“MAXIMIZING GENEROSITY DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON”

HELPING LEADERS BECOME

MAXIMIZING GENEROSITY During the Christmas Season Featuring: Jan Jasmin, Heiko Henning & Matt Strelecki

B E T T E R S T E WA R D S .

Table of Contents MAXIMIZING GENEROSITY DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

3

3 experts share tried-and-true strategies Featuring Jan Jasmin, Heiko Henning & Matt Strelecki

5 MOBILE RESOLUTIONS TO MAKE 2017 YOUR BEST MOBILE YEAR YET

6

Your church’s next five years (or 10, 15 or 25 years) won’t be defined by what you do within your church walls. Those days are over for the church.

People — even committed Christians — attend church less than ever before. In days gone by, you could depend upon your most committed attendees to show up two to three times a week. But no more.

If your church strategy requires people to walk into your doors, it’s doomed from the beginning.

That’s why a church’s mobile strategy matters so profoundly at this key point in history.

By Tobin Perry

STEWARDSHIP FLOWS MORE SMOOTHLY WITH MULTIPLE E-GIVING OPTIONS 8 Blessings sometimes come with challenges, too.

That’s abundantly clear during the busy holiday giving season, when churches receive a higher volume of contributions and need solutions for quickly and accurately processing them.

No single method will work for every church or every member. Our team’s experience shows that churches can better meet those challenges when they offer a combination of electronic options for online, mobile, kiosk and text giving.

By Jan Jasmin

SHEPHERD THEIR GIVING JOURNEY

10

Leading your congregation in their giving journey will strengthen your members’ connection with your church and reaffirm the importance of your mission in their lives.

This is a rewarding opportunity to deepen engagement with your members in four simple but important steps: Study, Tailor, Release and Reflect.

2

CHURCH EXECUTIVE • M A X I M I Z I N G G E N E R O S I T Y D U R I N G T H E C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N

churchexecutive.com

Maximizing generosity during the Christmas season 3 experts share tried-and-true strategies

Jan Jasmin SVP, Faith-Based Business Development Vanco Payment Solutions

Heiko Henning Chief Revenue Officer Vision2

Given your experience, how important are gifts given during the Christmas season to a church’s bottom-line budget?

Jasmin: Giving during the Christmas season is crucial to the work that churches do all year. It’s true that giving at year’s end represents an increasing portion of total giving in many churches — most receive 25% percent to 33% of their yearly contributions between Thanksgiving and year’s end, according to Giving USA. Things happen during this time that impact people’s decisions to give.

If I say, “I want to give $2,400 to my church this year,” that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll give $200 each month, unless I set my gift up as an electronic payment. Things get in the way — vacation, illness, even bad weather. December can be a catch-up month.

Henning: According to our processing data, 21% of giving occurs in December. That includes digital, of course, but also check and cash.

Despite the growth in online giving, more than 50% of annual giving to churches still comes from ‘offline’ methods. But that’s been the case for many years: by cash, check or digital giving, Christmas has always been a critical time for churches.

What is different is the number of giving choices and channels.

Emphasize giving as an act of worship throughout the year, thus extending the giving journey across the year to balance/mitigate the holiday crunch.

Strelecki: End-of-year giving is extremely important for churches. In fact, in 2015 and 2016, 5.5% of our annual platform volume was donated during the last three days of the year, and an average of 20.4% of the total annual platform volume was donated in December. Churches should not churchexecutive.com

Matt Strelecki Director of Implementation Pushpay

only plan for increased gifts during the holiday season, but they should also have a strategy to make the giving process as easy as possible for potential donors.

For most people, the Christmas season brings ramped-up requests for donations from many different organizations. How can a church ensure its “ask” is compelling enough to command attention?

Henning: Digital giving has too often turned the act of giving into a disconnected, context-free ‘transaction.’ That’s a missed opportunity.

As it turns out, the most digitally-inclined generations are also looking for the most engaged, context-specific engagement. They want to know the ‘why’ and the specifics of what their giving impacts.

The church can then focus on the ‘what’ and ‘how’ to ensure it’s using technology to allow it to stay connected and engaged throughout mission and worship. The church can then frame giving in the context of what members are inspired by, including rich descriptions and pictures alongside a giving opportunity.

Strelecki: We’ve seen a direct correlation between transparency and donor confidence when it comes to year-end giving. People are more likely to give when they know how that money will be used. The holiday season presents a significant opportunity for church leaders to tell a meaningful story about the tangible impact their community’s donations have made throughout the year. It’s also a great time to cast vision for the year ahead about how giving will change a life, a family, a city — the world!

M A X I M I Z I N G G E N E R O S I T Y D U R I N G T H E C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N • CHURCH EXECUTIVE

3

Jasmin: It’s extremely important to give people a reason to be generous to God’s mission through the church. Tell your congregation the story of someone in need who was helped through their donations. It helps if it’s something relatable and — especially during the Christmas season — strikes the heart, like children who need warm clothes and children who wouldn’t receive any Christmas gifts without this generosity.

Aside from the natural generosity of the Christmas season, are there other reasons why members tend to give more to their churches at this time of year?

Strelecki: Charitable giving at the end of the year is a great way for people to both reduce their tax burden as well as give to a cause they may care about. With so many churches now implementing mobile giving solutions, it’s easier than ever to give a gift.

Jasmin: Yes. I previously mentioned ‘catch-up’ donations to fulfill annual commitments. Some people wait until they know the size of their year-end bonus before completing their tithe or gift. Some people want to make additional donations before the end of the tax year. Others want to donate appreciated assets at the end of the year — again, for tax reasons.

Some even want to prepay gifts, if they’ve had a particularly strong financial year.

The Christmas season also inspires generosity. There is a Christmas spirit inside everyone — it may mean something different to each of us — but as we celebrate with gifts and excitement we also celebrate the reason for Christmas, the birth of Christ. Year-end is one of the most fun times to work at Vanco because we see the generosity firsthand. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

Henning: Even if a church has stewarded its members effectively through their giving journey, Christmas is still a very busy, distracting time of year. Providing the right tools and meeting people at the right time, with the right message, is critical.

Ensure they understand what special opportunities and needs exist and are served by giving to the church during the holidays.

Leverage digital engagement and communications tools to meet them in the right moment, with the right ask.

Take advantage of your congregation’s understanding that rich giving data provides to match season-specific giving opportunities, with the right messaging to the right individuals.

4

CHURCH EXECUTIVE • M A X I M I Z I N G G E N E R O S I T Y D U R I N G T H E C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N

Conversely, are there factors that make members less inclined to give generously during the Christmas season?

Jasmin: People’s expenses at Christmas and the year’s end can impact generosity. As much as we may try not to, some of us outspend our budgets on gifts for friends and family, holiday parties and travel to visit relatives.

Or, a person might find she owes more than expected in taxes. So, it’s a time when people in those situations may size up their finances and decide they’ve given all they can.

Henning: Common issues challenging the church are a multitude of asks and opportunities to give to other philanthropic organizations; a lack of understanding of the giving needs or reasons by the church; and a feeling of, I’ve already given to the church.

Keep the church in peoples’ lives front and center, engaging and inspiring them to continue the giving journey as part of their discipleship path — no matter how new or established they are in the congregation.

Use the season as an opportunity to inspire people to take that next big step; it could be their first gift, or it might be becoming a tithing member.

Strelecki: Christmas season brings unforeseen expenses for just about everyone, and with this comes a lot of pressure. There are also a plethora of events, activities, school recitals, and out-of-town guests that distract members from attending church regularly.

Churches can reduce lost attendance by engaging with their communities first, asking them to give second, and always, always thanking them.

One way to grab attention in the midst of all the noise is by staying in constant communication with members through a mobile app. With an app, churches can quickly update their members on progress with a particular giving campaign through opt-in push notifications and text messages.

How can churches drive above-and-beyond generosity during this important season?

Henning: To reinforce and enable the giving journey — especially as year-end giving season approaches — be sure to provide accurate and complete donor statements. Remind givers where they are and how they can be accessed and downloaded. Provide rich content and context of giving opportunities to connect giving to worship and mission.

churchexecutive.com

Allow them to take the giving journey using whatever means works best for them. Yes, everyone is going mobile; but for some individuals and in some cases, cash or check is still preferred. In fact, almost 50% of giving comes from offline. Likewise, some individuals still prefer responding to e-mails.

Do you know who/where/why to best engage across your congregation?

Ensure that people know that you support whatever method they choose to give.

Strelecki: I’d start with storytelling. Give your church insight into the good work they’re doing through their donations. Create moments in your services to reflect and celebrate. Video, especially, can be a powerful tool to help your church community share these stories.

Also, be sure to plan ahead. Churches should start year-end prep no later than October. For many churches, even October is too late. Get ahead.

That’s critical.

Don’t forget about notifications, either. People take their phones with them everywhere they go. Use that to your advantage, but don’t abuse that relationship. Create carefully-timed, strategic, in-app messages (push notifications) designed to inspire and prompt the members of your community to action.

Finally, optimize communications by days of the week. Sunday is notoriously the strongest day of the week for giving, but Friday comes in as a close second. Monday and Tuesday are the least-engaged days of the week. So, we recommend communicating with members as close to Friday and Sunday as possible. You want to catch your people while they’re fully engaged.

Jasmin: We work with 20,000 churches and have a team of Giving Coaches whose job, every day, is to help churches increase generosity. They say that telling compelling stories of lives that have been transformed really spurs spontaneous giving.

Other approaches are very practical. For example, when one church lists what song will be sung or played during the offertory in its bulletin, it also mentions how to give online or by text. That’s not something you’d have seen five years ago.

Other churches have pew cards that read, “Don’t have cash? No problem.

Use our giving app, or give by text.” They know most people will have their phones with them, even when they don’t have cash or a checkbook.

At another church, the pastor decided to give by text, so he had his phone’s screen projected on the large screen in the church to show everyone how to give. Then, he asked people to raise their hands if they had questions so ushers collecting the gifts could come over and help. At first, just one brave little hand when up; then, a bunch. The church received 40 text gifts that day, and they were still coming in a few months later. These are people who wanted to give, but they were embarrassed because they weren’t sure how.

People’s lives are busier than ever. Once they leave church or finish watching the service online, it’s important for them to be able to make the gift at that point, when they’re thinking about it.

At this time of year, churches welcome an inordinate number of visitors and guests to their campuses. What can church leaders do to inspire generosity among these individuals?

Strelecki: Don’t just focus on weekly giving for current church attendees. Think about what low point of entry causes and community projects you can highlight throughout the holiday season. For example, everyone can give $20 towards providing a Christmas dinner to a family in need. Cast the vision around what kind of impact your church could have if everyone chipped in. A habit of generosity has to start somewhere.

Make sure your generosity-focused sermons are hitting home with your audience, too. You can use in-service polls (an eChurch feature) in your mobile app to gauge your audience’s reaction to what they’re learning.

churchexecutive.com

Jasmin: Make guests feel welcome, like an important part of the church experience and community. That’s done in many ways, from hosting a coffee to having ambassadors on hand to reach out and acknowledge visitors and guests during the service when everyone greets their neighbors and wishes them well.

It’s also important to tell a story of the church’s mission and outreach work.

And then, of course, it’s important that they have a way to give beyond the spare change in their pocket. Most people aren’t carrying a checkbook, and many don’t carry much cash either. So, again, it’s very important that everyone has the chance to give with a text or an app on their phones, or through the church website. If they leave the church without giving, the likelihood of making that gift later is, unfortunately, pretty low.

Henning: First, maybe a somewhat controversial or contrarian question: Is this really a group that has a material impact on your giving?

Don’t get me wrong; it’s a wonderful opportunity to engage a new group of individuals. And maybe, for some, it can be an initial step in their giving journey … especially if you connect with them in the moment. But beware of spending scarce resources and effort. Focus instead on where you can maximize impact — your core congregation and givers.

That said, connect with visitors and guests by sharing the mission of the church, the impact it has in the community, and what missions and programs it supports. Link that to giving as part of worship. Make giving an extension of inspiring visitors and guests to take part in the mission of the church. Reinforce this through a simple text or mobile/online experience to allow them to easily give in the context of the current experience.

In what ways can churches mobilize Christmas giving to help drive sustained, generous giving all year?

Jasmin: A big part of that is saying thank you. It’s very interesting to compare the experience of making a year-end gift to a nonprofit versus a church. Most nonprofits are extremely diligent about sending a thank you.

Then, typically, they’ll send future communications about the work they do, and invite you to continue giving.

Some churches are doing that; many are not.

So, acknowledge the generosity. Talk about lives changed — photos, videos and stories that help givers feel affirmed in making their gift and motivated to continue to support the work of the church.

Henning: Christmas and the year-end spirit and joy of giving can be the perfect opportunity to begin nurturing a giving journey into the next year. Targeted communications, acknowledgements, active follow-up, connecting to relevant content and context can all be used to nurture the seedlings of this season.

Proactively think through how to effectively segment and cultivate first-time givers into repeat givers, repeat givers into recurring givers, and so on.

The holidays are a wonderful, inspiring time for members of all ages to take that next step in their worship and giving journey. Make it easy, compelling and meaningful for them to do so.

Strelecki: One of the most important things churches can do is send timely thank you messages all year long. And since people are more likely to give when they fully understand where their money is going, make sure to update your givers at least quarterly about the impact their gifts are having.

High-quality and well-timed annual giving statements are also really important to send out as the new year begins.

— Reporting by RaeAnn Slaybaugh

M A X I M I Z I N G G E N E R O S I T Y D U R I N G T H E C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N • CHURCH EXECUTIVE

5

mobile #2: Simplify. resolutions to make 2017 your best mobile year yet

By Tobin Perry

Your church’s next five years (or 10, 15 or 25 years) won’t be defined by what you do within your church walls. Those days are over for the church.

People — even committed Christians — attend church less than ever before. In days gone by, you could depend upon your most committed attendees to show up two to three times a week. But no more.

If your church strategy requires people to walk into your doors, it’s doomed from the beginning.

That’s why a church’s mobile strategy matters so profoundly at this key point in history.

If your church is like most, your mobile strategy isn’t where it needs to be. But I have good news for you.

You don’t have to say the same thing one year from now. January 1 means little, really. It’s one of 365 days in a year. But it’s highly symbolic.

To take your mobile strategy to the next level in 2018, you need to nail the first month of the year.

It’s no hyperbole to say your ministry may depend upon it.

January 1 is a great time to get started. Here are five action steps you must take in January to improve your mobile ministry in the next 365 days.

#1: Make engagement your mobile metric of choice.

It’s not enough to have a mobile app people want to download. You may get many people in your church to download it just because it’s their church and they want to have whatever you produce on their phone. A cool design and a key feature or two may get a few more people in your church to put your app on their phone.

But the real question is, do they use your app? Does your app move the church forward in achieving its mission in the world? If it doesn’t, it’s wasting your time, your money, and most importantly your influence.

You need an app that people use. Your app will drive engagement when you help people do what they want to do (and need to do) through your church easier and quicker than they could do any other way.

6

CHURCH EXECUTIVE • M A X I M I Z I N G G E N E R O S I T Y D U R I N G T H E C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N

Your community will have no patience for a complicated mobile app.

The business world tosses around the phrase “mobile moments” to describe the brief windows of time that customers have to take action on a business’s products and services.

You have mobile moments, too. They are those first few moments after God leads someone to give to your church, join a small group, read their Bible, watch your livestream, etc. But these moments are… moments. They won’t last forever. You have to make the process of engaging through your mobile app easier.

Once you’ve made it easy, make it easier. It’s an ongoing process that must never stop.

#3: Enlist mobile-minded leaders.

I’m not suggesting you do away with any of your leaders who haven’t yet embraced mobile ministry, but prioritize mobile-minded leadership when hiring new staff. It’s not about favoring the young over the more mature (you’ll find tons of mobile-minded older leaders). It’s about choosing new staff who understand how to speak and decode the technologically savvy world of Millennials and Gen Z.

#4: Don’t forget your mobile website.

Your church needs an effective mobile app to engage with your regular attendees. You need an effective mobile website to engage visitors.

Most people will visit your mobile website before downloading your app. Make sure it’s a good experience. Many of the same issues that are important for a mobile app are also important for a mobile website. It has to be simple and useful to drive engagement.

#5: Find a good partner.

You can’t develop a strong mobile app alone. You need a good partner.

What makes a good mobile partner? You want a partner that will scale with your church. They’re big enough to provide what your church needs at each stage of its future growth.

They also should invest in innovation. You want partners with a track record of innovating in church technology. Technology won’t go backwards. Your mobile needs in three years won’t be the same as they are today. Make sure your partner understands this.

Most importantly, find a partner that provides unsurpassed security.

Your mobile app will be the place where your people give to the work of your church. You don’t want to play games with their hard-earned gifts.

Your first few months of 2018 have immense consequences for your year. Make next year the best year of your ministry. For more about how you can do this, check out the free ebook, Start Strong: Must-Have Goals for Your Best Year Yet. Tobin Perry has written about ministry and church topics for Saddleback Church, Baptist Press, the North American Mission Board and more for almost 20 years. He and his family live in Evansville, Ind. For more information about how to develop a mobile strategy this holiday season, visit echurch.com to schedule a demo.

churchexecutive.com

churchexecutive.com

M A X I M I Z I N G G E N E R O S I T Y D U R I N G T H E C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N • CHURCH EXECUTIVE

7

Stewardship flows more smoothly with multiple e-giving options

By Jan Jasmin, SVP, Faith-Based Business Development, Vanco Payment Solutions Blessings sometimes come with challenges, too.

That’s abundantly clear during the busy holiday giving season, when churches receive a higher volume of contributions and need solutions for quickly and accurately processing them.

More options bring more generosity People want to give the same way they pay for other things, so their choice sometimes depends on what they have with them, or where they are when they’re moved to contribute. And a member who has set up a recurring gift through one electronic option might find another option more convenient for a one-time gift in certain situations.

• A mobile app is more convenient for avid smartphone users • Text options reaches people who want to immediately answer a call to give • A kiosk attracts visitors and members who might not carry cash or checks Most adults now own cellphones and carry debit and credit cards, but few churches offer options like text and kiosk giving. Those that do, however, are seeing the number of contributions increase, and average donations of more than $100. At Living Stones Church, for example, members line up several deep before and after services to give at their kiosk.

No single method will work for every church or every member. Our team’s experience shows that churches can better meet those challenges when they offer a combination of electronic options for online, mobile, kiosk and text giving.

That knowledge comes from 20 years of learning from our loyal, longtime family of customers, as well as from extensive research we’ve conducted into the attitudes and beliefs that influence giving.

We’ve used it to develop our Give+ suite, which has helped us become the largest provider of e-Giving solutions designed especially for faithbased organizations.

With so many members already accustomed to banking and shopping online, the opportunity to reach more givers is within reach of every church, regardless of size. But purchasing an e-Giving system is only the first step in growing financial stewardship. Once the system is in place, churches have to keep the congregation informed about their options and encourage their regular use.

Communication is key Faithpoint United Methodist Church successfully added online giving to its program by promoting it through announcements during services, digital announcements, bulletin inserts and brochures. The church reached 70-percent e-Giving adoption and received a 20-percent lift in overall donations. All six pastors at Constance Evangelical Free Church, where 40 percent of total donations are made through e-Giving, also championed the program to various church groups.

One additional point to consider: Make sure your messages reach all your members. The average member is over 60 at Trinity Episcopal Church, but electronic giving makes up almost 25 percent of its total donation plate. Age alone doesn’t limit a preference for e-Giving.

8

CHURCH EXECUTIVE • M A X I M I Z I N G G E N E R O S I T Y D U R I N G T H E C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N

More efficiency for church staff By offering seamless integration with more than 50 church management software systems, Give+ makes it easier and more efficient to process, record and track contributions.

•N o question who has made a contribution via ACH or with a debit or credit card • I ntegrated systems create an instant record of a gift • Pulling a report easier is for church administrators • More secure than cash or checks.

Give+ makes giving flow smoothly for congregation and staff alike.

Gifts get where they need to be sooner so churches can put them to good use.

If you’re interested in increasing overall giving by as much as 30 percent, Vanco can guide you through each step of building a comprehensive electronic giving program. For more information, visit VancoPayments.com or call (800)-675-7430.

Jan Jasmin is SVP, Faith-Based Sales for Vanco Payment Solutions. churchexecutive.com

Inspire Generosity Since 1998, we’ve helped more than 20,000 churches inspire generosity in their congregations by providing intelligent giving options that offer members and guests the opportunities they want to give how and when they choose.

Encouraging stewardship depends on understanding why some members hesitate to fully connect with your church and contribute to its mission.

Download our free infographic, 10 Reasons I’ll Never Give to Your Church, for insights into: • Communicating the value of giving • Connecting members to your mission • Measuring your church’s impact on the world

Find Out Why To learn more about online, mobile, text and kiosk giving options contact a giving expert today.

Vancopayments.com/giveplus | 800-675-7430

©2017 Vanco Payment Solutions

FB AD CEM 082017 v1

10

CHURCH EXECUTIVE • M A X I M I Z I N G G E N E R O S I T Y D U R I N G T H E C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N

churchexecutive.com