Promotional plans designed for your local church need to include the following elements:
The beginning point of any program to encourage giving within the church is with the leaders of the church. There may have been success with some church programs which use the strategy of saturating the entire congregation with information and then waiting for their response, but a program such as planned giving and endowment funding must begin with the local church leadership. A “law” which has proven itself many times over will prove itself again with this program—“Where the leaders lead, the congregation will follow.” In other words, if the leaders do not support this effort, its success is compromised.
Inform church leaders about possibilities of giving to and funding ministry and mission through the Endowment Program emphasis. Does your church have “educational programs” for members of the Administrative Board /Council? If your church has scheduled two hours for a meeting, the business will probably take up the entire two hours. On the other hand, if a thirty minute “educational opportunity” is built into the agenda, you will probably discover that the balance of the agenda can be completed in the remaining one and one-half hours.
Several times each year, schedule presentations at Board/Council meetings to present aspects of giving to and through the Endowment Program. Such presentations might include:
The Committee will want to provide reports no less than annually (and after the endowment program is well on track, perhaps quarterly) to the Administrative Board/Council -- funds received, funds expended, needs met, and programs and ministries funded through the Endowment Program. Never assume the church leadership knows what is going on in this program. Keep them informed regularly.
Because the local church trustees may be concerned about this type of fund in the church, initiate conversations at least twice a year with them about the progress of the Endowment Program. Invite the Trustees to brainstorm how they could use funds generated from the Endowment Program. (Oftentimes property care and maintenance are popular causes when members consider making planned gifts to support endowments for the local church.)
Mail is one of the most effective ways to keep your congregation aware of estate planning issues and gift planning opportunities. The primary goal of these mailings is not to ask for money for any specific project or ministry, but to inform your members of ways they might give now and/or later through their estate plans. A goal of three or four mailings per year is preferable, but churches should not let limited funds for this many mailings prevent their starting with at least one.
Let’s look at a couple of suggestions for these mailings before we look at what the mailing should include:
Every mailing should include:
Always enclose a response device. Mailings, such as described above are designed to prompt one to respond. You can design a response card for each mailing.
Articles in newsletters are excellent ways to remind members and constituents of gift planning opportunities. The best articles are stories of what has happened because of planned gifts to your church. For example, a brief article in the newsletter might tell about how “a portion of the earnings of the General Endowment Program this year was used to provide Bibles for every third grade Sunday School student in our church on Christian Education Sunday. You should have seen how the children’s eyes twinkled with excitement when they received their own personal Bible....”
Short articles and news reports will be read more than lengthy pages of information. Remember—if no one reads it, it doesn’t really matter what the article or news report says.
Announce gifts to the Endowment Program as they are received (unless the donor has requested that his or her name not be announced). Providing a list of those who give and the names of those who are memorialized or honored is all that is necessary. Do not state the amount of the gift. How much someone gives now or through their estate is personal. Unless the family has given permission to share the size of a gift from one’s will, that information should be kept within the leadership of the church. Telling the congregation that gifts have been received, however, encourages others to give.
In addition to articles in newsletters, include short “one-liners” in newsletters and bulletins, on bulletin boards and hymnal covers, and any place where someone might notice them. One-liners might include:
More ideas for bulletins & newsletters (pdf)
Special programs, presentations, workshops and seminars are the next step in providing information about estate planning and gift planning opportunities. (You might like to include your community as well as your local church in your announcements and invitations.) These events should be designed for those who should be interested as well as for those who have already shown an interest in planned gifts and the Endowment Program. In addition to announcing the special event to the whole congregation (and community), you will want to invite specific persons and groups of persons. Write a letter to those who have responded to any of your mailings, inviting them to your next special program. You might write, “Because of your special interest in this area, you will find this Estate and Gift Planning Workshop helpful in answering further questions you might have on this subject.”
When an event is designed with a specific audience in mind and when you send specific invitations (in addition to the general invitation) attendance is usually much better. For example, you might design a workshop specifically for parents and invite them to a workshop on “Estate Planning for Parents.”
You might design a “Planning for Retirement” Seminar specifically for and invite those age 50 and older, or design an “Estate Planning” Workshop just for those who are retired. (In smaller membership churches, this specialization might not be possible, and the focus might need to be more general.)
Offer to present programs (and to assist in arranging for special speakers) for organizations and groups within your church, such as: United Methodist Women, United Methodist Men, specific church school classes, or the senior adult fellowship.
Plan each event well in advance of the announced date, allowing six weeks to two months for promotion. Once a date is set, invite the leaders and secure a commitment from them. Your chances of success in scheduling the best leadership will depend upon several factors, not the least of which is the lead time before the event, the level of enthusiasm you communicate, and the evidence of good planning on the part of the Endowment Fund Committee. There are many options when it comes to appropriate events to lift up the causes of estate planning, gift planning, and endowment funding for the local church:
FOLLOW-UP: One of the keys to success programs like these is “follow-up.” During the week following the event send those who attended a brochure (linked to the theme of the program) and a letter of appreciation for their attendance. Invite their response to the event and inquire to see if they need any additional information. Send the names and addresses of all attendees to United Methodist Foundation and request that these persons be placed on the mailing list to receive the Foundation newsletter. The information in this newsletter will be supportive of what you are doing in the local church, and it will inform your members there is professional assistance beyond their local church available to them.
Designate a special time to remember those who have died during the past year and to consecrate the memorial gifts which have been received. The time used by most churches is either Memorial Sunday (in May), All Saints Sunday (in November), or Homecoming Sunday (or the local church’s anniversary celebration). Any time you plan such an observance can be appropriate, but NOT planning such an observance is a mistake.
An annual Planned Giving Sunday or Permanent Endowment Program Sunday is also a time to project your vision for the next year. Use this time to share your vision, goals, and plans for special programs throughout the year as well as acknowledging gifts that have been given. Remember, every time you tell what has been done and what you plan to do, you are planting a seed in people’s hearts and minds.
The first thing we do when we see a list of donors is find our own name on the list (if we have given), or, if it is a list of memorials, we look for the name of our friend or family member who has been remembered. Recognition and appreciation go a long way in encouraging giving to and through the church for mission and ministry in the world. People need to know their giving makes a difference and is appreciated. People will oftentimes “say” they do not expect any recognition for what they have done, but not to give the proper recognition is a mistake. The church sometimes does a poor job of saying “thank you.” We often treat members and others who give as if they are just doing what they are supposed to do, and we therefore excuse ourselves as leaders of the church for not saying “thank you.”
The best way to encourage repeat giving is to send a note of appreciation for every contribution. Establish a policy for your Permanent Endowment Fund Committee to send a short (preferably hand written) note of receipt and appreciation. In the case of memorial gifts this should be sent within 24 hours of receiving the gift. In the case of other gifts, such as special gift to the Endowment Program, the receipt and acknowledgment should be sent within one week. (In the case of regular contributions to the operating budget of the church, quarterly statements provide an acknowledgment of contributions, but in the case of planned gifts to the Permanent Endowment Program each contribution should be acknowledged individually and promptly.)
In a regular and timely manner, send a list of all those who have contributed memorial gifts to the family or next-of-kin. Give a list of those who have contributed, but never the amounts. You may also want to keep the family posted about the total which has been received.
Unless anonymity is requested, the names of all honor and memorial donors and the persons they have honored or remembered should be placed in a Book of Remembrance. This Book of Remembrance should be kept in a public setting. This Book will not only recognize donors and lift up a memorial thought for the person remembered; it will also serve as a reminder to those who might consider making such a gift themselves.
List all memorial gifts in the church newsletter and worship bulletins. Never list the amount of gifts unless they are of exceptional size and you have been given permission by the donor to do so.
We have developed two promotional models to encourage estate planning, planned giving, and endowment funding in a local congregation.
Promotional Plans for Your Church (pdf)
Model One is the “premier model.” It is the most comprehensive. Model Two might be considered by those churches which find Model One too comprehensive for the early stages of their program; but if your church starts with Model Two, you are urged to upgrade as soon as possible to a more comprehensive model.