Do special offerings work? Yes! In my experience of working with churches special offerings work IF, you hold them first and foremost. Secondly you have to do them right or they could go very wrong. In this issue I want to lay out what I feel are the key ingredients that make up a special offering.
First let me tell you why I like special offerings. I believe they give you the ability to recast vision every time you take up a special offering. Remember, dollars follow vision. I advise using the three C’s of vision. Make your appeal clear, concise and most of all compelling and you WILL raise the dollars you need. Basically every offering needs to be vision cast but this is especially true for special offerings.
What constitutes a special offering? We need to admit that we take up a lot of offerings! That is the view of the majority of your attendees. When I talk about special offerings I am not necessarily talking about adding another offering on a weekend though that is sometimes necessary. I am talking about making your regular offering special. There are certain times of the year that gives us an ability to make the offering special.
What days can be used as special offering days? The answer is any day you chose! However there are certain days and times of the year that make sense. For instance…
- Holidays – Think Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas, etc.
- Special Needs – Think crisis relief offerings, mission appeals, appeals to fund specific ministries like summer camps, etc.
- Catch up offerings – These are a last resort and should be used only if you are in a crisis of funds. If we do our work every week then you need for a catch offering should diminish.
What are the keys to a special offering? Here are some keys towards a successful offering.
- Planning! You can’t decide on Saturday night to hold a special offering on Sunday and expect great results. The more you plan out the special offering the better chance you have for success.
- Vision! See above my comments. The more appealing the appeal the better the results. Take the time to craft a compelling vision and you will see greater success.
- Execution! It is not enough to have a plan you MUST work that plan through all existing platforms telling your story.
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach