By Kristen Greene
So, you might like the idea of an online church member directory vs. a traditional printed directory, but one thing you might not like are those monthly or annual payments associated with the online directory program.
Here are three easy ways to help pay for the online directory so it’s sure to fit any church budget.
- Advertise in your Church Directory
Some churches raise money by selling advertising space in their church directory to local companies or businesses. These ads are a great way to generate advertising revenue to help offset the cost of the directory.
Simply set your rate and then reach out to local businesses — especially small bookstores, restaurants or Christian boutique shops. You can offer discounts for businesses that choose to advertise for a full year or for several months at a time.
- Ask for a Directory Sponsor
Asking for a family or families to sponsor the directory each month is a great way to help offset your cost. Say your online directory program costs you $9.99/month. Simply ask 12 different families to donate $10 to be a sponsor, and your cost is covered!
You can update the directory to include a special acknowledgement for this month’s sponsor or include a thank you in your church newsletter or bulletin. Each time you thank a sponsor, you are also reminding members of the online tool. Some members may enjoy the directory program so much, they’d be willing to pay for the entire year just to ensure it sticks around.
- Request a Special Donation
One easy way to pay for the cost is to ask members to pay a small portion. If you divide the cost of the directory by the number of families, you may be surprise how little it cost per family. Asking one Sunday or in the newsletter for families to make a $5 or $10 donation to the Online Directory Fund can be a quick an easy way to cover the cost of an online program.
As online giving continues to grow, your church may already have a program that would give members a way to donate to the directory virtually. Asking for small payments virtually is usually the easiest way to quickly get the donations you need to cover the cost of the Online Directory Program.
Payments via PayPal, Stripe, Easy Tithe or even Facebook make it so easy and fast for members to donate vs. finding cash or writing a check.
Online directories continue to make it easier and easier for churches to update and connect to their congregation. The more the directory is used, the more willing members will be to donate specifically to the online directory to ensure this invaluable tool continues to be available.
Kristen Greene is the creative director for Instant Church Directory, www.InstantChurchDirectory.com. Visit them online for a free 30-day free trial.
