Creative Gifts That Are Not Coffee Mugs or Pens
Every church will experience new visitors and guests attending their weekend services throughout the year. Even though the church doesn’t only exist for first-time guests, it’s essential to do everything in your power to ensure visitors have a great experience so that they will return, and providing a visitor gift will be sure to make a positive impact.
The ultimate goal is for visitors to no longer become visitors but grow into contributing members of your church community. If your church isn’t paying much attention to visitors’ experience, now is the time to start! Think about what they are seeing, feeling, and experiencing from the moment they pull into the parking lot, to dropping their kids off at your kid’s ministry, the service itself, and the actions you want them to take after service.
Get Connected
Anything you do for visitors and first-time guests should be clear and straightforward. One of the best ways to ensure your visitors leave excited about your church is to have a gift for them. Gifts for new visitors are typically given out in a specific, clearly labeled area of the lobby designated for people to get connected. This is the perfect place to give each visitor something memorable to encourage them to return the following Sunday.
When they approach your “connection area,” make sure you provide a quick questionnaire to get their contact information. In doing this, you can follow up a few days after the service and thank them again for coming.
So, if you’re trying to develop a meaningful gift idea that makes your church stand out, here are 5 New Visitor Gifts for Churches That Are Not Coffee Mugs or Pens.
1. T-Shirt
T-shirts are an excellent gift for new visitors. Having your church logo and brand on the t-shirt helps promote your church, but it’s also a practical gift that people will use. People like wearing t-shirts in public, when they work out, around the house, or attend special events. Regardless of how or when the t-shirt is used, this gift will put your church at the forefront of their mind. Anytime they see that shirt, they will be thinking about you, your church, and the experience they had. This is a more costly gift option, but if it is in the church budget, it will make an impact.
2. Stickers, Car Decals, and Magnets
Another great visitor gift would be a church-branded sticker, car decal, or magnet. All three are similar but provide different uses. Guests can slap stickers on the back of a laptop, backpack, or water bottle. Car decals and magnets tend to catch a driver’s eye, which could be why they decide to try out your church next Sunday. The important thing with these gifts is to ensure your information is on them and that they are appealing. You want the sticker, decal, or magnet to draw attention, but you want the right kind of attention.
3. Coffee Gift Card
A coffee gift card is another great gift for first-time guests. Even if the visitor is not a coffee drinker, all coffee shops offer various drink options that would please anyone. If your church has a cafe or coffee shop, you can give visitors a gift card for a free drink of their choice. Providing a free coffee or beverage for visitors is a great way to make people feel valued and loved, increasing the chances of first-time guests returning to your church. Depending on the size of your church and the resources and budget available, a $5 or $10 gift card is a good choice.
4. Sunglasses & Hats
Sunglasses and hats are another great visitor gift for those visiting your church. It doesn’t matter the weather patterns in your city or state; people will still wear them. Ensure to include the church brand and logo on the sunglasses and hat. If your church has a specific color palette for branding, you can get sunglasses in that particular color.
If you choose a hat, you can select various styles and colors. Ensure that your church logo and brand are front and center, regardless of the type of hat you decide to use. Many types of hats and styles exist, like Baseball, meshed, trucker, or athletic. Pick something that fits your church and context. You can have branded beanies available as well. If you live in an area where all four seasons are evident, you can have baseball caps available in warmer seasons and beanies in colder ones.
5. Gift Box
Gift boxes are another excellent visitor gift. You can include a little bit of everything in a gift box (t-shirt, stickers, decals, magnets, coffee gift card, sunglasses, or hats) and a nice note addressed from your lead pastor, staff, team, or church. A gift box offers a variety of fun gifts and is also something that catches people’s attention. You can even include a note inviting the visitor to contact the church to have coffee with one of the Pastors or staff members. Be creative and make the box fit the personality of your church. Ensure the boxes look neat and include your church logo and brand.
You can provide many different gifts to your visitors and first-time guests; however, the gifts mentioned above are practical, memorable, fun, and catch people’s attention. Having a gift available to your visitors is something easy that enhances the visitors’ experience and increases the chances of turning your guests into members.
