TL;DR
To effectively communicate with donors during the holiday noise, churches should be clear in their messaging, use multiple communication channels, share impactful stories, and plan post-giving follow-ups.
Intro
Communication with donors during the holidays has become increasingly difficult. From the dozens of requests they receive from multiple organizations to the hundreds of retail promotions, cutting through the noise can be tricky.
To help you break through the noise, here are a few things you can do to improve your donor communication and ensure your message is heard this giving season.
1. Be Clear
Oftentimes, churches send generic messages that fail to make a connection with potential donors. So before writing, “It’s that time of year again…” or “The holidays are upon us…,” ask yourself why a donor would be compelled to give to your church or ministry.
Jump over the generic language and paint a vision of why people should give. Be clear about why it matters and where their gifts will go. Show the impact that people can make. Additionally, use your communication to not just grow giving, but to grow generous disciples.
BONUS: Learn from Jim Sheppard from Generis on how to maximize year-end giving from our last Health Church Summit: Watch The Healthy Church Summit
2. Use Multiple Channels
Too often, churches only focus on emails for the year-end giving communication campaign. Don't make this mistake.
To reach and engage your people, you need to send multiple messages through multiple channels. Emails, social media, text messages, letters, and making announcements should all be a part of the plan.
The key to doing this well? Make a plan. Start now and build a communications plan to ensure you have compelling content, clear deadlines, and a consistent message flowing throughout the month to keep donors interested and involved.
3. Share Stories
The most powerful thing you can do in your communication is share stories. Using stories of real impact helps connect the dots for givers and brings to life the impact giving makes. This also avoids disingenuous communication.
Again, you're not the only organization filling up people's inboxes this time of year, so make it your goal to create interesting and compelling messages. Share real stories about how past donations have made an impact, and you will form an emotional connection with donors that will last well into the new year.
4. Plan Your Follow-Up
Avoid the mistake of only communicating to make an ask. What can happen is a lot of energy is given to the communication on the front end, but little to the communication on the back end.
Imagine how you’d feel if you hand-picked an organization to donate to and then only heard from them when they were asking for donations again.
Make sure to send out regular follow-up messages thanking those who’ve contributed and sharing how their generosity made an impact. Sharing your appreciation and sharing the impact donors made will inspire generosity and will help your mission to flourish.
Amplify Donor Communications
Improving donor communication during the giving season is crucial for churches to stand out amidst the noise and secure support for their missions.
By being clear, using multiple channels, sharing stories, and planning follow-up, you can create compelling messages that resonate.
To improve your donor communication efforts and streamline your outreach, consider exploring Ministry Brands Amplify. This comprehensive platform provides the tools and resources needed to effectively communicate and make giving easy. (Read how Winfield Community Church Improved communication with our software).
From personalized emails to push notifications to text messages, Amplify empowers you to deliver impactful messages and cultivate meaningful connections.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to enhance your donor communication strategy and make a lasting impact—schedule a demo today and take your giving season to new heights.
