With 2016 firmly behind us and a new year ahead, many people will be starting their new year resolutions as they reflect on the year that has past. For those who give regularly to your church, this can also be a time that they start to think about their giving over the past year and begin to seek God’s voice in the year ahead - especially as the uncertainty of the economy lingers on many minds!
Whilst your church may be approached by a handful of self-employed members, responsible for their own tax returns to request a statement of their giving, it is good practice for churches to send out regular statements to all those who provide repeated financial support. This keeps members informed of their own giving and it also provides them with acknowledgement from the church that their money is being received. This often encourages further generosity and involvement in the church.
It is the ideal way to say thank you and to keep individuals informed of how their contributions are making a difference, further immersing them into the greater mission of the church and fostering a generous spirit (which is especially important spiritually in times of uncertainty).
Aim to keep regular communication with your givers. Determine a regular pattern for your church to communicate its position with those who are providing financial support; this may be annual, bi-annual or quarterly, as long it is consistent.
When sending out giving statements, you could consider including:
- A letter from the church leaders with an official statement to say thank you and a summary of how the money has been used. This is a great opportunity to highlight any moments over the past year where the church’s financial support has made a significant impact.
- The future vision of the church and of what God is doing, this will remind the church of the wider goal for their community. Informing members of the financial goals of the church can often encourage generosity; when a need is acknowledged, people will usually want to know how they can get involved to fulfil it.
- An image that communicates your vision, or showcases a certain project that your church has been involved in; if you have a testimonial then you could include it along with the picture. This will help your church to see the physical reward of their gifts.
- A comparison to the overall church giving from the previous year to provide an understanding of the financial health of the church.
By including some of the above, rather than producing a purely statistical piece of information, the church are able to see the fruit of their contribution.
Creating giving statements can be done quickly and easily within iKnow, whether it be for an individual giver or a batch of giving statements for your entire list of givers.
Tutorials on how to do this can be found in the help section of iKnow Church Software, or you can speak to a member of our team on 0121 651 11 25 or email us at hello@iknowchurch.co.uk for help with this.