Is your church looking to increase contribution levels? Are you asking your current members to donate a little bit more to help with your financial crisis? Perhaps there is a better way.
This presentation focuses on Electronic Communication to grow your church, to build your community and ultimately enable the church to increase contribution levels. We examine using your website as a marketing tool to attract new members. Once someone sits in your pews, using Social Networking tools to Engage them. Helping them be a part of your community and willing to contribute their time, talent and treasure. Finally we examine ways to make it easy for your newly engaged member to support the church financially.
2. Today’s Agenda
I. Welcome and introductions
II. Stewardship is not a dirty word
III. Attracting new members
IV. Break
V. Engaging your current members
VI. Results of having an engaged church
5. What if your members were…
• 13 times more likely to have invited someone to attend
mass at your church in the past month?
• Were 3 times as satisfied with their lives?
• Spent more than 2 hours per week serving and helping
others in their community?
• Tripled their giving to their church?
• The key…
6. How to grow an engaged church?
• Attract New Members
– You don’t get a second chance at a first impression
– Building and grounds
– Welcoming environment
– Website
• Engaging Current Members
– How easy is it for a new member to know what service
opportunities are needed?
– Who do they contact?
– Who can answer their questions?
9. Website Axiom
• In Real Estate its “location, location, location”
• On the Internet, we had one axiom, but may be
developing a second:
It’s all about conversation!
10. Why You Need a Good Website
• The next generation of parishioners are growing up
online. Simple. End of Discussion.
• Internet searches are far more common than Yellow
Pages searches.
• Your website is your online marketing tool.
• If you don’t do it, others will try: masstimes.org,
parishesonline.com, SeekAndFind.com,
TheCatholicDirectory.com
11. Creating a Good Website
• Pick a Content Management System (CMS) that is
simple to use.
• Put someone in charge of it. You have a bulletin editor,
do you have a website editor?
• Keep the content fresh
• Start small…just a few pages and then grow from there
12. Why You Need a GREAT Website
• The Internet is moving from a marketing and
informational tool to an Engagement tool.
• Not only is the next generation of parishioners growing
up online, they’re more comfortable engaging there too!
• Your website is your online marketing tool but can also
be a parishioner engagement tool. Our goal is to drive
engagement online and into Mass.
13. Creating a GREAT Website
• Start with…
– Your Parish Mission and Vision…these will guide you
– A theme…does your church already have a logo? Taglines?
Color standards? Standard fonts?
• Hire a professional or a volunteer, but make sure they’re
up to the task
– Unfortunately, well intentioned volunteers are the number one
cause of outdated and abandoned websites
• Design first, then build and then test…they’re all equally
important
• Don’t forget to launch…have a goal and stick to it
15. What not to do
• Attempt more than you can handle…start with a plan or
start small
• Blogging, Facebook, Twitter? Yes, but only if you’re
committed
• Pictures of people? Yes, absolutely,
but only with their permission
• Flash? Use it sparingly. Remember
it doesn’t work on some mobile devices
• No Pop-ups and no special effects
• Music, Hit Counters and Busy Backgrounds
23. Social Networking is not new,
but digital social networking is
changing the way we
communicate.
24. “The new technologies are not only changing the way we
communicate, but communication itself, so much so that it
could be said that we are living through a period of vast
cultural transformation. This means of spreading
information and knowledge is giving birth to a new way of
learning and thinking, with unprecedented opportunities for
establishing relationships and building fellowship.”
Message Of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
For the 45th World Day of Communications
June 5, 2011
26. The Next Generation of Parishioners is
Growing Up Online
Adapting and embracing this
change is the challenge the
church is facing.
The church must adapt to the new
communication styles or be left
behind.
27. How does the church take
advantage of the new digital
communication tools?
28. The Challenge is Engagement
(not technology)
1. Plan to meet your parishioners where they are already
gathering: online.
2. Find the right people who know the technology and can
earn your trust.
3. In the end, it will save you time and free up staff for
more meaningful ministry.
29. .
Mom’s Group
(anyone can
join)
Invite members
to join
(give them the key) Festival
Planning
Group
(ask to join)
They receive access to your “lobby” Finance
and general membership group. Group
(by invitation
Only)
41. • LPi’s online donation solution
• Members set up their own accounts, online
• Weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly or one-time
donations
• Donations deposited in your account twice per week
• Set up multiple funds:
– General
– Building
– Special Events
44. Parishioner Activation Program
• Custom Posters
• Custom Flyers
• Custom Post Cards
• Brochures for New Parishioner Handbooks
• Bulletin and Pulpit Announcements
• Bulletin Advertisements (for LPi print customers only)
• Engagement Manager
– Training & Set Up
– Best Practices and Ideas
– Assistance with custom materials
45. Mike Stone Debbie Farina
Internet Product Manager Regional Marketing Representative
MStone@4LPi.com DFarina@4LPi.com
Notas do Editor
How people communicateExpectationsabout communicationWherepeople communicateWhen people communicate
The Internet has replaced paper and penThey text, not talkE-mail is even old school—Facebook is current.
The internet is a communication tool just likeTelevisionRadioPrinted wordOur collective voices.The internet is neither good nor bad.What’s good or bad is how people use it.
You have people with the required skillsYou are not necessarily going to create more work for yourselves. You may actually create less.You can afford the costYou need to communicate with you parishioners where they are and how they now expectSocial Networking isn’t one way communication its interactive communication.Its about:EngagementDialogActive ParticipationWeb 1.0 to Web 2.0; Church 1.0 to Church 2.0
You give your members a key to get into your WeGather “building”Letting them in gives them access to your general parishioner group, and also lets the see some other groups, with various security “doors.”Your mom’s group might have a fully open doSome groups, like maybe your festival planning committee, they can see the “door” and ask for the “key”—or membership to the group.or, they just have to click to see those messagesOther groups they can’t see at all—they can only enter the group if they are invited. Perhaps your finance committee is this way.
Donations increaseConsistent givingbetter budgetingConvenience Reduction in costs & timeprinting costspostage costscounting accounting/reconciliationSatisfaction of member demand