Help! Our Congregational Giving is Down

When churches begin to worry about their finances, they often focus on a simple fix: If we could just increase member pledging and giving, our finances would improve. Unfortunately, this simple fix is anything but simple in the lives of congregants. Their own financial lives may be strained, and their relationship to charitable giving is vastly different than their parents or grandparents. 

Today’s congregational supporters are facing complex financial challenges. They may be:

• struggling financially in our current economy,
• underearning and burdened with student loans and other debt,
• challenged to see how church or charitable giving fits into financial wellness, and
• unclear on how much or how to give and uncertain what their giving will support.

Fortunately, congregations that are willing to change their approach can address all of these challenges.

Step 1: Nurture financial wellness. 

The first step is to provide support and encouragement around financial wellness in general. We are all struggling to budget and plan amidst today’s economic uncertainties. People are stressed and hurting as their economic expectations and hopes seem ever further away, and isolated in that stress due to the stigma of talking about money issues with others. Together, participants can review their financial lives, create budgets, and set goals for their finances. Offering such congregational or small group studies on financial life can help participants feel like beloved friends sharing life together, rather than alone in their struggles. If you are a small congregation, perhaps you can partner with another in your area or denomination for this work.

Step 2: Help people align their finances with their values.

The next step is to talk about how part of our spiritual life is aligning our finances with our values. This requires time for collective discernment and study to identify our core values, then reviewing our budgets and how they align with our values. Only then can we determine what shifts are needed in the future and begin planning for those shifts.

Although many churches have used programs like Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University for the above work, the values and tone of that company are not in alignment with progressive faith. Alternatives that may be a better fit for generous and inclusive values include:

• Saving Grace (Amplify Media)
• Money, Faith and You (Faith and Money Network)
• Free: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most, a book by Mark and Lisa Scandrette
• The Wi$dom Path: Money, Spirit, and Life (UUA)
• Personal Finance: A Self-Guided Workshop (Center for Faith and Giving)

Step 3: Be as clear and specific about the church’s financial needs as possible. 

Aspire to the clarity of your local museum, botanical garden, or arts organization. Look through your mail for examples from the Sierra Club, American Cancer Society, and the ACLU. When they ask for money, which they do regularly, they are very specific about what donations will fund and what amount they hope you will give. They make it clear how to give money or in-kind donations. They are prompt with acknowledgements of donations and include in those letters specifics about the impact of each individual donation. 

People under 50 or those not raised in congregations are accustomed to this model of fundraising. It will feel familiar and helpful. The old ways of annual pledge campaigns are simply not enough anymore. This must be a strategic, year-round and holistic priority.

What steps do you need to take as a congregation to shift your focus to the financial wellness of your people, not just of your congregational budget? To move from old stewardship campaign models to a holistic approach to financial wellness? To talk frankly and freely about money as a community?

If you need help thinking this through, Convergence is here to help. Reach out to me at anna@convergenceus.org to start the conversation.