Ministries of all sizes can benefit from organizing generosity campaigns. After all, generosity campaigns are an essential component for increasing giving and enabling your parish’s mission. But, they don’t just happen out of thin air. To ensure success, it takes a lot of hard work and planning – and it’s never too early to get started.
In fact, 38% of faith-based organizations and non-profits begin planning generosity campaigns 2-3 months in advance. While this is plenty of time to refine your giving strategy and see significant results, image if you got a jump even sooner! To maximize giving and further your mission, here are a few reasons why it’s never too early to plan your next generosity campaign.
Generate Buzz Sooner Rather Than Later
Getting the word out about generosity campaigns can be a challenge. But, the earlier you start the planning process, the faster you can generate buzz about it. Don’t wait until the generosity campaign is in full swing to let people know it’s on the calendar, or it could slip right by them. There are a lot of opportunities to share the details of the giving campaign from casual conversions to social media posts to email reminders. And don’t forget to tell people to visit the parish’s website for campaign updates and final results, as well as to see information regarding your next generosity campaign!
Thoughtfully Organize Your Calendar
For some, planning 6 months to a year out seems unnecessary, but by setting aside a just a couple of hours each week, you can truly think through your campaign strategies and keep your calendar organized.
Begin by viewing the year as a whole and clearly mark every annual generosity campaign and special event. Once those are marked, take a moment to get a visual look at how your year is going to flow. This helps you gain a better understanding of where the busy weeks fall, as well as large gaps that can be filled.
Now, you can thoughtfully fill the gaps in your calendar with generosity campaigns and fundraising events rather than throwing them in there last-minute. And if an instance occurs such a natural disaster in your community, an organized calendar gives you the ability to seamlessly incorporate your campaign strategy.
Minimize Uncertainties (and Maximize Giving!)
With any generosity campaign, there are going to be uncertainties. Advanced planning is an excellent remedy to minimize these and anticipate issues before they even occur. It’s much easier to identify areas that need more support and prepare for an unexpected turn of events when you’ve mindfully planned for months, if not a year ahead of time.
Perhaps you’ve decided to incorporate giving kiosks in the parish’s welcome center for the next generosity campaign. If your ministry has never used these before, you can include them a little early. This allows the parish administrator, volunteers and givers to familiarize themselves with giving kiosks and test them out to make the most of them. Then, when you launch the generosity campaign, you and your church family will be confident with the online giving tool, and ready to maximize giving!
Wherever you are in planning your next generosity campaign, ParishSOFT can help! Contact us to learn more about our online giving tools and gain access to our helpful resources. 866-930-4774 x6 or email parishsoftsales@parishsoft.com today!
