Easter is one of the biggest evangelistic opportunities of the year for your church. But, it’s also one of the biggest giving opportunities of the year. So how do you balance the two and not run newcomers off?

Casey explains how to make Easter your biggest giving day of the year without running people off in the process, in this week’s Whiteboard session.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION SLIDES HERE.

 

How To Make Easter The Biggest Giving Day Of The Year-Show Notes:

Today we’re going to cover:

1. Two Myths of an Easter Offering
2. Four Reasons You Should Do An Easter Offering
3. Six Steps To Executing an Effective Easter Offering

Myth 1: People won’t come back if I talk about money.

A common fear is that new visitors and the unchurched will come one time and, if we talk about money, they won’t come back.

Or, you may be thinking, “we want to share the Gospel, not talk about money.” But, there’s a way to talk about money in such a way that it doesn’t turn people off, and actually connects people to the church more quickly.

The fears we have as pastors and ministry leaders simply aren’t true when it comes to talking about money with our congregations.

Here’s what we’ve found:

Christians that don’t give are more apt to get offended than new people who come in.

Myth 2: It’s a Distraction

You’re probably be thinking we’re going to be talking about Jesus, talking about money is going to distract.

It’s not a distraction unless you make it a distraction.

But, if you enter into the Easter offering time with confidence and clarity, confidence that says this is what we’re doing and clarity that says this is “why” we’re doing it.

While Easter is the biggest evangelism day of the year, but money gives you the ability to fund the evangelism you do.

It’s saying to the people who go to your church that we’re not going to be consumers, but participants.

4 Reasons You Should Do An Easter Offering:

1. You Can Change the way people think about church by changing the way people think about money and the church, and saying we’re doing this FOR people.

When you cast the vision in such a way that you show how your church is using money, not so the staff can get a new car, but so that your church can do things in the community, that’s when you change how people think.

You have to state WHY you’re taking up money, and showing how you’re going to use that money.

At some point you’re gonna have to talk about money anyway, and you might as well do it on Easter Sunday because everyone’s there.

2. You never know what can happen.

You never know what can happen in the lives of people when you blend big days with big asks.

3. Big Crowds + Big Ideas=Big Momentum

Most churches use big days as solely an opportunity to boost attendance. I remember when, at the church I was at, we tried to get people connected into community groups.

But, when you get big crowds, you have the opportunity to share a big idea about what your church is going to do in a big way.

4. Most guests like to give on Easter.

In your church, you’ve got a lot of people who only come on Christmas and Easter, and they’re showing up because they feel like it’s a box they can check off.

As a result, their attitude is that they want to make it count.

The mistake most pastors make is that they exclude guests and givers during the offering time. A lot of churches will say, “If you’re a guest, you don’t have to do this.”

But, you need to say something along the lines of “if you’re a visitor, this applies to you.”

Most of these people aren’t going to tithe, they’re going to tip.

One of the absolute best assimilation systems is when a first time guest, gives.

Those people are the most apt to come back and be connected.

So, the question is, what are you going to do to follow up with them?

Only 9% of churches say thank-you as a followup.

If you want to change the way an unchurched person thinks about church, is to follow up in a personal way and say thank-you.

Q and A:

We’re a church plant and this is our first easter, how does that factor in.

A: This is the best time to start a new tradition because you can infuse an Easter offering as part of your DNA as a church.

How much time during the service should you talk about this?

A: Two times during the service. One when you take up the regular offering, and one when you take up a special offering at the end.

6 Steps To Do An Easter Offering:

1. Give The Offering Meaning

What does that mean?

You have to give people the “why” behind the “what”.

This is where a lot of churches get into trouble because they just say “it’s time to give” without explaining why you’re about to take up a gift.

These two questions will help you give meaning and context to your Easter Offering:

a. Why are you taking up an Easter offering? What’s the purpose of doing an Easter offering?

The motive should always have something to do with other people. It should even have something to do with people that aren’t even there yet.

b. What’s the money going to be used for? If someone is new, and you don’t specifically state what the money is going to, it will create skepticism.

This is so huge. The why will come out of you naturally, but the what will have to be communicated clearly.

One thing that I would, is put some type of community or mission focus on the offering.

The reason why is churches often ask people to tithe and give 10% of their money, but most churches don’t give away any money.

But, what we’ve found, is that churches who are are accelerating in giving, are active in giving money away.

The more people know about what you’re giving to, the more prone they are to give.

In Giving Rocket, we explain that there are 5 different reasons people give.

Making it super vivid and clear, activates something for people that makes it real.

Don’t use church speak and lingo.

The other thing, is for things you need done in your church. For example, if you need a new parking lot, you need to communicate why it’s important that your church parking lot is safe.

Q and A:

Should we get pledges for our offering leading up to Easter

A: You might now have enough time. An Easter offering is simply a time for people to give a little bit more than they normally would.

Six Steps To Creating An Easter Offering:

1. Give The Offering

How do you structure your offering or prep it?

Acts 1:8 model.

What is Jerusalem? It’s your church building.

Judeah is like your local community.

The world

If you need a framework for your offering to know what buckets to focus on, this is a framework to give your offering meaning.

2. Drip before you drop

Most churches like to show up Easter Sunday and just say “hey, we’re gonna take up an Easter offering today!”

And, there’s no prep or time for your staff or people to be ready for it. They don’t know it’s coming.

We just drop the vision on people.

Giving Rocket works so well because it helps you know how to do all of this, and constantly drip vision.

This is why people don’t like your church when it comes to money. It’s also why you have a bad impression of asking for money.

But, if you prepare people so they’re not caught off guard, your offering won’t run people off.

Give people time to prepare.

Drip Before You Drop:

A. Staff, Elders, and your board

These are the people you should communicate with first. AND, you should communicate with their spouses as well.

When you get staff and spouses on board, everything is much clearer.

When you go to them, what you need to show them is a sheet of paper that shows WHY you want to take up an Easter offering.

But, this is where you want to start.

B. Email/letter to the church letting them know the Easter offering is coming.

C. Giving Talks

Do giving talks that lead up to Easter.

A Giving Talk is a short, 2 minute discussion explaining what’s coming.

D. Letter and Envelope

Before Easter, you want to send out a specifically branded letter and envelope.

3. Create a customized Easter Offering Envelope

This allows you to create consistency year, after year.

It’s good to have an envelope because a lot of people might not feel comfortable giving online, especially if they’re a visitor.

4. Take up two different offerings:

This is where churches get sideways and, without the coaching, you’ll get into trouble.

At some point during the your service, you want to do your regular offering. During this offering you can say something like “today’s gonna be an awesome day. We’re about to take up our regular offering that goes to fund our regular ministries here.

But, at the end of the service, we’re going to have a special time, that’s not gonna take long, that’s gonna allow people to give something to the community.

You need to keep these separate, because it’s an over and above what you currently give.

5. Have a follow up system.

What are you gonna do after someone gives?

That’s why we created our “What Happens When You Give” booklet.

Follow up within the first 7 days personally, with the people who gave to the Easter offering.

That followup is what allows you to change people’s perception

6. Measure Effectiveness

a. How much money you took in during the Easter Offering

B. How many first time givers

c. Regular giving increase

The Easter Offering Bundle: What’s Included.

1. 90 minutes of coaching

2. Offering envelope

3. Bumper video

4. Logos

5. Screen graphics

6. Three pre-offering letters

7. Follow-up letter

8. Checklist

9. Timeline

What we’ve found when talking with pastors is that you don’t have time to do everything. So, we built Giving Rocket with everything done-for-you.

We’ve spent 7 years do this, and there is a systematic, step-by-step process.

Q and A:

If we did a Christmas Offering, Is it too soon to do the Easter offering:

A: It feels like a short time for you because you’re a pastor, but for everyone in your church. It’s been a while.

There should be 3 big offerings your church does every year. Easter, Vision offering during the early Fall, and Christmas.

This isn’t a big hard push like a capital campaign. It’s a softer appeal.

It works best if you use them as a rhythm.

How do we balance doing an altar call with the second ask.

A. You do it after the alter call, and a good thing to say “this is why we’re doing a special offering” because of the ministry you just saw.

How far in advance would you give out the custom envelopes?

A. The week before Easter Sunday.

As a pastor would you be very clear about the % of offering that’s going out?

A. Let people know exactly what’s going out. The clearer you are, the more trust it builds.

Q. Can you do an Easter offering inside your capital campaign?

A. Yes! Tying in your Easter offering with your capital campaign is a great accelerator because your capital campaign has already cast the vision for your congregation.

A.

5 Ways To Make Easter Your Best Service Ever:

1. Build a social media theme to invite people in your community.

2. Remember that the message begins in the parking lot. If people don’t meet Jesus in the parking lot, not just in the service.

3. Remain from information overload. Don’t tell them about all the 100 programs you have.

4. Rally the believers and remember the unchurched. Loose the lingo, think about what you’re gonna say.

5. Prepare what you’re gonna say.

For worship leaders:

1. Prepare your team

2. Learn the music

3. If your music

With each point, Todd wants to toss it back to Worship Rocket.

Will be giving away “He Is Jesus”

Show up bonus is free song. (It’s not the final mix but it’s done enough that you can pull this off with your team)

“Expand a just say this” script for that song.

Todd will do a personal consulting call as well.

Take a screen shot of the personal coaching call   

 

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