How Automated Giving Leads To Increased Church Offerings
The digital world is bigger than ever. We pay our bills, order our food, and keep in touch with friends online. Businesses that don’t embrace this brave new world quickly fall behind their competitors in the race for revenue. And the same applies to the nonprofit sector. Automated giving for churches is a fantastic fundraising opportunity, but you must grasp it with both hands.
Automated giving takes the hassle out of donating to a church. It allows people to set up a recurring payment with just a few presses of a button or clicks of a mouse. And while it will never be your sole source of donations, it could boost your church’s offerings and help your congregants in a number of ways.
1. Congregants don’t have to worry about forgetting
We’re all juggling a plethora of daily duties and responsibilities these days. With so much going on in our lives, it’s easy to forget to give to a church. And for some people, forgetting is a regular occurrence. This can cause embarrassment, and for some, it’s a source of stress. But help is at hand.
Automated giving allows congregants to make a long-term commitment with just a few clicks or button presses. The same payment is taken from a card or bank account at the same time every week or month. The congregant can then relax in the knowledge that their donations are always being received on time. Of course, canceling or changing the recurring payment is also a quick and simple process.
2. No need to worry about whether or not congregants are carrying cash
Who carries checks these days? Very few people. According to U.S. Bank, half of Americans carry cash less than half the time. With all the various digital payment options, the need to carry cash is diminishing all the time. If we don’t have a credit or debit card on us, we can pay using our phone. And it probably won’t be long before biometric payments are possible.
We’re fast becoming a cashless society, so your church needs to be ready. Automated giving in churches takes the pressure off congregants, as they don’t need to remember to visit an ATM before each service. And not having to carry cash negates the risk of losing it or having it stolen.
3. Congregants appreciate options
Being so busy makes day-to-day tasks difficult to organize. This is why it’s always nice to have various payment options available. There will be times when giving cash in person suits a congregant. Other days, payment via a giving kiosk might be easier. And from time to time, making a donation on your church’s website might appeal. As long as your congregants have options, they’ll give regularly.
More than 96 percent of Americans own a cell phone. And more than 80 percent own a smartphone. If you don’t make giving on a smartphone a simple and quick process, you’re missing out on precious revenue streams. Recurring payments set up via an iPhone or Android device account for a huge proportion of a modern’s church’s income, so make sure you’re leveraging this amazing opportunity.
4. Identify trends through reports
Although you might not realize it, the giving decisions made by your congregants can be used to boost your church’s revenues. Automated giving platforms for churches store crucial data such as average donation statistics, peak donation times, and the most popular online giving channels. You can also view contextual data based on congregants’ age group, sex, occupation.
Ask your congregants a range of questions when they give digitally, just make sure you keep the process quick and simple. Use the data you harvest to fine-tune your fundraising strategies with the help of a giving specialist such as Donor Werx.
5. Branded giving
Digital giving in churches is a relatively new concept, and there are still people who are suspicious of it. Anything you can do to allay those suspicions should be embraced. After all, who wouldn’t be nervous about sending money to a strange online platform with no apparent link to their church?
Thankfully, there are some fantastic giving platforms that allow you to add your church’s branding to giving pages. When a congregant gives, they can see your church’s logo and general branding — and that is reassuring to people who aren’t used to making payments digitally.
6. Congregants can give from home or on vacation without stress
There are times when congregants want to give impulsively. Perhaps they’ve just watched an online sermon. Or maybe they heard an inspirational story about your church’s charity work. Whether they’re on vacation or just sitting at home, congregants should have secure, simple, and quick options to give. Automated giving works hand in hand with impulse giving to maximize church offerings.
The potential of automated giving has yet to be realized by most churches. If you want to tap into this passive income opportunity, contact Donor Werx today. This online giving platform tailors digital fundraising strategies to the needs of individual churches — ensuring no opportunities go to waste.
