The Come From Behind Series

This is the second in a series of posts on developing a come from behind giving strategy. Here is a free tool to help you build your own come from behind strategy: Recovering the Lost Offering of COVID19

34% of churches in America are reporting that their giving is behind 2019 giving.

(from LifeWay Research) Are you one of that 34%? If so you are thinking about how to reverse that decline. You know you need to do something but what? You are why we started this series we are calling, The Come From Behind Series. In this second post of the series, we will discuss, The Key of a Come From Behind Giving Strategy. Before we give you the key let’s establish something right upfront.

It is not that you ask people to give to your church the turns them off its how you ask that matters!

If people are turned off by organizations asking them for money why are non-profit charities raising record amounts of money? The answer lies in how they ask. Go look at their websites and you will see they tell a story of need, explain how your gift matters, and then they boldly ask you to give to support their organization’s vision. NPO’s know that,

Dollars follow vision!

Your vision and the story of how your church is working to fulfill that vision is the key of a come from behind giving strategy. The way to increase giving is to increase your focus upon the unique vision God has given to your church. You must link any appeal to give back to your vision showing donors how a dollar given to your church makes a difference in our world.

You must make what I call The Vision Link – It is very important that we help them see that giving is not just about paying bills and salaries. We MUST connect vision to dollars by:

• Linking giving to the story of changed lives,
• Linking your leaders to the vision of that story and then ultimately,
• Linking the congregation to the support your vision with their generosity.

What is the vision behind your come from behind strategy? Your vision becomes your message. If you don’t have the vision or message right then it is doubtful that you will be able to close out any giving gap you have experienced.

Why is vision important when it comes to raising dollars? Studies show that people want to make a difference with their lives. This thinking comes into play when it comes to who they give their money to.  Remember, dollars follow a vision. You could say, “Where there is no vision, there are no dollars to support that vision.”

The best way to make The Vision Link is by following these 3 C’s of a successful vision.  Before your donors will respond to your come from behind giving strategy your vision must be…

• Clear – Does it make sense to your donors what you are doing and why?
• Concise – Can your vision be summed up in two to three sentences?
• Compelling – Does your vision tug at the hearts of your donors?

One more piece of advice,

Don’t make it about you, make it about them. By this we mean, don’t make the appeal about hitting some budget number. Help donors see how their gift will matter. Use lines such as, “Because of your generosity we are making a difference!” Or, “Your gift now will enable us to continue to reach the NextGen of believers!” Your visionary appeal should have more references to your donors than it does to you. Take the time to craft a compelling appeal because

The more successful you are at articulating your vision the more dollars you will raise!  Vision is the key to coming from behind in giving.

Check out our FREE resource,Recovering the Lost Offering of COVID19