The church does itself a great disservice if we pretend young people just don’t have money.
Myth No. 4
Myth 4: Young adults
don’t have money.
Sensational headlines about mil- lennials are oſt en related to studies conducted by marketing companies. T e corporate world knows the truth: young adults have enormous spending power. Not all of us have great amounts
of money, of course. And we may not have as much, perhaps, as older generations had at a similar age. But the church does itself a great disser- vice if we pretend young people just don’t have money.
Correcting myth No. 4:
Correcting myth No. 4
Ask for money … carefully,
wisely, compassionately.
Few young people give to congre- gations without being asked. As is oſt en noted, many young adults have developed a general distrust of institutions. Likewise, we don’t give to the church out of a sense of moral obligation or duty. But, if asked, we oſt en do give. When the church asks, however,
Fundraising via social media 2
ne growing area of raising money is called “peer-to-peer fundraising.” This approach invites individuals or groups to support a cause by contributing to a giving goal.
For example, you may run a race or participate in a walk and raise money for charity in the process. Friends might donate $10 to your cause after you complete a 10K. One popular approach invites alternative birthday giving. In place of pres- ents, friends are invited to contribute to a cause.
This approach to fundraising isn’t new, but the ease of giving through online platforms and the ability to spread the word on social networks amplifi es their impact. Many websites support this sort of fundraising, including some connected to the ELCA.
Nonprofi ts often host their own peer-to-peer giving network like the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer that, in September, hosted events in 58 communities with an initial goal of raising $10 million. Other nonprofi ts welcome contributions through intermediary websites such as www.
activegiving.com.
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www.thelutheran.org
Peer-to-peer giving can be a great tool for those uncomfortable with asking for money. It also welcomes a team approach, so your congregation, mission team or youth group can together work toward a shared goal.
Just this year the ELCA launched new tools to support the lat- est in giving trends online. Users can design events themselves and the funds raised support ELCA World Hunger (www.elca. org/TeamELCA).
In conjunction with last summer’s ELCA Youth Gathering, the Walk for Water campaign (
www.elca.org/mywalk4water) also helped raise money through peer-to-peer fundraising. In fact, as part of their Rise Up Together Tour, Rachel Kurtz and Dave Scherer of the group AGAPE* are running head-to-head campaigns with goals of $50,000 each.
Laury Rinker, ELCA director for communications and market- ing, said, “This is a big opportunity for the church—for all of us—to connect with the future of giving.”
it’s important to do so with compas- sion. For example, Timothy Siburg, 28, communications associate for the Ecumenical Stewardship Center of both the U.S. and Canada and also a congregational mission developer, suggests congregations consider approaching stewardship campaigns by segmenting members by ability or area of interest. “You just can’t write one giving
letter, or even email or Facebook post, and expect it to resonate with everyone in your community,” he said.
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