What Motivates Christians to Give?
What motivates Christians to give? That was the headline of an email I received from the Barna Group a few years ago. They had done a survey to find out what motivated Christians to give.
So, what did they find that motivated Christians to give? The Barna report says, “For Christians, emotions motivate charity.” Here is a direct quote that sums up the majority of their findings…
“The main reasons people say they have gotten involved in a cause in the past are primarily emotional: They believed they could make a difference (62%), or they saw or heard a moving story (45%).”1.
This has been my experience and is why one of my key mantras to churches has been, “Get a story, work your story, tell your story, and people will give to support that story.” Are you telling the story of what your church is doing? If not, you may be missing out on hundreds and thousands of dollars.
Another important factor that the Barna research and article reported on is the power of a “cast vision.” Here is what they say, “Three in 10 (30%) practicing Christians…took up a cause because their church “cast a vision” for it.2. Emphasis mine.
Once again, this is proof that Vision drives dollars. Another way of looking at this is that if you don’t touch the heart of your donor, you will not get their dollars.
As I work with pastors on capital campaigns, I always tell them that you must communicate the vision by answering the two basic questions donors have. First, they want to know, “Does this make sense?” In other words, they are asking if the reason you are asking for money fulfills the vision that God has called the church to pursue.
The second is, “Can you pull this off?” Here, they are looking for a plan of action that will allow the current ministry to continue while you raise the money needed for whatever project you have. In essence, they need to hear a plan of action that makes sense and is achievable.
In my experience, top-tiered donors, your leaders, often ask more’ can you pull this off’ type questions. To some degree, this is because top earners typically have some type of business background or knowledge. The other is that they are good stewards of the money God has entrusted to them, and they will not invest that money in something that doesn’t make sense to them. This is why communication is key.
Let me break down each of the two questions as we seek the answer to what motivates Christians to give.
The first question is a question of the heart. When it comes to a capital campaign and leaders, the challenge is whether we can connect them passionately to the vision behind the plan.
The second question is a question of the head or mind. Can we answer their questions so that they have clarity of thought as they pray for God’s leading about what they should give?
You must connect head and heart, and then you can ask for a hand!
Help your members see the difference their gift makes. 62% of those surveyed said, “I first got involved with a cause because I felt I could make a difference.”3. No organization on the face of the earth makes a greater difference than the Church! The challenge is to help those who attend see the difference their gift makes.