Now That Winter Is Here It Is Time To Start Planning For Summer

• Tweet
• Email
• Sharebar

• Tweet
• Email

Do you have any mission trips planned this summer?  Let me ask you a question.  When do you start planning for events like mission trips?  Do you not start months in advance?  You would never think of waiting until the week before the mission trip is to leave to start planning for a successful trip.  Who would want to get on that bus with you if you had not planned far in advance?

If you know that advance planning is crucial for your summer mission trips why is it that you are not thinking about your summer giving?  Is giving not important?  Of course it is, so why wait until summer to address what you already know will be a challenge.

The summer months pose the most challenging time for churches in terms of keeping giving strong.  You know the old saying, “Out of sight out of mind.”  Well while your members are at the beach, in the mountains or visiting Mickey they are typically not thinking of Sunday’s offering.  In fact most of them are spending their offering money buying souvenir’s that are actually made in China.  What results is that churches often feel a decline in their giving.  Declining giving endangers the very mission trip you started planning for months ago.

Here is a thought, if you know there is a bump in the road ahead why run head long into it?  What I mean is that EVERY summer your giving is challenged.  So you know the decline is coming.  Why not plan now to do something about it.  Are you thinking of a summer giving plan that will allow you to stay financially strong so that you can fund ALL ministries?  Now is the time to start thinking about avoiding the summer bump and assuring yourself a smoother road to success.

Here are some simple action steps you can take to help alleviate the summer giving slump.

• Analyze the past three to four summers looking for which months and weeks are the weakest in terms of giving.
• At least once a month in staff meetings hold discussions about ideas to increase giving during the summer.
• Have a summer giving plan in place by no later than the first of May.
• Give your plan a name that will allow you to successfully communicate it.
• Prepare well written direct mail and email request for giving.
• Analyze your online giving to see if giving is easy for those not in attendance.
• Consider starting EFT’s for your members to assure that their gifts are received whether they are in attendance or not.

I could go on but perhaps you get the point.  You might even have better ideas.  That is the point, come up with ideas to head off what you know will be a challenge.  Now is the time to start thinking about this problem and planning a way to address it.  Don’t let your lack of planning now hurt your ability to do ministry this summer and fall.  Now that winter is here it is time to start planning for summer.  What is your plan?

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS.  We design Summer Giving Plans for a ridiculously low price.  Contact us today to see about getting your own summer giving plan.