Volunteering Increases Giving in Churches

[ColinOfChurch-Development]

Since I help churches raise capital without offending people for a living, I like to tithe off what God has given me, including knowledge.

With that in mind, I wanted to give away some basic info on how you can increase giving in your church (again, without offending people with guilt-ridden hard-sell tactics). While there's a fair bit more to it than this, I want to at least point y'all in the right direction. Here's a blog we posted up not too far back on how volunteering and giving are tied:

Increasing Generosity: Engaging Your Congregation as Volunteers

Church Development explores the techniques that increase financial giving in the church. In today’s blog, we take a look at the correlation between volunteering and generosity.

If I told you I’m a football fanatic, you would expect to see certain things show up in my life: Season tickets, a decent NFL cable package, and maybe a jersey or fifty. But if I spent zero time watching football and zero resources pursuing that end, most of you would come to the conclusion that maybe I’m not quite the football fan I think I am. This is because of a simple truth that what we care about will show up in how we spend our time and money. Bluntly put, you show me your bank statement and your schedule and I’ll tell you what you’re passionate about.

With this in mind, the key for churches looking for increased giving is to get their congregations to engage the ministries they love (or will love). When people have a heart tie for what Jesus is doing in their lives, financial giving is a natural consequence.

1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (NIV)

Although this is a section about spiritual gifts, stewardship is mentioned here in reference to managing God’s grace. The point is that stewardship isn’t fundraising; it’s a way of life. I know, it’s tempting to roll your eyes at that last statement, as discussing money has a way of dropping the anchor from any conversation, but the point is that God wants every part of you engaged in loving Him and your neighbor. I think Jesus might have covered this in His two greatest commandments bit.

Back to the 1 Peter 4:10 passage: “whatever gift you have received” means that everyone has at least one spiritual gift. Then, as “faithful stewards” (I’ll loosely define stewardship as wisely using what God has given you), we implement what God gives us in “various forms.” As mentioned at the start, these various forms will show up in how we spend our time and money. This isn’t some forceful requirement; it’s a natural consequence of finding your passion.

Still not convinced? Let’s look at the numbers: A 2009 Fidelity study found that the average annual giving from non-volunteers to nonprofits was $230. The average annual amount donated from volunteers? $2,593.

That’s right: Volunteers donate over 11 times more to nonprofits than non-volunteers. And yes, they’re usually donating where they volunteer.

So if you want to see your congregation give more financially, give them volunteer outlets to pursue in the church. Apparently this turns them into the kinds of cheerful givers God seems to enjoy so much. Oh, and there’s that wonderfully encouraging part where you get to see lives changed for and by God’s Kingdom. That’s not half-bad either.