9 Ways to Increase Online Giving at Your Church

More and more churches are using online platforms to increase their reach and better connect with congregants. Around 29% of practicing Christians state they take advantage of their church’s digital offerings on a day other than Sunday. Churches increasingly need to leverage digital technology to grow their online giving.

Why Embrace Online Giving?

Traditional methods of giving, such as the passing of collection plates during a service, remain very important. But adding online giving for churches has several advantages:

• Convenience: Online giving makes it easy for congregants to donate from anywhere and at any time.
• Expanded reach: No longer tied to a geographical region, you can receive donations from a wider audience.
• Greater engagement: In tandem with email campaigns, social media, and your website, you can better engage with your audience, communicating stories about the positive impact their donations are having.
• Improved tracking: Online giving platforms offer detailed reports and analytics so you can better focus your marketing and fundraising efforts.
• Cost savings: Administrative expenses are reduced, and time is saved. Church bookkeeping becomes easier. The funds you save can be redirected into missions and programs.

Recent research has shown that 44% of Americans prefer digital giving. In this article, we’ll explore nine tips for increasing online giving at your church.

1—Plan the Launch

The success of your online giving platform lies in how well the launch goes, so it’s essential to promote the plan well before and after the launch.

Create a promotional plan for online giving as part of your overall church marketing strategy. This will educate your members on why you’re implementing online giving. Lay out the advantages for congregants and the church while preemptively addressing concerns like security.

2—Make Online Giving Easy and Accessible

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One of the most important things churches can do to increase online giving is to make the process as easy as possible. This means ensuring that your church website is user-friendly and optimized for donations and that your online giving platform is easy to use and available on multiple devices.

Allow donors to make direct payments to your church bank account from their bank account with ACH (Automated Clearing House) payments. ACH giving offers a high level of security and payments are easy to make.

A mistake some churches make is to bury their donation buttons and links deep on their websites. Make it easy for members to support your church with a clear donate button in your main header navigation or home page banner area.

3—Promote Online Giving Through Various Channels

Once you have an online giving platform, you must promote it through various channels to ensure that people know it’s an option. This can include discussing it during church services, on social media, through email campaigns, and on your website.

Some online funding drives fail because the church doesn’t support them well after they’re live. Make the promotion of online giving part of your process by mentioning it each time an offering is taken. Include frequent mention of online giving in your church announcements on social media posts and newsletters. This all helps to keep the idea in the people’s minds.

A comprehensive church management tool simplifies this process. ChMeetings integrates with email newsletter and text message applications, so you can send out high-quality, engaging messages to your members discussing the pros of online giving.

4—Use Storytelling to Connect With Donors

Think about how you want people to feel on your church’s giving page. Use simple language, images, and videos to make that feeling a reality.

Use storytelling to connect with donors and help them understand the impact their donations can make. Share stories of how your church’s programs and services have helped people in your community, and use these stories to encourage online giving.

5—Make it Mobile Friendly

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Nearly 60% of all internet traffic is mobile. It’s vital, therefore, that online giving at your church works perfectly on tablets and smartphones. Most website software and online giving platforms nowadays create websites that work well on desktop and mobile.

Test your system thoroughly before putting it live to members, as a poor first impression will take a long time from which to recover.

6—Take a One-Time Offering During a Service

Every once in a while, take a one-time online offering during a church service for a specific cause in your community that your church supports.

You can ask for a small donation. This reminds seasoned members that online offering is available while introducing the process to newer members.

One-time offerings can encourage more people to give, as there’s no requirement to keep making donations monthly.

7—Lead by Example

Encourage leading members of the church to give online to set an example. Ask them to express to congregants why they find online giving preferable. Consider creating short videos from church leaders discussing why they like to use online giving. This can encourage reticent church members to follow suit.

8—Encourage Recurring Donations

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Recurring donations can be a great way to increase online giving at your church. Encourage congregants to set up recurring donations to support their church’s mission regularly without having to remember to donate each week.

9—Offer Incentives and Rewards

Start by offering a hearty “Thanks!” page for anyone who donates. This can segway into pages that show how donations have been used in the past and the church’s aims.

Consider offering further incentives or rewards for those who make online donations. This could include free tickets to church events, exclusive access to certain services, or even recognition in the church bulletin or newsletter.

Online Giving With ChMeetings

Increasing online giving at your church requires a thoughtful and strategic approach.

Make online giving easy and accessible, promote it through various channels, encourage recurring donations, offer incentives and rewards, and use storytelling to connect with donors. This way, you can help ensure that your church has the resources to continue serving your community and fulfilling its mission.

ChMeetings is a leading church management software solution used by over 3,000 churches worldwide. Besides being an effective way to track members and groups, manage church events, and communicate with members, ChMeetings allows you to accept one-time or recurring pledges and donations from your community.