Building a Culture of Gratitude

To build and sustain a culture of generosity, you must create and sustain a culture of gratitude. In this issue of the Coach, entitled Building a Culture of Gratitude, I will show you the importance of gratitude and give you practical tips on how you can express your gratitude. The bottom line is that if you want generous people, you need to learn gratitude. Generosity and gratitude go hand in hand.

I’ve been writing on Easter offering preparation for the last few weeks. I always recommend with all my playbooks and special offerings that you add one more week to the offering push. The week after the offering, or after the first gift or special gift, is the time to say a heartfelt thank you. A thank you is the nicest way to remind people to give.

When you establish a Culture of Gratitude and work to exhibit that in all you do, giving will increase. So, let’s talk a bit about why showing gratitude over giving is important. Before I do, let me establish that I believe Christians should give without expecting anything in return. Period.

Churches teach gratefulness by how they respond to givers. Everything we do in church is a teachable moment. So, when you make the effort to thank those that fuel your ministry, it shows them you are grateful and sets a standard for them in how to respond to those that give to them.

Gratefulness begets gratefulness! When you show gratefulness to donors, they, in turn, show gratefulness. How you respond teaches them how to respond.

Why is thanking your donors important? Apart from all of the above, here are a few reasons I stress…

• Saying thank you for a past gift is a subtle way of reminding people about giving.
• Saying thank you gives you an opportunity to say what gifts accomplish. People give to what matters!
• Saying thank you builds a platform upon which to ask for further gifts.
• Saying thank you produces happy donors. 99.99% of your donors are not expecting a thank you, but they will appreciate one when given.
• Saying thank you shows that you recognize donors are not simply a number but a real person.
• Saying thank you sets you apart from others who never acknowledge donations.

So, let me give you one last task. Plan out how you will say thank you to those that give this Easter. Your gratitude will set the stage for a culture of gratitude that leads to increased joyful giving!

Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
mark@acts17generosity.com