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Many churches across the Diocese are finding that running a structured giving campaign can make a real and lasting difference. These campaigns help congregations reflect on generosity, understand the financial needs in more detail, and explore new ways of supporting the mission and ministry of the parish.

Parishes are finding that when they take time to communicate openly, offer simple teaching on generosity, and gently invite a response through a planned giving campaign, it can help strengthen engagement and encourage a renewed sense of shared commitment.

A parish story: “We knew we needed to be bold”

At St Peter & St Paul’s, Flitwick, the Revd Claire Harald admits that launching a giving campaign felt daunting. She says:

“I’ve never been a fan of preaching about money, and I’m even less enthusiastic about talking on legacy giving,”

After yet another year facing a financial deficit, the PCC knew something needed to change. With guidance from Diocesan Giving Adviser, Kate Ford, they decided to embark on a giving campaign, complete with preaching, PCC involvement, communication materials, and a clear financial goal.

Claire remembers both the encouragement and the challenge:

“Kate was both supportive and understanding, but we were also challenged to reflect: did we really want things to change?”

The parish spoke openly about their needs, set a clear goal, and invited everyone to consider how they could help support the mission of the church.

The results exceeded every expectation.

“We thought we might just about reach the 10% increase needed. But the church had other ideas. The response went beyond anything we could have imagined – they doubled it!”

Why giving campaigns work

Parishes across the Diocese have found that a structured giving campaign helps them:

  • Encourage open, honest conversations
  • Explain the real costs of ministry
  • Build a shared sense of responsibility
  • Invite people to reflect prayerfully on their giving
  • Strengthen long‑term financial sustainability

When a church communicates clearly and confidently, many people welcome being asked, and want to support the ministry they value.

Support from the Giving Team

To help churches run effective giving campaigns, the Diocese offers a wide range of practical support.

The Giving Team can:

  • Visit your parish to explain how a giving campaign works
  • Provide sample talks, templates, letters, and resources
  • Support your PCC through the planning process
  • Help you create leaflets, posters, and postcards using diocesan Canva templates
  • Guide your parish in setting realistic goals and communicating them clearly
  • Offer advice on building a long‑term culture of generosity

A message of encouragement

Looking back on their campaign, Claire offers this advice to other churches:

“What have we learnt from this experience? Be bold, invest in the process and basically, listen to Kate!!”

And finished by adding:

“For the record… I still don’t like preaching about money!”

But she acknowledges that giving campaigns have helped her church build a more confident conversation about generosity, and strengthened their ministry for the future.

Get in touch

If your church is thinking about running a giving campaign, contact Kate in the Diocesan Giving Team. Whether you are planning your first campaign or building on previous work, the team are ready to support you every step of the way.

Giving Case Study 1: Running a Giving Campaign