This is The Final Edition of my weekly stewardship newsletter. I’ve dreaded typing that sentence for weeks. I have a couple of pages of random thoughts on what I wanted to say, how to say it, etc. I’ve typed that opening sentence and retyped it so many times in my...
Non-profits know how crucial end-of-year giving is. They have a plan, do you? Here are four tips to help you. Tip #1—Have a plan and work your plan! If you don't plan, you plan on failure, so let's devise a plan. Your plan in a nutshell… Social Media posts from now through December...
I wanted to share with you practical advice on how to start your giving New Year out well. Here is a post I wrote for OnlineGiving.org. You can see the link where it is now, posted after the article. This will show you how AI reworked what I submitted....
The last Stewardship Journal will be published on December 2nd! It will contain key information about how to close our current giving year strong and help you lay the groundwork for a positive first quarter in the New Year. With a good plan of action, your church can increase its...
“If you had it (being a pastor) to do all over again, what would you do?” I was in my second year of the stewardship ministry when a couple of staff members asked me that over a cup of coffee. As I write these last few editions of my stewardship...
“I never, in a million years, would have ever expected a hand-written, personalized thank you note from the pastor.” Have you ever had anyone thank you for thanking them for giving? If not, it's probably because you have never thought about, nor implemented, a process of thanking donors. For years,...
I wrote the following post for my sponsor, OnlineGiving.org, in 2019. We find that 80% of our receipt emails after a donation are opened and read. As a result, we encourage our partners to utilize receipts as a thank you, pointing out the value of the donor's gift. The...
The church that survives into the future is the church that prepares today for the future. That’s been one of my Brooks Mantras on stewardship that I have been repeating to you since around 2018. Pastor Shane, Bishop of Christ Church outside of Saint Louis, took that advice to heart...
As I wind down my newsletters, I plan on bringing back some of what I consider my key articles. Build, renovate, or repurpose the facilities you need and pay off any debt quickly. That has been my advice for the last few years. I thought about that last Sunday night as...
As we near the end of the year and the start of the New Year, I will be sharing with you posts about how to end well and start well. Here is a post I wrote last year that contains four timeless stewardship plans. “Almost all on Wall Street and in...
