Your People Really Want to Give...Really!

I think everyone approaches the topic of giving from the wrong direction. Most leaders believe that people do not want to give to their churches or organizations. It seems like all of the anecdotal evidence and research makes leaders believe that most people are not interested in supporting their church or a charity. I have seen statistics that something less than 7% of the attendees of most churches give and 93% do not. I think the number is lower than 7% according to what I have seen. But either way, leaders who look at data like this are bound to think that their supporters are not interested in helping them financially and they would be wrong.

I think the exact opposite is true. I have met with many church members, supporters of local charities, and people who were not giving to anything and nearly 95% of the time they all felt the same way about giving. The majority wanted to give, but were sad or frustrated because they couldn’t for 3 main reasons:

Reason #1: Their finances were not healthy enough to have any extra funds available because of excessive debt, not using a budget, or living paycheck to paycheck

Reason #2: They really didn’t understand the mission and vision of the organization that they were considering supporting so they think their money wouldn’t make much difference

Reason #3: There was a perception that the organization or church did not manage their finances well or report how they were spending the donations accurately or consistently

I believe that people really want to support their church or local charities, but are afraid to because they are struggling with trusting leadership or unable to because of personal financial mistakes. As I coach leaders, I challenge them to change their confirmation bias that people do not want to give to believing that they really do, but can’t for some fixable reasons.

Everything changes when leaders stop thinking that people are stingy, stubborn, or selfish. I have witnessed seasons of giving in both churches and nonprofits that were breath taking. And what jump started those incredible times of unprecedented generosity was really very simple and made up of two steps.

Step #1: The organization became crystal clear about their purpose and communicated that repeatedly to their supporters in creative and consistent ways

Step #2: They offered an education program that helped their supporters get their finances in order.

Does this sound too simple to be true? How about a church that had an average weekly offering of 125% of budget and the people cheered when it was time to give?!? How about a nonprofit that regularly received $50,000 checks without asking for them? In both scenarios, clarifying and consistently presenting the vision was the first step and gave the supporters the confidence they needed to give. The church also led a year long, church wide financial education program that touched all areas of leadership and programming. During that year the supporters retired over $100k in personal debt and started new budgets that enabled them to give consistently and generously.

Back in the dark ages (when I attended high school) I was taught basic budgeting and financial management in a class called “Home Ec.” I also sewed an apron and learned how to iron shirts and pants. But those are a topic for another blog. My daughters escaped their educational careers without any formal budget training and I think that is true for a lot of people these days. Most people really appreciate learning how to manage their money and generally do not know where to go to be trained. Your church or organization could run a continuous program that featured budgeting, investments, insurance, and financial planning for their supporters and the community as an outreach service.

It all starts with leadership deciding to view their supporters through the lens that they really do want to give. Then they need to get their vision/mission locked in and regularly communicated with real time stories of life change and community restoration.

The final step is to help their supporters get financially stable and healthy so that they can give without worrying about their bills. This three step process has many moving parts and is an excellent way to prepare a church or nonprofit to launch a successful capital campaign or fund raiser. If all of this sounds tough or is not your skill set, email me and I’ll be happy to help.

One final thought. God is all about giving and regularly showers blessings on those He calls his own. Your supporters are made in God’s image and are naturally inclined to be givers as well. As soon as you start seeing them as givers who want to give but can’t instead of people who are stingy, stubborn, or selfish, it will be easier to serve them and address the issues that are stopping them from donating. Your people really do want to give…really! They just need you to help them get into a place where they can and are crystal clear about the why.

Dr. John C. Mrazek

www.sharedxp.org