Q: How can we promote the Thanksgiving Appeal in our Community of Faith?
A: Great question! The three key things to be sure to do are Inspire, Invite and Thank.
Inspire: - What emotional connection can you make between the appeal and your donors?
- How good will it feel to know you are providing food for children and those in the north who do not have enough to eat?
- Link giving to the appeal to your faith: Matthew 25:31-46. Mark 6:30-44. Acts 2:46. James 2:14-17. Giving generously to feed people is a sign of faith and a step to grow in faith and trust in God.
- Link giving to the appeal to the mission and purpose of your Community of Faith: “At Centennial United Church, we care about people. Your gift to the Thanksgiving appeal makes our care real for those who are hungry.”
Invite:- Be specific and clear in your invitation.
- Help people know exactly how to give to the appeal. Make it easy to give.
- Ask more than once and in different forms: worship, newsletter, web-site, etc.
- Set a goal for your Community of Faith to reach and celebrate their progress and success.
Thank:- Be specific.
- Be personal.
- Be timely.
- Send a short note/email/call to each person who gives to the appeal to thank them personally. ”Thank you for your gift to the Thanksgiving Appeal. You are making a difference and feeding the hungry.”
Be creative and have fun with your Thanksgiving appeal. You are not just raising money, you are feeding the hungry and helping change the world. And as always, we’re here to help.
Q: How long does it take to prepare an appeal like Thanksgiving, and when is the information made public?
A: Glad you asked – and especially about Thanksgiving because it is a bit different.
We start preparing the Thanksgiving appeal in May! I know it sounds early, but we like to have a service and sermon up on the website by the end of June for the worship leaders who are planning ahead for the fall. (Yes, some of them really do plan that far in advance.) This means that the theme for Thanksgiving needs to be determined in the spring of that year. Thankfully (pun intended!), Thanksgiving comes with a theme ready-made: thankfulness.
The other parts of the appeal – the letter, the emails, the impact report, and other elements – are prepared in July and August, so that everything is ready to go by September 20th.
Other annual appeals, like Advent and Christmas or Easter, have lead times of three to four months; Thanksgiving has the longest by far. So we really appreciate it when you respond to what we send out, and share your thankfulness and blessings with others. Happy Thanksgiving in advance.
Do you have a question for Glenn and Dave? Just send it in on our handy form. You’ll get an answer by email or in the next issue of God’s Mission, Our Gifts, or both (your choice). And if your question stumps our all-star team of two, they may even collaborate!
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