Finance Fridays: More Thoughts on a Tough Economy

An article by Jon    No Comments

Matt Note: Two weeks ago I asked Jeremy Moore, from ECCU, to share his thoughts on supporting your ministry in a tough economy.  Today I have asked Jon Sturdevant, from Generis, to do the same.

The economy has taken a beating lately.  What does this mean for the support you should anticipate from your donor base?

Nothing.

There are zero absolutes associated with the economy’s downturn and your donor base.  There are a number of implied circumstances, but if you believe in your church or organization enough to spend your professional life devoted to advancing it’s cause, it’s safe to assume you still believe it is worthy of your donors’ dollars.  Don’t assume you know how this economy will affect their giving.  It is common in these times to shift the way that you approach your donors, but that might not be wise:

• If you think that not contacting donors during this time is a good idea, is it because the economy made your message less compelling?
• If you think that giving up on your strategic funding plan in light of the economy is a good idea, it had better be because you received a huge inflow of additional unsolicited support.
• If you think that this is the time to not share why your story matters, they will take their dollars somewhere else.

This is a time to focus and fine tune your message like never before.  Make sure that you are sharing the most compelling information, at the right time, with the right vehicles.  Don’t talk about need.  Everybody needs funding.  Tell stories that let your donors know the work you are doing is more important now as it ever has been.  Let them conclude you are still worthy of their investment, even at a time when resources may not be as plentiful.  The reality of this time is that some donors may lower support to certain places.  Don’t give them a reason for it to be your organization.  Now is the time to step it up!

This point was proven to me just yesterday in a meeting with a prominent mega church pastor.  One of my clients, an international mission organization, is supported at a significant, but not yet critical, level by his church.  While discussing our future relationship, I heard three major takeaways:

• As we move forward, we want to be engaged in a deeper, more comprehensive relationship with ministries we support.
• We want to hear regularly how our dollars are being used, and how we can use them to do more than just sustain the ministry. We want our funds to be a multiplier.  At the same time we want to give more than just dollars by providing the opportunity for our people to actively engage with service, training, and equipping.
• We are decreasing the number of places we support, but we’re looking to do something huge with a few places.  We don’t yet know if this is you or not.

This is not the first time I’ve heard this from a pastor.  The feeling in this case is about dollars that they give to missions.  The thought process that people have about giving to the church is much the same.  Show them the impact, include them in the process, report well, and you will be well served for your efforts.

How has the economy affected YOUR church?

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