Snail Mail vs. Email – The Conversation Continues
Quick aside: The world is a cluster-you-know-what right now. However, if you want to get away from it all, perhaps see an ABBA tribute band like I did last night. Two hours of mindless singing and dancing is good for the soul. Trust me. Or just pop Dancing Queen on your phone and let the music take you away. You can dance.
Back to business:
Last week’s post had several of you responding, which makes me happy. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
As you might remember, I was asked whether you should send quarterly giving statements via email (and thus save money and paper) or by a first-class letter.
Rev. Peggy in New Jersey posed this follow-up question (slightly edited):
This is something I’ve been thinking about as a millennial pastor.
I just got a handwritten card from my seminary thanking me for my ongoing gift. Although I really appreciate the note and it being personal, I also think about the waste. The cost of the money to send it, the paper to recycle, etc.
I wonder if other donors like me want their money to go to better use than postage? I think about these things with church mailings, too. I send cards to visitors, and we send a hard copy pledge card letter with thanks, but not everything we send for giving is a hard copy.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the waste portion.
My thoughts on waste? I hate waste. Just ask my poor spouse, whom I chastise (in a loving way) when he puts recyclable plastic in the trash or (Lord have mercy) fails to compost a banana peel.
Is a personal thank you (or welcome) card a “waste”? The envelope can certainly be recycled. But here’s the thing about a lovely handwritten note: it does not go unnoticed; it is not a waste.
In doing research for this post (oh yes, there’s research involved), I found a great article, The Power of Handwritten Notes. The statistic I found most compelling, if not downright shocking:
According to the U.S. Postal Service’s annual survey, the average home only received a personal letter once every seven weeks in 2010, down from once every two weeks in 1987.
That’s from 2010. Can you guess what that stat might be now? Maybe every three months?
Perhaps this is a generational difference.
But here’s the thing to remember:
Many people in your congregation may be in that Boomer and Silent Generation category. Getting mail matters to them. Getting personal mail – because it’s so rare – can be thrilling.
And a personal thank-you letter will get saved. Or put on the mantel. Or on the refrigerator.
That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate a well-crafted thank-you email. But it doesn’t have the same impact as a handwritten note. I won’t go back a week or two later to savor an email. But if it’s sitting on my mantel? When I look at it, I get all the feels in a way an email never will deliver.
So – be judicious. Plan when you’ll compose those personal notes versus sending an email blast (and yes, keep hand-writing those first-time visitors). If nothing else, a handwritten card will delight and surprise in ways you may never expect.
Consider it your ministry of blessing others.
Additional resources:
Why Handwritten Letters are Still Important – 5 Reasons
Handwritten Notes are a Rare Commodity
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Upcoming:
The Northwest Faith Foundation has a new resource: Clergy Tax Essentials & Church Financial Health
The Greater Northwest Area of the UMC is offering Get Ready for Grants on Feb. 26. It will be repeated on March 11.
Photo credit: ChatGPT
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Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship – helping with capital campaigns and encouraging more generosity. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise millions of dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations. You didn’t get up on the floor with Dancing Queen? Cesie dares you to stay put while you sing Mama Mia!
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered!
Schedule a meeting now.
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