Using Gratitude to Sow Seeds for Future Generosity

“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 newsletters, questions like that roll around in my mind. There are many things I would do differently if I were a pastor today. One major thing I would change would be my attitude and approach to gratitude. With Thanksgiving days away, I wanted to write on Using Gratitude to Sow Seeds for Future Generosity.

And, before you tune me out for using the word using in my title, let me explain. I get criticized for seeming to only care about people’s money. I’ve always replied that I want what people’s money represents to be given to the Lord, their hearts. In addition to that, I want Christians to be the most financially secure people in America. Teaching them to live life as faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to them will result in their being financially secure. They, then, will ensure that the church they are attending faithfully is financially secure. That’s how you save your church.

That journey to a lifetime of generosity and God’s blessings could all begin with one simple but heartfelt thank you. In this edition, I’m going to show you the value of saying thank you and how to do that. I call it The Gratitude Lane. I’m going to show you how establishing a Gratitude Lane will lead to an increase in giving and givers. Let’s start by looking at why you need a Gratitude Lane.

First, it shows you value the donor’s gift and that they are not simply another number. Few people ever show true gratitude. Do you say thank you enough when it comes to your donors? Saying thank you is one of the biggest overlooked needs for churches. Too many have the attitude that saying thank you to donors is wrong. Here is a real-life example.

Several years ago, a pastor asked me to write for him various letters on giving. As I met with him, I remarked that in their recent stewardship campaign they never sent out a thank you letter to those who committed to the campaign. The pastor said, “I think it is inappropriate to say thank you to people for what they should be doing.” That ended our meeting! I went home and told my wife what the pastor had said. Her reply was priceless…

“When is gratitude ever inappropriate?”

Exactly! I know Christians should give. Yet what is wrong with saying thank you? How is showing gratitude wrong? Frankly, it is not. Have you ever resented someone saying thank you to you? Probably never. Yet, when someone doesn’t say thank you it does make an impact.

To increase giving and givers, you need to regularly say thank you to your donors. Non-profits put the church to shame with regard to this. One reason they do this is that a thank you builds the platform for the next “ask.” Here is my view of thank you notes.

Thank yous are the most positive reminder of giving you can make!

I am always trying to build for the next gift. I want people to give once, then again, and again until they “get” the joy of generosity. Saying thank you builds toward the next gift.

If we show we value the donor, they will be much more apt to donate again!

A second reason you need a Gratitude Lane is that it sets you apart from the crowd.

“WOW! Everything about PCC continually blows me away and exceeds all of my expectations!” That was the reaction a first-time donor gave after a pastor wrote her a handwritten thank you. The woman wrote back to the pastor because she was amazed he responded. Obviously, that had never happened to her before. I think PCC has a much better chance of getting another gift from this woman simply because the pastor took the time to say thank you. Before you say you don’t have time, let me point out that the pastor in this story has three campuses running around 2,000. Yet, every week, he takes time to say thank you.

Another reason you need a Gratitude Lane is that you are continually losing donors. We track clients’ giving and average anywhere from a 15% to 20% loss in givers every year. We call this The Churn Rate. Every church loses donors each year. Some die, some move away, and some simply stop coming or giving. Some churn is out of your control. Your goal is to minimize your churn rate. Giving experts are thus focused on donor retention, especially top-tier donors. A regular plan of expressing gratitude can help minimize your Churn Rate.

Still, no matter what you do, you, too, will lose donors this year. You can see how important it is to add new donors. First impressions are the most lasting. If a person gives to your church and never hears back, what does that say? When a donor gives for the first time and is thanked for that gift, we have a greater likelihood of receiving another gift. Which is…

The final reason why you need a Gratitude Lane is that it paves the way for the next gift! As I said earlier, a thank you is the most positive reminder of giving there is. Your thank you note or letter plants a seed to the next “ask.”

Who do you need to thank today for their faithfulness in generosity? A good step is thanking first-time donors. But don’t stop there. A church that shows generosity to its donors is a church that has a better chance of being fully funded. So, if I were back pastoring, I would establish a practice of,

Saying thanks regularly and often!

Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
mark@acts17generosity.com

OnlineGiving.org, the leading online giving processor in America, sponsors my writing. You can find out more about their services at https://www.onlinegiving.org/.