Team Buy-In Assessment

People are resistant to change. This is a simple fact of life, and it holds just as true in organizational settings as anywhere else. In fact, there’s a name for it: organizational inertia. Inertia describes resistance to any type of change, and if you don’t secure team buy-in from the outset, this could ruin your ability to achieve a successful digital giving rollout.

Unfortunately, church leaders often believe they have buy-in when they don’t. After all, some team members will say “yes” and nod their heads simply because the pastor asks them a question. You need to know whether you have real buy-in. The following assessment will help you figure out if you-+’ve reached this point or if you have more work to do.

Team Buy-In Assessment

Are you doing what’s necessary?

1. Have you developed an “elevator pitch” that accurately explains why you feel this change is necessary?

Yes No

2. Are your “ducks in a row” (i.e. can you explain key metrics and how they relate to your ministry’s success)?

Yes No

3. Are you engaging emotions (i.e. have you explained how these changes will improve your ability to help God’s people)?

Yes No

4. Did you start by seeking buy-in from your inner circle and individuals with the most influence in your church?

Yes No

5. Have you asked about and addressed your inner circle’s concerns regarding the rollout?

Yes No

6. Have you asked your team to share their honest feedback?

Yes No

You need to be able to answer “Yes” to each of the questions above if you hope to achieve full buy-in from your team. You can then ask yourself the following questions to learn whether you’ve been successful in this endeavor.

1. Are they asking in-depth questions? This often means someone is engaged and wants a full understanding of how to make the campaign successful.

Yes No

2. Are they actively promoting the campaign to others? If your team really believes in your vision, they’ll share it with others.

Yes No

3. Are they coachable? It’s understandable for people to make early mistakes when a major change occurs, but when this happens, are they enthusiastic about being coached on the right way to do things?

Yes No

4. Are they going above and beyond? Team members who believe your vision want to see it succeed, so they’ll typically do more or ask for additional ways to help.

Yes No

5. Do they actively voice their concerns? It may seem counterintuitive that questioning certain aspects of a campaign could indicate buy-in, but this actually shows that team members are committed to seeing it work.

Yes No