Engaging the Next Generation of Donors
In Moses’ last recorded speech to the Israelites, he re-emphasizes that they should love God with all of their heart, soul, and strength. He then tells God’s chosen people to pass this on to the next generation – to “impress” this lesson on their children. Moses understood the importance of reaching the younger generation for […]
5 Current Challenges Facing U.S. Churches
There are encouraging signs both for churches in the United States and Christianity around the globe. But there are also concerning trends, and leaders should be prepared to face these challenges in their churches. The latest report from the “Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations” study, led by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, noted […]
You Might Need to Ask
A 2019 Lifeway Research study found that “3 in 4 (76%) retirement-age ministers are confident they will have enough money to live comfortably through retirement, with 31% saying they are very confident. Still, almost half (47%) say they are often concerned about their family’s financial security. And 27% say their physical needs or those of […]
The $300 Case for Online Giving
To prepare for your best end-of-year offering, we must understand and realize the power of online giving. Millions of dollars are raised on the last day of the year, with almost all of it coming through some type of digital format. Here is a post I recently wrote about the value of online giving. “Just […]
#GivingTuesday for Churches
#GivingTuesday is a movement that started a few years ago as a global day for people to be motivated to give back. It always falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, after Black Friday weekend, and Cyber Monday, when Americans typically spend millions on Christmas gifts. This year #GivingTuesday falls on November 28th. $3.1 billion was […]
Biometric Benefits for Churches
As we focus on the changing world of giving, one huge change is in the use of biometrics. Biometrics allow for giving to be easier and faster. It’s where commerce is heading and where we will be forced to offer this type of giving to our members sooner rather than later. The following is a […]
Without a Vision, Giving Declines
Nonprofit employees want inspired leaders with bold vision: Nonprofit employees ranked vision, relationship building, inspiring trust, and strong communication skills as the most valued elements of leadership. That was the finding of a national study recently conducted among nonprofit employees by a leading nonprofit firm, Dickerson, Bakker & Associates. You would find a similar result […]
Two Common Donation Downfalls
In my twenty-five years as a stewardship coach, I have found that there are two common downfalls that churches run into when it comes to donations: taking their donors for granted and failing to thank them. I am often amazed at how poor the average church is at simply expressing appreciation to donors who foot […]
No Church Is Too Small
The following post appears at https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/no-church-is-too-small “I don’t think there is any viable reason in 2023 for a church to not offer digital giving. I say that as a millennial financial professional who hasn’t given a physical cash/check tithe in who knows how long. It’s not expensive, and more importantly, it provides protection from potential […]
Church Facility Stewardship: An Interview With Tim Cool
We are broadening our list of contributors to bring you the best thought leaders in stewardship. Did you know that stewardship is more than giving money? In fact, our goal is to help you increase generosity based on biblical stewardship. Biblical stewardship can be defined by an understanding that the earth is the Lord’s and […]