Every church leader knows the calendar brings both challenges and opportunities for generosity. Easter brings record crowds, summer brings empty seats, and December brings the largest gifts of the year. The question is: will you react to the calendar, or will you plan to redeem it? That’s why I take a seasonal approach to generosity planning — because each season gives us a natural moment to cast vision and call people to faithfulness.
The Generosity Calendar
Think of the church year like a farmer’s calendar. Farmers know you plant different crops in different seasons. If you miss the planting season, you won’t have a harvest. The same is true with giving.
January – Fresh Start
The new year is when people set goals and budgets. That’s why January is one of my two key times to push for recurring giving. Teach first fruits giving. Help people put God first financially by automating their generosity. Recurring giving is the foundation for stability for the rest of the year.
Spring / Easter – Maximum Engagement
Easter is the Super Bowl of the church year. You’ll see more people in person and online on Easter than on any other day. Why not make Easter a special offering moment? When you make the offering clear, concise, and compelling, people respond. It’s a chance to show first-time guests and irregular attenders how their gift impacts lives. A special Easter offering can jumpstart your spring and set the tone for summer.
Summer – Slump Prevention
Every pastor knows the summer slump is real. People head to the lake, the beach, or the ballpark — and when they’re gone, giving usually goes with them. I always say, don’t let Mickey get God’s dollar.
Here’s my summer playbook:
- Calculate your summer need (budget ÷ 52 × 15 weekends).
- Build weekly offering talks (60–120 seconds) that tie giving to vision.
- Push recurring giving again in May to lock in consistency.
- Keep vision in front of people. Link generosity to summer ministry opportunities like camps and missions.
If you fail to plan for summer, you’ll always fall behind in the second half of the year.
Fall – Vision Reset
When school starts, families get back into routines. This is the perfect time to re-cast vision. Tie giving to fresh ministry initiatives: new groups, outreach, missions. A fall vision series positions your church to finish the year strong.
Year-End / Christmas – Peak Giving Season
December is the largest giving month of the year. People are in a giving mood, motivated by both generosity and tax deadlines. That’s why you need a clear year-end plan:
- Craft a Christmas Eve offering tied to life change.
- Provide multiple giving channels (online, mobile, mail, in-service).
- Remind donors of the year-end deadline.
Year-end done right is often the difference between a budget shortfall and a surplus.
Keys to Making Seasonal Planning Work
- Vision First – Every appeal must connect to changed lives, not budget gaps.
- Recurring Giving Pushes – At least twice a year (January & May).
- Special Offerings – Holidays and key Sundays become opportunities to re-cast vision.
- Staff Buy-In – If your staff isn’t aligned, your congregation won’t be either.
- Plan Ahead – Seasonal planning means no more Saturday-night scrambling.
Your Generosity Playbook
I’ve been writing playbooks for churches for years. Each season of the year has its own opportunities and challenges. A seasonal approach gives you a step-by-step roadmap to keep your church financially strong all year long.
If you don’t have a seasonal generosity plan, you’re playing defense. Start thinking seasonally because every season — from Easter to summer to Christmas — is an opportunity to re-cast vision and call your people to greater generosity.
So here’s the question: What’s your generosity plan for the season you’re in right now?