As I work with the 19 schools in Northeast Indiana, I will often call myself the “Cheerful Giver Evangelist.” Recently, I have added emphasis on the “Sweet Spot.”
According to the annual Giving USA Research:
- Top area of donor support is Religion (Lutherans…)
- Education is second (this area includes K-12 schools…)
Couple these points with the following:
- Christianity has a tradition of giving (there are many Biblical passages on philanthropy…)
- Churches already promote the current holy grail of fundraising research: periodic, automatic giving (churches pass the plate every week…)
Lately, I have been adding this consideration- many LCMS congregations are aging.
Wait, how is that a positive?
Refer back to my post last week [insert link to last post]- regardless of the validity of those numbers cited, if our congregations are aging, there is no better time than now to grow estate giving efforts.
And thanks to a matching grant challenge from The Lutheran Foundation, by remembering our 19 partner schools in Northeast Indiana in your estate plans and choosing to benefit their endowment funds, your gift can live on forever.
I suppose it is all perspective. I turn 50 this year. Aging can be bad. But when looking at the future, aging may be a very good thing to recognize and address now with your donors and members. How you talk with them about fulfilling their Cheerful Giver goals, that is, where their hearts are, will be a key part of success.
If you don’t start the conversation now, I guarantee some other nonprofit will...
