Churches rely on consistent memberships and donations to operate. Without regular church attendees and sufficient fundraising events, a church can be forced to close its doors to the public. One of the best and most commonly overlooked methods of improving funding is through marketing efforts. Many churches do not put enough effort into marketing. The following marketing efforts have proven to be extremely effective in increasing church membership and attendance at fundraising events.
Church member mailers
The first step ineffective marketing strategy is to target your loyal members. These are members who have already agreed to support their local church. However, you cannot assume that they are always aware of upcoming church fundraising events or church financial needs. Direct member mailers can be helpful in increasing communication and in asking loyal church members for assistance. These mailers can be helpful for spreading awareness of upcoming events, asking for donations, and requesting volunteers for fundraising activities.
Exterior church signs
The problem with direct church mailers is that they do not span out to the community. There are likely many community members who would be interested in joining your church or attending a fundraising event, but simply do not have information about it. GSA LED signs are similar to church marquees, but tend to attract more attention. GSA LED signs are large, colorful, and bright. They draw attention to those community members as they drive by. About 85% of businesses? customers live or work within a five mile radius of its location. LED signs for businesses and churches are an extremely cost effective method of reaching these new customers and members.
Interior church signs
Interior church signs may not reach non members driving by, but can increase membership activity within the church. Some church goers are considered to be irregular members, meaning they come and go. They are not necessarily loyal to the church and may not be as involved as other members. It is much harder to inform these members of church information. However, using marquee signs indoors can grab the attention of these church goers and inform them of upcoming events.
Off site GSA LED signs
Many church events are actually held at locations away from the church. Church carnivals may be moved to larger grounds for additional space. Church plays make take place at community schools or theatre sites. Off site fundraising events are the perfect place to spread the awareness of your church and to market to potential new members. Just be sure that you have proper signage to inform community members of your organization.
This can be as simple as a church marquee sign or can be as involved as electronic signs with scrolling messages. These off site signs might even increase your fundraising success. Studies show that adding or changing a sign directly improves sales revenue. Replacing a store front wall sign with a larger sign increases revenue by 7.7%. People walking by are usually more willing to support an organization if they are aware of what that organization is, even if they are not interested in joining it.
With so many different churches and religious organizations today, it can be difficult for a church to sustain consistent membership rates. Without regular membership, churches do not have the funds needed to operate successfully. Marketing is important in keeping church numbers and charitable donations up. Marketing should be directed at both current members and local community non members. Utilize interior and exterior signs, like GSA LED signs for optimal awareness. Considering that 35% of people would not have discovered a business had it not been for their sign, signage is an extremely influential marketing strategy.
