5 Ways to Increase Your Church’s Giving With Online Giving

Church’s Giving With Online Giving many people give to local churches. But did you know that a very small percentage do so through regular tithing? According to statistics published by Health Research Funding, the number is around 3 to 5 percent. Online giving helps churches tap into the charity of irregular tithers by offering ways to give outside of the Sunday offering plate.

If you’ve instituted online giving but find your results lackluster, check out the five tips for increasing online giving below.

1. Use Email Drip Campaigns to Convert Passive Donors to Active Ones

Email is a powerful form of communication—for all types of messages. Over 80 percent of businesses use email as a primary channel for acquiring and retaining customers. That’s something churches can model donor development on. Email is a low-cost, noninvasive method to keep in touch with people who are interested in giving to support your missions.

When someone signs up for your donor app or enters their email on your website, they should receive messaging from you within 24 hours—if not immediately. Use automated email marketing programs to send messages welcoming the donor and telling them more about your missions and how their donation can make a difference.

Even more importantly, use automated emails to thank donors immediately. You can potentially convert passive donors into active, regular contributors.

You might send a drip campaign after someone has made an initial donation, for example:

• The first email, sent within 24 hours, should thank the donor for their contribution and let them know how the money will be used to help others.
• A second email, sent within the first week, might reiterate your thanks and let donors know that you have options for setting up recurring donations if they feel called to give again. It might be a good time to remind donors of tax benefits.
• A final email, sent within the month, could let the donor know your organization is still mission-minded and appreciates all donations. You could also include a success story of how you put similar donations to work in the past.

2. Invest Resources in Your Donation Pages

Online giving requires a landing page on your website. It’s where you direct people when you invite them to give online. Just like the vestibule in your church, the donation page must be:

• Welcoming. Use simple designs, inviting language and a format that’s easy to understand.
• Functional. Make sure all links work and that people can figure out quickly what they’re supposed to do once they arrive on the page.
• Traffic–moving. People aren’t supposed to stay long in your church lobby. When they come in, they should be directed to flow toward fellowship halls, educational facilities, or the sanctuary. The same is true of a donor page. Visitors should be directed to download donation apps or click through to make donations on the website.

Want to see what a good donation page looks like? We collected 15 examples you can learn from. Check them out and see what we think works well on each.

3. Set Up Options for Recurring Donations

While large one-time donations such as bequests are important to the finances of many churches, what often sustains a ministry is many smaller, regular donations. People may also be likely to give more when they aren’t committing to a huge hit on their wallet right away.

Make it possible for people to set up recurring donations on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. When individuals can set up a donation to come right out of their checking account every payday, they may be more likely to tithe.

4. Reach Outside of Your Congregation

No matter how big your membership is, its total resources are limited. If you’re fundraising for big efforts like a new building, you may run into donor burnout.

Instead of pumping congregants for more than they feel they can give, consider reaching outside of your congregation. Online giving options make it easy for anyone to become a donor, and you may find that there are plenty of people in the community or region who want to give to ministry efforts.

Want more tips on crowdfunding your next church campaign? Check out our article on using crowdfunding methods to raise money for your mission.

5. Ensure Campaigns Are Supported by Accessible Biblical Foundations

Many people are wary about donating to churches because they’ve heard stories about misuse of funds or church leadership profiting from funds given in faith. Set a Biblical foundation for every fundraising campaign you run and ensure it’s included on your website and donor pages. Let people know exactly how you plan to use the money Church’s Giving With Online Giving be transparent in updating donors and membership with the results of those efforts.

How Can DonorWerx Help?

DonorWerx offers solutions for first-time fundraisers and veterans alike. If you’re looking to engage your membership, develop more donors and equip church staff for this side of ministry, our coaching and software solutions may be right for you.

Find out more about online coaching, consults, and donor software suites. Get started today.

Email teaser: Online giving is a tool that helps churches of all types and sizes increase giving. But not every church implements this tool correctly, and that can lead to lackluster results. Get some tips for increasing overall giving with online options that perform.