Giving

1
Giving Finances in an Effective Church

• Source Kennon Callahan conference, Giving and
  Finances in an Effective Church, September 7,
  2001
• Chandler_at_vbmb.org

2
A metaphor

• There are different types of givers
• Find sprinters to help with immediate,
  short-term objectives
• Find marathoners to work on routine, regular,
  year-round objectives

3
Multiple Income Streams

• Wise churches not only plan for annual
  (marathon) giving, but also for sprinter-type
  giving
• 1. Spontaneous giving
• 2. Enduring
• 3. Special planned
• Denominational
• 4. Major project
• 5. Major community Sundays
• Easter, Christmas, plus 5-8 more

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What it looks like in a church budget

• Total giving potential 150,000
• Spontaneous 15,000
• Major Sundays 10,000
• Planned 5,000
• Community-wide events 5000
• Major projects 55,000
• Annual givers 60,000
• Only annual are marathon ways of giving
• If a church will add sprinter ways, they can
  add resources

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1. Spontaneous Giving

• Can take 3-5 items in current years budget and
  do them as spontaneous giving items in the
  following year
• If a church doesnt have a plan for impulse
  giving, other entities will get the 3 impulse
  gifts per year that people will give
• Causes have immediately perceived integrity and
  value in helping people
• The one who requests has the trust and respect of
  the congregation

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Appropriate Subjects for Spontaneous Giving

• Childrens causes
• Youth to camp
• For the poor
• Sudden disaster
• Special cause or opportunity
• Impulse buy (not on list)

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2. Enduring Gifts

• People give to people
• We give to specific projects that help people
  directly
• The people pictures we create determine the
  level of effectiveness
• People want some of their giving to endure
• And if we dont ask for them for these gifts in
  the church, people give their enduring gifts
  theyre going to give to libraries, causes, Red
  Cross

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Characteristics of Enduring Gifts

• People give enduring gifts with their fluid and
  fixed assets
• People give to an annual budget/ mission out of
  their income
• They come out of different pockets.
• Enduring gifts dont compete with regular annual
  giving!

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Enduring Characteristics (cont.)

• 60 of enduring gifts are given on this side of
  the river
• We have to focus on more than the persons will
• principle stays intact, interest advances our
  mission
• Show 5-8 projects that have broad appeal for
  congregation and community, with /date goals
• Put most appealing one first, second most
  appealing one last in list

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3. Special Planned Offerings

• Information given ahead of time
• Have an institutional feel
• denominational
• Specific Sunday
• Repeated on annual basis
• Dont have same appeal as spontaneous giving
• Can do 2-4 a year

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4. Major Project Giving

• People grow in their capacity to give in quantum
  leaps, not incrementally or stair-step
• Potential Candidates for these gifts
• Person served by churchs mission
• Constituents
• Members
• Friends elsewhere
• Community persons

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Characteristics of Major Project Giving

• Specific, concrete, and time-bound
• Can be capital improvements, new building, debt
  retirement, mission or staffing project beyond
  annual budget
• Formula
• Annual giving (ie. 100,000)
• Find 60 (60,000)
• Multiply by 3 years (180,000)

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5. Annual Giving

• A mission budget is built on investments, not
  costs
• Not, How much does it cost to pay the light
  bill?
• But, How much do we invest to transform human
  lives
• Typically covers maintenance, denominational
  giving, cost-basis salaries

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An annual budget

• 1. Helps people discover the generosity of Gods
  grace in their lives
• 2. Shows the people were helping this year
• 3. Shows the leaders who are helping these people

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Therefore

• Wise leaders understand that different people
  give differently
• And, enable different types of givers to give
• So that they dont give it elsewhere by default
• By creating multiple income streams for giving to
  the church

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Giving Finances in an Effective Church

• Dr. John P. Chandler
• Courageous Churches
• Virginia Baptist Mission Board
• John.chandler_at_vbmb.org
• Copy Right John P. Chandler, 2001