October 23, 2008
Average donation per person may go down in 2009
There is a revolution taking place in the advertising world. Gone are the days where print marketing rules. It's too expensive. And in light of these tough economic times, companies are slashing marketing budgets to the bare minimum. In turn, marketers are looking down the barrel of Web 2.0 and either running away or embracing this new media platform.
The situation facing the business world parallels the NPO/Church World. It's time to take action and begin focusing on the best strategy (acquisition/outreach) to hedge against the worst case scenario (declining membership and giving).
Call it donor acquisition or outreach, in times when charitable giving is expected to stay at current levels in even the best case scenario, it's time to invest in growing the number of people connected to your community. But church leaders are going to have to rethink how they do this because the "old" way can't be funded properly within a minimal budget scenario.
My prediction is that the average donation per person is going to go down in 2009. Those churches who are focused on enlarging the members of their community have the best shot at withstanding the next 12-18 months. More people giving a little can add up to the same if not more than a few people giving a whole lot.
Posted by bstroup at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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.
Posted by bstroup at 11:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 19, 2008
More blogs needed on stewardship and giving
Duct Tape Marketing is a blog about marketing for the small business. It recently pointed out that 72% of online users read a blog and 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs.
What this means is that increasingly blogs are becoming a legitimate, viable means of communication with those who share an interest in or responsbility for any given topic. That should be a challenge to those of us who have been given the task for championing stewardship and giving within denominational and local church ministry.
We need more blogs on the subjects of stewardship and giving. These are essential topics that speak directly to the Church's ability to sustain and fund its ministry today and in the future.
I know there are more voices out there that frequently address these topics. I've searched and have only found a few voices in the blogoshpere. But I'm sure there is more out there.
What other blogs are you reading on stewardship and giving? Would you consider starting your own? It's simple, and we need as many advocates for these two subjects as we can possibly have.
(Note: If you're interested in starting your own but not sure how, let me know. I'll be happy to show you the way.)
Posted by bstroup at 9:46 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 27, 2007
The Gospels and Film (and stewardship?)
Part of being a good steward is imersing yourself in the communication habits of the culture you live in and using those habits to tell the story of God's love for humanity. Bill Seaver (THE Web 2.0 guru for churches wanting to implement new media strategies) has just finished work with a company called Modern Parables. Their goal is to tell the story of Jesus and salvation through short films.
Thanks Bill for reminding us that it's our responsibility as stewards of the Good News to tell the world in such a way that they'll hear and have an opportunity to respond. (In the end, isn't that the ultimate goal anyway?)
Being good stewards, living as good stewards involves more than just what we do with our money. It's a way of living that says "God owns everything"--my money, talents, etc. It's very simply the only response we can have to the total sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Anything less cheapens God's grace.
Posted by bstroup at 8:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 13, 2007
Microexplosion mentions this blog
Microexplosion is authored by Bill Seaver. (The guy who wrote the e-Book that is on the right hand side of your screen.) He is one of the most creative and innovative thinkers I know. And he knows his stuff when it comes to Web 2.0 and the social media explosion.
He mentions this blog in a post yesterday.
Bookmark his site and visit it often. And e-mail him if you're interested in how social media could benefit your ministry or church.
Thanks Bill for your commitment to Kingdom growth through social media and Web 2.0 tools and strategies!
Posted by bstroup at 9:21 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack