Leadership for Giving by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.Lovett H. Weems, Jr., explains how the four cornerstones of effective church leadership -- vision, team, culture, and integrity -- are all essential when leading a congregation toward greater generosity.
Vision
The single most common theme in all studies of leadership is the presence of a powerful common shared vision. A vision is a picture of a preferred future to which we believe God is calling us. How does vision relate to giving? Put simply it is everything. A vision is all we ever have to offer people when we seek giving in the church.In the early days of Saint Paul School of Theology, President Don W. Holter went to a local bank for a $50,000 loan. The banker asked about collateral. President Holter produced a handful of pledge cards, to which the banker responded, “Let’s be honest, President Holter. All you have is a dream.”
We are not asking people to help an institution survive, or even become stronger, but to give that, through a human institution, all humanity may come to know the abundant life God wishes for all through Jesus Christ.
And so it is that we are inviting people to give to bring about a future that is better than today. We are inviting people to give to a dream, as Langston Hughes put it, “that never has been, yet must be.” That is why we ask. That is why we seek money.We are not asking people to give to the Consumer Price Index, utility bills, or leaking roofs. We are asking people to give to a dream — that the hungry may be fed, that the sick may be healed, that the imprisoned may be visited, and that the naked may be clothed. We are not asking people to help an institution survive, or even become stronger, but to give that, through a human institution, all humanity may come to know the abundant life God wishes for all through Jesus Christ.
Team
The second element of effective leadership is team. The question here is, “Given this vision, who are the people without whom this vision cannot become a reality?” Certainly leaders must relate to everyone. For the sake of the mission, however, leaders must give a particular kind of attention to the people required to make the vision a reality.Nowhere is this more true than in financial giving. When we have a vision with a major financial goal, we simply have to say, “Given this challenge, who are those without whom it cannot become a reality?” We need to plan to involve everyone, but we need to find a special way to involve early and often those people without whom the challenge will not be met. This is not to exclude anyone from any of the visions. Rather, it is a way to involve, in a special way, those of whom much is being asked. It is a way of bringing them closer to the vision themselves as they help to find ways to involve everyone else.
Culture
The third element of effective leadership is culture. The question here is, “How do we communicate the vision throughout the organization’s culture?” Culture is simply “who we are and how we do things around here.” It is the ethos, language, stories, space, symbols, heroes, recognitions, and daily routines.Culture is important because it is here that the vision becomes a reality — if it does at all. It is in the culture that the vision jumps off the paper and comes alive, in the same way a movie makes a script come alive. You may have read the script, but it is a very different experience to see the movie.
Why is this important for giving? Because people never make judgments — judgments on which they are going to make decisions about giving — based on an objective analysis of reality. Rather, people make judgments based primarily on perceptions that come from the culture (from the movie instead of the carefully prepared script). It is from these images and perceptions that people base support or non-support.
We must find ways to help that script come alive through images, stories, music, symbols, and celebrations that people will remember. Our neglect of culture is often the reason we find ourselves saying, “Why don’t people give more? We are doing such good work.” Could it be that despite having the clear mission, careful documentation for our program and budget, and pertinent statistics to demonstrate our needs, we have not found ways to move these realities off the page of the script and onto the movie of the culture?
Integrity
Leadership for giving must be characterized by integrity. In addition to the essential personal integrity of all leaders, integrity also includes institutional integrity of the church. The issue is consistency and coherence. Is there consistency between what we say we are, what people perceive us to be, and what an objective assessment of reality would say we are? Is there harmony? Do people experience us as being what we say we are?The credibility of the church and its leaders will influence giving far more than a brochure about the church’s budget. Such credibility cannot be separated from the quality of relationships among leaders and members. Indeed, a secular term for fund raising is “development.” The word “development” is not just a euphemism for fund raising. Development is an accurate description of leadership for giving; we are about developing relationships — out of which comes trust — out of which comes giving.
Conclusion
Two hundred years ago, the French educator Alexis de Tocqueville came to study America. In Democracy in America he wrote: “I have seen the freest and the best educated of [people]in circumstances the happiest to be found in the world. Yet it seemed to me that a cloud habitually hung on their brow and they seemed serious and almost sad in their pleasures. They never stopped thinking of the good things they have not got. They clutch everything and hold nothing fast.”When we ask them to give, we invite people who desperately clutch at many things to hold fast to something important.
Related Resources:
- Church Leadership: Vision, Team, Culture, and Integrity (Abingdon, 2010) by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
- 50 Ways to Increase Faithful Giving, a free resource from the Lewis Center
- Giving Up to Our Potential by Ann A. Michel
5 Reasons Not to Fear a Major Gift Campaign by Ann A. MichelAnn Michel of the Lewis Center staff says a capital campaign or major gift drive can be a positive experience that energizes a church and spurs greater generosity. She lists five reasons why they are motivating for givers as well as beneficial to a church.
Many congregations are so daunted by the prospect of undertaking a major fundraising effort that they ignore deteriorating facilities, go into debt, or draw down reserves, while failing to challenge their members to see themselves as stewards of the church’s future. This not only constitutes poor stewardship of congregational resources, it prevents church members from fully developing their own generosity. The good news is that a capital campaign or other major gift campaign can be a positive experience that energizes a church and spurs greater generosity — if you understand why it’s not something to be avoided.
Church members who stretch themselves to support a major giving campaign often discover they can give more — and continue to do so.
1. Givers tend to make major gifts by drawing from different sources of funds.Typically, people give their ongoing tithes and offerings out of their income or regular monthly cash flow. But for many people (not all, of course) income is not the only “pocket” from which they might give. Major gifts, including legacy gifts, typically are made from accumulated assets. By encouraging people to tap their accumulated assets you not only open a new source of giving for the church, but you help people understand that they are called to be stewards of all they have, not just what they earn.
2. It’s an opportunity to talk individually with people about their giving.
A major gift campaign generally involves personal visitation. Because so many churches have fallen out of the habit of conducting an every-member canvas on an annual basis, a periodic major gift campaign provides the opportunity to have personal one-on-one conversations about giving and the importance of the church’s mission. And any fundraiser will tell you asking people to give in the context of a personal conversation is the most effective form of fundraising.
3. It cultivates a sense of stewardship for the church’s long-term needs.
Some years ago, I helped lead a major capital campaign in my church. It was the first such campaign in over 30 years. That meant a whole generation of church members had never been challenged to see themselves as stewards of the church’s building and its future. If you wait decades between major giving campaigns, you’re not only leaving money on the table, you’re failing to educate people about this part of their Christian responsibility.
4. Some people are highly motivated to give toward capital needs.There are some donors who are particularly motivated to give to “brick and mortar” needs because those needs are tangible, easily communicated, and often of lasting value. It can be more difficult for these givers to grasp the need to support ongoing operating expenses. One benefit of a capital campaign is that it connects with those givers who have a deeply felt concern for facilities.
5. A major gift campaign expands people’s capacity for giving.Churches often fear that a major fund drive will depress regular giving, but generally the impact is just the opposite. For the reasons above, and others, church members who stretch themselves to support a major giving campaign often discover they can give more — and continue to do so. Making a major investment in their church generates a sense of ownership and enthusiasm. So, it’s not unusual for annual giving to increase, not decrease, following a capital campaign.
Start Small
A lot of churches only think about a special giving campaign when they are undertaking a building project or some other major capital improvement. But you can start flexing your major giving muscles by raising funds for some smaller capital projects. My church used this approach to fund the purchase of a new piano for our worship space and a restoration of the built-in gutter system in our neo-gothic building. These were clear and tangible needs that people easily understood and happily contributed toward. And each of these campaigns was completed in a relatively short amount of time. Had we decided to skip the fundraising, and instead draw on reserves or take out a loan, the congregation would have been poorer for it.
Double DutyWhen launching a major gifts campaign, timing can be an issue. Some churches will schedule it at a different time of year from when they emphasize annual commitments. Another approach is to do a major gift campaign in conjunction with an annual campaign — what some fundraisers call a “double ask.” If you’re undertaking the work of talking individually with donors about a major gift, why not take the opportunity to also talk with them about their ongoing support of the church at the same time?
Build a Team
Pastors often shy away from this task because they don’t feel well equipped to take it on themselves. But this should never be a job for the pastor alone. Explore what resources may be available through your judicatory or denomination. Consider what it would mean to engage a professional fundraising consultant. But, most importantly, form a team. At the end of the day, a major gift drive will succeed or fail based on the commitment and enthusiasm of your campaign leaders. You may be lucky enough to have people in your church who’ve honed the skill of asking for money in other settings, but your very best fundraisers will be the people who are most passionate about the church’s mission and its future and love to tell the story.
Related Resources
- Optimizing Annual Financial Campaigns Video Tool Kit
- Building and Funding Your Capital Budget Video Tool Kit
- 50 Ways to Encourage Faithful Giving, a free resource from the Lewis Center
- Giving Up to Our Potential by Ann A. Michel
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
There are many ways to determine priorities for effort, time, and finances. One question that many find helpful is:
- Where and in what ways can we change lives most profoundly?
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50 Ways to Encourage Faithful GivingHelping people experience the joy of giving is more than a way of funding the church's ministry. These 50 Ways of encouraging faithful giving will help your church members grow in discipleship through faithful stewardship and extravagant generosity.50 Ways to Encourage Faithful Giving
Helping people experience the joy of giving is more than a way of funding the church’s ministry. These 50 Ways of encouraging faithful giving will help your church members grow in discipleship through faithful stewardship and extravagant generosity.
Stress the spiritual dimension of stewardship
- Teach stewardship as a holistic model of our relationship with God, as the tangible expression of our trust in God. Giving is a spiritual matter as central to faithful living as prayer, Bible study, and worship.
- Reinforce giving as an act of worship. Use the offering time to lift up the spiritual significance of giving. Take an offering at every service.
- Set a good example. The pastor should tithe and encourage other ministers, staff, and leaders to do the same. All leaders must take their giving seriously and model generosity.
- Talk openly about money and faithfulness to God. If leaders are uncomfortable about money then members will be also. Know your story of giving and be willing to testify about it.
- Model the giving spirit you seek from members in your church budget by giving generously to ministries beyond the congregation.
- Teach the theology of stewardship through a variety of means — church school classes, other study venues, sermons, and correspondence. Use stewardship scripture, quotations, and stories in bulletins, newsletters, other printed materials, and the website.
Know what motivates giving
- Know that people give to many things for a variety of reasons. Few have a well-planned or consistent giving strategy. Some give on impulse. Others are more cautious. Different kinds of appeals are effective with different types of givers.
- Recognize that people want to make a difference. They will give to what they value.
- Appreciate that faithful giving is a fruit of spiritual maturity. It takes time and much nurture to develop.
- Do not engage in fund raising. People give to God, not to raise the preacher’s salary or pay the utilities. Don’t make church gifts “one more bill to pay” — a bill that can be skipped without late fees, penalties, or the need to catch-up. Emphasize giving as a joyful response to God’s generosity, not an obligation.
- Talk to members about stewardship and opportunities for giving. Most people never increase their giving because they were never asked, nor given compelling reasons to do so. Don’t be afraid to lift up the needs of the church, but always in a way that emphasizes mission.
- Nurture relationships. People give to persons and organizations where they feel a connection. Church leaders should listen carefully for clues about issues of importance to church members. Personal solicitation is critical, especially for larger gifts.
Link stewardship to mission and ministry
- Remember that people — especially younger generations — give to support mission, not institutions or budgets. Everything you communicate about giving should stress ministry, not maintenance.
- Congregational vitality is key to giving. Whatever increases member involvement and participation will help giving. Involve as many as possible in the church’s ministries.
- Share information freely about the wonderful things giving makes possible. Use announcements to remind people of the impact they are having. Bulletin boards featuring how the church is in mission are good reminders to a congregation. Websites offer ways to tell the church’s story and to interpret stewardship and giving.
Know your givers and congregational giving patterns
- Do not make assumptions about what people give — most of the time you will be wrong.
- Give your pastor access to members’ giving records as a matter of pastoral care, not power or privilege.
- Keep alert for any changes in giving patterns — if giving stops without explanation, if an adult child starts writing checks for their parents, if there is confusion about giving, if designated gifts replace general giving, etc. Notify the pastor of any potential pastoral care concerns.
- Know your people and approach them where they are. Someone who has never given does not respond in the same manner as someone who gives faithfully, proportionately, and generously.
- Understand the financial profiles in your community. If few people carry cash, a spur of the moment offering will not succeed. Remember that more women than men carry a checkbook and younger generations are more inclined to pay by electronic or other non-cash means. A 25 year-old is unlikely to make a stock gift, while an older member on a fixed income may prefer an estate gift to one that reduces their monthly income.
- Monitor giving Indicators throughout the year. Compare pledge payments with those of previous years.
- Know how actual income compares to budgeted income for a given time of year. Avoid reporting what is “needed to date” by dividing the total budget into equal monthly or weekly segments. No congregation receives its income so evenly. Instead, determine how much income is “needed to date” based on a rolling three-year average of what percent of total giving is normally received during that period.
Provide a variety of ways to give
- Give people multiple opportunities to give. Those new to the church may be unfamiliar with the concept of pledging and tithing. Other ways of giving can get them in the habit.
- Consider sending some appropriate communication a few times a year to those who do not pledge and to non-resident members.
- Remember that people can give from their income, from their assets (stock, 401Ks, bonds and real property), or through legacies or bequests. Create giving opportunities appropriate to each type of gift.
- Don’t wait decades between capital campaigns. More frequent capital drives create a culture of supporting the church’s capital needs and prevent neglect of property concerns.
- Create a foundation or permanent fund, even if you have not yet received any bequests. People cannot give to what does not exist. Formulate policies for wills, legacies, and bequests. A large estate gift can be divisive if proper procedures are not in place.
Assist members in the stewardship of their personal resources
- Remember that personal finances and spending decisions are as much a part of Christian stewardship as giving to the church. Too often churches ask people to consider the church’s financial situation, but seldom offer to help with members’ financial situations.
- Teach members to think about their finances as an expression of faith. Use appropriate study resources to foster a theology of personal stewardship. Reinforce tithing and “first-fruits” giving as a faithful way of prioritizing one’s personal finances – not a way to pay church bills.
- Offer workshops on budgeting, financial management, and estate planning.
- Encourage sessions in which members can come together to discuss personal financial challenges. For example, parents of students preparing for college could discuss educational funding options. Those responsible for aging parents could come together to talk with other members who have learned of resources to help.
- Minister to the economic concerns of parishioners. Provide pastoral assistance and support groups for the unemployed, those in career transition, and those facing financial difficulty.
Develop a year-round, comprehensive stewardship program
- Preach stewardship sermons throughout the year, not just in the weeks before asking for an estimate of annual giving.
- Know that developing a congregation of faithful givers does not happen during a three to four-week stewardship drive. People do not become faithful stewards in one moment or through one influence.
- Create an annual stewardship calendar, emphasizing different stewardship concerns at different times of year – such as annual commitment in the fall, second-mile giving at year-end, planned giving at All Saint’s Day, etc. Develop stewardship themes that fit with different church events and liturgical seasons.
- Encourage faithful giving over the summer by preaching on stewardship the last Sunday before school is out. Everyone knows the churches bills do not go on vacation, so quit reminding your members of that.
- Make giving and stewardship education a part of your ministry with children and youth.
- Take the time to do everything related to stewardship well. Poor planning results in poor giving. Inspire generosity through sound management
- Know that people give to healthy organizations where they know their money is used wisely.
- Exhibit honesty and openness in financial interactions.
- Seek a good working relationship based on trust between the pastor, treasurer, and financial secretary.
- Make sure at least two unrelated people count the offering each week.
- Make sure all funds are administered properly. Keep precise records of income and dispersements. Keep your giving records secure.
- Keep the congregation informed of financial matters in meaningful ways. Issue timely financial reports and make them available to any member who requests them. Report financial concerns in a consistent manner.
- Send out pledge reports/giving statements in a timely fashion, always with a thank you and a reminder about any update that may be needed.
- Arrange for an independent audit or review of funds annually. Put a brief announcement in the Sunday bulletin a few times stating the completed audit has been reviewed by the finance committee and is available to members wishing to review it.
Say thanks often
- Find multiple occasions and ways to say “thank you” to those who make the church’s ministry possible — from the pulpit, in person, in the newsletter, and on their giving statements.
- Conduct an annual “thank-a-thon” not associated with a fund drive.
- Tell stories of how lives are changed because of their giving. People need to know their giving makes a difference.
- As a sign of appreciation, make sure all your procedures for giving are as convenient as possible. Avoid procedures and policies that are for the convenience of those who handle the funds rather than those who give the funds.
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If the same 10 or 15 people have the same conversations about strategy in the same way, new insights will be unlikely. [Gary Hamel and Jim Scholes]
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Editor: Dr. Ann A. Michel
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