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As you prepare for Easter don’t forget the 4 keys to a successful offering!  Who thinks about the offering on Easter?  I do!  If you want to be fully funded you will start thinking about your Easter offering too.  Don’t make the mistake that most churches make by planning everything about Easter EXCEPT the offering!

Can you really raise money on Easter?  I believe the answer is yes!  You are going to take up an offering so why not do it right?  By setting the stage for an effective offering I believe you can and will see an increase in giving.  Here are 4 keys towards making your Easter offering a success…

1.  You have the right attitude – Don’t be an “ask” hatter!  Too many church leaders see the offering as an intrusion into worship rather than an act OF worship.  Not only is the offering worship it is how you fund the mission God has called you to.  If you truly believe in that mission why would you NOT ask people to support it?  Let’s stop apologizing for asking people to support financially our eternal work for the Kingdom.  Don’t hate the offering!

2.  You have the right focus – My goal for the Easter offering is not simply to increase the amount you take in.  You will have a larger offering simply because you will have a larger crowd.  That will always be the case.  So, if money is not my motivation for an Easter offering what is my motivation?  New donors.  I look to use my Easter offering as a means of gaining new donors that I can then work on to become regular donors.

Why is this important?  The average church loses each year around 15% of their donors.  We call that The Churn Rate.  So, if that is the yearly average loss you have to always be adding people in the front door of donations to offset those leaving out the back door.  An effective Easter offering is a great way to attract new donors.

3.  You have the right plan – You can’t decide at 10 PM on March 31st that you want to do something about the offering the next day on Easter.  Plan out your message.  Plan out what you will say and who will say it.  Like all the rest of your worship planning take time to plan out the offering.  The more you put into your plan the more likely you will be to see a successful offering.

4.  You have to have the right vision – Your message must always be clear, concise and most of all compelling.  Start now working on the message of your “ask.”  To gain a dollar you MUST make a case for why people should give.  Here are some thoughts about the vision behind your “ask.”

  • The more specific your “ask” the more impactful the response.
  • Share one key area that giving funds that makes an impact.
  • Since you know you have guests make it outward focused on children and youth driven or some other missions cause.
  • The more personalized the story the more impactful.

So, decide now what you want to ask for and begin to build out the case for why people should give NOW to support that cause.  Let’s start planning now for your best Easter offering ever!

Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach