How do you make up a lost offering due to inclement weather? With the impact of Hurricane Florence that is the question that a lot of East Coast churches are thinking about this weekend. Bad weather will impact all of us at one time or another. You not only lose a service but you lose a week of offerings! So, let’s talk about how to recover that with these…
Key Steps for Collecting a Lost Offering
Just do it! Remember that phrase? A plan is only good if you work it. One of the first things I recommend is that you keep watch on the weather. A few years ago on a Friday a pastor called me and stated that bad weather was on the way. We immediately went into action. I recommend these steps.
Email blast Strategy – With online giving you can close the gap of that lost offering. I recommend sending out a series of email blasts. We sent out one email Friday afternoon, one on Saturday afternoon and another on Sunday afternoon.
Use the Postal Service – The USPS motto is, “Neither rain, sleet or snow will stop the U.S. Mail.” That is true unless you live in the south! So, if you know bad weather is coming mail the letter on Friday or Saturday. If the weather turns ugly on a Sunday mail the letter on Monday. Always have a postage paid self-addressed envelope in every appeal letter!
Raise awareness through your Social Media platforms. Tell the story through Social Media and provide a link to your online giving page. Unless the power is off at their house your members will be spending time on Facebook. So get your offering appeal in front of them! I have given you some samples ideas you can use in the sample section.
A Pre-Bad Weather Strategy – The following steps work well when you know ahead of time that weather will impact your services. You might not have to cancel all the services but poor weather will keep many away driving down the amount in your offering baskets. Use this strategy to negate that.
I recommend a three-day blitz utilizing multiple platforms to help increase giving. Take this action as soon as it looks like weather might be a factor for your weekend services.
Friday – Do three things. First, send out a snail mail letter with a postage paid envelope inside asking people to give IF they are unable to make the weekend services.
Next, begin utilizing Social Media posts informing people that IF they cannot attend they can give online and give your online link.
Finally, send out an email blast in the afternoon encouraging online gifts. See the samples below.
Saturday – Do two things. Throughout the day post reminders on Social Media about giving online IF members cannot attend a service. Then send another email blast out in the morning encouraging online giving IF members cannot attend.
Sunday – Do the same two things as Saturday but send the email in the afternoon.
A Post Bad Weather Strategy – Sometimes the weatherman is wrong and those rain showers early Sunday morning turn into snow showers. When weather sneaks up on you it is still possible to make up that lost offering by following this strategy.
Sunday morning or Afternoon – Send out an email blast about the services being cancelled and encouraging members to faithfully give online. I would immediately post on all your Social Media platforms messages about the cancelled services with a link to your online giving page.
Monday morning – I would work a USPS mailing out to your members encouraging them to give that week to help make up the lost offering. I always recommend that every snail mail piece have a self-addressed postage paid envelope in it for ease of use.
Mid-Week email blast – I would encourage one more email blast such as those in the sample section to be sent out later in the week. With online giving your members can give at any time so your offering plates are literally taking dollars 24/7!
Social Media posts – I would encourage at least one Social Media post every day for the week following the weather related cancellations.
One key thing, always be positive with your appeals never negative. People don’t respond well to guilt or desperation. State the obvious, a lost service means a loss of dollars. Then without reservations ask people to give to keep your missions and ministries flourishing!
These simple actions could keep you from falling a week behind in giving. Don’t wait for bad weather let’s get ahead of it!