Sometimes it doesn't pay to reinvent the wheel, and this is one of those times! This special blog post includes, in its entirety, an important and time-sensitive message for church leaders, from the Rev. Saeed Richardson, Program & Operations Officer at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference.

Regardless of what type of charter, leadership model or priorities a particular church has, they should put together a financial plan at the beginning of the year to support regular yearly functions, as well as any specific vision or goals held by the organization. Here are some questions to think about when creating a church budget:

I talk with church leaders about fundraising. The end-of-year holidays are one of the most strategic times for collecting donations. We call it the giving season. Every non-profit ministry in the country will make appeals to the members of their church for financial support. What makes these appeals successful?