Year-End Giving Resources
December is one of the busiest seasons for church leaders, and it’s easy to put fundraising on the back burner. But the truth is, if you’re not making a year-end-appeal, you’re leaving money on the table. An appeal doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, you could:
send out a letter in the mail this week (template below)
send a reminder email on December 31st (template below)
The letter and email that you send could be addressed from your pastor, church finance chair, lay leader, or anyone else with influence. If you haven’t made a plan already, you can order brochures from your local print shop and modify these templates right away. Put them on your church calendar and make sure there’s a plan for who will send them out. Then, let your year-end appeal run on autopilot while you focus on the coming of the Christ child.
EARLY DEC. LETTER TEMPLATE
Dear [name],
I am writing to encourage you to remember [church name] in your year-end financial planning.
You’re probably getting funding appeals from dozens of organizations this month. Many are worthy causes. But our church is more than a cause; it’s a community. Your gifts make it possible for us to be the body of Christ in [town].
[Optional: add a paragraph about some things the church is doing that you’re most excited about]
Giving at the end of the year can confer great tax benefits, especially if you’re able to give pre-tax dollars from appreciated stock, property, or retirement assets. If you’ve got questions about these types of gifts, contact the church office, or call the Foundation at 1-800-488-4179.
Thank you for including our church among the charities that you choose to support at the end of the year.
[your favorite signoff],
[name]
DEC. 31 EMAIL TEMPLATE
Dear [name],
Today is the last day to make charitable contributions for 2019. If you’ve already made a year-end gift to our church, THANK YOU! Your generosity allows us to [insert a list of awesome work your church is doing].
If you’ve been on the fence, or you intend to make a year-end gift but haven’t done it yet, please make a little time to do this today. You can give on our website at [link], or you can write and mail a check (as long as it’s dated today, we’ll include it in your 2019 giving statement). You can also make gifts of stock or retirement assets by calling your account’s custodian and directing them to make a transfer directly to the church. This is a good strategy if you plan to take the standard deduction on your taxes for 2019.
Thank you for helping our faith community end the year well!
[your favorite signoff],
[name]