How to Encourage Church Members to Give Without Asking for More Money

Pastors are often faced with the challenge of asking for more money. They know they need to do it, but at the same time, they don't want to be seen as greedy or demean their congregation members by simply demanding more of them.

The post-sermon announcements are the most dreaded part of being a pastor. "We have an offering today" is usually followed with crickets in response.

Why do people dread giving?

How can pastors help their congregations to give more generously? 

What if there were creative ways to talk about giving without just asking for more money? 

Here are some suggestions that can help you think about how to encourage your church's members to give without asking for more money and without being overly pushy.

1. Inform the church about their charitable contributions

When your church has the opportunity to help a non-profit group, make sure that everyone in your congregation is aware of it. These stories uplift God's people and motivate them to be generous with their resources.

Consider conducting interviews with your recipients or inviting them to provide testimony during the worship service. The fact that you are doing this reinforces your objective and is also a powerful approach to inspire giving.

People will be more joyful contributors if they are donating to something rather than contributing out of guilt. People want to know that you're doing an excellent job with your donations. 

It also provides an opportunity for you to discuss donating more positively. Most of us would like to support initiatives that we believe will make a difference rather than contributing just because we feel obligated to do so.

2. Highlight the global and local missionary efforts 

One of the most important things that your church can do is to give to missions. Your church may not send missionaries, but they can still support those who are doing the work by providing money and prayer. 

On the missionary's behalf, you may be open and honest with the church about their needs. Additionally, make use of mission-related videos in your offerings and on your website. Video can inspire and motivate people to take action, and supporting missions through this medium is no exception to the rule. People become excited when they realize that their donations are having a direct effect and a difference.

Churches and missionaries work together as a team to spread God's kingdom over the world. No one can perform this great commission alone, and we are all required to do it together. Keep in mind that your church's mission depends on the generosity of its members, and you may use the testimonials you've gathered to remind them of this. 

3. Organize creative fundraising ideas

There are instances when the offering simply isn't sufficient. What do you do when you need to raise more money for your church?

For many churches, fundraising is the best way to deal with rising costs, special initiatives or unforeseen expenses.

Whether you're raising money to support the general fund or for a specific mission trip, a strong foundation of support is essential if you want to do big things for your church and in your local community.

There are hundreds of fundraising options to choose from. If you’ve landed on a few that work, continue using those, but don’t be afraid to experiment with something new. 

We often think of people who are great at one thing - baking, singing, organizing, but think outside the box. Your members may have a host of hidden talents that they can utilize to make a difference. Similarly, be mindful that fundraising initiatives need to be directed towards people of all ages. In this way, you will be able to expand your donation base.

Fundraising may be considered both a means of funding the church and teaching the church about stewardship when it is utilized to promote both giving and saving. This is a strong message that can be relayed to your members to add even more value and motivation to your next fundraising effort.

4. Promote Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday, which takes place after Thanksgiving and follows the money-driven Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is a wonderful opportunity to practice generosity and give our time, skill, and wealth to those in need. It serves as an excellent reminder that it is always better to give than to receive. 

Whether talking from the pulpit or making Sunday school lessons, develop programs that teach people the importance of generosity while collaborating with the charity you have selected to participate in Giving Tuesday.

You can also create a GivingTuesday-specific page on your church's website to encourage people to donate. Providing a link to this page in your emails and social media posts, along with a little information about your church's participation in Giving Tuesday, is a great way to generate interest and participation. 

5. Propose a project during church anniversary

The celebration of a church's anniversary is an opportunity to reflect and give gratitude for God's unwavering love and generosity. 

It's a good idea to focus the messaging on how God has made the church impactful over all the years. In this way, it is easy to challenge the congregation to give a special offering as a way of honoring God's faithfulness and provision.

Additionally, you can propose a one-year project, such as a new sound system or a new van, etc. Inform the congregation that the church expects to finish the project one year before the next anniversary.  Encourage your congregation to make a monthly contribution to this project as a means of demonstrating their support for God's work.

6. Give awards and recognition

A church and its missions rely on volunteers who give their time and skills without being compensated. Staff members often meet or exceed their duties to keep the church operating.

A great way to raise money, develop community, and celebrate the individuals who manage to keep your church functioning is to have an awards celebration.

Create a glamorous event with a “red carpet,” or you can keep it more low-key. This helps to increase the enthusiasm around your event and makes it more enjoyable for the whole family! Members may be encouraged to purchase tickets to the event. This is where fundraising comes in.

7. Organize a stewardship campaign

Many churches have stewardship campaigns that are both significant and predictable. Choose a project or a need to which people will be motivated to contribute their time and resources. Keep away from glitzy ideas and instead select a project that will benefit your church or a group of individuals in desperate need. 

Launch your campaign by expressing your objective and informing your audience of the contributions that each individual will be expected to make to achieve that goal. Distribute commitment cards to get pledges.

If you can bring a fresh perspective on a long-standing tradition, incorporating some technology into the mix may be advantageous. A digitized version of your commitment cards, for instance, may be beneficial. Allowing them to fill out a commitment card online eliminates a significant barrier to getting it done. Members can do it online during the service using their cellphones, which they can access from any location.

8. Gather and share ministry success stories

Make a clear statement about your vision. Instead of merely explaining, illustrate. Consider gathering stories about the impact your congregation's donations have both within and outside the church.

The purpose of this is to hear stories of how various churches' programs are addressing the needs of others. These stories are more than just statistics and figures but stories that impact lives. 

You may also give a short talk once a month on a ministry or outreach of your church transforming lives. When these are planned and timed correctly, congregants can learn how to become involved in a project, make a special donation, or do anything else that will make a difference.

9. Plan and conduct a lecture focusing on spiritual gifts

Spiritual gifts are mentioned in the New Testament in several different ways. Each time, the Biblical authors underline that God has uniquely blessed each one of His people and that all of the many gifts are provided for the community of faith to mature as a whole.

When it comes to spiritual and material resources, they are both gifts from God, and the struggle of learning to manage these gifts is a lifelong one. Personal insights gained at a lecture like this might help assess giving opportunities.

10. Conduct virtual events 

This is nothing new, especially in today's world. The vast majority of churches today have their online group community.

Through a virtual event, it is possible to create a memorable celebration that will showcase the spirit of giving. Virtual events may be an excellent chance for churches to generate funds uniquely and innovatively while also providing people with a convenient option to help their local church.

Plan something that everyone in your congregation will enjoy, such as bringing in a distinguished speaker, organizing a virtual worship night with the church band, or hosting a round table. Set up a system for accepting donations online and encourage this throughout your virtual event. 

Donors will find it more convenient to contribute to your virtual event efforts with this method and actually donate while “at the moment”. If donations can’t be accepted online, in real-time, many may lose interest or simply forget to donate after the event is over. 

If you're interested in learning more about this option, you might want to check out Tithe.ly.

The Bottomline

We are all aware that people are more willing to donate when they do not feel pressured. When creative ideas are integrated into giving, it will be a more captivating and fascinating topic rather than an uncomfortable one.

Now that you've learned ten new ways to raise more money without seeming like you're always begging for more, you can go out and help your church develop in the area of giving!

If your church doesn't use online giving software to collect contributions from members, you may be losing a number of great opportunities. Individuals prefer to make donations online now more than ever. 

Tithe.ly is the best option for you to optimize your efforts to be more efficient in collecting and organizing funds and donations. 

Congregants who can contribute via laptops or cellphones can help your church reach a whole new audience of enthusiastic supporters who want to give back to their community!