Now that 2021 is coming to a close, there are year-end measurements that need to occur. What was your giving like in 2021? For most churches, 2020 marked a year where giving stayed solid and potentially increased, but 2021 showed giver fatigue and an overall plateau or decline in giving. Let’s change the course of giving for 2022 and focus on three essential metrics that can help you increase giving and encourage engagement.

1. Top Givers vs. All Givers

On your MortarStone dashboard, take a look at your banded giving chart (sample below). Pay particular attention to Band 1 and Band 5.

Band 1 = Giving between $1 – $199 per year
Band 2 = Giving between $200 – $999 per year
Band 3 = Giving between $1000 – $4999 per year
Band 4 = Giving between $5000 – $9999 per year
Band 5 = Giving $10,000+ per year

In this sample data, you’ll see that Band 1 is giving only .73% to the annual budget but comprises 30% of the giving population. That means the majority of this church is giving less than $199 per year. 

Compare that to Band 5 givers who give 44% of the annual budget but are represented by only 6% of the giving population. 

Looking at recent church data, one of the causes for a plateau or decline in giving is that we have relied too heavily on the few Top Givers to support most ministry needs. 

Practical Solutions: 

• Financial Discipleship – Bands 1-3 need to have the opportunity to attend financial classes. Example – FreedUp, Debt Relief, Budgeting, and Generosity courses. 
• Talk about Giving from the Main Stage – share life change stories and how faithful supporters have made this possible. Encourage people to give generously through Biblically sound teachings on giving. 
• Have a case for support – be honest with where giving goes, share church vision, and ask people to be a part of this direction. 

Not using MortarStone yet? Sign up today. 

2. Reach Out to Lapsed Givers

Did you know that a person will leave a church, possibly forever, approximately 90 days after they’ve stopped giving? We need to quickly identify givers that may be at risk of lapsing and potentially leaving the church. 

From your MortarStone dashboard, you can see the Lapsed Giver Chart. This chart shows you the giving households that are at risk of lapsing from your church. 

Practical Solution

• Connect with a Phone Call – Identify givers that may have recently lapsed and assign ‘check-in’ phone calls from demographically targeted ministries to these givers. For example, have the women’s ministry pastor reach out to a single mom that may have lapsed. Or have the small group pastor reach out to a small group leader that may be at risk of lapse.

Remember, these calls should focus on ministering to the giver and not mention their lack of giving. The goal is to reengage the giver with your church.  

3. Non-Cash Givers

Look at your Top Givers aged 50+ in MortarStone and consider offering these givers the opportunity to give creatively through their assets. Many non-cash gifts provide the giver with tax savings and recurring giving and increase the value of their contribution to the church. On average planned gifts are 200-300 times greater than the giver’s regular annual giving!

Practical Solutions

• Offer your Top Givers financial classes that focus on tax savings and estate design. Need help with these classes? We’ve taught these classes to several churches nationwide and have seen millions be allocated to the Kingdom. Contact us here. 
• Ask for a gift planning report from MortarStone. We’ll analyze your giving data and identify your church’s readiness for non-cash giving. Request your report here. 
• Attend our Major Gifts Online Training event in January. Get the tools you need to develop a non-cash ministry at your church.

Let’s start 2022 strong by developing systems that provide better financial discipleship to our givers. Don’t go at this alone, we’re here to help – click here to reach out with your pressing generosity questions.

We pray your Christmas season is blessed beyond measure!