Church Marketing Sucks

Last week’s #cmschat on Twitter covered communications and giving, and we saw a lot of wisdom from the community. We wanted to collect some of the best giving tips to make sure nobody missed them. You can join our weekly #cmschat every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET to contribute your own ideas and hear the good stuff firsthand.

#cmschat stop saying, “if you’re a guest we don’t want you to give.” that’s probably a lie anyway. :)

— Michael Lukaszewski (@mlukaszewski) April 17, 2015

Why talk communications and giving? Because church communicators often don’t understand how our communication can increase giving. At many churches the financial people and the communicators don’t get together. We keep things separated and that can be a problem. But it’s a shared responsibility and multiple teams need to come together to make it happen.

Why Do People Give?

First it can help to focus on why people give money in the first place. Here are just a few reasons shared by the community:

• People like to give where there’s a personal connection.
• People like to give where it can make a tangible difference.
• People want to give to something they can be a part of (or at least feel like they are).

What Stops People From Giving?

What are the roadblocks or barriers that can keep people from giving to your church:

• Fear.
• Don’t have a clear picture of the church’s mission.
• Not hearing a clear need.
• Thinking someone else will meet the need.
• Lack of commitment.
• Lack of understanding.
• Lack of spiritual maturity.
• Losing personal connection.
• Practical issues like long forms or inconvenient methods.

How Do You Increase Giving?

A6: Have regular people from the pew giving short talks about giving. #cmschat

— Carolyn Clement (@singingcarolyn) April 17, 2015

OK, so how can church communicators help increase giving:

• Make it easy and fast to give. There should be a clear call to action.
• Be accountable: tell people where the money is going and give updates.
• Share stories of changed lives as well as everyday stories. Not every story has to be a miracle. Also be sure to share stories of impact both in and outside of your church.
• Present the need and a simple solution.
• Position the offering at a point in the service where people wont miss it.
• Quality artwork that isn’t cheesy and deliberate word choice.
• Look beyond technology as a quick fix.
• Major on the ‘why,’ minor on the ‘what’ of your campaign. Repetition is important.
• Keep the focus on God and truly give time for prayer and reflection.

When Your Campaign Is Over

Once your giving campaign is over, your job isn’t done.

• Continue to tell stories after the campaign is complete.
• Show the results of your congregation’s sacrifice and investment. This is important to build trust.
• Say thank you.

Say thanks. Over and over. #cmschat

— Michael Lukaszewski (@mlukaszewski) April 17, 2015

#cmschat Every Thursday

Join us every Thursday at 9 p.m. on Twitter for the #cmschat. You can also check out the transcript for the chat on communications and giving to see even more thoughts from the community.