Ideas for gentle reminders

The best way to help your church receive more major gifts and bequests is to give your congregation consistent, gentle reminders. You should aim to remind your members at least once per quarter. Here are nine easy ways to do it:

1. Add a footer to your letterhead that says “Please remember the church in your will.”

2. Provide our brochure with suggested bequest language to your members as a bulletin insert or in a paper mailing.

3. Invite Faith Foundation to teach a planned giving workshop at your church. Call us at (800) 488-4179 or email staff@faith.foundation.

4. Sign up for Faith Foundation’s e-magazine to receive fresh planned giving content every week which you can share in your newsletter, church website, or Facebook page. Better yet, put gentle reminders on autopilot by having us send an e-magazine to your list on a schedule of your choice.

5. Add a planned giving page to your website (or just add a link to Faith Foundation’s planned giving page).

6. Copy and paste planned gift language onto the “donate” page of your church’s website from Faith Foundation’s donate page.

7. When you preach on stewardship, make sure to mention stewardship beyond your lifetime.

8. During your annual stewardship campaign, add a checkbox to your pledge cards that says, “Please contact me about Planned Giving.” (When people check that box, you can always call us for advice before following up with them!)

9. Best of all: Publicly celebrate the difference that bequests have made in your congregation!