Do special offerings work? My answer is as always, it depends! I believe they can work but you need to set them up to work. Most of the time we improperly set the stage for an effective offering. One of my mantra’s is that we must work at making the offering a meaningful and worshipful moment. I believe that any day can be a special offering day but there are some days that are more special than others.
This past week was the 50th Super Bowl! Talk about a special day. Millions of fans watched the game with millions others simply watching the commercials. Whether your team made it to the big show or not the Super Bowl was on the minds of your members. I saw one article that seriously claimed Super Bowl Sunday should be a national holiday! For that day I put together a plan for my members and then sold it as, “Mark’s Marvelous Super Bowl Offering Plan.” Using this tool churches increased their giving while showing they were relevant.
Special Sunday offerings work! If you have not tried a special offering push then it is high time you consider doing so. Speaking of special offerings, Easter is a great time to take up the offering. You will have the most people in the house of any other day of the year. Why not ask them to give to support your work? The key is in how you make the “ask!”
Remember, every “ask” needs a driver! What will drive your potential donors to want to give you a gift on Easter? Just asking people to give for the sake of giving will not generate the dollars you need. Make the “ask” compelling!
Did you know Easter is only 8 weeks away? You will have your largest attendance of the year that day. Why not use that time to hold a special offering? You can use my, “2016 Successful Easter Giving Plan,” to increase your giving. It can be found https://thestewardshipcoach.org/store/
You know that the success of anything you do as a church requires planning. The same is true when it comes to taking up a special offering. It does not take a lot but you can’t think of this on a Saturday night and have an effective plan by Sunday morning. Plan ahead and you will have great success. One advantage you have is that I do all the planning for you!
Think ahead to other special days on the calendar and think of how you can make your “ask” appealing for those in attendance. With good planning you can have successful special day offerings!
A special offering might just be the thing you need to help get your giving back on track. I can help you!
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach