State of Church Giving Series: Part 4: How to Increase Generosity in 2024
This is Part 4 of a 4-Part series of blog posts about the State of Church Giving 2024. Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.
Download the complete 2024 report here.
Intro
What percentage of a congregation gives financially to their church?
This is one of the big questions we hoped to answer in the 2024 Report on the State of Church Giving.
Here’s what we found: Over half of the churches surveyed reported a significant portion (over 40% of their congregation) contributes financially. These churches were twice as likely to have seen increased giving (compared to churches that reported lower congregational giving).
But, what does this mean for the 60% of the congregation who isn’t giving? Why aren’t they giving? And what can you, as a church leader, do to grow generosity?
Here are 12 strategies to try at your church to increase generosity in 2024.
Hopefully, these strategies will help to enhance financial literacy and create a strong foundation of generosity for years to come.
1. Show transparency in how the church spends money
People want to know how the money they give is spent. Make sure donors have regular access to both giving and spending records.
It’s a good idea to share a report each year detailing the budget and highlighting significant expenses.
2. Highlight ways congregational giving has impacted ministry
Building on transparency, take every opportunity you can to highlight ministries impacted by the giving of your congregation. Maybe this is how many food baskets your church provided to those in need at Thanksgiving, or how many students received scholarships to attend church camp in the summer.
Anytime there is life change as a result of someone’s gift, do all you can to make it known.
3. Provide the church updates on your financial wellness
Has the church incurred some unforeseen expense? Are you making progress in paying off debt? Has giving been above plan?
These are all indicators of financial wellness your congregation should know about.
Consider sending a quarterly report to members or hosting regular business meetings to share this information.
4. Express gratitude for received donations
It’s important to thank donors for their gifts. Work to regularly send out personal emails or letters expressing gratitude. A small thank you goes a long way in encouraging continued generosity.
5. Promote the biblical principle of tithing
Does your church offer classes or training on what giving is, why it’s important, and how to give at your church?
Tithing is a Biblical principle and as a church leader, it’s important you help to teach and train those under your care.
Keep in mind that Sunday mornings are a great time to do this, but it’s not the only time.
6. Teach a sermon series on tithing and/or generosity
Tithing isn’t always the most comfortable topic, but it is a Biblical one. Approach this subject with love and care, but don’t shy away from what Scripture teaches.
7. Encourage members to set up automatic/recurring giving
Using recurring giving, donors can set up the frequency and amount they give. This means no more “forgetting” to tithe, no more hassle, and no more uncertainty.
Encourage members to set this up by offering training classes and resources designed to help your donors.
8. Have members share personal testimonies on the impact of giving
Stories are powerful. If you want to increase generosity, encourage people to share personal testimonies on the impact of giving.
This could include mission trip recaps, stories from community outreach events, care people received in times of need, and more.
9. Run short-term giving campaigns
Short-term giving campaigns are a great way to encourage people to give who maybe haven’t given before.
These campaigns should be directed towards a certain objective (i.e. pay off debt, help a church plant, etc.) and should run for a set amount of time. Make getting involved a big deal so it’s something a larger percentage of the congregation wants to support.
10. Offer financial training to your church members
At its core, generosity is a heart issue. Provide training to your church members by providing books on giving or offering a course to help explain the Biblical command to give and the culture of generosity at your church.
11. Host large fundraising/capital campaigns
Capital campaigns offer a great way for your church to unite for a cause. This campaign may be for a campus expansion or addition or could be for something like building improvements.
Be sure to include the “why” in all of your campaign messaging. This will help people buy-in and support your mission.
12. Provide tutorials/training on using online giving options
Lastly, to increase generosity at your church, consider creating tutorials or trainings on how to use your online giving system. Make these trainings as clear and easy as possible so even those who struggle with technology can feel confident when giving online.
Next Steps
Chances are an increase in generosity won’t just happen at your church. But, by encouraging giving, making it as easy and available as possible, and implementing some of the strategies above, hopefully, more and more people will start to give at your church.
For more information on what other churches are doing and how you can improve giving, check out our full 2024 State of Church Giving Report here.
This is Part 4 of a 4-Part series of blog posts about the State of Church Giving 2024. Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.