Giving Beyond the Tithe
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:7
Toward the end of every year, people across the US and the world are bombarded with opportunities to give to charitable organizations of every type, size, and purpose. How can we encourage them to grow in the journey of generosity AND to give their first and best gift to the church they love?
Give vision for the opportunity and its impact
Involve the whole church in taking a next step in giving
Provide easy ways to give non-cash gifts
Give time for the congregation to plan their giving
Communicate... and communicate...then communicate more
1. Give Vision for the Opportunity and its Impact
People love to be part of a big vision. Are we asking them to give to something specific - missions, ministry initiatives, meeting our budget, or a new building? Some people tithe and give offerings as part of a spiritual discipline. Others are motivated by specific opportunities and their impact.
How can we be compelling and challenging? Combining the joy of being part of sharing the Hope and Love of Jesus with a challenge of taking a next step in giving. Paint a picture of what can happen if we all give our best gift to Jesus... after all, we celebrate His birthday at Christmas.
2. Involve the Whole Church in Taking a Next Step in Giving
Make sure you have Kids and Students participate. Provide materials for groups and volunteer teams to get excited about what God is going to do with our giving at the end of the year. Challenge families to do something together. Consider having dedicated weekends when the Kids and Students bring the special offerings they have been working and saving to give. This teaches the next generation the priority of giving and simultaneously inspires the parents and adults of the church.
Involving the whole church makes it easy for families to talk about it and prioritize together, and creates a giving culture that everyone can participate, no matter where they’re starting.
Communicate opportunities to participate that engage every audience:
Give for the first time
Give above your regular giving
Give the best gift you give this Christmas season to Jesus
3. Provide Easy Ways to Give Non-Cash Gifts
Most of us are good at providing clear direction on how to give cash - whether by bucket, check, or electronically. But what about giving other tangible or intangible assets? Especially at the end of the year, we should have practical resources to help our church family give stocks, cars, jewelry, and even homes. You never know who may be willing to give an extraordinary gift if we will just create the pathway for them to do so. Talking about non-cash options and providing easy ways to give them is a fantastic way to expand how people can be part of what God is doing.
Set up a brokerage account with your bank. Donors can transfer stocks/securities directly from their accounts to the church’s account. This allows them to have tax benefits and the church to have the full appreciated value. (Some churches also have cybercurrency accounts set up to receive funds.)
Suggest that donors work with their tax professionals for the most efficient ways to donate.
Consider getting information from the National Christian Foundation to help with other non-cash giving.
Relationships with a reputable jewelry store that purchases estate jewelry or other items can also provide a way for additional non-cash gifts.
Items that are titled (real estate, vehicles, boats, etc.) can be received if you have someone able to transfer the title and sell the item. A local attorney should assist in this process.
Estate gifts are also great ways for people to leave something when they go to heaven to the church they loved. There are organizations such as Financial Planning Ministry or PhilanthroCorp who can assist. Or people can set this up on their own through their trust or will.
4. Give Time for the Congregation to Plan Their Giving
For someone to “decide” what they’re giving, they need time to plan. Waiting until mid-December to talk about the end of the year giving opportunities is too late. People need to pray and hear from God about what they should do for a special offering. They may need to put giving into their monthly or holiday budgets. It takes time to transfer assets.
Providing time allows families to discuss it - to make sacrifices or changes in their normal spending to be generous. So there is no time to waste.
For substantial cash giving, most people need 8-12 weeks of planning time. For non-cash gifts, a longer timeline is often required. Teaching about non-cash giving options to the church family throughout the year and who on the team to contact for more information provides vision for them to give in ways they typically don’t think about.
For people to have time to plan, we need time to plan. Put a reminder on your calendar for next August to start talking about “end-of-the year giving” and special giving opportunities.
5. Communicate… And Communicate… Then Communicate More
We’ve all heard that just when we are exhausted talking about the same thing over and over and over, that’s when people start hearing it. That’s especially true with “end of the year” and special giving opportunities. We need to be creative with where, when, how and who communicates how the church family can participate in special giving opportunities.
COMMUNICATE FROM ALL PLATFORMS
Weekend messaging (during host segments, video announcements, handouts, sermons)
Midweek services and activities z Kids and Students ministries
Social Media
Emails to the church family
On our walls and down our halls (signage, banners, etc)
COMMUNICATE EARLY AND OFTEN
Be creative in how you keep it fresh.
Use various angles to frame the giving opportunity (e.g. Giving Tuesday, “a birthday gift for Jesus”, “last chance for tax deductions this year,” etc).
Create a communication calendar to keep the team on track and keep the message synced across platforms and audiences.
Remember to align it with other church-wide communications.
COMMUNICATE WITH DIFFERENT VOICES
Bring diversity to communication.
Beyond age and background, bring diversity from givers, those impacted by last year’s giving, and those receiving the hope of Jesus with this year’s giving.
Whether you have a theme or not, make sure people see themselves in who is talking about it.