*Also check Cancelled giving.
A few years ago, my father-in-law passed away. In a conversation with my mother-in-law, she mentioned one of the hardest parts following his death was having to stop giving to the ministries they supported for years. She loved what those ministries did and got a lot of joy from being part of the team that empowered them to do their work. On top of the grief of losing her husband of almost 50 years, she had to make difficult financial decisions, including reducing her giving. Being curious about how other ministries follow up with non-current donors, I asked how these ministries reached out after she had stopped giving. She paused and, with tears in her eyes, said none of them had contacted her.
If you see an interruption in someone's normal giving pattern, reach out. Don't be that field worker who causes a grieving widow more tears because you were "too busy" (or too scared) to call about a lapse in giving. You're not a "debt collector" (as the Enemy would like you to think); You're a person who notices others and checks up on them when something changes. People usually don't want to stop giving. So, when they intentionally stop giving, usually something big has happened (death, loss, furloughed from work, hospitalization, etc). There are also times when people unintentionally stop giving (credit or debit cards expired, stolen or canceled card). They don't even know their giving has had an interruption. Here's an example from a Reliant field worker:
"I am feeling much more positive about support raising. So far, the conversations with suspended gift partners have been great. Three out of five have responded and are hopping back on! Two didn't know they were suspended and the other one was literally just waiting for me to call and verify that my new direction in ministry was genuinely from the Lord! It was sobering and encouraging, and he is back on."
Reliant refers to these disruptions in giving as "suspended gifts" or "non-current donors" or "canceled gifts."
These conversations are encouraging because they’re a way to communicate care and concern to your supporter.
If you can, reach out by phone. If you can’t, maybe a Zoom, FaceTime, or WhatsApp call? If that’s not possible, go for text or email.
Write out a quick script before calling to organize your thoughts and reduce anxiety during the call (or voicemail).
No matter what, please take this opportunity to affirm their partnership, thank them for what they have been able to give, and let them know they are still a very valuable member of your ministry team. For many who are in a season where they can no longer give financially, they actually want to know other ways they can help you. It’s a human-nature thing… when we are forced to take something away, we long to replace it with something of equal value. So, please give your supporter this chance. Remind them of the other ways they can help you in ministry (prayer team, volunteer, connect you with others) and ask them if one or some of those seem interesting. Some will really like the idea of helping to “replace” their financial support by introducing you to others who might want to give.
Remember, most of the time, gifts are Suspended or Non-Current due to card or banking numbers changing; and usually signing back up for Reliant giving gets lost in the shuffle. Your reach-out helps your supporter remain faithful to what the Lord encouraged them to give. Less common are people who have to stop giving for financial reasons. Usually the gift quietly stops because the supporter is embarrassed to tell you. Your call gives them an opportunity to talk about it, restore the relationship, minister to them, thank them for their faithfulness, and pray over them. You never know what's going on with your people until you reach out. A field worker reached out to a Suspended supporter and discovered they were going through cancer treatments. It turned into an incredible opportunity for the field worker to minister to and pray for their donor. So, if you see an interruption in someone's normal giving pattern, be the person that notices and reaches out because they matter and when they don't show up, they're missed.