Giving thanks: it matters more than you think
Stewardship means asking and thanking. Do we thank enough? Not saying thank you is the quickest way to constrain generous giving.
Stewardship ministry rightly encourages us to talk about giving, encourage giving, sustain giving , steward giving. There’s something else that’s easy to overlook. Of all the words we could say, don’t forget those simple, powerful words: thank you.
Thanking our givers was identified as good practice in Giving for Life in 2009 and there’s progress. In the 2025 Anglican Giving Survey 76% said they had been thanked in the last six months, up from 58% in 2020. Good news, because not saying thank you is a quick way to dampen generosity.
More than good manners
Gratitude is good manners, and more. In the Bible Paul’s letters are full of thanksgiving because gratitude shapes us as people. Gratitude changes giving from a transaction into something transformational. It’s a two sided coin. We say thank you to acknowledge something has been done for us or given to us. But we also acknowledge it was freely given; a gift. Even if it is a transaction in a shop we acknowledge the spirit in which it was done - or not! When we respond with thanks, we reflect that same spirit of generosity.
There’s evidence to back this up too. Studies show that expressions of gratitude can double the likelihood of someone helping again and even increase volunteering time. In our churches a warm, timely thank‑you isn’t just good manners for a job done well. It oils the wheels of our generosity and our relationships.
On the road
Appreciation helps each one of us on our personal giving journey. Someone might be taking their first step into planned giving by joining the Parish Giving Scheme. Someone else might increase giving and discover how their gift makes a difference. Someone might be a long standing giver and our thank you affirms them, their value, their relationship to the church they have served for years. Our letters of thanks help people feel affirmed, informed, encouraged and connected. So it’s worth taking the time to write them!
The giver, not just the gift
But perhaps most of all, saying thank you values the giver and their relationship with their church; not just their gift. People don’t give into a vacuum. They give to needs and people, to shared ministry and mission. Appreciation builds trust, satisfaction, and a sense of partnership.
When we say “thank you,” we live out a bible truth: generosity isn’t just something we do; it is who we are as God’s people. That’s why when Paul signs off on two full chapters of the Bible all about generous giving he simply says, ‘Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift’ (2 Cor 9:15)
Saying thank you
Our appreciation values the giver, not just the gift. In our digital world what we can touch still matters: write a letter.