Tips to Avoid a Summer Giving Slump

GiveCentral
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read

Every summer when people start travelling on the vacation, there is something interesting to know about collecting and giving. There is a trend we see happening. Each year between June and July churches see a dip in giving. This year we want to let you know the trend, beat the dip, and make a difference.

If you are a ministry or nonprofit, you may find a summer giving dip due to donors’ holding back their discretionary income to cover vacation costs.

Here are few ideas for how you can reverse the summer giving slump and keep giving consistent.

Create a culture of generosity

Don’t ignore or under-appreciate your givers. Thank the people for giving and make sure you stay engaged with the people who already giving to your church. In order to do this, you can create thank you video to show on Sunday or write a short and focused email and send it to all of your donors. You can also send personal thank you note to your most consistent contributors.

Consistent givers make up only 15% of the total population, but they account for 51% of the dollars given. In contrast, with 85% of givers being “Occasional givers” who make up under 50% of the total giving. (Source:tithe.ly)

Offer people automated giving

The churches and non-profits with digital giving options (mobile app, web, or text) don’t see a summer giving slump. In fact, most of them see quite opposite.

57% of giving comes through a mobile app. It is by far the most popular method of online giving, especially when you can give in just 2-taps.

The church members have to encourage people for online set up, recurring giving through online giving or EFT, or your donor management system. It may help you in reaching and capturing the next generation. As people are no longer afraid to give big on their mobile device.

Focus more on people who give regularly but not automatically. Show people how they can give automatically and send a mail letter with instructions before they leave for family holidays. If people give automatically, they can give even on the vacation. It enables anytime, anywhere giving.

Get a bit more personal

You can incorporate a video clip related to your activities in your weekly newsletter. It is one of the best engaging ways to connect with your contributors. Your donors can watch and listen to your updates at anytime from anywhere.

Keep the blog going and videos posting on your website. Through sharing stories of lives, your donors will see that their money continue to matter, even during the summer seasons.

The Church App

Creating the church apps can serve multiple purpose. Using the apps, you can keep informed your church members about upcoming events and campaigns, weekly announcements, and more. Mobile devices, laptops, and computers are now moving towards using the church app for functionality. Additionally, your giving app can include a link to give. More ’n’ more churches are using this to get their advantage.

Every year many executive pastors try to come up with more creative ways to address the challenge of minimizing the summer slump. In the era of digital and mobile technology, you now have the simple, quick, and most effective way to stay connected with your supporters beyond Sundays, and avoid ups and downs of irregular giving. Utilizing technology can be an added advantage for you giving church needed to beat the summer giving slump.

The summer can be the most productive season of every organization’s year if it plays its cards right.

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