Wayzata Community Church has been helping people with their faith journeys for over 140 years. Today, the church has grown to engage nearly 3,000 confirmed members, hundreds of children, young people, and friends of the congregation. It has become a physical and spiritual landmark in the lives of its members and the Wayzata community.

They set a goal for 2024 to increase their annual fund giving by $8,000 a week to expand and strengthen their ministry. They contracted with Mike Ward, GSB’s Managing Partner, to support their efforts.

One of the components of the work included establishing a current giving chart that visually captures the number of households giving in designated ranges by average weekly gift.

“They didn’t have many households in the middle giving ranges,” said Mike. “Their givers were concentrated at the top or bottom of the church. Seven households were giving $700+ per week.”

They invited 80 households, 10% of the congregation, to a lead gift event and shared the giving chart. It was the first time anyone had seen the actual giving ranges. “We thought we were one of the top givers,” a donor shared at the event. “We will be increasing our giving by $20,000 next year.”

Seeing the true picture helps with transparency. Generosity is learned, and we learn it by talking about it and by watching others. When larger donors feel they are carrying the full load, it can be difficult to inspire them to give more. When they know the ministry is truly shared, they appreciate being a part of the whole.