Why You Need a Summer Giving Plan

“Did you or anyone on your staff think of that?” That was my reply to an Executive Pastor of one of the largest churches in America after I had laid out a plan for summer giving. His comment was, “This isn’t hard at all.” His comment was meant as a dig over my value. My actual reply was, “I never claimed this was rocket science, but did you or anyone on your staff think of that?” His silence to my question told me the answer.

How will that impact giving? That is always my question. So, let me ask you: without a summer giving strategy in place, how will that lack of a plan impact giving? My answer is in this Coach entitled Why You Need a Summer Giving Plan.

Around this time last year, I wrote a post entitled 7 Reasons to Make Summer Giving Plans. You can find it here: https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/7-reasons-to-make-summer-giving-plans. Here are my seven reasons for why you need a summer giving plan:

1. The Post-Easter Slump – Post-Easter attendance plummets until fall, which impacts giving.
2. Your past history—If your past summer giving has been challenging, what will change this year?
3. Increased competition (e.g., Disney, lake, beach, sports, etc.) leads to declining engagement and participation. This is largely the reason for the post-Easter slump in giving.
4. If you are already behind in giving – The further you fall behind, the harder it is to catch up.
5. If you don’t have a strong fourth quarter – Some churches can use a strong fourth quarter of giving to stage a comeback. But if historically you don’t have a strong fourth quarter then you must have a plan to make up lost giving ground.

• If you want to stay ahead – It takes continual work to ensure your church’s financial stability.
• If you want to connect your summer vision to giving, move everyone up the generosity ladder – You can inspire your congregation to give generously and support your initiatives by articulating a compelling vision.

Let me ask you a question. Do you have a summer giving plan in place? The above points are why I make sure you start immediately after Easter, planning a strategy to offset the potential decline in giving the summer always produces. We are weeks away from summer, and now is the time to prepare. You will be glad you did come July.

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Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
mark@acts17generosity.com

OnlineGiving.org, the leading online giving processor in America, sponsors my writing. Find out more about their services at https://www.onlinegiving.org/.