Pastoring a church miles from Razorback Stadium, where the University of Arkansas Razorbacks play football, made me aware of the need to pay attention to the calendar when it came to planning. When I started in the stewardship ministry, I quickly learned that even giving initiatives must pay attention to...
May is your month to help you get ahead of the curve of summer giving’s challenges. The following post I wrote for my sponsor, OnlineGiving.org, illustrates the best way to avoid the slump three-day weekends give churches. For every church in America, summer presents both opportunities and challenges. The opportunities run...
Whether we like it or not, three-day weekends are built into our calendars. This is a major reason why churches must have a seasonal giving strategy. The following post, written primarily about an Easter offering, none the less contains valuable information about seasonal giving strategies including three-day weekends. It is...
“Did you or anyone on your staff think of that?” That was my reply to an Executive Pastor of one of the largest churches in America after I had laid out a plan for summer giving. His comment was, “This isn’t hard at all.” His comment was meant as a...
Your vision is the driver, but the best driver in the world is worthless without effective vehicles to drive the vision to those you want to impact. This section of the playbook will share the essential tools to effectively launch your summer giving strategy. In the 21st century, we must use...
One of the easiest ways to increase giving over the summer is through an effective online strategy. I use online giving options heavily in my summer plans. Below is a recent post I wrote for my sponsor: https://www.onlinegiving.org/. We are weeks away from summer, which is traditionally one of the most...
Get ready for The Annual Great Decline. You are probably still basking in the glow of Easter, a packed house filled with promise and potential. Then, this past Sunday brought you back to reality. The typical church will not see any better attendance and engagement until sometime next fall. I...
Use the chart to plan out your 15 offerings. The Who, How, What, When, Why column helps you decide the best way to communicate the story you are focusing on. Each offering is about connecting your summer vision to life change! DateFocus of OfferingWho, How, What, When, Why?May 26th June 2nd June 9th June...
As we continue this Journal about summer giving plans, we bring you a previously posted article by Mark Brooks. Originally, it was published before Easter. We have changed the first sentence to reflect that we are now post-Easter. You can find the original post linked at the bottom of the...
What do you do on Monday after Easter? The tendency after Easter is to pass out on the couch to rest up. Yet, if you want to keep your giving tank full, you must continually think about your generosity lanes. I’m continuing my series on the key generosity lanes you...
