“If you don’t give because no one’s ever asked you, I’m asking you now. If you don’t give regularly because you’ve never got round to it, I’m saying today’s the day. If you don’t give much because you think St Martin’s doesn’t need it, I’m telling you that it does. If you don’t give a lot because you don’t have a lot, I’m saying your giving something is an example to everyone else. If you don’t give more because no one’s ever said thank you, I’m thanking you right now. If you already give until the pips squeak, I’m saying that’s wonderful, and nudge the person next to you to do the same.”
Rev Dr Sam Wells
Talking about money in church can often feel uncomfortable — for us and for our communities. Many people value their local church deeply, yet there are still challenges, misunderstandings, and competing demands on people’s time and resources.
Read on for practical advice and resources to help you communicate clearly, confidently, and graciously about giving. You can explore what good communication looks like, why it matters, and how it can strengthen the mission and ministry of your church.
With the church
Churches rely on the generosity of their congregations, fundraising activities, potential support from Friends groups, and the grace of God to meet the financial expenditure involved with the mission and ministry of the church. Yet many people are unaware of the church’s financial needs, the impact their giving makes, or the different ways they can offer support.
The resources below are designed to help you communicate well with your church community – sharing the story of the church’s finances clearly, gratefully, and confidently so that people understand both the need and the difference their giving enables.
With the community
Download our guide that highlights the key challenges churches face when talking about financial giving beyond their congregations, and offers practical ways to approach these conversations with clarity and confidence.
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How to… communicate with the church and wider community about giving.
Demonstrating the impact of giving
Understanding and communicating impact is about highlighting the real difference your church makes in the community, not just through activities you run, but through the positive difference those activities create. Sharing impact helps us celebrate what God is doing among us, inspire generosity, strengthen mission, and support applications for grants and funding.
Download our how to demonstrate impact guide for helpful tips on what to include in an impact report, as well as how you might adapt your annual report into a more impact-focused format. You will also find useful tools, templates, and downloadable resources to help you measure and share your church’s impact clearly, creatively, and with confidence.
Use our Canva template to create posters for your churches to communicate the impact of the generosity of your congratations and community.
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How to… demonstrate impact
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Parish thank you poster – guide to using Canva
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Parish thank you poster examples
Who to contact
To speak to a member of the team you can book a call or email: givingteam@bathwells.anglican.org and someone will be in touch.