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By the second week of December, your congregation’s inboxes are full. Their alma mater, the local food bank, a favorite podcast, and a dozen national nonprofits are all asking for one last monetary gift before the year ends. Your church’s year-end appeal lands in the middle of that noise, and when it does it needs to stand out for the right reasons.

That’s why Subsplash teamed up with ministryengine and Finch Accounting for a webinar on advanced end-of-year giving strategies for churches! Along with this webinar, you can download our free ebook, The End-of-Year Giving Playbook”, packed with practical guidance on stock, crypto, donor-advised funds (DAFs), and more. 

For churches looking for year-end giving strategies, year-end is a crucial time to set your church up for financial health for the coming year—and beyond. Let’s explore three strategies that can inspire greater generosity at your church this holiday season! 

Editor’s note: This guide is for educational purposes only and should not be considered legal or tax advice. Donors should consult their financial or tax advisor when making charitable contributions.

Why year-end giving needs its own communication plan

Many donors give out of their love for God and the impact of your ministry. Regular teaching from the pulpit on biblical stewardship gives your congregation a strong framework for generosity and a clear motivation to support what God is doing through your church. However, year-end giving serves a different purpose than regular monthly tithes.

End-of-year giving supports the foundation for your church’s needs for the year ahead: providing funds for church staff, important outreach ministries, buildings, projects, and basic needs. If you’re new to the topic, our guide to what year-end giving is and why it matters is a helpful place to start.

Because the stakes are higher and the timeline is shorter, your December communication deserves a plan of its own. Here are three communication and discipleship strategies your church leadership can use to motivate your church to make an important year-end gift.

Strategy #1: The discipleship pitch

Incentivize giving to the church over non-church charities

When it comes to generosity, people often give to what they feel most connected to, and at the end of the year, there are countless organizations vying for attention. In fact, charitable giving peaks in December for all nonprofit organizations, not just churches. Nearly 30% of annual giving happens in the final month of the year! That means your church needs a competitive edge. 

Fortunately, your church’s competitive edge comes from mission and relationship, not tax law. Generosity is high at Christmas, as 84% of Protestant churchgoers report making an extra Christmas donation, 49% give to their church’s outreach, and 26% give extra to the general fund.

What sets your church apart is the eternal impact of your mission and the spiritual connection people experience when they give to God’s work. Every gift to your church meets a real need and helps transform lives for the Kingdom. That’s why it’s important to tie your year-end giving to the long-term vision of your church through personalized appeals.

The vision connection

Tie your specific year-end need to your donor’s discipleship journey. Let them catch the vision of how your church is making an impact in their life and community. When people give to their church, they serve as partners in ministry, working together for the Gospel. One simple way to frame it: “You give to support community nonprofits, but you partner with your church.”

In practice, this means naming the need clearly and connecting it to a story. Instead of asking members to “help us close out the year strong,” share how a year-end gift will fund next summer’s student mission trip, expand your recovery ministry, or keep the lights on for the Wednesday night meal that feeds your neighbors. Specific needs give your congregation something concrete to rally around.

Personalized appeals

A personal touch makes all the difference, and it should grow out of relationship rather than need. Consider hosting a get-together with your largest donors to thank them and share what’s ahead for your church. Send personalized handwritten letters and thank-you cards, or email them directly about non-cash giving options to consider.

These conversations are a natural time to introduce giving methods many members haven’t heard of. Donors over a certain age may benefit from a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from their retirement account. Others may already have money set aside in a donor-advised fund (DAF) or desire to give with a crypto donation. Each of these donors simply needs to know your church is set up to receive their gift.

Strategy #2: The multi-channel countdown

Detail a step-by-step communication calendar for December

A multi-channel fundraising campaign supported by a countdown motivates your congregation to give through an ongoing sense of urgency. Throughout your multi-channel countdown, you can educate your donors about cash-alternative options for their end-of-year giving. For more creative ways to frame your campaign, explore these year-end giving campaign ideas. 

Early December: Educational (why non-cash giving is smart)

In early December, communicate with your congregants by educating them about non-cash giving options. Share short videos, blog posts, or emails explaining why gifts of stock, appreciated assets, or charitable distributions are smart, impactful ways to give. Help members understand how these methods can increase their impact while reducing tax burdens.

Keep each message focused on one giving option at a time so it’s easy to digest. A two-minute video from your pastor on giving stock, followed a few days later by an email explaining QCDs, will land better than a single message that covers everything at once. With Subsplash Giving™, your church can accept stock and crypto gifts, along with DAF and QCD donations, so every option you teach about is ready for donors to use.

Mid-December: Urgency (deadlines for stock transfers)

During mid-December, shift to a tone of urgency in your campaign, using a countdown to the end of the year. Use phrases like “Just two weeks left to make your year-end gift count!” Remind members of key deadlines for non-cash gifts. Keep messaging hopeful, not pressured, emphasizing the joy and eternal impact of giving to your church.

Non-cash gifts often take longer to process than a card or bank payment, so check with your finance team about the cutoff dates that apply to your church and share them clearly. Waiting too long to communicate deadlines is one of the most common year-end giving mistakes churches make, and it’s an easy one to avoid.

December 26–31: Final push (digital deadline & midnight stamp)

In the last week of the year, digital channels become your best friend. Send concise, heartfelt reminders through email, text, and social media. Emphasize the digital deadline (“Give online before midnight on December 31”) and make the process as easy as possible with direct links to your giving page.

Many of your members will be traveling or spending time with family during this week, so meet them on their phones. Mobile giving through your church app, text giving, and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay let someone give in a few taps from wherever they are. To save your team time, we have ready-to-use email and social media templates for this final push you can start customizing today!

Strategy #3: The impact report

Share powerful annual numbers on your church’s impact

An annual impact report plays a vital role in the life of your church. It offers a tangible way to show your congregation the difference they’re making in the lives of families, children, teens, missions, outreach, and your local community.

Essentially, an impact report is an online or printed booklet sharing the most up-to-date numbers and testimonials on how your church is making a difference. Most impact reports are annual, meaning the numbers cover one fiscal year to the next. Sharing yours in December reminds your congregation that their gifts have accomplished something truly meaningful over the last year, which makes the next gift feel like a continuation of that story.

Pro tip: To create your annual impact report, keep track of numbers throughout the year so you aren’t scrambling come December. For example, Subsplash Giving offers tracking of cash, digital, and non-traditional donations on a single platform. Here are some important numbers to include in your annual impact report:

• Baptisms celebrated
• Lives changed
• Active small groups
• Website visitors and engagement metrics
• Live stream views or average weekly attendance online
• First-time visitors
• Church app downloads and engagement stats
• Donations
• New programs funded and their impact
• Children and youth attendees
• College students reached or discipled
• Any other highlights unique to your church!

Once your report is ready, share it in more than one place. Highlight a few key numbers from the stage on Sunday, post the full report on your website and in your church app, and send it by email with a short note from your pastor. Pair the numbers with one or two personal stories, like a family who found community in a small group this year. For more ideas on bringing your strategy together, read our guide to year-end giving strategies for churches.

To easily get started, check out our full blog on creating an impact report here. 

Put these end-of-year giving strategies to work this December

Year-end generosity grows when your congregation understands the vision, knows how to give, and sees the impact of their gifts. The discipleship pitch, the multi-channel countdown, and the impact report work together to help you communicate all three, and each one invites your members to grow as faithful stewards.

To go deeper, download our free End-of-Year Giving Playbook for the full set of advanced strategies on stock, crypto, DAFs, and QCDs. Inside, you’ll also find a year-end donor communication plan, customizable Grow Generosity graphic templates, and email and social media templates for pastors and church leaders.

When you’re ready to make giving simple for every member of your congregation, explore Subsplash Giving with no setup costs or annual fees, and see how your church can Fuel Your Mission™ this year-end season and beyond.

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