HOW AND WHY DO PEOPLE GIVE?

 

HOW AND WHY DO PEOPLE GIVE?

 

I recently took a webinar that suggested that each of us should start a generosity journal. I have to admit, journaling is not my “thing.” For me, it’s just one more thing that I feel guilty about not doing. When I’ve journaled in the past, it’s been for a short-term specific reason. It may have been helpful, but long-term journaling doesn’t work for me. You will not find a box of diaries for the last 50 years in a box under my bed. It’s just not going to happen!

 

But the questions to consider when doing the generosity journal did intrigue me. There are multiple questions to consider, but some of them are:

·            What does being generous mean to me?

·            When I think of someone who’s generous, who do I think of?

·            Who taught me how to be generous?

·            How do I feel about money?

·            What is my earliest memory of money?

·            Do I remember feeling poor or stressed about money when I was younger?

·            Do I feel like I have enough today that will allow me to be generous?

Generosity is one of the most important parts of being a disciple, of being a good steward of the gifts that God has entrusted to us. It’s as important as worship and service.

So, what happens when we feel that we are generous, that the persons that are part of our congregation are generous? How do we approach them to ask them to grow in their faith journey by becoming more generous? Do we approach everyone the same?

No, I don’t think we do. I’ve worked on enough stewardship campaigns, also known as the fall financial campaign(!) to know that it’s easy to send the same letter to everyone. Everyone hears the same sermon series, and everyone is asked to consider increasing their current level of giving. Not bad on the face of it.

But not everyone gives the same way. Some are further along on their faith journey so that generosity is already part of their being; some have never been taught how to give to the church at all; some are no longer working and have retired; some have just graduated with large student loan debt; some are members of two income families; some have kids in college. Every one of these scenarios is different, and each one of these scenarios will mean that a different response to an “ask”. There are other reasons why people would react differently to the same request. Some are very generalized and some have been borne out by research.

Demographics is one way that trends for giving are different. One research report that I came across broke down giving this way:

·            Ages 24 -34 are The Card Crowd. These churchgoers want to use cards and electronic payment tools—for giving, for paying for books, for fundraisers

·            Ages 35 – 44 are The Core: The Most Frequent Attendees. These are the folks that are regulars at church, on Sundays and throughout the week. They like electronic giving as well

·            Ages 45-54 are The Committed: The Credit & Debit Donors. They are very comfortable using credit and debt cards for all kinds of purchases online.

·            Ages 55-65 are The Established: The 10% Tithers. These are the folks that are more likely to tithe than any other demographic. They are also becoming more interested in electronic giving tools

·           Ages 66-72 are The Sustainers: The eGiving Explorers. Their reputation is for more traditional giving methods, but many are willing to learn.

Of course, this research was to assist churches in determining how to approach electronic giving with folks.

Well, I hate to break it to you; whether we really like it or not, online giving is important and is probably here to stay. If your church hasn’t considered online giving before, you absolutely have to consider it now.

There are fewer folks in our pews than prior to the building closures that started in March. We’re not passing offering plates any more, and giving is different for everyone! It’s different because we’re different as people, but it’s different because everything is different!

There are multiple online giving platforms. If you don’t have one, start researching. Don’t wait any longer. Whatever you choose needs to be simple for someone to navigate, give you good reports, and respond with thanks to a donation. The Upper New York Conference website has an article with a list of various online platforms to consider.

Each of us gives differently and each of us gives for different reasons. Don’t lump everyone one together and assume that everyone will respond the same!