Each year about  this time I start getting emails from churches about sending their year-end giving statements, so I thought I’d share a few thoughts today.

While most churches send year-end giving statements, many of them miss out on a great chance to share information, celebrate & remind people of all that God is doing and cast vision for the year to come.

With that in mind, I think it’s important to consider what you will include with those statements.

Here’s what I like to send (at a minimum):

• Giving Statement
• Giving Letter (see below)
• Postcard about Our Upcoming Message Series
• Auto-Debit Form
• Giving Envelope

I’m also a fan of putting all of this in an envelope that will get attention (maybe a colored envelope, an “Important Tax Documents Enclosed” message printed on the outside, or even something “lumpy” enclosed).  After all, what good is it to mail something that never gets opened?

And just to help you out with the format and what you might want to include in your giving letter, here’s a draft of the letter I’ll be sending out to our folks:

2009 YEAR END GIVING LETTER

P.S. For more information on how to maximize your church’s Stewardship System, check out The Stewardship Intensive.