Are We Too Worried About the Church Giving Summer Slump?

It’s an accepted fact that church giving tends to decline during the summer months. However, our Givelify data collected from 2+ million transactions shows that despite this widely-held belief, it isn’t necessarily the case.

When kids are out of school, families take vacations or even just weekend trips. Some regions of the country—the Southwest for instance—are subject to the effects of “Snowbirding,” in which case many older residents only live in the area for half the year.

The post “5 Tips to Increase Giving This Summer” over on Church Law & Tax lays out some practical ideas for helping churches get through the typically lean church giving summer months. The number one suggestion is to set up online giving so people can make their donations anytime.

I would emphasize mobile giving for maximum results. People don’t have to be tied to their computers in order to donate, and they can give when the inspiration strikes.

A look at two years of our own data from people making donations via the Givelify mobile giving app shows a minimal difference in average donations during summer versus other time periods. Even compared to end-of-year averages of around $90 per donation, the months of June, July, and August saw averages of around $80.

This means that enabling mobile church giving is proven to stave off the dreaded summer slump.

Mobile giving itself won’t solve all your budget problems. There are other simple steps you can take to help ensure your church sees these same results. Teaching people how to give, keeping a practical budget, and thanking your members for their gifts all go a long way.

Most importantly, engaging your donors by telling impact stories will remind them exactly how their gifts help, especially in your local community.

Highlight unmet needs. If your church is doing a building project or sponsoring a missionary, you may want to highlight these specific, unmet needs to your congregation in creative ways. You could put an insert in the bulletin, send out information by snail mail, or have a fundraising event at your church, but however you decide to get the word out, it’s important to let your congregation know about specific needs they can help meet.

You can check out the rest of the post at Church Law and Tax.