1

The NontraditionalFutures of Your Church

5 TIPS TO CONNECTWITH YOUNG GIVERS

we’ve monitored changes in faith donations closely to develop technology to help churches adapt to a new giving environment. Many churches have seen their yearly donations drop, but it isn’t because members are suddenlyless charitable.

Rather, new trends in giving have changed the ways donors give. The changes in giving have affected givers of all stripes, but nowhere is this change more apparent than in young givers.

These givers are becoming more important to every congregation. In 2016, millennials became the largest generation in the workforce, and in 2019, they’ll become the largest living generation. Their support, if nurtured, will help sustain your church for decades.

To help you reach this important group of givers, we’ve taken stock of the tens of thousands of churches we’ve worked with to determine the five most essential actions you should take to reach your stewardship goals.

Over the last two decades,

1. Top Smartphone UsersAccording to Nielsen, nearly 98% of millennials own a smartphone, making them the top users of any generation. And, when Vanco conducted our study of the nation’s churchgoers, we found that three out of four millennials aged 25 to 34 preferred eGiving methods, which include text and mobile giving. In fact, our research showed the smartphone app was the most preferential giving method for millennials.

Because millennials feel comfortable with cellphones and carry their devices with them everywhere and are comfortable with eGiving, your church should offer them a way to donate over the phone.

2. Reaching Out with Social Media Your church does important work in the community and beyond. Unfortunately, members and the community often don’t hear about important events or good deeds. This is a barrier to continued giving for many givers. Whenever someone donates time or money to your church, they want to know their efforts made an impact. If you don’t fill them in on the results of their contributions, they won’t know if their gifts had the desired effect.

One way your church can reach members and inform them of good works is social media.This method of sharing news is great for all generations, but particularly effective for millennials. Post your organization’s events, activities, charity drives and missions on your social platforms. Doing this gives members and non-members a chance to see the good work your churchdoes – and they can consider making a donation right from the device they’re usingat that moment.

3. Show Them Why They Should GiveSome young givers have limited resources, which is why they’ll look to make the biggest impact (do the most good) with their money. That’s why organizations that clearly show the results of their missions gather more donations. Think of it as showing the return on investment of member donations, your donors want to see maximum good done with their gifts. Showing this return only inspires existing givers to continue donating, and it draws in new donors that see the results of your good work.

Show your givers specific people who were impacted by your mission. This could include pictures of those who were helped, thank you letters or video testimonials of those benefitting from your mission.

4. Show Fiscal ResponsibilityShowing fiscal responsibility is important for any type of giver, but for millennial givers it is even more vital. Unlike your established core of givers who have been with your congregation for years, young givers are often new to your church, meaning they need be impressed by the church’s operations in order to stick around. They won’t stay out of a feeling of obligation.

One of the biggest mistakes we see churches make with givers, including millennials, is announcing deficits each week or month. Announcing a deficit can create a sense of urgency to draw more donations from members, but the effect is often short-lived. The effects of this folly are illustrated in the book, Rich Church, Poor Church: Keys to Effective Financial Ministry, where author J. Clif Christopher describes a church that routinely showed it was well below its operating budget throughout the year. Though the church thought they were creating a sense of urgency, they were irritating members with this message.

As Christopher points out, it’s common for most churches to be behind their operating budget for much of the year — a majority of their gifts comes in December. Most churchgoers are aware of this fact, which is why the weekly emergency message doesn’t work well.

This is because each time a church announces a deficit, members wonder if it is truly an emergency for them to give. After all, if the church is always declaring a financial emergency, what makes the most recent call any more important than others before it?

Givers also begin to question the church’s fiscal responsibility. They wonder if the church can sustain itself in the future and if their money is being spent wisely. At this point, many young givers will not only think about putting an end to their donations but leaving the congregation altogether for another church.

5. Strong LeadershipWe all know a church is more than just a building with a cross and a steeple. It’s the people inside that complete each church’s identity, and none are more important than achurch’s leaders.

Pastors and church leaders need to engage with churchgoers to make them feel like they a part of the congregation. For example, when a new visitor shows up on Sunday, church leaders should greet them and follow up with a phone call or a message. Gestures like these inspire growth in membership, which translates to increased giving in the future.

Church leaders can also thank individuals for their contributions. By offering thanks, members feel appreciated and included, which draws them closer to the churches mission.

Ready to Get Startedwith eGiving?In addition to these five key points, making giving easy – with eGiving tools – can increase overall giving. Our team has helped over 20,000 churches boost donations with eGiving tools including text, card readers, mobile app, online giving pages and kiosks. Take the first step toward eGiving and contact us at:800.675.7430 or VancoPayments.com/eGiving