One of the keys to developing adequate funding for your church’s media ministry is to develop an independent brand identity for your media outreach. Developing a strong brand involves more than just creating a good logo. It requires a commitment to identify and develop the media outreach as a ministry in its own right – one that donors will feel is worthy of funding.
Most church media ministries begin as an outreach of the church and are fully funded by the church budget. However, as the media ministry grows, the financial needs related to it may become more significant than the church anticipated. This is when additional funding sources become a must.
The first step in the branding process is developing a clear definition of the ministry’s purpose. As God’s plan for your media ministry is discovered, outlined, and articulated – you will find the increased clarity of vision that is necessary for properly branding — and funding — your ministry.
The second step is to develop the media ministry’s brand identity. This includes the program’s name, logo, look & feel, and ministry strategies. Much time should be taken to do this properly. Proper and prayerful consideration at the beginning will avoid the costly process of reinventing the ministry down the road. The brand identity for your media ministry needs to be able to stand alone and not just be seen as an outreach of the church. Look at the most successful media ministries in the world today. While many of them are based in a local church, they have an identity that is unique to the television, radio, or online program.
The third step has to do with the development of marketing and fund-raising strategies. Essentially every media ministry is funded by a combination of on-air appeals, product offers, solicitations through email and direct mail. These three motivational tools are used to generate donors, customers, and partners for your media ministry. The way in which these three tools are used varies greatly from ministry to ministry. However, the media ministry must be seen as an entity which is funded independently, and not just a function of the church budget.
Basically, there are three types of revenue for your media ministry:
- Donations from individuals who are touched by your ministry
- Donations/sales from individuals who wish to acquire product you are offering
- Donations from individuals who share your vision and have committed to partnership with your ministry
The goal of your marketing/fundraising strategy should be to turn viewers into donors, and donors into partners. This process requires two important ingredients: consistency and time. As you minister in a consistent manner over time, you will create an image in people’s hearts and minds.
If your vision is clear enough, if your dream is big enough, if your execution is good enough, if your content is solid enough, and if your results are real enough – you will discover that the Lord will raise up a great army of faithful partners to help you fulfill your vision and fund the media ministry.
It all starts with knowing what God has called you to do; building a brand identity that supports and reinforces that calling; and developing a process to generate independent support. Branding is more than a logo… it is how you are perceived – and therefore how you are funded in doing the work of the ministry through media. The better and more consistent your branding, the stronger your funding will be.
Let us know if Infinity Concepts can help you brand, fund, and build your media ministry! Contact us today!
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