To raise more money you need to get a story, work your story, tell people about that story and THEN they will give to support that story! That has been my mantra for the last few years. Your “story” is what flows from the vision that God has given you and your church. It is what He has uniquely called you to do that no one else can do. When you tell that story people will be motivate to give to support your story.
In every study that has been done about what motivates people to give you will always find belief in the organizations vision listed first or at the top. I always teach my clients that every “ask” MUST have a driver. By a driver, I mean some cause that drives me to give money to support your cause. Causes, needs and appeals drive the heart to open up the wallet and make contributions. The wrong use of a driver, even if the cause is right, can result in a misfire for your ministry. What driver are you using in your appeals? Look no further than the Kingdom work your church is dong.
I think telling the story of how you are impacting lives for the Kingdom is a part of the greatest story ever told! If your story doesn’t drive people to want to give you are doing something wrong.
I fully believe that one reason why giving is declining in churches today is that we have failed to connect our vision or story to why people should give to our church. People give to that which matters. We must show them EVERY time we take up the offering that their gift does matter! We do that by telling our story.
What difference will giving to the offering make? This is the question you MUST answer if you are to have a successful offering. So before you even start on the logistics of how to get people to give you must answer the question of why they should give. It is not enough to simply tell them they ought to give to fulfill Scripture. 99% of them already know they ought to give. You have to motivate them to WANT to give.
The more compelling the “case” or “story” the more effective you will be at raising the dollars you want.
Non-profits are excellent at telling their story and making the appeal. Go to any of their websites. It is all about the story of what they are doing and how your gift can help support their work. We can and should learn from how they do this. They use three basic elements to tell their story and to elicit contributions. These are the elements we direct all our clients to use for every “ask.”
Crisis – I want my donors to know about… For instance, you might begin your offering by saying, “We have discovered that there are hundreds of children that are struggling to stay on pace academically.”
Need – We can help by… Share the need by saying, “Part of the problem is they lack the proper tools such as paper, pencils, etc.”
Ask – We need you to give… “Your gift NOW will help us meet this need by providing back packs filled with school supplies!” You could insert whatever crisis and need but the point is to end with an actionable request. Help your donors see the potential of their gift and then, ASK for the gift!
As you prepare for this week’s offering what is the story you can tell that will motivate people to WANT to give? If you don’t have a story ask God to give you one! Our story is about eternal life change. It is a story worth supporting so never fear to make the “ask” to fully fund the work of your story.
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach