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How to Follow-up with Digital Donations

May 29, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Church Fundraising, Follow Up, Online Giving In The Church with 0 Comments

Churches often forget a key group of people in church – digital givers.

People who give online may go unnoticed if the pastor does not set up systems to remind them to follow-up on first time digital givers, just like first time givers with cash or checks. Sometimes, because churches use digital giving systems outside of their church database management system, the digital givers could be left out.

As you build your systems, make sure that your online givers receive the same communication that other givers in your church receive.

For what it’s worth, we think every digital donation should receive:

An immediate thank you email with relevant links.
A hand written thank you note about a week later. You won’t find a better option than this.
A quarterly contribution statement at the end of the next quarter.

Giving Rocket Member Story

May 25, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Church Fundraising, Follow Up, Online Giving In The Church, Talking About Money With Your Church with 0 Comments

Here’s a story from one of our international members, Proclaimers Church who has been going since the early 90s and has been lead by Pastor’s Tom & Denise Rawls since 2003. They currently average over 500 each Sunday and have a campus in Norwich and in Ipswich, UK.

“When we did the first quarterly report for 2011 we had come in more than £5000 under budget on tithes and offerings. I first started to read some articles by Casey Graham and others around this time to see what we could do to try and turn this around. Despite seeing a slight upturn, we were over £8000 behind budget at the end of June. It was at the start of October that we decided to give the $1 trial of Giving Rocket a go – nothing to lose!

It turned out that we were doing most of the right things but weren’t doing them strategically or intentionally enough. Giving Rocket helped us take what we already had and use it in the most effective and efficient way.

We had 2 online giving systems, both of which were a bit confusing so we simplified this down to one with the option of automating giving on there. We were a lot more intentional about how we spoke about money during our church service. We revamped our first time giving system and redesigned our quarterly giving statements. It was around this time we started running budgeting courses too to help people with their personal finances.Giving Rocket helped us take what we already had and use it in the most effective an efficient way.

Tithes and offerings have consistently increased since we were members. We ended last year above budget on tithes and offerings and the first quarter of this year was up more than 25% on the previous year and April was our highest month on record as a church for tithes and offerings.”

Special thanks goes out to Olly Kiff, Proclaimers Business Manager, for sharing this fantastic story with us! We are truly honored to serve your church.

If you’d like to see what Giving Rocket can do for your church, sign up for the $1 trial membership today!

How to Build Consistent Givers

May 16, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Online Giving In The Church with 0 Comments

Digital giving has one key component that many leaders overlook – recurring gifts.

When attendees of your church engage digital giving, they have the opportunity to establish a gift that repeats on a recurring schedule – weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. If your church teaches financial stewardship classes, consider a component of that class that includes how to set up recurring payments for the resource dollars that are allocated towards “giving.” Also, take time regularly (during a weekend service) to teach your church how to set-up recurring payments.

Consistent givers will carry your church on weekends when attendance may be low, but specifically during the “J” months (January, June & July) when giving can be consistently low.

Take time to focus on building consistent givers!

Click here to find out more about how we can help your church “Automate the Important” .

Simple Solutions to Exceed Your Church Budget

May 2, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Church Fundraising, Online Giving In The Church with 0 Comments

We surveyed 1,078 churches and found that only 14% of churches are exceeding budget.

THIS IS A PROBLEM! And we are going on a campaign to fix it.

That’s why we’re inviting you to one of eight identical Town Hall Meetings where we are going to address the issue head-on and tell you how you can fix it. We’re tired of churches being broke and behind budget, struggling to make ministry ends meet.

During the Town Hall meeting, you will learn:

The 5 Key Influencers to exceeding your church budget
The three things you can do right now to change the giving economy in your church
How a real church applied these principles and saw a significant increase in giving

Here are the eight options you have to attend: (All times are U.S. Eastern Time)

Wed, 5/9 at 2pm (For line leaders)
Thurs, 5/10 at 10am (I’ll take brunch with my webinar)
Sat, 5/12 at 9am (For people with day jobs)
Sun, 5/13 at 9pm (But it’s 5 o’clock somewhere)
Mon, 5/14 at 12pm (Lunch & learn)
Tues, 5/15 at 7pm (It’s not Fat Tuesday, it’s Finance Team Tuesday)
Wed, 5/16 at 11pm (Workaholics or people on the other side of Earth)
Thurs, 5/17 at 6am (For England & old people)

Pick the one that’s most convenient for you and sign up now by completing this form:

Member Success Story

March 20, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Talking About Money With Your Church with 0 Comments

Here’s a video we received from member, Joshua Bingle, Lead Pastor of Genesis Church, in Spokane, Washington.

We are honored to serve you, Pastor Josh, and so many like you!

Try our program for only $1 for the first month! We’ve done the hard work FOR you, so that all you have to do is implement it! It worked for Genesis Church and it CAN work for you too.

Funded & Free Church Leader Conference

March 13, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Financial Campaigns, Online Giving In The Church, Talking About Money With Your Church with 0 Comments

What do the following people have in common?

Perry Noble
Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr.
Casey Graham
Clayton King
Joseph Sangl
Mike Madding

ALL five are tremendous church leaders who have seen their vision become FULLY FUNDED!

AND the great news is that ALL of these great men will be speaking LIVE at the Funded And Free Church Leader Conference in Charlotte, NC on Thursday, April 19, 2012!

Bishop Thomas will be able to share how New Psalmist Baptist Church completed a major building project in the middle of The Great Recession – and continued to see tremendous ministry growth!
Perry Noble will share how NewSpring Church built a youth facility, children’s facility, and launched multiple campuses during 2008 – and continued to pour tremendous amounts of money and resources into missions and outreach!
Mike Madding will be talking about how The Cove Church has been able to equip their people to win financially even in the face of a tremendous economic downturn in their area – and their church has grown by leaps and bounds.
Casey Graham will be sharing how to increase your operational giving through the implementation of proven biblical systems.

You don’t want to miss this one-time only event!

Want even better news? Injoy Stewardship Solutions has partnered with some other great organizations to provide this conference absolutely FREE for church leaders.

Here are the details:

DATE: April 19, 2012
LOCATION: The Cove Church – Mooresville, NC (North Charlotte Area)
TIME: ONE DAY (9AM – 4PM)
COST: $0 (thanks to the kindness of our sponsors!!!!)
FOOD: Provided (and it is free too!)

Space is limited – so register immediately to secure your spot for this amazing day!

The Broke Church Mentality

March 8, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money with 9 Comments

T. Harv Eker wrote a fascinating book that describes the psychological difference between the rich and the poor. Here are a few of the 17 differences he notes:

Rich people believe: “I create my life.” Poor people believe: “Life happens to me.”
Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people want to be rich.
Rich people think big. Poor people think small.
Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus on obstacles.
Rich people admire other rich and successful people. Poor people resent rich and successful people.
Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor people choose to get paid based on time.
Rich people focus on their net worth. Poor people focus on their working income.
Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people think they already know.

While Eker is clearly addressing individuals, there are some interesting comparisons here that absolutely apply to the church. I am convinced that a TON of churches operate with a BROKE mentality. It’s so much more than the amount of the offering or how much people are giving… it’s a MINDSET.

Broke churches believe their people or their area is different and that’s why giving isn’t good.
Broke churches are content with the status quo.
Broke churches focus on paying the bills and meeting the budget.
Broke churches are always asking for discounts or the church planter special.
Broke churches focus on the amount of last week’s offering.
Broke churches are stuck in react mode.
Broke churches refuse to learn and grow.

I’m talking about an attitude, and it has nothing to do with having more money in the
church bank account. If your church has a broke mentality, guess what…you’re going to
be broke! It’s time to attack that mindset and intentionally install systems that will lead to a
healthy financial culture.

5% of Churches Are Breaking the Law

February 16, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Follow Up with 1 Comment

In a few months, we’re releasing the results of a massive giving survey, and some of the results are truly amazing. The entire findings will be available soon, but I was floored by one particular answer.

We surveyed more than 1,000 churches and found that 5% of respondents don’t send any form of annual contribution statement at all.

Not only is this not smart, it’s actually against the law. While each person is responsible for providing documentation to back-up their charitable contributions, 501c3 organizations are required to provide written documentation to substantiate donations. Since it’s usually not possible to provide “on the spot” receipts, churches send an annual contribution statement.

Not only should you do this on an annual basis as required by law, you should also do this on a quarterly basis to regularly communicate with your donor base and show them how their donations are helping ministry happen. Four times a year, send them something that connects their donations to the vision. Inspire and inform your donors. It’s good leadership.

Success Story From A Member

February 10, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Online Giving In The Church with 0 Comments

We get emails all the time from Giving Rocket members sharing how things are going in their church. I wanted to share one that we got this week with you. This FIRES me up!

Casey,

I never thought I’d be saying this…but “I’m FIRED UP!!!”

Myself, our senior pastor, and 2 other staff members (all of which are unpaid…for now) attended your seminar in Charlotte, NC. We really came looking for a silver bullet. We only have about 60-75 in attendance each week and are the “broke” church you spoke about.

After returning home to SC, we agreed to at least try the system for $1 for the first month. What could we lose? Along with the (Giving) talk, we implemented the first part of our digital giving, a card swipe for VISA/MC on my iPhone.

That afternoon, I was at the point of tears when I began counting the offering with my team. We had an 87% increase!

Later that night, we had a Super Bowl Party and Chili Cook-off outreach. We put out donation baskets by the serving table. The pastor and I had already agreed, that whatever came in, (even though our church needed it to pay two large bills that were past due) we would give to another “street ministry” that was recently established. We raised $109 and gave it to them during half-time. During the 3rd quarter, one of the church members came up and asked how much I gave to the other ministry. When I told him we gave them $109, he asked if had “that electronic iPhone thing with me”. I said “yes”. He doubled our donation, and gave $218 back to our church (on the spot).

Did I say, “I’M FIRED UP!”

Thank you, Casey, for your ministry and how you have helped further God’s work in a small mill village in Greer, SC.

Cary Hardin
Admin Pastor

We love serving pastors like Cary. To try Giving Rocket membership for $1, click here.

Are You Following Up With Givers in Your Church

February 2, 2012 in Church Finance & Ministry Money, Follow Up with 0 Comments

A missing element, in cultivating a healthy and God honoring level of stewardship and generosity in your church, could be the process of following up with givers. In reality, helping people create and maintain a healthy culture of stewardship is all about communication.

If you stop and think about it, this is true about almost every area of life. You’ll have a better relationship with your wife and kids if you take the time to communicate. Communication creates health.

You’ll have a better working relationship with your boss or with your employees if there is clear and open communication. Communication creates clarity.

The same is true about donors in your church. If you want to encourage generosity and stewardship with the people in your church, adopt same approach. Here are four things you need to do:

Identify the types of givers in your church.
Find out the best ways to communicate.
Determine what you need to say.
Be clear.

You need a plan for following up with all types of givers in your church. And this is what we’re delivering to every Giving Rocket member this month. If you’ll put the principles we will teach you this month into play, you’ll take a huge step towards creating a culture of generosity in your church. If you want to learn this stuff, join now for just $1.

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