2009 Year End Giving Statements - What to Include?

Each year about this time I start getting emails from churches about sending their year-end giving statements, so I thought I’d share a few thoughts today.

While most churches send year-end giving statements, many of them miss out on a great chance to share information, celebrate & remind people of all that God is doing and cast vision for the year to come.

With that in mind, I think it’s important to consider what you will include with those statements.

Here’s what I like to send (at a minimum):

Giving Statement
Giving Letter (see below)
Postcard about Our Upcoming Message Series
Auto-Debit Form
Giving Envelope

I’m also a fan of putting all of this in an envelope that will get attention (maybe a colored envelope, an “Important Tax Documents Enclosed” message printed on the outside, or even something “lumpy” enclosed). After all, what good is it to mail something that never gets opened?

And just to help you out with the format and what you might want to include in your giving letter, here’s a draft of the letter I’ll be sending out to our folks:

2009 YEAR END GIVING LETTER

P.S. For more information on how to maximize your church’s Stewardship System, check out The Stewardship Intensive.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.