3 Steps to Launch a Giving Kiosk in Your Church

We talk a lot about online giving on the blog because there are so many benefits for you and your church and donors. In this day and age, pastors need to look at what the most successful churches are doing in their ministries. How has the pandemic forced us to change our mindsets or strategies?

In this article, Launch a Giving Kiosk in Your Church we explore one donation option which has been around for a while, so it’s already popular amongst churches. It is one of the simplest ways to Get started with online giving.

The Electronic Giving Kiosk for Your Church

The electronic giving kiosk is one of the ways churches all over the world are stepping up their giving strategy. It works with almost any tablet and has a built-in processing system that takes care of the small percentage of credit cards that have trouble with online transactions.

This is convenient for most donors, as it can also be app-based, and it functions easily on their tablets or cellphones. For churches, it presents a straightforward way to get donations both at church and online through recurring transactions.

(For more ideas on online giving, check out this blog post.)

Here are three steps you can take today to start your own setup.

1. Customize and Brand Your Own Donation Giving Kiosk in Your Church

Nonprofits and churches have lots of options for choosing donation kiosks that suit their outreach programs. Just keep in mind that not all offer customization.

When setting up your own donation kiosk, make sure to choose one that lets you:

• Change color schemes or themes to match your church or nonprofit brand.
• Upload and add your church or nonprofit’s logo.
• Upload additional signs, forms, or announcements specific to your church.

We always emphasize church branding, because a good brand can establish trust among donors. They will know how your church is handling their funds and be more open to the concept of giving.

Here is a good article about why churches need to upgrade their giving strategies and donor plans.

2. Stay Versatile

The donation kiosk you choose must be versatile enough to work for:

• All types of credit cards.
• In multiple settings or situations.
• For large or small donation amounts.

Some credit cards must be inserted, and some can simply swipe to receive funds. Your kiosk should be handle to handle all types. Make sure you know which credit cards it accepts. Also plan to digital bank donations, donations in cryptocurrency, and any kind of gift type available.

(Still confused about cryptocurrency? Check out this link on our recently updated blog on accepting cryptocurrency as donations.)

Your giving kiosk can be large or small. However, a portable one makes it easier for transport or set up outside of the church grounds. You can even establish a kiosk that is designed to be large and attractive but then use a portable payments solution to accept donations without hassle or inconvenience.

3. Security Is Vital – Earn Donor Trust Through Secure Platforms

Donors only give with confidence when they trust your church’s security measures. Ensure that no donor doubts the way you handle funds and process money. The way to do this with a giving kiosk is to look for a kiosk provider that is PCI-compliant and guarantees protection.

What is PCI compliance? In short, this dictates how sensitive information is stored. It is a trusted way to secure information and is done through either encryption or tokenization.

Here’s what that means:

• Encryption, a way to take information and enclose it in mathematical code called ciphertext. To decipher the code, the computer uses a special algorithm and encryption key.
• Tokenization, on the other hand, is a similar but different process that creates a random code or token. Tokenization can be considered a substitute for real data or information.

Put your donors’ minds at ease and ensure that your church is not a victim of fraud while handling online transactions.

How DonorWerx Can Help

Want to Get started with online giving? The most important thing when first starting out is awareness. Know your options, so you can make wise decisions.

At DonorWerx, we have created the online courses every church leader needs to build deeper relationships and grow their ministry and donors. We create content that is emotionally relevant, useful, and in line with what today’s pastors need. Access anything from whole courses to email templates, and even a guide to donor personalities.

Call us today to schedule a free discovery call. We will help you do purposeful work that generates more response and revenue.