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?

In my work with church leaders, I see clearly the challenges facing church boards. Tasked with guiding and keeping the mission-driven activities on course, board members can lose touch with the day-to-day financial operations. The board's responsibility for the ongoing monitoring of the church's fiscal matters is, however, a fiduciary one. To do so, it must receive regular and accurate financial information.

Pastors that I talk with tell me that the summer months can be hard on their church collections. Historically speaking, church attendance declines in the summer months as families go on vacation or merely stay away to avoid the heat. For churches that rely on the Sunday collection plate for most of their income, this can be a hard time.