The $300 Case for Online Giving
To prepare for your best end-of-year offering, we must understand and realize the power of online giving. Millions of dollars are raised on the last day of the year, with almost all of it coming through some type of digital format. Here is a post I recently wrote about the value of online giving.
“Just having online giving, no matter how it was emphasized, increased per capita giving of regular participants by $300 per person annually.” According to a Faith Communities Today (FACT) study.1.
I love surveys and studies. From politics to fundraising, I read and research countless studies every week. Surveys and studies reporting on surveys help me better gauge how to assist my client churches in stewardship. Surveys and studies help me improve how we communicate the message by seeing how people state their opinions, feelings, and actions. It helps me determine what motivates people to give and shows me the means they favor most regarding how they give.
Recently, I came across the FACT study reading one of the daily emails I get from Lifeway Research. One article led me to another until I found an article that captured my attention. It was titled, The Most Impactful Tech Shift Your Church Can Make. The article’s focus was on online video worship and online giving. As The Stewardship Coach, I naturally camped out on the data provided about online giving. Here are a few interesting facts:
- In 2017, Lifeway Research found 30% of churches offered a giving option on their website. In April 2020, 48% of churches said they continued offering online giving, while 16% said their church had added it since the pandemic began. More than a third (35%) said they did not offer the ability to give online.
- The FACT study found that 30% of churches said their financial viability had been put at risk because of the pandemic. However, churches that provided online giving were in a better position to weather the difficulties.
- The FACT report also showed that before the pandemic, congregations offering online giving had increased from 31% in 2015 to 58% in early 2020. Yet, amazingly, only 30% say they place importance on online giving.
What stood out to me was the fact that 35% of churches said they did not offer online giving, and only 30% that have online giving say they put any importance on it. You might be one of those churches in those two 30 percent brackets. How could I convince you to change your views about online giving?
My opening sentence is what I call the $300 case for online giving. Let me post it again here,
“Just having online giving, no matter how it was emphasized, increased per capita giving of regular participants by $300 per person annually.”
Do the math on that. If one person’s giving increased by $300 annually, what if you multiplied that number by the number of adults regularly attending and engaging with your church? What would be your annual increase in giving? How much missions and ministry would those additional dollars fuel?
To gain those dollars, a church would need to do two things. First, they need to build an online platform that allows members to give in ways they prefer. If you landed here on our website to check us out, let me share that the best way to get to know us is to set up a free demonstration of our online giving platform. Call or email us at (615) 206-4000 or support@onlinegiving.org.
Next, you must emphasize the many methods people can use to give to your church. I call this the Feet of the Offering, which answers the question, “How can I give?” We must show them how easy it is to give at your church by mentioning the various ways to give. The offering plate, text, app, online, etc. End every offering appeal by saying something like,
“Remember, we have multiple, easy ways you can give here. The bulletin/screens give you that information. Let’s pray…”
Ensure that the information on how to give is listed in multiple places and across all platforms, including the main worship platform. With today’s technology, giving and giving instantly is easier than ever.
Finally, I stress to churches the importance of setting up your offering time to be worshipful and impactful. In two minutes or less, you can make the offering time one all members look forward to. When we tell a compelling story and give immediate opportunity for people to give, people will give, and giving will increase, especially if they can give immediately online.
The above post was first posted at https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/the-300-dollar-case-for-online-giving. If your church could use an additional $300 per member annually, call us at (615) 206-4000.
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