The summer months are a unique time in many churches. Not only is your organization involved in a number of fundraisers, outreach endeavors and ministry opportunities, but your church members may also be preparing for any number of personal trips and family gatherings. With the increase in the number of activities competing for your church members’ time, it is not uncommon to see pew attendance dwindle.
The best way to combat the giving strain common to the fast approaching summer months is with a proactive plan. Over the next few weeks, strategize to alleviate some of the most common problems associated with the temporarily disjointed church family by instituting a few of the following changes to keep your church functioning over the busy summer months.
Help Church Members Stay Connected
Between vacations, family reunions and travelling sports obligations, there may be instances during the summer where a church family is absent for a month or more. Though they will be missed during their time away, for many churches it is next to impossible to keep those members in the loop. To augment the problem, it can be difficult for many church members to jump back into the schedule of activities once they have returned. Creating a strategy to keep your church family connected, even while they’re out of town, could help to alleviate some of the struggle of summer coordination. Instituting a church newsletter or an email blast, can be a great way to keep everyone aware of notable dates and activities. However, these resources do come with limitations. Instead, consider an alternate mode of communication. With a mobile app from e-giving Powered by NCS Services, all of the church’s information will be available whenever, and wherever, your church members have the chance to get caught up.
Communicate ALL Giving Options
In church giving, there is no longer a “one-size-fits-all” approach to encouraging your church members to give, no matter what time of year it is. Many of your dedicated givers have taken the time to set up recurring giving through e-giving Powered by NCS Services. Many others are still dedicated to using the offering envelopes on Sunday mornings, and causally supplementing their gifts through e-giving when the mood to give strikes them. No matter what the case may be, in the next few weeks be sure to discuss online giving and traditional giving options with members of your church so they will be prepared to give faithfully no matter where their summer plans may take them.
Optimize The Online Giving Process
Though many churches are aware that online giving is now a necessity, the program will not reach it’s potential if not utilized in the correct manner. Before the summer months hit, take the time to evaluate how accessible your e-giving channels are to the members of your church. Have you integrated e-giving into your church’s customized mobile app? Is the link to your online giving channel readily accessible on your church’s website? Are you sending out the link to your online giving channel in email communications? In order to leverage online giving as a way to overcome the impending giving slump, be sure to educate and enable your church body in the most effective ways to utilize the platform.
Summer obligations don’t need to negatively affect your church’s bottom line. Rather than waiting until there is a financial situation that needs to be contended with, try instituting one, or more, of the above tactics and observe how your church can flourish, even while your numbers briefly dwindle.
