Author - Mark Brooks

The Back Door of Church Giving

How wide is your back door? Every church has a back door. Ask any church leader about their backdoor, and they will talk about membership and attendance numbers. Everyone knows churches must work to keep people engaged or they will walk out the back door. My goal with this issue...


The Economy Might Be Down, but Candy Sales Are Up!

It has been a challenging year for our economy! Recession or not, the price of everything is up, and consumers are cutting their budget and spending to make ends meet. Would you like to know what segment of our economy is recession-proof? Candy sales! Since we are gearing up for Halloween...


How to Make Your #GivingTuesday Email Blast Effective

Since most of #GivingTuesday’s gifts are digital, you need a great email appeal. Let’s talk email basics! Warm your list! I recommend sending out an email blast a week or several days before your #GivingTuesday blast. This is called warming the list. It allows you to weed out those emails that...


#GivingTuesday Preview

Have you given any thought to this year’s #GivingTuesday? I’m finishing the updates on my yearly playbook, The 2022 #GivingTuesday Playbook. Every year I dedicate an issue of the Coach towards helping you benefit from this worldwide charitable push with my annual #GivingTuesday Preview. What is #GivingTuesday? #GivingTuesday is a movement...


Do You Have Your Candy Ready?

$3.1 billion. That is what Americans spent on Halloween candy last year. This year, despite inflation, Americans are projected to spend even more than that. That is a lot of candy and a lot of future cavities! How many of you have already bought your Halloween candy? You still have time...


End-of-Year Overview

The following is my end-of-year overview. Not all of what I list might work for you. This basic plan of action, if followed, WILL greatly increase your end-of-year giving. I advise… Social Media Push – Starting in early November, across all platforms of communication, you want to focus on your message,...


Multi-Channel Giving is the New Normal

When it comes to giving, my advice is don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Why? Blackbaud, a leader in the fund-raising industry, published a study a few years ago stating that successful charities relied on multiple channels to tell their story. Indeed, they stated that multi-channel is the...


Honoring the Lord With Your Wealth

Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;” Are you honoring the Lord with your wealth? You might be thinking, “What wealth?” Or “When I get wealthy, then I will honor Him.” When the Bible uses the term wealth, it is not using...


The Basics of an End-of-Year Appeal

Here are some basic thoughts for you to think through. Deciding what your “ask” will be. You must be careful when you say that line out loud! A key point to remember is, need drives the “ask.” If you are behind budget, then that is where you want to put your...


Starting Your End-of-Year Preparations

We are days away from the start of the 4th quarter, and as always, I want to know, are you ahead or behind on meeting your budget needs? Starting with this edition of the Coach, entitled Starting Your End-of-Year Preparations, I will share how to catch up on your giving...