It’s Time to Talk Finances: Communicating About Your Budget
Does your church use June 30 as its fiscal year-end? If yes, these next two to three weeks are an ideal time for you to talk finances with your members and encourage giving. Traditionally, December is the highest month of giving. Christmas provides a natural backdrop to talk about generosity and giving. Auxilio clients who use their mid-calendar fiscal year-end as a strategic opportunity to raise awareness about their church’s financial goals have seen a second month of increased giving in June.
What can you do right now to address your budget needs?
Publish the Numbers: Regular financial updates are an easy way to keep members informed about how the church is doing financially. Some churches publish income, budgeted and actual, in their bulletins. This is a subtle way of making general knowledge of the church finances a part of your culture. It invites healthy questions and may prompt members to give.
Talk it up: In the 6-8 weeks prior to the fiscal year-end, consider drawing attention to your budget goals prominently, verbally, from the front with a quick word before you take up the offering, as part of a prayer in your worship service or during announcements. It is right and good to praise God for how he provides, to ask for wisdom for how to steward that provision, and to call upon his help when more resources are needed.
Do it Again: There’s an adage called the ‘Rule of 7” that says people need to hear things 7 times in multiple ways before they take action on it. A single email to your congregation is likely not enough to get desired results. Combine several different approaches to more successfully raise awareness, move people toward a decision and see them act on it. Get creative with how to deliver messages, but don’t overlook your main streams of communication - verbally from the front, via video, or in your small groups or community groups, as well as in writing including bulletins, website, email, text, and social media.
Tell a Story: Stories are an effective way to help your donors see the value of supporting your mission. Stories engage our hearts and paint a picture of the ministry of the church in action. Incorporate stories into your church’s life as much as possible through sermons, testimonies, blogs, and vlogs. Consider producing an Annual Report/Year in Review where the budget numbers and statistics support a larger storytelling effort of notable activities. Whether you choose to do this type of report at your year-end or 1-3 months after so you present final numbers, be sure to use the report to promote an understanding of both your mission and your budget.
The Auxilio Team encourages you to take advantage of the strategic timing of your fiscal year-end. Talk to your Partner Strategist about these ideas and if you have ideas to add, share them with us at hello@auxilio.partners.