How to Use Show and Tell to Increase Summer Giving
Churches that are fully funded know how to use show and tell to increase summer giving. Do you? You remember show and tell from school. You brought something cool from home and then you had to get up and tell about it.
I was reminded of the value of this when our small group had a woman come share with us about mission trips. In the midst of her talk she made this comment, “I have to see it.” What she meant was that missions came alive when she SAW in person the need. She now is sharing her story and pictures with others motivating them to become involved. She is showing and telling.
I have long used this mantra with my clients as our basis for communicating the vision of the church that we need to…
Get a story, work your story, tell people about your story and people will willingly give to support that story!
My nephew Sterling Gates is a comic book and television writer. He told me once about how for each edition they story board out the entire issue from start to finish. Each frame or picture has a story that fits with the whole narrative.
What is your story and more importantly how will you tell it?
Like a comic book, a good story takes time, thought and planning to produce. The same should be true for your church except that I would add prayer into the planning.
My suggestion is for you to start spending some time story boarding out what the message for this summer will be. I would use my staff or a special team for this task. Here is what I recommend…
- List out every mission and ministry initiative for the upcoming summer from Memorial Day until Labor Day.
- List out each of the stories of that event. For instance, Vacation Bible School could be about reaching poor children or those from minority groups within your area. It could be anything but list out what that events focus or vision is. That is the story. Some events can have more than one story.
- Is there a common theme that can tie all of these together? A couple of years ago, one of my clients used the theme, The Summer of Caring. It encapsulated all they were trying to do.
- List out how best to tell each of the stories as well as the common theme. You will want to think about the various platforms upon which your members process information through.
- Use last year’s stories of success as a means to gain excitement about this year’s summer initiatives.
- Think through how best to tell the story. What will you post on Social Media that highlights the story? What about your website? Can you use your announcement time to tell the story? Think across all your platforms of communications and how the story of your summer will play out on each.
- Think outside of the box. Consider ways to get your point or story across to your members.
- Connect the dots! The goal is to get people to WANT to give to your story. So help them realize what gifts to your church accomplish.
Think, pray, plan and then execute the story of your vision for this summer. The work you do now will pay off in July and August! Get to work because…
Before you know it summer will be here!
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
