Encouraging Giving – Meeting Donors Where They Are
Our congregations are diverse - spanning multiple generations, different financial circumstances, varying interests, and different ways of connecting with the church's mission. The most effective approach to encouraging church giving, whether it is annual giving or endowment giving, isn't implementing a one-size-fits-all approach — it's about meeting each donor where they are in their giving journey and making it easy for them to support the church and the ministries that matter to them.
Here are five ways to make giving accessible and meaningful for everyone in your church community.
1. Connect With Donors Through Multiple Communication Channels
To build meaningful connections with donors, give them multiple ways to receive and respond to information. You likely have specific ways you prefer to receive important information. The same is true for your donors. By communicating in multiple ways, your message will reach a wide pool of potential donors. Consider these forms of communication:
- Traditional letters for parishioners who value the personal touch of a hand-signed letter
- Email or text updates for technologically savvy or younger members
- Bulletin inserts for Sunday service regulars
- Website and social media updates for remote participants
- Brief in-person conversations for relationship-oriented members
- Newsletter or blog post articles for members who want to hear about the impact of their donations
2. Meet Donors at Their Level of Understanding
Everyone has different knowledge about church finances and giving options. Some parishioners are stalwart donors who are well versed on their stewardship commitments. Newer or younger members may need help understanding what their donations will fund, what the church’s financial needs are, and how giving will affect the church’s ministries and future. Create clear, accessible information about:
- The connection between annual giving and ongoing ministries
- How endowment gifts support long-term church sustainability
- Basic explanations of various giving methods
- Simple breakdown of church financial needs
- Clear instructions for each giving option
- Specific examples of how gifts support the church’s ministry
3. Meet Donors Where They Are Financially
Recognize that parishioners have different giving capacity, so provide multiple ways for donors of any income level to give:
- Offer monthly recurring gift options for steady, smaller donations for donors who might not be able to afford large donations
- Raise awareness with retirees who may be on a fixed income that they can donate from their IRA through Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
- Accept non-cash asset donations such as stock donations for tax-conscious givers
- Encourage donors with Donor-Advised Fund to designate the church’s endowment fund as a beneficiary for these distributions
The goal is to make everyone feel their gift matters, regardless of size.
4. Meet Donors in Their Season of Life
As Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." This includes different seasons of giving in our parishioners' lives.
Different life stages bring different motivations and abilities to give:
- Young families might appreciate knowing their gifts support children's ministries
- Mid-career professionals may be interested in support for specific ministries or projects
- Retirees may connect with legacy giving through endowments
- Long-time members may respond to historical preservation needs
Get to know potential donors and find out what causes or concerns resonate with them.
5. Honor Each Donor's Giving Interests and Values
Donors give for various reasons, but they are more likely to give when they feel an emotional pull to a particular cause or ministry. Connect giving opportunities to different aspects of the donor’s faith, values, and interests:
- Frame endowment giving as creating legacy and a sustainability for the church in the future
- Connect annual giving to immediate ministry impact
- Link giving to Episcopal stewardship traditions and as part of Christian discipleship
- Associate the donor’s interests to the ministries in the church that will benefit from donations
Lastly, remember to express gratitude in ways that resonate with different donors—some appreciate public recognition, while others prefer quiet acknowledgment. The key to a successful giving effort is to know your congregation members well and to help them feel excited and comfortable to give.
If you would like to receive endowment giving resources to help you create an engaging endowment giving campaign, please email [email protected] and let us know what Episcopal organization you are with.