Church Financing Help.

[John84]

I need a suggestion about how can we increase our church financial condition? Can anybody suggest me?
Thanks.

 

[kirby]

Like any other organization, to improve financial condition increase revenues and decrease expenses.
On the increase revenues side, for example, seek to actively attract new members.
On the decrease expense side, you'll need to critically review all expenses and see where cuts can be made.

 

[STBarett]

I'd recommend a silent auction. Those can raise more money than you might think. You have everyone in the congregation donate things and then invite the community to come bid for it.

 

[Steve-LevelUp]

This is a very good question. Silent auctions are one way, galas and other community events can also help fundraise. You can also consider changing how your congregation contributes to the church. You can consider allowing recurring credit card payments (they get points and you get cash) or other fundraising tools.

You can consider www.firstgiving.com as a simple option. www.biddingforgood.com is a great online auction system if you wanted to expand an online bidding mechanism to raise money.

You can also look try calling www.frontstream.com and ask about FastTransact (it's not on the website, but still an available product, to expand credit card giving)

As STBaret said, any way to increase revenues and decrease costs is the way to go.

 

[STBarett]

You can also have people "sponsor" tables where one table might fit 8 - 10 people.

 

[John Baker]

I know this is very old, but I had to respond.
Many years ago, I volunteered, well.. a certain somebody volunteered for me, to help a small church just north of a coal mining community in Penn. It was two months before Christmas and small room that I was working in was heated by a potbelly stove and, of course, coal.
One of the kids came in with a bucket and put it next to the stove, and in the process was reminded to wipe his feet before coming inside. The lady doing the reminding said that Santa would bring him a chunk of coal for Christmas.
I had a relative that was down right cheap, and not a fun guy. So, I took a chunk and put it in a box, all wrapped up in Christmas paper, and sent it to him. When I got back to my office I got a call waiting - not a happy camper. Word spread around the office and I got swamped with -" Bring me some." And not only within our firm, but soon, all nine floors of the building that we were in.
I went back to the little community and told them of an idea to raise money. They became the naughty-or-nice capital on the East Coast. You probably have seen their adds in small paperbacks, specialty gift and novelty magazines.
So, come up with something catchy, sell it, and who knows ...

 

[John Baker]

How about selling bumper stickers. I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said:
BEEN TO CHURCH LATELY? SO WHERE DO YOU WANT TO SIT FOR ETERNITY
SMOKING OR NON-SMOKING?

 

[pos325]

Donations are the best, there are lots of people who want to help their church. Charity events where they can donate.

 

[Rainbowashu]

How about a small shop or gift shop within the church or on Saturdays or Certain Days in the parking lot? It can be manned by volunteers. There's lots of ideas out there. Mother's and Father's Day you could try selling or hosting family events for parents. Opening a church day care to help working parents at the church and charge by the hour? Movie nights or family nights events and sell tickets for the events. You can try to encourage tutoring or have a homework center to help students with volunteers who have time for a small amount hourly or a low hourly rate. There's Easter Events also, hosting Eggs Hunts for family or Puppet Shows for a price. Caroling for certain amounts of money. Lots of ideas out there. Walk-a-thons and other fundraising ideas like selling chocolate, candies, clothing, etc...

 

[Rainbowashu]

There's also Church Vegetable Gardening and selling the produce and making proceeds from the sales.

 

[Rainbowashu]

There's also Bake Sales and Car Washes. Lots of ideas.

 

[Rainbowashu]

I'd recommend a silent auction. Those can raise more money than you might think. You have everyone in the congregation donate things and then invite the community to come bid for it.

That's cool

 

[John Baker]

My neighbor once suggested a tag sale, flea market or whatever it's called to her parish church. So in this large parking lot behind the church, there was this huge array of tables and all kinds of stuff. All the proceeds were to benefit the upkeep and maintenance of the church.
Her husband, a good natured guy, packed up their SUV, plus a trailer, and hauled everything over to the parking lot.
I'm on my front porch watching the world go by, when their SUV and trailer , full of stuff, comes back.
It was a couple of weeks later when I saw the guy walking his dog, so I asked him about the load he carried back.
"Did the stuff you brought over, move at all?"
He looked at me with a discussed looked and told me that all of their junk was sold off, only to find his wife buying somebody else's junk that he had to pack up and bring home. He told me that the parish church made out pretty good, but he has no idea where all this new junk is going to go.
Moral - guys, let's be careful out there.

 

[Asha Kanta Sharma]

Having a great website set up and promoting the social activities and spreading awareness of the same with different communities in the internet can also be of great help to increase the donations from online.