Ways of Giving to the Church Other than Donating More Money
You can take a more progressive approach to giving; one phrase that comes to mind is “Time, Talents, and Treasures.” If you’re lacking in one area (treasures), you can contribute in others (time and talent).
Here are some ways you can give to the church without giving more money.
Teaching a class, bible study or leading a small group.
You undoubtedly have valuable skills to share with others (woodworking, painting, or knitting, for example). You can teach others for an hour after church or during the week, and advertise your class or small group in the bulletin or work with the Media Arts Ministry to create a video announcement. Throw in a call for donations, and the class or group could even generate funds from those who cannot afford to give!
Church cleaning and maintenance
Cleaning and maintenance cost money, and those costs add up over the course of the year. You can donate your time by cleaning up after Sunday services, or repainting the church. These contributions may even allow fund reallocation from routine upkeep to important outreach programs.
Transportation assistance
If you drive to church every Sunday with vacant seats in your vehicle, it’s a great (and relatively easy) opportunity to help others. You could help members who lack transportation or are no longer able to drive. You can also organize a carpool for other programs while you’re at it.
Technological skills
If you are good with computers and are willing to contribute using these highly valuable skills, then we can use your help. While church management software saves us lots of time and energy, it still requires an operator. You could volunteer to perform tasks like updating the website, scheduling other volunteers, or managing the church calendar.
Guest chefs
Our TNT chef needs to take a break once in a while along with the Amazing Gray’s Luncheon cook teams, and when they do someone needs to fry all that fish, flip all those pancakes, and grill hundreds of hot dogs at various events throughout the year. You can take this opportunity to get behind the grill and cook.
Vehicle donation
Some of you might have an old RV, fishing boat, or hovercraft gathering dust and costing you every month in insurance payments. You can get rid of that bucket of bolts by donating it. Even if the church doesn’t have a use for it, we can sell it. As a bonus, your budget will get a boost from lower insurance payments and you will have a tax write-off.
Home visits
A 2018 Pew Research study shows that just over a quarter of senior citizens, and almost a third of elderly women, were living alone as of 2017. It’s likely that our church has a few elderly members who could use a regular visitor. A National Institutes of Health study found that isolation can lead to cognitive, physical, and emotional decline in elders. All church members can help out with this incredibly important service.
Photography
Our church has access to a decent camera in the Media Arts collection (any smartphone manufactured in the last decade will do in a pinch), but finding someone to take pictures with it is a different story. Professional photographers can charge upwards of $100/hour, so you can help by taking photos at church events for our website.
Social media management
Our church social media accounts are notorious for making cringe-worthy mistakes. One of the most common (and easiest to correct) is infrequency, or even nonexistent posting. If you are a social media enthusiasts, you can donate some time by managing our church’s Facebook or Twitter accounts. You’ll help spread the word about our church (boosting attendance), and the internet will have something new to read about our church.
Not only does the body of Christ grow stronger, so does the spiritual life of the individual believer. You can make a difference in the lives of others – begin sharing your time and talents today! There are many opportunities waiting for you, and most of them take less than two hours per week.
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands —
one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
Audrey Hepburn