One of our stewardship recommendations is to send an annual personal ‘thank you’ to all your regular givers and clearly communicate that giving to the church enables the mission and ministry that flows from it.

A survey of 2,000 givers in 2020 recorded that less than a third of Anglicans say they are regularly thanked for their giving.

Sending a personal thank you values givers, acknowledges their contribution, and offers a great opportunity to encourage them with the impact that their giving as a group is having on their church’s mission and ministry.

Some tips:

• A thank you letter is a thank you! No 'P.S. please would you review your giving and see if you can increase it'.
• It’s really good to include some of the ways that financial giving has enabled ministry and mission. Sometimes people feel as though their giving doesn’t make any difference, and these letters can help with that.
• It’s good to do something different each year – don’t use the same template over and over again. It can come from different people (although if it includes the amount given, it should come from someone the giver expects will know the details of their giving). It could be a short handwritten note one year.