You will probably always remember 2020 as the year of COVID and lockdowns.

In my family, we have one 2020 memory that was very special to us.  My son, Eli, bagged his first deer.

Eli’s hunting success that day didn’t just happen.  We have been working with him on the basics for months.  I trained him on how to properly and safely handle firearms.  I taught him how to breathe, how to hold the gun, etc.  I taught him that when the target appeared to hold, say steady breath, keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready, be aware of what is beyond your target, squeeze the trigger, don’t pull it, and for goodness sakes.. keep your eyes open.

All of that work would have been for nothing if Eli had not executed the basic skills I had taught him.  That is a lesson for all of us and one that I want to use to share with you why you need to understand and implement the basics of a digital giving strategy.

My post this week continues a short series I started last week entitled, “The Basics of a Digital Giving Strategy.”  Last week my focus was on The Right Tools, and this week I am sharing with you another aspect of the basics, The Right Strategy.

Let me share what we feel is The Right Strategy—moving people up the generosity ladder.  That passion was one of the driving motivations for the founding of Gyve.  Gyve is not just another payment processing app; it is a generosity system. We believe everyone is at a different place in their generosity journey, and it is our mission to help guide people as they take their next steps in giving.

Everyone has a next step to take in generosity. Our job is to help meet people where they are in their generosity journey and assist Church leaders in guiding them forward. There are four distinct giving stages, and the Gyve platform is designed to facilitate movement through them to help people grow in generosity.

The Four Distinct Giving Stages of a Believer –

1. The Rookie Giver is a first-time or sporadic giver. The Rookie attends service but has not yet partnered financially with the mission of the local church. The Rookie may drop cash in the bucket if it is on hand, but they do not have a pre-planned action for giving.
2. The Relative Giver decides to give based on how they spend money in other areas of their life. They note their monthly expenses (cable bill, new clothes, car payments, etc.) and reflect on whether their spending aligns with their giving. The Relative Giver sees the church’s vision, has intentions to contribute, and includes giving as a consistent part of their budget.
3. The Relational Giver not only sees the vision of the Church; they are fully bought-in on the mission. They view giving in proportion with spending and have shifted their perspective to categorize giving as an essential part of their life. The Relational Giver regularly gives in line with their income, often practicing the biblical stewardship of tithing, offering 10% of income to the local church.
4. The Radical Giver is a driven giver. Their emphasis is not so much on what God is asking them to give but on what God is asking them to keep. A Radical giver has completely revamped their frame of mind when it comes to living generously. They give from a true passion or calling and dictate their spending and lifestyle around giving, not the typical reverse perspective.

Most churches frankly emphasize increasing giving or givers without a thought to developing generous members.  That kind of strategy results in perhaps a one-time large offering, but what about the other 51 weeks of the year?  Developing a strategy for each of the above groups builds out long-term success for your church.  You will not only have a better chance of filling up the proverbial offering plate this week, but by having The Right Strategy, you’ll help develop disciples that are Radical Givers!

As I was researching for this post, I found this little paragraph that I thought was pretty good:

“This is an extremely important lesson for youth hunting. Sure, we could always feed our kids venison. But that’s cheating them of the amazing experiences that the autumn woods hold for archery fanatics. Bowhunting doesn’t just teach us about the natural world, the resilient wildlife species that inhabit it, and food awareness. It also teaches us virtues like patience, respect, ethics, confidence, responsibility, and emotional control. It doesn’t take much imagination to agree that more children would be better off as adults with these traits.”

As a dad teaching his son to hunt, that is what I want to accomplish.  I started early with Eli and kept teaching him just like my father taught me.  With his newly found skill, he is now providing meals for our family.  The sense of accomplishment is lived all over again every time we eat from that deer!  To learn that you have provided food for your family is a powerful lesson.

With The Right Strategy, moving people up the generosity ladder, you will help your members provide spiritual food for a world that desperately needs the Gospel message.  The Right Strategy will help you be fully funded, and we are here providing the tools for that strategy.

About the Author

Morgan Mudge

Director of Operations at Gyve

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