Inexpensive yet thoughtful promotional products for potential and current worshipers to make everyone feel welcome in your church. From beautiful gift bags to traditional swag, we’ll help you choose meaningful gifts for your congregation.

June 4, 2019ByLeo Victor

10 Ideas For Church Giveaways & Personalized Gifts To Visitors

You wouldn’t think that church is something you would need to necessarily promote, but you’d be wrong. There are churches proving that being creative in the marketing department can attract and maintain membership. One way to do that is with church giveaways and inexpensive gifts for church visitors.

“Sadly, one of the church’s greatest shortcomings is failure to market itself authentically and effectively,” writes Ministry Today Magazine. And they are correct. When marketing a church, people sometimes fall short of their goal as they are scared to dilute their message by using marketing materials.

“It is time we completely overhaul the way church does marketing and advertising.” – ChurchLeaders.com

Despite not wanting to dilute the message or turn people away, a church must engage in marketing. And, doing it properly is also a must. According to ChurchLeaders.com, churches are some of the worst marketers and advertisers in the world. They simply don’t do it correctly, or don’t do it all.

With that in mind, let’s talk about how church promotional products can be an effective way to market yourself correctly without diluting your message.

Why Personalized Church Gifts Work

Using promotional products is one of the most effective forms of marketing. They provide you with unlimited brand impressions at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.

Promotional products for church giveaways are all about impressions. You want to get your brand in front of as many people as possible for the cheapest cost. Most promotional products cost you less than a penny per impression (some as little as 1/10^th of a penny). That means you can get more views of your marketing message without breaking your marketing budget.

“You have been given a mission by Christ to spread the Gospel message to everyone. Deliberate and intentional marketing is an important way to connect with people and share your message with them.” – Big Data Social Media

Promotional products also have staying power. According to Advertising Specialty Institute, promotional items are kept anywhere from eight to 16 months depending on the specific product. Here is a list of some of the most popular and how many months each are kept:

Promotional items are also passed on to others so you can continue to get brand impressions after these items have outlived their usefulness. People also like to receive promotional items. If not, they wouldn’t be as effective as they are.

So, what are some of the best items for church giveaways? Here is a list of inexpensive gifts for church visitors.

1. Welcome to Our Church Gift Bags

Don’t just give away church swag on its own. Give away a personalized gift bag with church promotional products as well as information about the church itself. You can create a nice swag bag with some pamphlets about church times and future events. In fact, you can give away a custom tote bag by itself without any additional promotional items.

Bags themselves make great personalized church gifts. They earn approximately 3,300 impressions throughout their lifetime. This averages out to a cost of 2/10^th of a penny per impression.

Studies also show that 50 percent of consumers are more likely to do business with someone who gave them a promotional bag. This means you are more than likely to see return visitors to your church by using custom bags for church giveaways.

On a side note, you can also use these bags for people who purchase items in your book shop.

2. Writing Instruments (Pens, Highlighters, etc.)

Custom bags make great items all by themselves. However, there are plenty of other promotional products you can give away that can be held in such bags. One of the most effective is a customized writing instruments such as ink pens and highlighters.

Ink pens are used regularly in church. People are always taking notes, keeping track of upcoming events, and writing messages out for friends and family members. Let’s take a look at how promotional writing implements stack up to other promotional items.

89 percent of consumers report owning a promotional pen. They get an average of 3,100 impressions which equates to approximately 1/10^th of a penny per impression. Even more impressive is that one out of every five people report owning 10 or more promotional pens.

There are a number of options for you to choose from. In addition to the traditional ballpoint pen, here are a few other writing instruments we offer:

3. Church Journals

Speaking of taking notes, how about a custom church journal to help with bible study? Journals are personal and useful. And, according to Advertising Specialty Institute, usefulness is the main reason why people retain promotional items.

Not only are journals a great gift for newcomers to your congregation, they also make perfect gifts for confirmation and other church milestones. Youth groups can also be given matching journals so that your church logo is seen by everyone when they are out and about.

A few other writing items you may want to consider include:

Church journals come in a variety of styles and colors as you can see from the links above. All can be customized with your logo and ordered in various quantities to fit within your budget.

4. Hand Sanitizer

Churches can get crowded. And, everywhere there is a crowd of people there are bound to be germs. Hand sanitizer with a custom logo is a thoughtful promotional item to give to newcomers or regular church members.

You can choose from many different styles of sanitizers including traditional squeeze bottles, sprays, and even individual towelettes. Some come with clips for easy carry on backpack and purses while others come with neoprene cases so people can keep your logo and switch out the old bottle when empty.

Hand sanitizer is also inexpensive. You can find several styles in our Swag Under $1 section. We also offer various scented sanitizers so your church wont smell like rubbing alcohol when people are using them.

5. Calendars

What better way to let people know about upcoming events than with a customized church calendar? People will want these as they can keep track of upcoming events such as bible school and church retreats.

62 percent of consumers own a promotional calendar. So, why not make it your promotional calendar that they own? With an average of 850 impressions received over their lifetime, calendars will cos you 3/10^th of a penny per brand impression. That is cheaper than any other form of advertising available.

People will also come back to you for next year’s calendar, so they make the perfect gift for bringing people back to your congregation.

6. Coffee Mugs (and other Drinkware)

Coffee mugs, especially travel mugs, are great for church giveaways. Most people don’t drink coffee while in church, but they do on the way. Just like in the mornings when they go to work, having a cup of coffee gets them ready for the day.

Outside of coffee drinkware, you should consider water bottles such as tumblers. They will be used by people while working out in the gym, hiking, and other physical activities. What better way to get a conversation started than when someone sees the church logo on a water bottle?

So, let’s take a quick look at the numbers.

Drinkware averages 1,400 impressions which ultimately costs you less than a penny per brand impression. With 78 percent of people owning a promotional drink item, you can be sure that your will get plenty of use by the recipient.

7. PopSockets

Mobile phones are now part of life. Even in church, people will use them to record audio or video of the sermon. They are even used for reading bible verses during the service as opposed to using the worn-out bibles in the back of the pews.

PopSockets make for usable personalized church gifts as they will help people hold their phone in place during a longer church service. They are lightweight, easy to attach, and durable for everyday use.

One of the best things about custom PopSockets is that they are inexpensive. If you are looking for something cheap that people will use, PopSockets are an obvious choice.

8. License Plate Frames and Stickers

Everyone likes to display where their child goes to school. Same holds true for those who attend church. Customized stickers and license plate frames are one of the best ways to get your church seen by thousands of people.

License plate frames come in a variety of colors and can be custom printed both on the top and bottom to maximize your exposure area. You can also use a license plate template for vehicles that don’t require a license plate on the front (check with your state for specific requirements).

Want more room to customize? Well, going with a car sticker or decal is the way to go. As you are not bound by law on sizing (license plates are the same size regardless of state), you have the ability to choose different shapes, sizes, and colors to show off your church. They are also very inexpensive so you can purchase a large quantity at an affordable rate.

9. Custom T-Shirts

Of course, no one is going to wear a custom t-shirt to church. However, they will likely wear it when they are out in public, giving you plenty of brand impressions and leading to more people asking about the church.

T-shirts with your church logo will help bring the younger audience into your church. It is reported that Millennials own at least five promotional t-shirts. Take into account the 3,400 impressions you will receive per t-shirt; you will be paying approximately 2/10^th of a penny per impression.

In addition to church giveaways, you can give away t-shirts to your youth groups and church retreats.

10. Purse and Pocket Items

Everyone is always reaching into their bag at church. There is always someone needing something and someone else who likely has it buried in their bag. Consider giving some of these pocket and purse items away to the congregation as they are useful and will promote your brand.

Final Note on Church Giveaway Items:

Personalized church gifts can not only help you maintain your current audience, but also bring new people to your congregation. Don’t miss an opportunity to use one of the most effective forms of advertising to reach out to those looking for a church to join.

In addition to using these items for church giveaways, you can also stock them in your church bookstore. In fact, if you want to do something even more creative than just giving away inexpensive gifts for church visitors, think about creating your own church retail store.

We can set up the store for you and you don’t have to hold inventory. We take care of all order processing and shipping so you can focus on spreading the message. We’ll take care of everything else.

Finally, give us a call if you need more church promotional ideas. We have many solutions that can fit any sized budget.