At Kindrid, our goal is to come alongside the local church to enable generosity. We want to offer all churches whatever resources we can get our hands on! In this blog post, we wanted to provide church planters with effective tools to help increase awareness and raise money for your church plant. Here they are below:
1) Blog or mail your “story”
This is about keeping people updated and invested in the progress of your church plant. Your story includes the history, people, and spiritual interception that led you to this moment of calling. Your story is inevitably a driving force behind your fundraising efforts.
And blogs are made for stories; mail or email can do the trick as well, though a blog is perhaps less intrusive. Either way, tell your story, past and present. And I do mean a story, including all the elements that make a good story: goals, conflicts, disasters, reactions, redemption, and heroes.
If you’ve never started a blog before, here’s a great resource for setting one up on Wordpress. Squarespace is also a great place to build your blog.
We also recommend MailChimp for sending mass emails. It’s free for up to 2,000 subscribers, and it’s way quicker than “BCC”ing everyone from your personal email account.
2) Host events for your givers
It’s imperative to show your thankfulness to the people who believe in your plan. It’s also important to keep them intimately informed.
Hosting an event like this should bring you three important results:
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You establish a culture of immense gratitude for your church body right from the start.
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You continue to share your vision and invite them to be a part of the planning.
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You have fun, laugh, and strengthen your relationships, which are the knots that will hold your church together.
Be sure to tell them where their money is going. Be as specific as possible; take away the mystique of what they’re giving to, and give them a clear picture.
3) Start a podcast
A podcast certainly requires effort and consistency, but it can produce results that other avenues can’t. A podcast sets up a pastor for long term success.
Listeners can hear how you speak, how you formulates your thoughts, how your heart translates to your voice. You may even bring in musicians for a segment of worship, and suddenly you have church “before church.”
Here’s a great how-to guide for getting a podcast started.
4) Use a logo to symbolize your vision
Good logos catch fast. If you’re able to develop one that effectively symbolizes the vision for your plant, push that image. Those you invite to give will see that logo on emails, websites, even bumper stickers if you like. And you can circulate its story through a number of avenues: blogs, podcasts, newsletters.
This can work as a fundraiser in the way it encourages your supporters to act as “recruiters.” Imagery opens a door for backstories, and it makes it easier for your inner circle to translate your vision to those they meet who might be interested in helping you reach it.
99 Designs is great for logo creation, and it’s usually much cheaper than hiring a freelance graphic designer. Here’s how it works:
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Share your vision for the logo
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Hundreds of designers create something they think you’ll love
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Choose your favorite design from all the options submitted
5) Hold a community event
It could be a 5k, a bake sale, a game fair, or a stellar concert, if you have the personnel to put it on. It’s as simple as charging a cover price that will go towards the church, and you’ll have a fantastic opportunity to meet your neighbors and share your heart.
Eventbrite allows you to sell tickets to your event online. It’s really easy to set up, and it will save you the headache of keeping track of physical tickets.
May God bless you through every up, down, and crosswind he takes you. Have any stories to share about successes or failures in fundraising? Let us know!
