How the Last Weeks of the Year Determine Your Success
You need to know how the last weeks of the year determine your success. I am primarily talking about your giving success. Whether or not you will be fully funded depends upon your last-minute giving strategy. Are you ready? Let me illustrate…
How many games this past weekend were won in the last few minutes? You might turn that question around and ask how many games were lost in the last few minutes. Good teams know the value of closing out the game. They have what is called a Two Minute Drill. They practice it regularly because winning coaches know that a game is often decided in the last few minutes. The same is true for your church when it comes to making a budget or being fully funded!
Winning teams don’t wait until the last minutes of a game to devise a plan of action. They have their plan in place ahead of time. The same is true for your church. You need an end-of-year plan of action. In this post, that is exactly what I want to give you.
It starts with a compelling vision. Here are some keys to consider as you work on your appeal or “ask.” Follow these steps to set up your end-of-year appeal…
- Every appeal or “ask” needs a driver. A driver is the vision that drives me to my wallet to give.
- Make the “ask” about fulfilling a vision, not hitting a number. What is the vision behind your end-of-year appeal?
- The basic elements of an “ask” are…
Crisis – I want my donors to know about…
Need – We can help by…
Ask – Your gift NOW will help us meet this need!
By now, you should have your “ask” finalized and in place. Ask yourself if you were not on staff, would the “ask” compel you to give? You might ask your spouse the same question. There is nothing like a spouse’s opinion to help set us straight. If it doesn’t grab your spouse, the chances are it will not grab your congregation.
Here are the basics of an end-of-year appeal…
- First, decide where you need the money most. I always say that need drives ask. So, whatever area of your church needs money the most, make that your end-of-year appeal.
- Be positive! You might be way behind on giving but you want your donors to WANT to give not feel like they HAVE to give.
- Make the appeal not about reaching some number but about advancing the Kingdom. Even if you are working to close out a budget shortfall, make the appeal about doing ministry, not about hitting your budget number. Most of your donors don’t care about a number, but they do care about people.
- Every appeal should have a driver. By a driver, I mean the appeal should be driven to touch my heart and thus get me moving towards my pocket.
- Tell a story, thus making it personal. Churches do a poor job of telling people all the amazing things they do. So blow your horn, celebrate the year’s wins and then ask people to help you keep on reaching people!
- Make it easy for them to contribute.
Still unconvinced that you need a last-minute giving plan? 25% of non-profit charitable giving occurs in the last few weeks of the year! I can assure you that the Red Cross has an end-of-year giving plan. Why don’t you? I have one for you. Check it out at https://acts17generosity.com/shop/the-2-minute-drill/
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
@StewardshipMan
