Pastor Merv Thompson from the Luther Seminary generated a top-ten list of why people become more generous.

Since it falls in line with much of what we believe at Gyve.io, I thought I would share a condensed version of his list and expand on how Gyve can help cultivate these concepts. For the completed list, please visit The Luther Seminary Site.

1. The senior pastor is giving effective leadership. Weak leadership and weak relationships make for weak stewardship.

Leadership is key in developing a culture of generosity. Be the example. Showcase your own giving story and let your people see you being generous. They will follow. Challenge your congregation to give. You will be surprised how generous well led people can be.  Don’t be held back by fear. If you embrace the new age of technological giving, your congregation will follow. Show them how simple it is and how effective and impactful it can be for your church and your community. If you illustrate that change “isn’t a big deal” then it will not be a big deal for your people either. Gyve can help in rolling out a platform and come along side you as you move your giving system into a progressive and effective form

2. People give to vision, not to budgets.

The psychology of giving lies within emotion not logic. Although we need money to keep the lights on, we can’t get emotionally behind the electrical bill. Inspire your people by sharing stories of where their contributions are going. Regularly. Share your passion and mission projects and include video clips to do it. People are visual, don’t be afraid to capitalize on their humanity. Let us help you effectively communicate your vision and inspire your people to desire to fund it.

Gyve has a vision to united the Church. If we all work together, and donated as little as $20 a month, the Christian Church can raise over $42 billion dollars in a year. This is possible, and it’s right at our fingertips. Share our vision to inspire your congregation.

3. Transformation leads to stewardship. Tithing very rarely comes from the head, it comes from the heart.

Very rarely is someone going to walk in off the streets and immediately be all in for your vision. We don’t operate in a culture that needs to give in order be accepted. Rather, full financial contribution is one of the last stages of relinquishing trust to God. People may move slowly along their giving journey and that’s okay. We are more interested in their hearts than their money, but where their hearts go, their money follows. Give them opportunities to start small and then gradually challenge them to give more. Gyve is designed for this process; the round-up option, allows donors to contribute the change from every day purchases, and it’s the perfect way to spark the initial step in giving. That first little sacrifice can be the first step to heart change. It’s really about shifting perspective.

4. Confidence and even pride in one’s congregation leads to generous giving. If people sense the congregation is on the right track, people will give.

Generosity is contagious. Happy giving people inspire people to happily give. Cultivate ways for your congregation to give together, not for your church, but for the community. People will feel pride for your organization when they are out in the community working for it. They will tell others about what they are doing, while they are doing it, and the more they talk about it, the more they will become convinced themselves that they are part of something important. The more connected they feel, the more ownership they will have. Gyve offers a one time giving option. This option is great for calling your congregation together for a single gift. A small mobile church recently decided to give their entire offering back to the community. In one weekend, they more than doubled their regular offering. People want to be part of something. Make them feel as though they are and you will be on track to creating a culture of generosity.

5. A blend of great commission and the great commandment is necessary for sacrificial giving. Reaching the world for Jesus Christ and responding to the desperate needs of the world are part and parcel of the gospel. 

Absolutely! We need to find a way to look beyond our walls and even our communities and look out into the world. God provided a solution for the world’s problems. There isn’t money to fund and relieve global hunger, end homelessness and solve the world’s water and sanitation issues because God’s people are not operating under his design. Money is designed to flow through us. God has provided enough money, food and resources to supply the world, but we as a people are misappropriating those resources. If everyone adult who claimed to be a believer in God, gave a portion of their resources, like the equivalent of a cell phone bill, the Church could collect and distribute $211 Billion dollars in one year. ONE YEAR. Catching this vision and seeing how obtainable this could be, may just be the inspiration that we need to spark that heart transformation. Gyve is designed to help cultivate this process.

6. The vision of the congregation is consistently and effectively communicated.

Communication is key. Not just with the vision, but with the actual use of resources. Use your offering time to showcase each week how your congregation’s generosity is making an impact. Take the time to THANK your congregation and get them excited for the next impact. Gyve has the ability for each organization to communicate with its members. This means that with the click of a button, you can notice and congratulate a first-time giver or recognize and encourage someone who has increased their giving. You can send personalized messages about where certain gifts have landed and how they’ve impacted someone directly. The Gyve platform is a fully functioning customer relationship manager (CRM) so you can separate and target specific groups for specific messages.  We have you covered in communication.

The Gyve.io platform is designed to cultivate a spirit of generosity in your organization. We have strategically designed our system with you in mind.

We are on mission to promote generosity. I hope you can join us.