The last 31 days of the year are usually prime time for generosity. In fact, 30% of charitable giving is done in December. Individuals and business owners are looking for ways to use their discretionary resources. Don’t assume the people at your church are aware of how their giving could make a difference, especially if you are in the middle of a project or facing a year-end or a need in the new year. If you invite giving, the worst that can happen is a no. But imagine the best outcomes of asking.
A year-end email sent between November 27-30 provides an opportunity to celebrate ministry highlights from the last year, the acts of compassion you have planned for the first six months of the next year, and to ask for giving.
6 Effective Elements
Personalize It
Make sure that the greeting in the email does not say “Dear Donor” or “Hey Friends.” Use your email service to insert people’s names. Or manually insert them.
Remind & Recall
Point out to your people three highlights from the last year of ministry. Talk about things that apply to a wide variety of people.
Thank Them
Your people have fueled the mission all year long. You can’t “over-thank” people. Be as effusive as you possibly can be.
Make the Ask
Don’t miss this opportunity. Be clear and compelling. Don’t shy away from letting them know that you need financial resources.
Link to Online Giving
Give people a way to contribute right away—link to your online giving platform. Make sure your online giving platform is mobile-friendly because a large percentage of these emails will be read on smartphones.
Don’t Waste the P.S.
Studies have shown that if people don’t read anything else in your email, they will read the P.S. Make sure the P.S. is call-to-action oriented. In the example below, we used it to remind people of the tax-deductible benefits of giving soon and reminded them they could also mail in a check.
Sample Email Content
Below is a sample template to get you started.
SUBJECT: As we close out the year …
Bill & Sue,
As this year winds up, I simply wanted to send you a quick email to remind you of three things that happened at our church this year. These are directly related to the investment our people have made in the mission, so you’ve got a big part in this.
The student ministry continues to grow on ___________ night. This fall, we had more kids out for these events than we’ve had in a long time. It’s exciting to see so many young people connecting with the message of Jesus!
Our Easter services made a real impact. After this year’s services, I received several phone calls, texts and emails from people telling me about the huge difference it made in their lives. I’m thankful that God is using our ministry to impact all kinds of people!
Remember in the summertime when we hosted the community at our Day Camp? I am extremely proud that we’re the sort of church that looks beyond ourselves to spread love far past the four walls of our church!
Thank you. Thank you for being a part of what God is doing through our church. Your giving to our ministry this year has made all the difference!
As we come into these last few hours of the year, would you be willing to make a special gift to the mission of our church? We rely on faithful giving from people like you, and your gift today would help us start 2024 off strong.
[Click here to give online now.]
Thank you for your generosity. It really means a lot to us.
The best is yet to come!
Pastor _________________
P.S. All gifts given to our church, whether given online or dropped in the mail before the end of December 31st, are 100% tax-deductible.
3 Ways to “Spice Up” a Year-End Giving Email to Your Church
Use Photos
Rather than just listing three things that happened at your church, show three photos from the past year. The majority of your people are visual learners, and the “recall” will be much stronger with compelling images.
Use Video
Shoot a quick smartphone video that’s fun and engaging, and send it out to people. Make it personal, fun and to the point.
Use Audio
Record a quick one-minute MP3 and attach it to the email. Since a large portion of recipients will be viewing these emails on the phone, audio is a clear way to get more information and emotion into an email like this.
Thank you to Rich Birch at UnSeminary for permission to use this content.
Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. Bob is also an Advance Coach with the ABNWT Resource Centre. You can connect with Bob here.