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IntroductionMany of today’s church leaders face significant challenges when it comes to funding ministry. Attitudes

around giving have changed. Tithing is no longer the norm. There are other nonprofit organizations and

ministries competing for the attention and resources of our church members. We wrestle with the fact that

there is always more ministry to be done, but are handicapped by our lack of ability to fund it.

Many of these challenges have forced church leaders to ask…

“How often should we talk about money if we want to increase giving?”

“What can I do to encourage the next generation to embrace the idea of habitual giving?”

“How can we leverage the information and tools available to find new ways to solve these challenges?

In essence, all of these questions boil down to…

“Isn’t there an easier way to fund ministry?”

The short answer is: Yes.

Technology provides church leaders with the ability to overcome every single one of these challenges. You

have access to more information and insights into your church members to help inspire generosity than

ever before. All you need is to know how to use it. We call this intelligent church giving.

In this resource, we want to unpack some of the most critical questions when it comes to leveraging the

data and technology to overcome today’s financial challenges and set your church on a path toward creat-

ing a culture of generosity for funding future ministry.

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1What information and tools are available to help us overcome the

challenges we face when it comes to church giving?

Here are three terms every church leader should know:

» Business Intelligence — In essence, business intelligence is about leveraging actionable data to drive

your strategy for funding ministry, measure effectiveness, and improve your efforts for accelerating

generosity. It’s more than collecting data and reporting information; it’s turning data into something

you can use.

» Marketing Automation — Technology provides a scalable way for you to create a systematic process

for cultivating generosity. Technology tools like email marketing automation, recurring gifts through

online giving, financial leader productivity tools, and real-time data are also an important part of

cultivating generosity.

» Productivity Tools — Technology-enabled productivity tools provide you with the ability to organize

information and automate reports so you can see what’s happening on a macro-level and micro-

level in various areas of ministry, including giving.

2Why is business intelligence important for ministry?

While business intelligence sounds like a big scary word, it’s very simple. More than likely, you’re already

gathering data about your church members (previous giving history, attendance/involvement, interests,

etc.). However, data alone isn’t meaningful unless you can do something with it.

For example — there’s typically a correlation between a person’s involvement in your church and how

likely they are to give. When you take the time to notice a church member who is extremely engaged in

ministry, it allows you to approach them and discuss ways for them to support it financially as well. At the

same time, if you’ve noticed that a church member who tithes consistently suddenly stops giving, it might

be an indication of a deeper issue or personal challenge.

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3How can our leadership team leverage data to make smarter,

more informed giving decisions?

Intelligent church giving makes data actionable and helps you make data-driven strategies rather than

simply relying on your gut. For example, your church might be considering a capital campaign for a new

facility. By taking the time to analyze your data, you might find that you can overcome the challenges

you’re facing by adding another service, rather than going into debt to build a new facility.

4What are some ways marketing automation can make

a tangible impact in cultivating generosity?

Integrating data and technology into your strategy enables you to create a systematic process for cultivat-

ing generosity that isn’t dependent on manual processes or human interactions. It can help church mem-

bers grow in the area of generosity through personalized communication and contextualized “asks.” In

essence, this is true discipleship.

This allows you to spend less time in spreadsheets and manual communication tools and more time doing

ministry. It also allows you to promote ministry growth through strategic communication and guide each

individual church member towards deeper levels of commitment.

5Doesn’t leveraging data and technology to cultivate generosity take

away from some of the discipleship aspect?

Most church leaders agree generosity is a sign of spiritual maturity and is a unique and personal process

for each individual in your church. However, many times there’s a disconnect between the way discipleship

works and our strategy for growing members in their giving. Rather than engaging church members on an

individual level, we rely exclusively on a blanketed approach.

Technology allows you to engage church members through personalized communication with contextual-

ized “asks.” It also gives you the ability to reach the different segments within your congregation to help

them grow in the area of generosity. This represents the true process of growing disciples.

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6What are some of the most important elements when it comes to

leveraging data and technology to increase generosity?

There are three key elements church leaders need to consider:

» Optimization — You have access to so much information and data on your church members. But are

you using it to make data-driven decisions that validate or challenge your assumptions? Taking the

time to optimize your data is the key to working smarter, rather than harder, when it comes to solv-

ing the challenges you face in ministry.

» Integration — Many churches collect and organize information in silos. Taking the time to connect

the dots between giving data and observational insights that track the interests and involvement of

your church members is key for overcoming your financial challenges. On a macro-level, it gives you

the ability to see patterns and trends happening within your ministry. On a micro-level, it allows you

to create a systematic process for cultivating generosity in the individuals in your church.

» Activation — Data and technology are useless unless you can use them to move people to action.

Marketing automation and productivity tools allow you to develop a systematic process for imple-

menting the things you learn from data to make a tangible impact.

7How can we effectively guide church members towards living

more generously with limited time and resources?

Church leaders are already stretched thin when it comes to the responsibilities of ministry. The idea of tak-

ing time to engage every church member in a conversation about giving and then guiding them individu-

ally in the grace of giving is almost impossible in a church of more than 100 people. This is where technol-

ogy can provide a tremendous amount of support.

Tools like marketing automation and recurring gifts through online giving provide a scalable way for you

to engage church members around conversations about generosity and provide accountability. Segmenta-

tion allows you to strategically communicate with church members based on their specific interests and

involvement-level in your ministry. Personalization allows you engage each church member with contex-

tualized “asks” to help them grow individually in the area of generosity.

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8How do we know who to talk to about giving and how to talk to them

without the conversations feeling impersonal or cold?

This comes down to knowing your church members. Giving data (annual giving history, total contributions,

etc.) is a common way church leaders identify who to talk to about giving, but there are other valuable

sources you can use as well.

Going beyond giving capacity to analyze a church member’s interest and involvement is often the most

valuable source of data. Taking the time to identify the areas of ministry a church member cares most

about helps you contextualize the conversation and provides an opportunity for them to invest in that

particular effort.

9How do we integrate all the information we have to lead

people to give sacrificially?

Taking the time to connect the dots between giving data and observational insights that track the interests

and involvement of your church members is key for overcoming your financial challenges. Iit gives you the

ability to see patterns and trends happening within your ministry at a high level, and also allows you to

create a systematic process for cultivating generosity in the individuals in your church.

What business intelligence and marketing automation do is systematize that process so that you don’t

have to figure it out as you go.

10Is it possible to leverage church giving data to measure

and improve our discipleship strategy?

Yes. That’s where intuition and information come together. If generosity and involvement are indicators of

the heart, then in some ways it is possible for church leaders to measure discipleship. For example — mak-

ing a gift for the first time is a serious sign of commitment for many church members. This is a great measure

your church’s strategy for encouraging church members who aren’t giving to take the first step in generosity.

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11What are some other unique benefits of business intelligence,

marketing automation, and productivity tools for ministry?

Giving is part of the holistic church experience. Our ability to systemize and personalize giving is part of

moving people through the discipleship process. These tools can support that entire process.

For example — if you notice someone hasn’t given and hasn’t been involved in a while, it might be an

indicator they’re facing a financial challenge or deeper issue. As a church leader, you want to know that so

that you can actively minister to them.

12What can we do today to begin implementing the idea of intelligent

church giving to improve our strategy for funding ministry?

Embracing the idea of intelligent church giving starts when church leaders are willing to look within, see

themselves as they really are, and make the necessary adjustments. Taking the time to integrate, optimize,

and evaluate your data holistically is the only way to get a clear picture to solve your ministry’s financial

challenges. One way to do this is through a Stewardship Discovery Assessment.

At the same time, knowing how to inspire church members to give is just half of the equation. You must help

them follow through. RSI’s technology-enabled solutions allow you leverage tools like email marketing auto-

mation, recurring gifts through online giving, financial leader productivity tools, and real-time giving reports

provide a scalable way for church leaders to create a systematic process for cultivating generosity.

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Once you have perspective, the next step is to leverage the tools available to effectively engage church

members and help them each grow individually in the grace of giving. RSI has worked with hundreds of

churches to implement technology tools like automated email marketing in order to develop a systematic

process for increasing generosity.

While every church faces unique challenges, church leaders who are willing to take those steps will posi-

tion themselves and their churches for even more ministry capacity and growth than they have experi-

enced before.

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3. Sign up for our e-newsletter.

4. Call us at 1.800.527.6824.

5. Contact us to discuss your church’s needs.

Next Steps

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