Advantages of Bringing Online Giving To Your Ministry
Ever rush out for Sunday service and forget to bring your cash to tithe? You’re not alone as consumer trends over the past decade have made carrying cash unnecessary. The proliferation of debit cards and portable POS systems have made it possible for even street vendors and food trucks to accept plastic. This speaks to the potentially great gains your ministry could see by establishing and promoting an online giving platform. Below are some advantages that an online giving solution has over more traditional giving methods:
Greater Participation from Younger Church Members
The age cohort least likely to carry cash are the millennial generation. Because millennials have been raised in an environment of great technological change, having a debit card is viewed as an equivalence to carrying cash. Once you consider these factors, it is easy to see why utilizing an online giving kiosk in your church is a valuable add on to any online giving or text giving services you may already have.
Provides More Giving Options
A common complaint regarding online giving is that a visible giving kiosk detracts from the ministry experience. Your church’s role in facilitating tithes can remain passive without harming your giving budget by offering other giving options through text, online and the traditional collection plate. Ministries have different approaches to tithing and a successful giving campaign is largely shaped by how regularly your congregation interacts with these various options. If one method isn’t producing fruit for your ministry and feels distracting, then don’t hesitate to explore other options. Many of these online giving tools and solutions offer free trials so that you and your staff can determine best fit without incurring any additional costs.
Online Giving Can Go Viral
For specific initiatives (children’s ministry, camps etc.) let your online fundraising go viral via Facebook, Twitter or through large group messages. If you’re utilizing a donation form, discover more prospective donors by reaching supporters on social media and any other popular media utilized by your congregation. When congregation members see others getting involved in a specific drive then this could spur them to take action themselves. Traditional tithing methods would not be able to generate this type of viral promotion, awareness and encouragement.
Increased Recurring Giving
Another benefit to setting up online giving is that it increases the likelihood of receiving recurring gifts. Setting up a recurring donation through your online giving portal is easy for your members as they select the amount and set up the time periods. There is no need to come back and give a new donation throughout the year which would not be possible under the traditional tithing methods. Ideally your ministry would like to see a higher percentage of gifts through recurring donations because it allows your ministry to more accurately forecast your finances.
Final Thoughts
As you can see online giving offers many benefits to both the ministry and the congregation member. For members online giving offers convenience, a broader array of giving options and security. For the ministry online giving can lead to greater giving dollars, more stability in collections, security, and additional opportunities for promotion- both viral and traditional. Given that technology, consumer and demographic trends are all moving in this direction, seeking a robust and cost effective online giving solution should be a top priority for most ministries moving forward.