Church Fundraising - Make A Connection™
Raising money for your church is an important task that deserves the best approach. What does advertising do to help make a business successful? They build brand awareness. Your fundraising needs to build your church's "brand" by reinforcing the message of who you are and what your "value proposition" is for your congregation. No, I am not saying that you need golden arches out front with a neon sign that says "Over 1 Million Saved." What I am saying is that you want your supporters to have a strong emotional tie to your church. Your fundraising campaign should be structured to strengthen those emotional ties through establishing concrete links to your congregation that are visible to the community. What types of fundraising campaigns provide that visibility? Donor recognition programs serve that purpose. They are easy to conduct and are available in a wide range of price points that offer ways for your entire congregation to show their support. A donor campaign seeks a pledge of a certain contribution amount that could be a one-time donation, a weekly offering, a monthly automatic withdrawal, or an annual tithe. Donation of a certain amount is rewarded with some type of donor recognition. Inexpensive items can be given to donors for smaller contributions in the $25 and up range while larger donations are usually recognized at your church. What are some inexpensive examples? An example of an entry-level price point offering for a donor recognition campaign is a custom pewter medallion or ornament which is hand crafted to display your church's exterior view. Another example would be creating a unique coffee mug with your church's picture and message. The idea here is that each donor gets a coffee mug as a thank you for their support. Engraved or personalized bricks are an excellent way to provide or incent capital campaign contributions with recognition. Use of brick pavers with laser arc church builders engraved messages in a special entry way or sidewalk is one attractive method. Another way to display these donor recognition bricks that will strengthen the tie your church is to design and construct an attractive landscaping display. Ask yourself if your church grounds could benefit from some additional landscaping. What about high dollar capital campaign contributions? For recognition purposes, nothing beats an attractive wall display in a high-traffic area such as a foyer or entryway. The higher the campaign amounts sought for your church's capital campaign, the more tasteful your recognition program should be. One simple method features engraved brass plaques on a polished wood backdrop. Donors select the message they want displayed on their respective plaques. Another method, which is somewhat fancier, involves a gift tree. A three dimensional sculpture of a tree with burnished metal leaves is fixed upon a wooden backdrop for wall mounting. For very personalized recognition, consider offering a cast bronze plaque that highlights individual contributions to a specific project. You can also offer smaller individual photo plaques that provide more room for customization of the message. There are many more ways to increase your church fundraising, but they'll have to wait for another article. Good Luck and God Bless! Maximize your fundraising success!