Faithlife StaffIt’s summer. Families are traveling, attendance is sparse, but your budget hasn’t changed. How can you ward off the summer giving slump and encourage your congregation to give cheerfully so that you stay on track with your church budget? 1. Show the...
Ask for church donations—on Easter? Your service is full. Your first priority is the gospel. Is there really room to bring in church giving? There can be, if you do it right. The first step is prayer. The second is setting up your church to accept...
Adopting a solid ChMS is like switching from math by hand to a calculator or from paper maps to a GPS. Once you do, you don’t go back. It’s easier, quicker, and leaves you more “brain space” to focus on what’s important. Combining a good giving...
Writing even a simple church donation letter can be a struggle. Perhaps that’s because we know how important it is. With one short letter, we want people to understand how they’ve made a difference and look forward to what’s ahead. And perhaps it’s...
Across the United States, Giving Tuesday will be celebrated on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The day kicks off the giving season, offering a counterbalance to the materialism of Black Friday shopping. Although Giving Tuesday focuses on...
Mary JahnkeI remember the days of stuffing cash into an offering envelope, then slipping it into the plate as inconspicuously as possible. (Matthew 6:3–5 really stuck with me, even as a kid.) Now I can give in secret anytime, anywhere through my church’s...
Matthew BoffeyI went to a fundraising event recently where I heard the best request for financial support I can remember. It wasn’t the rhetoric or the moving stories that did it, although both were strong. It was how confidently the nonprofit founder asked. He...
Toy theft and pursuant wails in living rooms and church nurseries make it ear-splittingly obvious: taking is instinctual. Learning to give? That takes effort, but it’s a critical step in helping kids understand stewardship. We asked pastors...
In 2020, churches accomplished many feats for the first time. For 24% of churches we surveyed, that included implementing online giving. Yet a somewhat surprising 38% of churches said cash or checks still had the biggest positive impact on church...
Scriptures touch hearts and change lives in every area, even the touchy subject of money—specifically, tithes and offerings. So are you using Scriptures about giving in your church services? There’s no better (and quicker) way to show people why...
Jess HollandAre you responsible for your church budget . . . and wish you weren’t? That’s the case for many pastors, particularly in small churches. Research shows that 66% love teaching and preaching, but nearly 20% of the same group said that the...
Summertime doesn’t have to be a season that stretches your church funds. If you aren’t capitalizing on the ways people use mobile devices, including recurring giving, you’ll probably face the dreaded summer slump every year. Taking advantage of...
There are no shortcuts to an effective church capital campaign. (Sorry!) But there are simple ways to avoid common pitfalls so your church is set up for success. Whether your church will be planning a capital campaign soon, you’re gearing up to...
A church capital campaign isn’t some cold, flavorless thing done just to get a little more wiggle room in the budget. It’s a labor of love, a “passion project” to enable work that matters for eternity. It’s about serving people. Serving the Lord...
“Based on your giving last year . . . . . . I’m guessing you make about $6K per year.” Said no pastor ever. As church leaders, we want to see our churches healthy and thriving, but there are some conversations we’re just never going to have. We’re...
COVID-19 has closed church doors—but it has flung open opportunities to reach new people online. Attendance has skyrocketed. In fact, 44% of pastors reported higher attendance online than in person. Along with that increase has come another kind of...
We’re running a new training mailbag segment here on the Faithlife blog, in which we answer some questions about our products from readers. Add a comment below with your questions, and we may answer them in an upcoming mailbag segment. This week...
Thinking through year-end giving on top of all the planning for holiday services can be overwhelming. But we’re here to help you easily organize your church’s year-end giving strategy in the midst of the chaos. People have a spirit of generosity...
Giving statements matter for two reasons: you provide givers with a record of their contributions, and you get an opportunity to thank them. This simple step in year-end giving is critical for strengthening the sense of partnership between you and...
Today is Giving Tuesday! If you panicked because you forgot to prep your church for it, then this post is for you. Giving Tuesday began in 2012 with a simple purpose: to connect people around the world through the act of generosity. It’s also a day...
Sending end-of-year giving statements doesn’t have to mean weeping and gnashing of teeth. Or paper cuts. Here are two simple ways you can send giving statements with Faithlife Giving. At the end of the year, Faithlife Giving will automatically...
Generosity is part of who God is—there are thousands of Bible verses that teach us about his generous character. We can also learn about biblical generosity from one another. Because we’re created to live in community, we are designed to care for...
Faithlife Giving has been serving churches throughout the United States for just over a year and, already, the giving stats we’re seeing are staggering. The biggest lesson coming out of all of it is this: If you’re only collecting gifts...
Fall is here and that means the busyness of the holiday season is about to start. And while the holidays are full of celebration and fun, it can be stressful for church members to find time to plan their generosity for the upcoming new year. But...
“To cover fees or not cover fees, that is the question.” While Shakespeare never debated the benefit of giver-covered fees, it is a debate in churches. Before we look at the “why” behind giver-covered fees, let’s break down the “what.” What is a...
Discipleship and stewardship are terms we hear often in church. But they aren’t often used together. There’s a link between discipleship and stewardship, however, and it’s not one to miss. Greg Ogden explains the characteristics of a disciple like...
It’s no secret that people use mobile devices now more than ever. But here are some mobile usage statistics that may surprise (and shock) you: Worldwide, more people own a cell phone than a toothbrush. On average, people spend over five hours a day...
The generation known for its nomadic, trend-following tendencies is (somewhat) settling down and becoming (slightly) more predictable. Millennials are aging and will make up the largest demographic of the American workforce by 2020. According to...
You’re probably noticing, like the rest of the world, that people are hardly carrying cash or checks anymore. Most transactions are happening from our phones. That’s why having text-to-give in your church is so important. (Though passing the plate...
Working in the church (salaried or not) is a huge honor. Nothing’s better than sharing the gospel with people and teaching the truth of God’s Word. Administration is a huge part of church ministry, and church budgeting a big part of...