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September 28, 2009
Special Offerings vs. Regular Offerings
Recently found myself in the middle of a conversation about the impact special offerings have on regular giving. The church is not a stranger to special offerings. For those not familiar with the term, a special offering is when an offering is designated for a special cause or event.
Churches take special offerings for many reasons. Some of the most common are evangelists and guest music leaders, big purchases such as purchasing a church bus or steeple, or even a special mission offering designed to fund a unique community initiative.
The conversation I stumbled upon involved two people who believed exactly the opposite. (Ever happen to you?) One said that special offerings negatively affect regular giving while the other contended just they did not.
Now, we could spend time reviewing statistics from general philanthropic research, but I want to draw attention to some common sense principles to keep in mind when considering special offerings in your church:
1. More options are confusing. Many people believe that more options lead to a great potential for satisfaction. The reality is the we are overwhelmed by multiple options. Making a choice between several "good" decisions leads to anxiety and then remorse, fearing we have not chosen the "best" option. (Barry Schwartz discusses this in his book, The Paradox of Choice.) Giving should be a positive experience.
2. Risk revealing a lack of planning in the budget. Capital improvements, large purchases such as buses and steeples, and mission trips or projects should be thought about in advance. Building your operational budget is your time to work through what those planned expenses will be for the coming year. It's important (and fiscally responsible) to make room for those allocations (including the unexpected) in advance. Taking time to plan on the front end will avoid much of the need for "emergency" special offerings throughout the year. (Good planning leads to confidence and trust in church leadership, too.)
3. Consider the community fund approach. Consolidate all your "smaller" special offerings into one large fund that your allow your membership to give to throughout the year. Be sure to explain what the goals and objectives are as well as how the money will be used. This provides a platform to create a habit of consistent, faithful giving over and above regular tithes and offerings while at the same time offering flexibility to fund specific initiatives defined at the beginning of each fiscal year. In short, it keeps things simple. (Be sure to protect the integrity of this fund and not say it will be used for one thing and then use the money in an completely different way.)
Remember, no one "rule" or practice fits every congregation. A church leader should know his membership and the practice of giving within the church well enough to provide a contextualized plan for funding whatever ministry God has called his church to accomplish.
Posted by bstroup at September 28, 2009 7:32 AM
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