Your Stewardship Letter: Why Two Pages are Better than One
I heard it again this week.
“I’m only going to do a one-page letter. That’s enough.”
To those of you who are getting ready to send out your stewardship letters you too might have said:
“I’m only going to do a one-page letter. That’s enough.”
But is it enough?
It’s counter-intuitive, but studies – and more importantly, experience – have shown that two-page letters outperform one-page letters. Heck, one study even showed that a three-page letter had a higher success rate (i.e., raised more money) and had more individual responses than a two-page letter.
Why?
Two-page letters let you tell your story more fully. You can make your case for why and how you will use your generous giver’s gifts in excellent ways.
You aren’t constrained by space limitations. As a result, you can have
plenty of white space (one-inch margins)
larger font (12-14)
shorter paragraphs
indented paragraphs
a photo (or two)
space for your signature (and not just a blank space where your name should be)
moments for gratitude
the opportunity to make it spiritual
A few of you may be able to get ‘er done in one page. A few of you.
But remember, with one page, you may be missing out on the opportunity to tell more of your story…the behind-the-scenes one that people who only come on Sundays never see. A story about the impact that your congregation has on an individual’s life. A story about how you’re making the community better through the extravagant generosity of each person who sits in the pews.
A two-page letter allows you to take your time and assume that people will be moved by what they read.
Don’t throw away the opportunity of telling your story because just “one page will do.”
Nope – two pages are better than one.
Photo credit: kaboompics.com @ pexels.com
###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. School’s back in session. Time to learn how to write a sentence using a catchy little song.
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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