When our small church was struggling in the current economy, the steering committee brought the issue before the congregation, asking for prayer and ideas. The congregation was delighted to be asked for their thoughts and came up with some rather clever ones. None of these methods were complicated, nor were they designed to raise huge sums. But the money added up quickly, and these solutions had the added benefit of coming up through the congregation, so the support was there. Here are the best three ways our congregation was able to raise money, along with morale, in our small church.
#1 Raise money for your small church through “adopt-a-bill”
The first idea was dubbed “Adopt-a-Bill.” The Treasurer itemized the year’s upcoming expenses, and listed them out, along with the month’s cost for each, on a paper that had tear-off tags, similar to what someone selling something will put their name and phone number on. For example, one paper had twelve tear off tags that said “Utilities, (month) – $30,” another, “Pest Control, (month) – $12,” etc. All of these were assembled together on a poster board and put on a prominent table in the back of the church. Anyone who wanted to could take one or more tags, and put the tag, along with the money, in an envelope and place it in the offering plate before the month that the bill was due. The bills were all different prices, so lots of families could be involved; also, because the bills were available months in advance, someone could save up to pay a particular month. This was very successful, and actually quite popular. People really enjoyed being able to be directly involved in where their offering went. This, of course, was separate from our normal tithes and offerings.
#2 A garage sale could bring in funds for your small church budget
Most families have odds and ends they’d just as soon get rid of, but that have plenty of good wear left in them. We asked our congregants to donate those items, and designated one family to coordinate the donations. Every quarter, a church-wide garage sale was held at the church. We made sure to advertise well in the community, and church members came to help out, and to meet their neighbors. A decent amount of money was raised by this method, but even better, we made lasting relationships with people in our community, some of whom began joining us on Sunday morning.
#3 Change drives are simple ways to raise money for a small church
It’s amazing how much change can accumulate in congregants’ pockets, jars and dresser tops. We set up two jars, one at the front of the church and one at the back, with signs asking people to give “Change for Christ,” to use in ministry projects. The change flowed in, and when people realized we were using the money for things like buying Bibles to send to the Missions field, the change often changed in to green paper!
These are just three simple possibilities that might allow your small church to raise extra funds to help them through these hard times, while getting the congregation involved in the process. In fact, if you need more ideas, just ask your congregation and prepare to be impressed!
Resources: Personal Experience