiscal investment necessary to launch and sustain this new program or ministry.
Another undervalued area is church assimilation programs. Set expectations with new members that you expect them to contribute their time, money, and talents. And then explain why. Be sure you can explain the "how?" and the "why?".
4. Make the Ask.
Give people a way to contribute. And teach them how to use those tools. Offering Envelopes are the most proven method used by churches to generate and deliver the contributions necessary to do the work of the church.
There is a reason why our secular, non-profit brothers and sisters spend money executing donor campaigns and purchasing envelopes. It's not because they think envelopes are "cool." They use them because they work. And they deliver. Bottom line, you have to consider the results.
Of course, offering envelopes aren't the only response mechanism used to contribute to your church. Whatever giving tools you use, make it easy for your memebers to use.
Those organizations who are most successful at generating the contributions for the ministry of the church are those who are not afraid to make the ask. Even Jesus said, "You have not because you ask not."
5. Report the results.
As church leaders, we are responsible for taking the "pains" necessary to report the effectiveness of the ministry of the church. Yes, this involves the principles of accountability. Every organization should be examining every program or effort funded to ensure that it's the best use of the funds. When you consider the non-profit world, one that exists on the donations of its members or the public, it's absolutely essential to prove that the money donated accomplishes the advertised goal.
Why is this so important? Because the people in your pews DON'T have to give to you. We know that they have money to give. We also know that a majority of charitable giving in the U.S. is made through religious organizations. And every day new opportunities arise and present themselves to the people in your pew. So why should they give to you instead of someone else? (Again, the "just because" argument doesn't work.)
This can be done through annual reports, testimonies, bulletin inserts, goal boards, etc. Get creative. But know that people expect results.
In the end, the responsibility to teach stewardship, giving and, more importantly, tithing, falls upon the leaders of the church. That means being unseccessful in this area is a direct result of our efforts. Those of us given the responsibility of managing the affairs of a local church have a lot on us, but that doesn't absolve us from the responsibility of stewardship and giving. Perhaps we should re-evaluate where we are spending our time and our teaching. If we have no plan, we can't be upset if we don't like the results.
Hang in there. And if I can help, give me a call or send me an e-mail.
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December 17, 2007
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (Part 4)
Alan Gotthardt writes in his book The Eternity Portfolio that:
"We all know that children learn by example. This is particularly true with giving; children of generous givers