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Follow up visitor training

A training session for follow up visitors

www.givingingrace.org

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Follow up:What do we need to do?

• Giving in Grace is a stewardship programme which will increase giving to our church

• Literature goes out to the congregation; responses come in and some request additional information.

• Each visitor makes a small number of personal visits to church members with the information that they have requested

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Why personally visit church members?

• To express thanks for their response and communicate that others have responded

• To value by our visit the response made by others

• To build relationships and to encourage people in their giving

• to answer questions where we can - and find out the answers if we don’t know

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Be encouraged!

• We each visit just 5 or 6 people

• We are visiting church members not total strangers

• We are visiting people who have asked for information and are expecting a call

• We are not asking for money or a response: they have done that already

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About Giving in Grace

• Reading: Luke 19:1-10o Not fundraising from others

but generosity as part of following Jesus

o Not balancing books and budgets but of resourcing ministry and mission: we need a weekly increase of £xxx

o Our personal visits help express thanks, build relationships and grow our church as a community of generous givers

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The impact of Giving in Grace

• A growing rural village in Cheshire: £192 p/w; 20% increase in planned giving

• Rural town: £400 pledged increase per week

• Small, deprived new town estate in Lancashire: £59 p/w; 50% giving increase

• A suburban church near Winchester: met a £20,000 per year shortfall in income

• An East midlands town: £500+ weekly increase

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An overview of programme elements

Leadership:Planning group and church council

PreachingExodus

MatthewLuke

2 Corinthians

LiteratureLetters

Brochure Response

forms

visitinggroups socialschildren

Prayer

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The follow up task

• The literature:o Brochureo Lettero Response formo Mail and reply envelopes

• They can ask for more informationo Weekly giving envelopeso Gift Aid declarationso Standing orders (DD?)o Legacieso Charitable giving accounts

• Our task is the personal follow up of requests for further information

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Preparing for your visit

• Arrange a time to visit, allowing 15-30 minutes per visit

• Read through the leaflets and forms to be familiar with them

• Know roughly how much the giving pledges to the church amount to at the point you visit

• Ensure you have what the person has asked for e.g. a box of envelopes

• Make your own personal response

• Pray – for you and them!

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At the house

• Say thank you for their Giving in Grace response

• Explain you are bringing the requested information

• Answer any questions or help, but only if asked, with filling in forms

• Build a good relationship• Affirm the weekly giving target for

the church and that it is being met by a generous response and will allow us to balance the books and sustain and grow ministry

• Thank for their hospitality

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Refreshments

• Any questions about the presentation or from the visitor handout?

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Don’t assume; explain!

• Weekly envelopes

• Gift Aid declarations

• Standing Orders (or Direct Debits)

• Legacy information

• Charitable giving accounts

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Role Play

• If you are confident to do so why not role play a visit at this point you may wish to

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Weekly giving envelopes

• They are a sign of commitment and willingness to support our church

• They help us to remember for the weeks you are away: it is OK to bring more than one envelope

• New envelopes each year is an opportunity to review our giving

• Envelopes enable us to Gift Aid if we pay tax

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Standing Orders (Direct Debit?)

• The default position is that we give even if we forget• They help us make giving to God a priority, what the bible

calls the ‘first fruits’.• They put giving on a par with our other financial decisions• They make church administration easy and help with cash

flow and planning• They are just as confidential

as weekly envelopes• They enable us to gift aid

if we pay tax

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Gift Aid Declarations

• For tax payers who pay enough tax to cover the Gift Aid on their giving to all charities

• It is easy and confidential and costs us nothing more than our gift

• A Gift Aid form has to be completed & signed just once• If we stop paying tax do tell the gift aid secretary • Higher rate tax payers can get additional tax relief by

declaring it to HMRC • People on tax credits also benefit

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Leaving Gifts in Wills

• Legacy gifts can unlock ministry and mission but this is a sensitive area so exercise care

• Ideally a dedicated legacy officer should deal with all such requests

• A legacy pack brochure or pack should be prepared in advance for these requests

• Deliver the pack but don’t get drawn into conversations about the details

• Never advise on leaving a legacy nor on the contents ofa will

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Charitable Giving Accounts

• Dedicated accounts for charitable giving with gifts taken by Direct Debit from current account

• Regular, one off and anonymous giving which is tax efficient where possible

• Gifts made by BACS and the account holds money not yet gifted

• Range of accounts: students, families and major donor

• www.stewardship.org.uk/give

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In conclusion

• Giving in Grace helps the church resource ministry and mission and Christians grow in the grace of giving

• The goal is not just to secure the gift but to grow generous givers

• Our personal visits help express thanks, build relationships and make our church a community of generous givers