Finish the work: sending reminder letters

Paul wrote a reminder letter, encouraging Corinth to bring their piece of the jigsaw.

It’s just the way it is. We’re human. We forget stuff. We mean to do it but the response form sits behind the clock on the mantelpiece. Or an email sits in a stuffed inbox; noted but not opened. That’s why Paul wrote to Corinth, “Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it...’ (2 Cor. 8:11).

Our response form is our piece of the jigsaw which completes the picture of the life of our church. Our reminder letter invites people to bring their piece; is all. We can remind people - gently, warmly, once.

A gentle reminder

The clergy ask letter includes a date for the return of the response form. Once that date has passed, it’s OK to send a gentle, warm reminder with a new return date. The initial invitation was to resource God’s mission in our church. That still stands. We’re not asking for anything different. No need for apologies for a gentle reminder. If you mailed the first letter, mail the reminder letter. If you used email first time, it’s OK to use it again.

Most of them

There’s a tiny window into church life in 2 Cor 9:2: the enthusiasm of Corinth had stirred up ‘most of them’ in Macedonia. Not everyone. Don’t expect a response from everyone. In the 2025 Anglican Giving Survey a third of Anglicans don’t give to their church, 41% have never been asked to give regularly and 46% never been asked to review their giving. The figures are pretty much what they were in 2020. Point is, a pattern of asking and responding isn’t always our culture, part of the way we do things around here.

What’s it about?

Here’s a fascinating study from the States back in 2015. A Salvation Army officer made a ‘silent’ ask at a supermarket door; no words, simply ringing a bell. At a different door another officer asked, please give today. It was more complex but you get the drift. The verbal ask rocketed donors (by 55%) and donations (by 69%). Asking had a powerful effect on giving. The study authors suggest that asking triggers our empathy which triggers our generosity impulses.

But here’s the thing: asking also increased avoidance. Most people didn’t avoid the ‘silent’ ask but the asking prompted between a quarter and a third of shoppers to ‘avoid the ask’ and use another door. It’s not that people are selfish or heartless. Many respond positively to the ask. Some just wanted to avoid the psychological cost of being asked.

Non-response is very human, very normal. It’s not any kind of judgement. Not on the giver. Not or on the church. At a later time the response may well be quite different.

Differentiate responses

A final thought. A headline ‘only 60% responded’ can be misleading and discouraging. Check out the % of responses in each differentiated grouping. You would expect and hope for the highest response rate from leaders; lower from planned givers and lower again from plate givers, then friends. Those differentiated response rates may suggest a focus for ongoing stewardship ministry.

Of course, some may not be able to increase giving and our response form recognise this.

Complete the work

A single, warm, gentle, encouraging reminder is all we can do, all we should do. There’s no pressure. Once a reminder is sent, that’s that.