Why saying “thank you” is important

Beryl Jantzi shares why it important for churches and other organizations to say thank you to their donors.

Beryl Jantzi, with his wife, Margo.

Beryl Jantzi is a former pastor and now serves as the Everence director of stewardship education. He can be contacted at beryl.jantzi@everence.com, if you would like to continue the conversation about God and mammon.

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If asked, many people who give money to our churches would say that there’s no need to say thank you. But is that a reason not to?

Most thriving nonprofits recognize the importance of two simple words: “Thank you!”

Network for Good has researched the value of saying thank you to donors and offers these findings on why it’s important:

• Survival: The number one reason that donors stop supporting a nonprofit is the way they were treated by the nonprofit.
• Success: Your gratitude helps bond a donor to your cause.
• Differentiation: Most nonprofits are terrible at expressing gratitude. If you’re good at it, you stand out.
• Manners: Saying thank you, often and well, is simply the right thing to do. These same principles carry over to why church leaders should express gratitude to those who contribute financially to the ministries of their churches.

Charles Lane in his book “Ask, Thank, Tell,” identifies some ways to acknowledge this gift of giving and express appreciation for those who embody it. He suggests that the church should nurture a culture of thanksgiving. This goes back to the gift of exhortation.

First, gratitude should include all the ways people contribute to the ministry of the church, including financial generosity. The amount of one’s contribution is not as important as the fact that people participate in this practice as instructed by Scripture (see 1 Corinthians 16:1-4).

• We start by thanking God for the gifts we receive, which is probably the easiest expression of gratitude to express.
• We thank those who recognize that gifts from God aren’t to be hoarded but are to be passed along. It is good and appropriate to thank those who give financially to your ministry, as well as those who volunteer time and specific skills needed by the body.

Thank people in a general way, during corporate worship, and personally, through notes and individual conversations. Saying thank you is one of those courtesies we learn as children, and we typically are good at expressing, except to financial givers in the church. There certainly are cautions to be considered, as we move into what may be new territory. But keeping silent on the matter of expressing thanks for financial gifts doesn’t reflect good practices either.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog belong to the author and are not intended to represent the views of the MC USA Executive Board or staff.

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