THE VIBRANT PARISH NEWSLETTER

The High Value of Completely Free

When Sally Kutney, the accountant from Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lenexa, Kansas first heard of the WeShare Engagement Campaign (WEC), she admits to being intrigued, but cautious because of the “free” aspect of it. Because really, why would a church communication company offer such an elaborate service for free? The answer to that is pretty simple actually: it’s the right thing to do.

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How to Start an Online Giving Email Program for Your Parish

Whether you have been actively encouraging financial stewardship for years in your parish, or it’s a passive annual task, encouraging your parishioners to become regular donors is essential to the health and wellbeing of your church. An easy way to get started on creating a giving program for your parish is to automate it with an email program to increase your online giving presence.

From audience considerations, targeted messaging, and email platforms that might work for you, check out some easy-to-implement ways to work an essential email campaign into your list of tasks.

Consider Your Audience

Are you aware that you have two sets of audiences to consider when starting an online giving email program? Donors and non-donors. So, you’ll want to keep these two “personas” in mind when creating content for them. An example to consider:

Regular Donor Rachel: Gives regularly to your church at least a few times a month using a parish envelope or online. You have all her donor information kept on file, meaning that you can provide her with an end-of-year giving statement for tax time.

Non-Donor Nick: A consistent Mass attendee who either doesn’t give at all or gives sometimes during the offertory with cash when he has some. You don’t have a way to track his giving pattern because of his sporadic generosity. Although he’s attended your parish for years, he has yet to become an official member.

Now that you know who your audience is, you’ll want to curate your messaging towards them in a way that will compel them to give.

Solidify Your Call to Action

Obviously, the end goal for your giving campaign should be that parishioners become consistent givers to your parish using your online giving platform. However, with two different audiences, this end goal will need to change slightly for each group. While it may appear unnecessary, you definitely don’t want to exclude regular donors from your campaign!

It’s no secret that members need to be reminded multiple times about the importance of continuing their contributions, also tell them how their giving makes a difference in the parish. In addition to an update of what your parish is doing (both inside the building and outside in the community), you’ll also want to include a call to action for them to look at their current giving, and whether that should be adjusted. Can they afford to give 10% more? Or sign up for recurring online giving to automate the process? It’s well-known that for the most part, our members are not hesitant to give — they just need to be reminded as to how and why.

Put it into Action

You have your audience and you have your messaging. The only thing left to do (right now!) is to put it all into action. Check out two types of messaging that can be used for email, or as a bulletin or pulpit announcement if an email address is not available. If your parish has yet to implement a broadcast email platform, check out our blog: “Why Your Parish Needs an Email Marketing Platform.”

Email to Non-Donor Nick

Dear Nick,

Thank you so much for attending Mass at St. Andrew Parish. Your presence each weekend is an incredible testimony to the strong faith of our community and how much we can accomplish in the name of Jesus Christ.

We’d love to have you join our faith community as a member. When you become an official parishioner, it not only allows us to mutually turn to each other for support and guidance — it also makes the process so much easier when the time comes for infant baptism, religious education, weddings or funerals.

Simply visit our website to sign up in less than five minutes or connect with an usher after Mass for a printed form. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for online giving, which gives you the ability to give to our parish whether you’re in the pews or not. It’s fast, easy, and convenient, and makes a world of difference to all that we are able to accomplish in the community we serve. Thank you for considering!

In His Name,

Fr. Daniel

Regular Donor Rachel

Dear Rachel,

I would like to take a minute to personally thank you for your consistent commitment to our parish. Your presence here is a testimony to the strong faith of our community and how much we can accomplish in the name of Jesus Christ. We are strong because of you!

This year, we have made the decision to make giving automatic by offering our parishioners a recurring online giving option. This not only helps us project what to expect for our budget for the year — it also allows you to give whether you are in the pews or not. Please consider making your next donation (and beyond!) through our online giving platform. Click here to sign up in minutes!

In Christ,

Fr. Daniel

No matter where you are with your giving initiatives, there are always ways to keep the momentum going. When you devote creativity, resources, and time to stabilizing your financial bottom line, so many people receive the fruits of your labor.

Finding ways for parishioners to give is a huge yet important task. If your staff is already stretched thin, know that LPi is here to help with the WeShare Engagement Campaign, FREE for WeShare customers. Sign up today!

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Technology Tools to Collaborate Effectively with Parish Staff

“Why was this collection moved to next month?”

“I didn’t realize that Sally had vacation this week. Why didn’t someone let me know?”

“Why was my article for next Sunday’s bulletin replaced?”

Miscommunication and last-minute determinations made without all decision-makers present are nothing new when it comes to parish life. No matter the size of your staff, sometimes it just happens that “the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.” However, technology these days is helping close the gap when it comes to silos in the workplace. Here are some ideas to consider as you strive to put an end to miscommunication in the office.

When Outsiders Aren’t Really Outsiders

Silo mentality is becoming more prominent these days, especially with so many of us working from home. Simply put, it’s an isolated mindset in which people or groups of teams within a workplace see others as “outsiders.” And naturally, outsiders don’t need to be privy to certain information. However, working in the church means that for it to truly work, you need to collaborate.

For most parishes, we see silo mentality most often when it comes to the bulletin. Father will ask why an event or collection wasn’t added to the bulletin. Most often, it’s because someone failed to let the bulletin editor know about it. This becomes a missed opportunity to let the congregation know just how the church is contributing to the community.

Technological Tools to Bring Teams Together

One way to get people involved with what one another is doing is to take advantage of some group messaging platforms that allow for everyone to be involved, without sending an email each time.

Trello

More than a way to showcase your work, Trello is a way that helps groups find ways to work together. Start your account using a Trello board, lists, and cards, and then customize and expand with more features as your teamwork grows. Manage projects, organize tasks, and build team spirit — all in one place.

Slack

Unlike email, conversations in Slack are easy to follow. You can make group channels to share information, or direct message one another. According to the website, there are more than conversations — you can make calls, share files, and even connect with other apps.

Microsoft Teams

This platform allows employees to interact and collaborate easily. Stay organized by keeping notes, documents, and your calendar together, and instantly go from group chat to video call with the touch of a button. People from all walks of life use it to better organize themselves, whether that be for work, school, or family. Easily find, share, and edit files in real time using familiar apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel in Microsoft Teams.

Doing Less to Produce More

Many people may see meetings as necessary, while others make the joke that it could have just been an email. But somehow, there must be middle ground … right? Very true. According to the Amazing Parish, however, having quick, “standing” team meetings is a great way to share essential information by eliminating the “chit-chat” that often comes along with it.

Amazing Parish co-founder Pat Lencioni has a great presentation of what a great team meeting looks like, and how to adapt it to make it work for your staff using some simple tips. NOTE: To view this module, you’ll need to register for a FREE account with Amazing Parish.

Module 12: Meetings

A Step-by-Step Checklist

Finally, it’s also helpful to implement a formal process to ensure that all useful information is shared with the people who could benefit from knowing it. Come up with a checklist for your staff, and make sure all steps are consistently taken.

• Is it an upcoming event?
• Will parishioner or community data be collected that could be useful for other ministries?
• Do you have any photos or videos that would be good to share with parishioners?
• Is this an upcoming sale or opportunity that someone on staff could benefit from?
  
  

Collaborating with your staff is a trial-and-error process, so don’t give up if something doesn’t go right. Keep trying to find new ways and efficient processes to keep everyone in the loop. There’s always a solution!

Looking to find the best practice techniques and the latest in technology for data gathering and engagement, online giving, church management, social media, communication, strategy and more? Check out our Parish Technology resources!

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Celebrate the Year of St. Joseph

Invite your parishioners to prepare for and consecrate themselves to the loving embrace and gentle guidance of St. Joseph. We invite you to give your parishioners a tangible keepsake to hold on to with this beautifully designed prayer card. Available in English and Spanish.

Double Online Giving!

Interested in increasing your parishioner contributions, but don’t have the time needed to do it? With the WeShare Engagement Campaign, you have the potential to double donor donations with minimum effort on your part. Download and share your parishioner contact list with us, and we’ll reach out to them on your behalf. It’s that simple!

Looking for More Than “Just a Job”? Look No Further

LPi is dedicated to helping churches, dioceses, non-profits, and their business advertisers succeed with cutting edge communication and engagement solutions. Besides providing a purpose and a paycheck, we offer a comprehensive benefit and compensation package designed to help you balance life and work.