STRATEGIES TO INCREASE PARISH/MINISTRY INCOME

This talk was first given at the Thunder bay Deanery Mutual ministry festival in the spring of 1999 by the Rev'd Ed Swayze.

THE PROBLEM:

If you do not talk about money how will people know what is needed?

If you talk only about money, people will be turned off.

THE SOLUTION:

Talk about ministry and the money needed to fund it

Why Give?

Stewardship Model
A person sees his or her time, talents and treasures as gifts from God and in response to that gift a person gives back to God a percentage of his or her time, talents and treasures (tithe = 10%).

• This model requires a degree of maturity in a person's commitment to God.
• A person is not naturally inclined to follow this model; the church must teach it to them.
• A person may divide his or her gift to God among different charities.

• People give when they attend worship services.
• People's attendance is greater during special services, Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter and less during June to September.
• People give in order to have money credited on an income tax donation.
• People give when they are paid: monthly, bi-monthly, every two weeks.
• Normally 20% of a congregation gives 80% of the income.

Strategies to Increase Giving

• Improve attendance and giving will improve.
• Provide ways to give when not attending church services: post-dated cheques, or Electronic Offering Program.
• Teach people about stewardship.
• Communicate the need for a ministry and the cost of it.
• Teach people how to give i.e. set $ aside on payday.
• Help people to have ownership for financial decisions.

• People are more likely to give to a budget or a project that they support.
• In the church decisions should be made with prayer.

• Have a budgeting process that gives people an opportunity to submit their spending requests.
• Have a budgeting process that allows people to view the budget several times: finance committee, Parish Council, Vestry Meeting.
• Provide good information on the cost/benefit and consequences of different decisions.
• If people can not agree and if it is possible, put off a decision and give people time to think and pray about it.
• Communicate well: accurate and complete information, timely presented.

• Set targets for special projects especially those that are tangible ex. Hymn books, choir robes, wheel chair ramp.
• Have a visual chart to chart progress towards goal.
• Special projects may ease the burden on operating budgets, especially for building repairs or equipment purchases.
• If you have a "Gift List", sometimes people will donate what is needed.

• Information on ministry: is my donation doing any good? Is my donation needed and appreciated?
• Thank people for their contribution.
• Remember your audience; those who you communicate most easily with are those giving the most.
• Financial information: how much money has come in, how much is needed and cost control.
• Communicate simply without being simplistic; you have not communicated if people cannot understand you.

• Clear, easy to understand.

• Present financial information in terms of what a particular service costs ex. Sunday Worship.

• The priest needs to educate people on the theology of giving.
• Those who hear a sermon are the more committed members or are becoming the more committed members.

• Base amount needed on a month instead of a week.
• Keep a total of the amount received to date for a particular month.
• Summary of income and expenses to date.
• Announcements should be made verbally by lay people responsible for the money not the clergy i.e. Church Wardens, treasurer.

• Thank people for their contribution.
• Be positive, tell them what their money is doing.

• Distributed to all members of the parish.
• Highlight achievements in ministry.
• Keep people informed about up-coming decisions and decisions that have been made.
• Show graphs of attendance, monthly giving and year-to-date offering and budget requirement.
• After the Annual General Meeting, request an increase in a person's donation, and the reason and/or benefit to the parish why the increase is needed.
• At the end of November tell people what the parish's financial situation is and how much is needed to break even.

• A visitation is the most effective way to encourage people to give.
• Visitors report that they enjoy the visits and the visits go longer than scheduled.
• A visitor brings printed material (narrative budget) and talks about why the money is needed; how much to give is left to the discretion of the donor.
• Pledge cards may be left or picked up.