EDITORIAL
Forward Leading | Mark DeYmaz
In one of the most popular TED Talks of all time, author and leadership expert Simon Sinek teaches that the most effective way to motivate people is for leaders to first communicate “Why” (their purpose), then “How” (their approach), and finally “What” (their call to action).
If this is true—and it is—then why do most pastors start with “What” when soliciting financial donations? Given a documented decline in giving to local churches over the past two decades, pastors would do well to ask, “How’s that working for us?”
Cast the Vision
Virtually every church prominently displays a “Give” or “Donate” link on its website. But in the language of Sinek, that’s merely a call to action—a “What.” Yet, without a compelling “Why” and “How,” pastors may not only be leaving money on the table but failing to engage or attract new donors.
In an age of institutional distrust, pastors must work even harder to communicate the needs of the church, how contributions will be used, and “why” giving truly matters. It’s about cultivating maturity in Christ, practicing faithful generosity, and stewarding resources wisely to advance God’s mission.
More than that, pastors must broaden their appeals to inspire donations from peripheral attendees and interested others. To do so, we will need to move away from generalized calls to “give to the church” and provide more specifics, options and rationales.
Imagine for a moment an inactive tab in the header menu of your church’s website labeled “Give.” When someone engaging your church’s website hovers over this tab, three active links appear beneath it, in the following order:
1. Let’s Talk About Money. On this page, provide a compelling “Why.”
2. Giving Menu. On this page, explain “How” and “What.”
3. Tithes & Offerings. This is the typical “Give” or “Donate” link connecting someone to your payment gateway.
To be clear, this is the language and approach we embraced around giving two years ago at Mosaic Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. For example, there are three “How” categories on our Giving menu. Under each category, we list specific “What” items (more than one, as shown below) along with its cost and a direct link to our payment gateway.
• Immediate Needs. Improve the lighting in the children’s ministry hallway: $2,300.
• Aspirational Goals. Provide access to showers and laundry services for the unsheltered, including an ADA ramp for those in wheelchairs: $17,000.
• Future Musts. Pay off an outstanding construction loan: $115,000.
Over time, this approach has proven to be even more effective than we imagined. Among other things, it’s led to a significant increase in support from peripheral attendees and others outside of our church, scaling missional impact. For instance, in 2024:
• A former member who moved away gave $5,000 to help offset an anticipated budget shortfall listed as an item under Immediate Needs.
• A peripheral member once totaled the cost all of the items listed under Immediate Needs and Aspirational Goals, then donated $400,000 over eight months to pay for everything.
• A community-based nonprofit invested $500,000 to establish a 2,400-square-foot medical clinic in our facility, providing primary care, mental health and social services to homeless and low-income neighbors, meeting one of our Aspirational Goals.
To see similar results, use your church’s website not only to ask for money but to clearly explain the why, how and what of your appeal for donations.