Why would you consider a mobile App for your church?  Consider that there are 5.2 BILLION mobile phone users in the world right now.  What if you could easily connect to the thousands that live near your church?  What if there was an App of your church that people could download to their phones so that you could send out key information to them?  Wouldn’t that be cool?  Too hard to do?  Do you think it would cost you too much?  What if you had an App for your church?

Here are some reason you should consider having an App for your church.

Relevancy - Churches should not have as their main goal to be relevant.  Yet there is nothing wrong with being technologically relevant.  Having an app shows your church understands we are in the 21st century.

Effectiveness - The church is to be where people are.  Look around you the next time you are in public at how many people are fiddling with their smart phones.  To be effective with our message we have to take it to where people are.  The following are some ways that Apps can increase your effectiveness and additional reasons why you need an App for your church.

Improved communication - I often hear from church members that their church poorly communicates what is happening at the church to members.  Apps can help you improve your communication to members.  The communication is at their finger tips, on their smart phone!

Instant communication - Imagine that it starts snowing a blizzard on Saturday night.  You are forced to rethink what times the services will begin or IF they can be held at all.  Using your App you can push information to your members about your last minute plans.  The same App can be used in a variety of ways to instantly update members.

Ease in giving - Online giving is on a huge rise.  Many of my clients see anywhere from 30% to up to 50% of their giving coming electronically.  Having an App allows people to easily give to your church even when they are at the beach!

Limitless opportunities - I have only touched on a few of the pluses of having an App for your church.  The possibilities grow each and every day.  Having an App gives you a platform to build upon.  Not having an App leaves you in the 20th century.

Free Webinar Wednesday February 29th at 2 PM EST - We are hosting a free webinar that will show you the benefits of having your own App.  You will be surprised at how easy and affordable this is.  To sign up go to the following site https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/732418046

The future is now!  There is no excuse for your church not having an App.  Contact us today to find out more information.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

This weekend you will hopefully have many first time attendees in your services.  Some of those attendees will respond to the offering making small donations.  That is IF you make the offering time meaningful and worshipful.  If you need help in that area look back a few posts to what I have previously written on this subject.  The question is how do you move first time donors to being consistent donors?  Here are some thoughts to help.

1.  You need to have a means of collecting information on all donors.  Churches are required to provide statements for any gift over $250.  While we are seeing less checks written to a church you can still collect giving information.  It might seem old school but I always recommend envelopes in the chairs or some other easily accessible place.  Your online giving and other electronic platforms should already require information to be collected for the donation to go through.  So apart from cash dropped in the plate you should have data on the donor.

2.  Someone needs to track first time donors weekly.  With nearly all church software packages that I know of it should be easy to tell if a donor is new to your system or not.  Even the largest of churches should be able to pull this data.  I would have that information on the Senior Ministers desk no later than the Tuesday after your weekend services.

3.  You should send a personal acknowledgement of thanks to first time donors.  While larger churches might have to utilize a form letter I would still encourage a personalized signature.  Back in the day when I was a pastor I would sign scores of letters while I listened to sermons.  In this high tech world the more personalized the acknowledgement the more impactful.  If the number of first time donors is less than ten per week I would encourage a hand written note.

4.  Send a week or so later a more detailed letter explaining what your church does with donations to further the Kingdom.  Give people a reason to give and they will give.  The first letter is to simply thank them for their gift.  The second letter is designed to move them to consider consistently giving.

5.  Monitor the results to see if first time donors have moved to consistent giving.  Let’s say that that first time donor begins to give more often.  At some point after the third or fourth gift it is time to acknowledge their consistency with another thank you note that includes a list of what giving accomplishes at your church.  By now hopefully they have moved into the main stream of your donor base.

Wait!  Does this mean I will see what people are giving?  No!  While that is another topic for discussion I always respect a pastor that does not want to know who gives what.  If you are in that camp you can easily begin each letter or note by saying, “Though I never know what anyone gives, it has come to my attention that you contributed to our church this past weekend.  I simply want to say thank you!”

That is a lot of work!  Do you want to make budget this year or not?  We find time for what we deem important and valuable.  Donors know how busy you are.  Getting a personalize note from the pastor speaks volumes.  It says you are different from the rest and that people matter to you.

What about simply emailing them?  Email is so blase’!  If all you have is an email address then that is better than nothing.  However, again, a personalized note says you took time out of your busy day.  The more personalized the delivery the more impactful the result.

All of the above takes some time and effort but it will pay off in increased donations to your church.  Few churches are following steps like what I have listed above.  Be the exception and you will find your efforts rewarded.  It is much more fun to make budget than to have to explain to the church why ministries are being curtailed.  First time donors can help you make your budget this year if you cultivate that first seed gift into a greater harvest.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Nothing moves a heart like a heart that has been moved.  Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC is using changed lives to motivate people to give.  When you go to the online giving portal off of Elevation Churches website immediately a video begins playing of people giving their testimony of finding Christ.  They then say what number of convert they were at the church.    Then a speaker says, “Behind every statistic is a story, a story of life change, a story of restoration, a story of a second chance.  And your generosity is helping every person discover their own story.  Thank you for giving faithfully to help more than 11,000 people place their faith in Jesus over the past five years at Elevation Church.  Your sacrifice is making a difference!”

People will give when they know their gift matters.  I believe the vast majority of Christians know they ought to give.  Why is it then that most of our conversation and preaching is what I call “ought to preaching.”  Instead why not show them what their gifts do?  The best way to motivate people to give is to show them that their gift matters.

Tell your story and people will give to support it.  This past summer I got a letter from a church that was attempting to make up a budget shortfall in giving.  The letter talked about how behind the church was and that during the hot months of summer their electric bill had increased.  They then asked their donors to consider a special gift to the church.  This was not some small church but rather a church that runs close to 1,000 in weekly attendance.  What a de-motivator!

I rewrote the letter starting out by talking about how many kids would be in VBS.  I then listed the mission trips the church would take that summer.  In other words I told the story of missions and ministry happening.  When you tell your story people will give to support that story.  The more compelling the story the more money they will give!

How do you motivate people to give?  Take a minute and think through your last appeal letter or platform appeal.  Was the appeal driven by guilt or desperation?  Did you tell people they ought to give rather than showing them how their gift matters?  It could be that how you are attempting to motivate people is failing.  Why not change the way you approach asking for donations.  It could mean the difference between making budget or downsizing ministries.

Watch Elevation Churches amazing video below and then think about how you can do something similar at your church.

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Please tell me your church has an online giving portal!  If you need convincing about the effectiveness of online giving consider a couple of testimonials from two of my churches.  In doing research for this post I asked one of my clients the amount of what they took in through electronic giving and it came to be over 30% of their operating budget!  Another client church reports that they take in $5K a week.  Soon virtually all commerce will be done  electronically.  If your church has not adapted or is not in the process of adapting to this change you could find yourself running out of money to fund your ministries.  So go electronic or get left behind!

It is not enough to have a giving portal, it must be effective!  For the past couple of weeks I have been reviewing the top 100 churches in America’s websites.  I have been shocked at how many of them have poor websites in terms of layout and design.  A couple of them did not have an online giving option at all!  Many of the others were difficult to find or not easy to use.  For a tool to be effective it must be used correctly.  The following  are some points of consideration as you think about the giving portal of your website.

It must be easy to find.  I am not suggesting a flashing blue light in the middle of your page.  However when you go to most church websites you have to hunt for the giving button.  If I can’t find it I can’t use it.  If I don’t see it I might not even think about giving.  Make your giving site easy to find.

It must be easy to use.  The easier something is to use the more people will use it.  The language and the look should be designed so that people can quickly understand how to give and thus, give!

It must have multiple options.  The best giving portals provide a variety of ways people can give.  Use your giving portal to list the various ways in which people can give from one time gifts to recurring gifts.  Americans love options.  Make sure your giving portal gives donors all the major options of giving.

It should have multiple opportunities.  The best giving portals use the sites to focus on a variety of areas that need funding.  People have a multitude of pockets they give out of.  They have a missions pocket, a tithe pocket, a crisis need pocket, etc.  By listing various opportunities you increase your chances of gaining a contribution.  One word of caution however is to not overly crowd the site with too many options.  Consider changing the options from month to month.

It should have multiple entry points.  You must drive people to your portal regularly.  I work hard to drive people to my site.  The best sites do just that.  Your giving portal will require some work on your part.  You will need to continually educate your members and attendees about how to find the portal.  One key way is to provide multiple ways in which they can access the site.  For instance I would recommend you always embed a link to the giving portal in every email you send out.  I would also mention it in every direct mail approach.  Additionally all Social Media that you use should have direct links to your giving portal.  Finally, since the majority of people are moving to smart phones you need an App for your church that allows people from their phones to link to your giving portal.

It should remind them why giving is important.  The best sites have testimonials of what giving accomplishes.  Most use video to tell the story.  Some use video to have members tell their story of giving.  Make giving compelling and people will give.

How does your churches giving portal match up with the above?  Take some time today and visit your own site.  Use the above as a check list for how effective your site is.  One final word.  Keep your giving site up to date.  I visited one of the top 100 fastest growing churches in America yesterday to find that they had a link to their Christmas Eve offering still running.  With a little effort you can make your online giving effective.  Making it effective means you will raise more money.  Raising more money will aide you in funding more ministry!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS.  Here are a some examples of a job well done!  

Lakewood Church a great message from Joel and Victoria Osteen.  http://www.lakewood.cc/pages/give/index.aspx

Saddleback Community a good example of multiple options.  http://saddleback.com/giving/

Crossroads Church in Cincinnati lists good options for giving http://www.crossroads.net/my/give/index.php

Community Bible San Antonio, TX A good visible giving button on front page  http://www.communitybible.com/

Elevation Church Charlotte, NC has an incredible video to motivate giving http://www.elevationchurch.org/giving

Fairfax Community Church Fairfax VA is a good use of online pledging to a capital campaign http://www.greaterthingsfairfax.com/

The New York Giants won the recent Super Bowl.  To win they developed a game plan and then executed their plan.  Winning teams always have a game plan.  While talent and skill are important without a plan you will not win.

Churches need plans too.  We have growth plans, discipleship plans and mission plans.  Few if any churches I encounter have  a plan for stewardship.  It is  one reason why giving is in decline and will continue to decline even when the economy improves.   What is your stewardship plan?  You need a stewardship plan if you are going to increase your giving and meet the needs of your ministry initiatives.  Here are five tracks that your giving plan should focus on.

1.  The Pastoral Track.  The number one mistake that churches make in terms of not raising money is the absence of pastoral involvement.  I believe a Senior Minister should devote at least 10% of his time weekly to thinking about stewardship.  The best fund raiser in any church is the pastor!  What plans do you have as a pastor to help increase giving in your church?  The pastoral track should include not only your preaching upon stewardship but your personal involvement and interaction with your donors.

2.  The Platform Track.  Every weekend we get to address the bulk of our donor base.  Non-profits are jealous of that kind of contact.  Yet few churches think about their platform strategy leading towards generous giving by those in attendance.  I have written extensively about the need to make the offering time meaningful and worshipful.  Start this week spending at least thirty minutes thinking through the offering and what will be said.  Don’t waste this opportunity.  http://thecharisgroup.org/ebooks/elevator-pitch-your-offerings/

3.  The Electronic Track.  The world is fast changing in terms of how commerce is done.  Yet in the church we are still essentially using the same tools we have used for centuries.  You should have online giving set up with a wide varieties in which people can give.  Make giving easy for your donors and you will see your giving increase.

4.  The Direct Mail Track.  It might seem counter to what I just said about being electronic but direct mail can bring in thousands of dollars to your church.  Not only does this work by utilizing old fashioned snail mail but it also works with direct email.  You should be regularly sending out letters to your donors giving them opportunities to give to the causes your church supports.

5.  The Campus  Track.  People typically no longer carry around their checkbooks or a lot of cash.  This could be one reason why offerings are declining.  At the point of being asked to make a contribution the average donor has little in his or her pocket.  We advocate that you have giving portals strategically set up around your church so that donors can give on campus.  One of my clients takes in $3K a week through their giving kiosk.  Can people give to your church if they don’t have their checkbook with them?  Remember, by making giving easier you will see an increase in giving.

The  New York Giants are basking in the glow of yet another Super Bowl win.  Soon they will wear the ring of a champion.  Will your church have a winning year in terms of giving?  It could if you will develop a plan of action.  These are the five tracks that we concentrate on and build for our client churches.  I believe all five are needful and important.  Start today analyzing your plan, or lack of a plan, to see if it addresses all five of these tracks.  Some simple planning on your part will make all the difference between seeing a decline in giving or an increase.

Mark Brooks

Founder and Pastor

The Charis Group

PS.  We develop stewardship plans for churches at a price that is affordable.  Contact us today to find out how we can build a personalized plan for your church.

Consider that the median gift to a church yearly is only $200.  It is little wonder that giving as a percent of income has gone down from 3.11% in 1968 to 2.38% in 2009.  Clearly giving to the church is in decline and it is not the fault of the economy.

We can all sit around and talk about how horrible that is or we can get up and decide to do something about it.  I have dedicated my life to doing something about it by helping churches increase their giving and thus fulfill the visions God has given them.  It is more than a tag line to me it is my passion.  While a pastor spends hours a week on sermon preparation I spend hours a week thinking about stewardship.  As one of my fellow stewardship coaches likes to say, “We get up thinking about what keeps a pastors up at night, giving.”

This morning on my run through the Georgia woods I began to think about how we can make giving cool and hip.  If we can make giving the in thing then we can see this downward trend of decline reverse itself.  If we could reverse the trend and simply get back to the 1968 levels of giving it would mean $7 BILLION more given to the church!  So, let’s work to make giving cool.  Here are four steps to take to make giving cool in your church…

Make It Essential - It has to first start with you the leader.  You have to make stewardship an essential part of what you do.  Too many pastors and leaders simply don’t give ample time to thinking and planning a stewardship strategy.  While you can do ministry on a shoe string it is much easier to do with adequate funds.  When you see giving as essential you will see your giving increase.

Make It Enjoyable - I once wrote that we needed to make giving fun.  A pastor wrote me back and said how do I do that?  It might seem an oxymoron but you can make giving fun and enjoyable for your members.  There are two ways to do this.  First, when you cast a compelling vision then I am more apt to want to give to support that vision.  Make giving meaningful and you will find people will give more.  Then you need to thank those that give.  Never take any gift for granted.  Donors who feel appreciated are much more likely to donate again.  Giving can be fun and enjoyable if we work at it.  Remember, God loves a cheerful giver!

Make It Easy - We utilize a tool for collecting funds which few are equipped to respond to, the offering plate.  We are fast moving away from cash and checks towards all commerce being electronic.  If you don’t have an electronic platform for giving don’t be surprised if your percentage of giving declines.  We must make giving easy to do.  The technology is there and there are companies out there producing the tools for the church to use.  Sadly too many churches are not responding.  As a result it is becoming harder to give to churches and thus churches are seeing a decline in giving.  Make giving to your church easy and you will see giving increase!

Make It Expected - Part of being a disciple is giving.  By failing to talk about giving or by not taking up an offering we have only watered down the Gospel and made giving decline.  Jesus talked more about possessions and giving than any other topic.  He rightly understood that it was the god of his age.  It still is today.  Raise the level of expectation at your church and your members will rise to meet that expectation.  I am not advocating legalism.  Yet we have swung the pendulum so far in the opposite direction that our message has little in common with our Messenger.  Make giving expected and your giving will increase!

It is time to realize that the ship is sinking.  You can continue to re-arrange the chairs on the Titanic or you can work to fix the hole.  It can be fixed.  I work with churches across this land who are seeing their giving increase rather than decline.  You can see the same thing happen to your church as well.  By making giving cool and hip again and we can bring in millions and billions of dollars for Kingdom purposes.  Start today working on making giving cool in your church.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Quick tell me your plan for the offering this weekend.  If you are like most church leaders you have not given the offering a thought.  About the only time church leaders think about the offering is after it has been taken up and we are disappointed with the results.

Giving as a percentage of Americans incomes to the church has fallen from 3.11% to 2.38%.  Could one reason be that we are not taking the offering seriously?  For most churches about the only thought that goes into the offering is who will lead the prayer and perhaps where in the order of service it will go.  To increase giving to your church you need to change how you approach the offering.  Here are some thoughts.

First, stop treating the offering as an intrusion to worship and see it for what it is meant to be, worship.  My belief is that most church staffs see the offering as a necessary evil.  We know we have to pass the plate to get money but it takes valuable time out of our order of worship.  If you have that kind of thinking it is no wonder giving is challenged.

Next give time each week to making your offering time meaningful and worshipful.  The offering does not need to be boring.  To spice up your offering time takes very little.  It does however take some thought and planning on your part.  You and your staff get paid for your brilliance and creativity.  So apply some of that God given talent to the offering appeal.  If the only time you think of the offering is right before it is taken up don’t be surprised if the plate is not as full as you would like it to be!

Change it up!  Some of you have never changed a thing about how the offering is taken up.  Maybe once in a blue moon you might put the offering in a different place in the order of service.  Yet most simply ask the ushers to come forward and then pray something like, “God please bless what we have spent no time preparing for.”   Ok, so you don’t actually pray that but if you have not put any thought or plans into the offering that is essentially what you are asking God to do.

Use the Elevator Pitch approach in your offering appeal.  The elevator pitch arrives from the idea that you are riding in an elevator when a big shot company executive enters in. You have maybe thirty seconds of time with him or her. What you say in those thirty seconds of riding the elevator will mean the difference of whether you get a full hearing later or are simply forgotten. The idea is to comprise the key information about you into a thirty second burst of energy that will “sell” your idea or you.

The “sell” for you every Sunday is to convince those in your services that they should give your church what they view as their hard earned money.  The best way to motivate people to give is to show them what their gifts accomplish.  Here is a sample from my e-book entitled, “Elevator Pitch Your Offerings.”

There Are No Atheist Hospitals

From time to time people complain that all the church talks about is money. It is true that every week we give our members and attendees an opportunity to give. As our ushers come forward this morning I want to ask you a simple question, how many atheist hospitals have you seen? I don’t know about you but I have never driven by Atheist Hospital. However, I have driven by scores of Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and even Catholic hospitals. Who do you think gave the money to start those hospitals? Christians like you and I gave that money once upon a time.

While we here at Name of your church are not planning to start a hospital any time soon I want to assure you that your gift today will be used for good causes. Consider that a portion of your gift goes to…

• List percentage or amounts your church gives to missions
• List local aide work and social services you provide
• List any other positive things funded by gifts donated to the church

So while you might never drive by Your Church Name Hospital your gift today is needed and helpful in extending the Kingdom of God. Every gift matters and will be used responsibly and strategically to extend the love of Jesus around the world.

Today, by your gift, you are making an investment into the future for the Kingdom. Let’s pray.

Simple, easy, appealing and direct.  Why not try that kind of appeal this week.  While I want you to start your own planning and thinking about the offering I have just given you for free an idea of how to make your offering more meaningful.  If you want more then you can go here for the other 51 offering appeals that I have written.  http://thecharisgroup.org/ebooks/elevator-pitch-your-offerings/

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Rarely does any thing in the snail mail catch my eye.  Today was different.  Tucked among the bills and advertisements was a small green envelope that said, “Sponsor tables this Easter.  Just $1.92 provides a hot meal!”  The envelope was from John 3:16 Mission in Tulsa, OK my hometown.  http://www.john316mission.org/  John 3:16 feeds the poor and homeless of Tulsa.  This Easter they expect to provide more than 43,500 meals to needy Tulsans.  My wife’s parents use to always buy turkeys every Christmas and Thanksgiving to donate to John 3:16.  That was how I first learned of this vital Christian mission.  From time to time we have donated to them even though we now live in Atlanta.

The letter we got in the mail from John 3:16 today was for their Easter Campaign.  It is another example of a direct appeal letter that is well written.  From this small note there are at least seven things that I think every church can learn.  Here are my observations about the appeal.  It was…

Strategic - Easter is hardly on anyone’s radar right now.  Yet this ministry is already making appeals for their Easter meal that will generate additional dollars.  The dollars they raise through this campaign will free other budgeted dollars for other areas of ministry.  What dollars could a special Easter offering free up from your budget?

Meaningful - Helping feed 43,500 people is a much better way to spend $1.92 than at Starbucks.  Are your appeals meaningful?  The more meaningful the appeal the more dollars raised.

Direct - Even though I live in Atlanta the appeal from Tulsa reached me.  While well crafted it did not beat around the bush.  They are boldly asking for a financial gift.  When it comes to  asking for dollars never  be shy.  It helps  to be bold when what you are asking funds for is so meaningful.  Do you have a direct plan to approach your donors this Easter?  Is your appeal meaningful enough that it will cause you to be bold and direct?

Simple - Inside the envelope was a short and simple card explaining how they expect to provide 43,500 meals this Easter.  For only $1.92 I can feed someone in my hometown.  The card was simple and the appeal was simple.  How simple yet appealing is your “ask?”

Specific - This appeal has one focus, feeding people on Easter.  While I am sure John 3:16 has other needs this letter focused on only Easter.  Are your appeals specific?

Easy - Included in the appeal was another envelope that makes it easy for us to send our donation back.  They also listed their website so that we could give online and their telephone number that we could call to make a donation.  Make your appeals easy and you will find it easier to get donations.

Personal - Included in the appeal letter was a small table card that we could sign stating that the meal was provided by us and wishing the person at the table a Happy Easter.  Think of ways in which you can make giving to your ministry more personal for the donor.

Right now your members are getting appeal letters just like the one I got from John 3:16.  What will your Easter offering focus on?  Have you even thought of an Easter campaign?  As Jesus said, “You have not because you ask not.”  It is time to get your lure in the donor pond.  If you don’t you should not be surprised when your members donate money to other worthy causes.  If your cause is worthy than you too should have an Easter campaign to support it.

By the way, these seven steps are not simply for Easter but for any appeal.  Start writing!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

If giving to your church has declined or slowed down it might not be the economy.  In fact contrary to popular opinion studies are now showing that the past recession had little to do with the decline in giving.  While it might be easy to blame givings decline upon the economy I find that often churches are their own worst enemies when it comes to seeing an increase in giving.

One of the mistakes that most churches make is limiting the way in which their members and attendees can give to their church.  Basically, if you are not present when the offering plate is passed you have missed your opportunity to give.  The lack of diversification in giving options is one of the killers to giving in the times we live in.

I love the offering time.  I think it is one of the most important points during the worship service.  It is an opportunity for everyone to show their love for God and participate in worship.  I have written about the importance of the offering in our worship services.  I will never change my view of how important a time the offering is for the church.  As I have written in the past the ability to pass a plate by your donors week after week makes the church the envy of the non-profit world.  However with the advent of the technological and informational revolution times have changed.  While I never see a time when we will not pass the plate I do think we need give members and attendees more options when it comes to giving.  Our approach to giving must change as the times change or we will see continued declines in giving.

So, what would I recommend in terms of diversifying your offering platform?  Here are some things to consider…

Direct Mail.  As I always say there is a reason non-profits continue to use snail mail, it works!  As a part of my normal advice to churches that I serve as their stewardship coach I suggest regular and well thought out letters for all their donors.  There are a host of ways to use direct mail.  First, every giving statement should contain a thank you letter from the Senior Minister.  Also, you should consider seasonal mail appeals such as Easter, Summer giving, end of year, etc.  Every letter should also include an envelope by which donors can mail back a donation to the church.  If you don’t have a Direct Mail strategy you need to get one now.  I wrote an e-book called, “Turbo Charge Your Letters.”  You can find it here http://thecharisgroup.org/ebooks/turbo-charge-your-letters/

Email Appeals.  If you go to the effort to craft a snail mail letter it is just as easy to send it out by email.  Some of your members will better respond to email than snail mail.  Also, email gives you the ability to respond more quickly and timely to specific offering needs such as crisis relief appeals.  As a part of your strategy have a current up to date email data base of your members and donors.

Online Giving.  While I have written about this extensively in the past few posts it is worth repeating.  Online giving is essential if you want to increase your giving.  While online giving should start with a page off your website that is only the beginning.  You should also think about an App for your church so that those who use smart phones can give that way.  Additionally you need to think about utilizing all means of Social Networking to link people to your giving portals.  The best online giving pages have multiple ways in which people can give.  Does your website provide a means to give?

Electronic Fund Transfer.  Fewer and fewer people are writing checks.  Businesses have moved to have their customers pay online with electronic fund transfer.  It is simple and easy to set up.  If it is good for your electric company why can you as the church not do the same.  With EFT’s you never have to worry about your donors failing to give when they go to the beach.  Their giving shows up even when they don’t!

Onsite Giving Portals.  I laughed the first time I saw a giving kiosk.  One of my clients brings in $3K a week through their giving kiosk.  I am not laughing any longer.  Few if any of your members carries a check book or enough cash to tithe to your church.  In every key entry point I would have some type of giving portal by which people could donate to your church.

By now you should be getting my point.  If you want to increase your giving you have to increase the platform upon which people can give through.  Don’t let your lack of diversification be the reason you miss making this year’s budget.  The dollars you bring in fuels the ministry you want to do.  Diversify or die!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Churches are afraid to talk about money for fear of driving people off.  The same fear of talking about money exists when it comes to churches and how they post their online giving links.  Most churches shy away from talking about money.  They buy into the popular conception that churches talk too much about money.  In reality studies show churches hardly ever talk about money.  So when it comes to the church website most churches tend to carry on this down playing of a crucial part of discipleship, giving.  Don’t make the same mistake.  The following are my thoughts on how to make your online giving more effective.

1.  Make sure you have online giving!  Please tell me you have online giving?  If you don’t then stop reading this now and call your web person and start the process.  After you get online giving set up come back and read the rest of this post.  For all the rest of you continue reading.

2.  Make it plainly visible.  I have been looking at the top 100 churches in America by size.  Two of the top ten have no online giving listed.  All the rest have giving listed but you have to hunt for it.  While I am not advocating a flashing blue light I am saying that the giving button needs to be clearly visible.  If potential donors have to hunt for the site they will move on without giving.  Having a giving button visible is a visible reminder that giving is important.

3.  The best giving links contain multiple options to give.  Don’t make people put all their eggs in one basket.  You should allow for one time gifts as well as setting up electronic fund transfer.  Also it would be good to let people hit a button to give to designated needs such as missions or your capital campaign.

4.  Make the giving page informative and inspirational.  It is important on this link to tell people how they can give online.  It is equally important to tell them why giving is important and what their gifts accomplish.

5.  Make it easy to use.  Giving electronically should be easy.  The harder it is the less likely people will be to use it.

6.  Make sure your giving page links from your other Social Media sites and your app.  While you focus on making the site easy to use make sure your donors can get to the giving portal from a variety of platforms.  Apps anyone?

7.  Continually update and expand the giving site.  Just as the rest of your website needs to stay current the same is true for your giving portal.

8.  Always say thank you!  Find ways to continually thank your donors and they will continue to support you.

Can people find your giving link?  If they can’t how much money do you think that might be costing your ministry?  None of this is rocket science.  You might have some other ideas that will make sites more effective.  I invite you to post some thoughts below.  My desire is to see all of us rethink how we approach giving.  That includes our online presence.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group