Do you say thank you enough when it comes to your donors? Saying thank you is one of the biggest overlooked needs for churches. Too many have the attitude that saying thank you to donors is wrong. Here is a real life example.
Several years ago a pastor asked me to write for him various letters on giving. As I met with him I remarked that in their recent stewardship campaign they never sent out a thank you letter to those who committed to the campaign. The pastor said, “I think it is inappropriate to say thank you to people for what they should be doing.” That ended our meeting! I went home and told my wife what the pastor had said. Her reply was priceless…
“When is gratitude ever inappropriate?”
Exactly! I know Christians should give. Yet what is wrong with saying thank you? How is showing gratitude wrong? Frankly it is not. Have you ever resented someone saying thank you to you? Probably never. Yet when someone doesn’t say thank you it does make an impact.
To increase giving and givers you need to regularly say thank you to your donors. Non-profits put the church to shame with regards to this. One reason why they do this is that a thank you builds the platform for the next ask. Here is my view of thank yous…
Thank yous are the most positive reminder of giving you can make!
I am always trying to build for the next gift. I want people to give once, then again and again until they get the joy of generosity. Saying thank you builds towards the next gift.
Who should you thank? As you build out your thank you policy here are some areas to consider…
- First time givers should be thanked and assured their gift is secure and that it matters for the Kingdom.
- First time online givers should get a thank you.
- Top end donors need to be thanked as they are the ones fueling 90% of what you do! Find a way to say thank you on a regular basis.
- Every quarter as you send out giving statements you need to take that opportunity to say thanks. I wrote thank you letters for this quarter for all my members.
- Everyone! Periodically from the platform you need before the offering to simply say, thank you!
Saying thank you is not hard. It simply takes time and effort. If you think you don’t have the time consider my client Brian Hughes who pastors a church running over 1,500 a week. Every week he writes a handwritten note to those that give for the first time. I am sure that takes time. However Pastor Hughes saw a 32% increase in giving the first year he started doing this and another 10% increase last year. So, get you some thank you cards!
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
This week members of Giving365 received a thank you letter and email ready for them to edit for the second quarter giving statements. Wouldn’t you like to have someone writing stuff for you? Try my plan for 14 days for only $1! Go to, https://thestewardshipcoach.org/2015/06/15/giving-365-introductory-special-14-days-for-1-00/