May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

How to Build Consistent Givers

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” .

Filed Under: Digital Giving, Financial Systems Tagged With: ,
May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Simple Solutions to Exceed Your Church Budget

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)

  1. Wed, 5/9 at 2pm (For line leaders)
  2. Thurs, 5/10 at 10am (I’ll take brunch with my webinar)
  3. Sat, 5/12 at 9am (For people with day jobs)
  4. Sun, 5/13 at 9pm (But it’s 5 o’clock somewhere)
  5. Mon, 5/14 at 12pm (Lunch & learn)
  6. Tues, 5/15 at 7pm (It’s not Fat Tuesday, it’s Finance Team Tuesday)
  7. Wed, 5/16 at 11pm (Workaholics or people on the other side of Earth)
  8. 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:

Filed Under: Church Giving, Digital Giving, Financial Systems Tagged With: , , ,
March 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Member Success Story

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.

Filed Under: Financial Systems, Talking About Money Tagged With: , ,
March 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Funded & Free Church Leader Conference

 

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!

Filed Under: Digital Giving, Financial Campaigns, Financial Systems, Talking About Money Tagged With: , , ,
March 8, 2012 By 4 Comments

The Broke Church Mentality

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.

Filed Under: Financial Systems Tagged With: , , ,
February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

5% of Churches Are Breaking the Law

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.

Filed Under: Financial Systems, Follow Up Tagged With: , ,
February 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Success Story From A Member

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.

Filed Under: Digital Giving, Financial Systems Tagged With: , ,
February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Are You Following Up With Givers in Your Church

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.

Filed Under: Financial Systems, Follow Up Tagged With: , , ,
January 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Here’s What Our Members Got This Month

Our team is calling 2012 the Year of the Member, because we’re really focusing on bringing our best stuff to our members. We’re going to keep helping you, of course, but we’re diving deep with our members, and putting more of our energy there.

Here’s what members are getting in January of 2012:

• Audio, video and written coaching on creating an Annual Funding Plan. This is hands-down the most practical and helpful resource we’ve ever released, and only members are getting it.
• An Annual Funding Plan spreadsheet.
• A fresh annual contribution statement letter. It’s done-for-you and will save you time.
• Five Giving Talks so churches can get intentional with the time of giving in their service.
• Access to the Resource Vault, which is full of documents, forms, spreadsheets and samples.

Check out this post for what members will get over the course of the year. It fires me up to think that so many churches will be fully funded – it’s not about having more money, it’s about doing more ministry.

You can get all of these January benefits if you sign up for membership. It starts with a $1 trial and continues at $99 a month after that. It will be the best investment you make for 2012.

Filed Under: Financial Systems, Talking About Money Tagged With: , , ,
August 12, 2011 By 2 Comments

Five Reasons People Give

One of the biggest mistakes pastors make when talking about money is assuming that everyone in their congregation is motivated in the same way. You may share all kinds of Bible verses about giving and generosity, but you fail to realize that many people may not even care what the Bible says. Or you may share emotional stories because someone at a conference once showed you that stories connect, but those stories don’t connect at all with the analytical, factual people sitting in the chairs.

People aren’t motivated by the same thing…they are motivated by different things. We’ve identified five primary reasons people give:

  1. They see a need. I know you’ve heard that people don’t give to needs, they give to vision. But that’s just not true. A lot of people are motivated to give because a need was clearly presented. This is why people across America step up after a natural disaster.
  2. They believe in the vision. People do want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and vision does inspire people to give. Stories of life change and connecting the dots between giving and ministry really do help.
  3. They have a relationship. Whether it’s the pastor, a small group leader, a volunteer team captain or a friend, relationships will help people “buy into the church.”
  4. They are taught how to do it. I’m sure you think everyone knows how to give to your church, but that’s because you’re a leader in the church. You’ve got to educate people and show them exactly how to give. Ever wonder why informercials spend so much time showing the product in action….it’s so people will know how to use it.
  5. They want to obey God’s Word. Sharing stats and telling stores are great, but don’t forget the Scripture. Jesus had a lot to say on the subject of money. Help people understand what Jesus, Paul and Proverbs say about money.

When talking about money you should think through all five reasons and remember what motivates people.

How have you seen these reasons people give play out in your church?

Filed Under: Financial Systems, Talking About Money
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