Lessons learned by Luaulou

What a Bank Can Teach Your Church About Giving

There is an organization, in Fargo, ND, which is being recognized for creating a culture of generosity and giving. And this organization is not a non-profit or a church. It’s a bank. 

Over the past few days, Michael Solberg, chief operating officer of State Bank and Trust has been fielding requests for interviews from Good Morning America, CNN, the BBC and USA Today. Interviewers want to ask Solberg about the unique bonus the bank gave each of its full and part time employees at their annual Christmas party. 

More than $500,000 was distributed among the full-time employees, who received $1000 each. Part-timers got $500. But, there’s a catch. The bank is asking their people to donate the money to someone else.

 

Solberg’s wife, Charleen, came up with the idea after seeing Oprah Winfrey do something similar with her TV audience. The employees have until June to give the money away and each employee was given a video camera to record their act of generosity. By the way, they also received their normal 4.5% annual bonus, which, along with the camera, they get to keep.

One employee is trying to get others to pool their money and ask local business to match their gifts so that they can build a new home for a child care center which serves low-income families and children with behavior disorders. Another employee gave her $1000 to a young couple who recently lost 3 of the quadruplets they were expecting. The surviving baby is hospitalized and facing surgery.

How great is this? This bank is promoting a culture of giving and generosity and their people are getting it. The videos will be compiled and shown at next year’s Christmas party. In the meantime, the employees of State Bank and Trust will experience the joy of giving. And hundreds of people and agencies will be blessed by their acts of generosity.

 

What can your church do this year to promote a culture of generosity? What would it look like if your church demonstrated the same high level of creativity and intentionality in giving as it did in other parts of the ministry?

__________

Christopher Willard is the director of the Generous Churches Leadership Community

5 Realities of Church Website Design

O.K. Ministry Leaders, especially Senior Pastors.  I believe Cory Miller hits it right on the head when it comes to what is reality and what some ministry leaders think what it takes to have a good website. Notice is said good not great.

Over the last five-plus years of working in the churches, I’ve honed my philosophy of church websites quite a bit. I’m been frustrated often because ministry leaders usually don’t have a concept or idea of what goes into a typical website and the cost of the sites they have dreamed up.

Granted, I like to dream too. But dreaming costs money. And no matter what someone says, web designing is more complex (read: hard) than typical graphic design (i.e. your Sunday bulletin). Meaning, it takes more time, it costs more money, and it’s overall — just harder.

This is why most graphic designers haven’t crossed over. Most graphic designers don’t have to know how to create and tweak code in order to produce beautiful designs. Throw in the fact that web surfers use numerous different browsers, of which all render websites differently, and you can see why it took me so long to do it.

So with all this in mind, here’s a couple of things I’ve come back to often when trying to educate ministry leaders on my philosophy of church websites design and production:

1. Great websites cost money.

Most ministers will see a great website and think that for $39.99 they can have one exactly like it. But if you want a quality church websites, you need to realize, it will cost you a lot more than $39.99.

2. Flashy websites cost even more money.

The number one request I have had in my time is a ministry leader wanting a Flash-driven website.  I’ve not hidden my aversion to Flash. It requires having the Flash software, have experience with that software, and typically that means having to hire someone to make a change, when changes inevitably come.

Flash websites are beautiful, dont’ get me wrong. But the cost-to-benefit ratio has never come close for me. If you want something that just looks good and isn’t functionally effective (meaning you can’t use it), then it’s NOT worth it. Too often we just want something to look great at the sacrifice of usability and effectiveness.

3. Volunteers usually don’t work out well.

Don’t use a volunteer for your website. Don’t use donated labor for your church website. I’ve heard and seen the effects of using volunteers to create church websites. It usually ends in frustration. Hire a professional. And be willing to pay for it.

4. You get what you pay for.

In my experience, most ministry leaders want something great for cheap. If you pay for something cheap, you’re going to get something cheap. It amazes me that churches will spend over $10,000 for an ineffective Yellow Book ad, then squirm at paying anything over $1,000 for a quality website that can be changed daily and can literally reach the world.

5. Website design and maintenance isn’t super easy.

Maintaining a website takes work. That’s a fact. Again, it’s not as easy as updating your church newsletter. You can be using the most simple, easy-to-use content management system on the planet, but it still takes work. And the fact is … you’ll probably have to know a tad bit of HTML, even if you have FrontPage, if you want it to look and act right in the different web browsers.

ATMs: Automatic Tithing Machines

At this very moment I am carrying no cash.  But then again I rarely do now a days.  And I do not have the family checkbook, my wife does.  So being able to pay my tithes via an ATM sounds good to me.  How about you?  Have we gone too far?  Tell me what you think.  Here's a great article from Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.

How can you pass the plate to people who don't carry cash? You can't. So the next big wave may be the "Giving Kiosk" in your church's lobby.

"A lot of people no longer carry cash or a checkbook," says Marty Baker, pastor of Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, Georgia. So he installed two ATMs in 2005. The experiment has been a success.

During the first year, the kiosks processed over $100,000 in donations at Stevens Creek. In 2006, that number increased to just over $200,000, representing more than 25 percent of the church's total income. Even more impressive is the fact that giving as a whole increased 18 percent since the ATMs were installed. "It's a safe, convenient way for people to donate to their church," Baker notes, "and it meets people where they are today."

These positive returns encouraged Baker to launch SecureGive, a for-profit company that produces and maintains several different versions of the giving kiosks. "We knew that if this concept and technology was so beneficial for our church, others could benefit from it as well," says Baker.

SecureGive currently operates in 25 churches around the country. One of them is Family Church in West Monroe, Louisiana, where Terry Taylor is the executive pastor. "We wanted to help those who were not giving to start walking in obedience," says Taylor. "We feel that is being achieved."

Princeton Pike Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio, had featured online giving for years, but the service was used consistently by only ten families. The church engaged SecureGive in January and now has more than 150 families contributing regularly through the giving kiosk.

The company points out an array of practical advantages. One example is a decreased risk of embezzlement, since donated funds are transferred directly into a church's bank account, bypassing the counting committee. And the kiosk documents satisfy Internal Revenue Service regulations requiring taxpayers to present a written statement from a bank or charitable organization when claiming a deduction on their returns.

Phil Martin of the National Association of Church Business Administrators says that Automated Tithing Machines might only be the beginning. "Whether we'll have an offering plate with a card reader one day, who knows," he said. "But we're certainly not far from that."

Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.

Starbucks Strategy

Starbucks may not be the first business to sell affordable luxury, but it’s hard to argue they haven’t been the most successful. The company is built on these 5 principles every business or ministry can apply to their customer/donor service quality: make it your own; everything matters; surprise and delight; embrace resistance; and leave your mark. For truly successful ventures, customers/ donors are not merely customers/donors; they are customer /donor evangelists. 80% of companies believe they provide good service, but just 8% of customers agree they’ve received such an experience. 

Five Questions that Kill a Big Vision

Mike Wagner of MarketingProfs.com has presented five questions that kill your brand. However, these questions can not only kill a brand but a big vision. Dreaming big is a vital part of incredible churches. Although in the long run churches need to be practical in their decisions, beginning a creative or planning process with practical questions is a quick way to maim your church’s potential. Let’s take a look at Mike’s five questions and learn how to keep them from killing your church’s vision.

1. How will we do it? If God gives you a big vision, don’t begin by asking how it’s possible. Trust God, and know that through him it is possible. Moses questioned how he would be able to speak to Pharaoh. He thought his poor public speaking made the vision to free the Israelites impossible. If you absolutely know it is God’s vision for your church, don’t begin by questioning  the details.
2. How long will it take? Big visions take time. God leads in steps not leaps. Be efficient and use your time wisely,but do not let how long it will take affect you. If you do, you may be      tempted to find a quick fix, cut corners, or become discouraged. Don’t focus of time. Focus on efficiency (time + resources + quality).
3. How much will it cost? Do you let accounting guide your church, or does God guide it? If God gave you the vision, it doesn’t matter how much it costs. It will not be cheap. Quality costs money. Plan on it taking budgeting, financial wisdom, and trusting in God.
4. How do we measure it? Do not begin by focusing on measuring results. The redwood trees of California did not grow overnight. They had humble beginnings. They needed to be nurtured. Measuring the little results in the beginning will only discourage you. Focus on the vision God has given you and diligently invest in it. Once it is mature, the results will be well worth measuring.
5. How have others done it successfully? Your church’s big vision is unique to your church. It does not matter what other churches have done. You need to focus on what God has called you to do and what is the best way to accomplish it even if that means doing something new.

Christian vs. Christ Follower

Wow! I gotta tell you, there are some very gifted people out there who are no doubt using the gifts God has given them to glorify the Lord. Check out this outstanding video that uses what is the buzz right now to minister to "Christians".  Kudos to Community Christian Church .