In August of 2015, Vanco Payment Solutions conducted an online survey of 1,002 U.S. Christian churchgoers. They created a report that details the survey’s findings about current attitudes toward e-Giving, the most compelling motivations for church giving and preferences for communication and technology. Some of their findings were that:
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Churchgoers have significant preferences toward electronic giving options.
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There is a sizable gap in the way churchgoers want to give and the options their churches offer.
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Churchgoers who are most engaged with their churches also have stronger preferences toward electronic giving.
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Churchgoers’ giving behaviors have strong emotional drivers behind them.
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Churchgoers still have a need to make giving tangible.
Reliability
You know how the phrase, "If my head wasn't attached, I would forget it" gets tossed around a lot? That's pretty real for me right now. My wife and I have three children, ages three and under, so just making it to church on time and remembering to dress everyone is a success for us. Remembering to bring a checkbook or offering envelope is rarely, if ever, on our minds. e-Giving allows us to set up recurring tithes to our church, so that our giving isn't based on our ability to remember those things.
On top of just being busy with our kids, we tend to be out of town quite a bit. All of our extended families, who we are very close with, live at least seven hours away, so we tend to be traveling to visit them often. Setting up recurring e-Giving makes sure we are able to give back to God what He's blessed us with, even when we aren't physically present.
Timing
Occasionally, out of the ordinary opportunities to give financially pop up out of nowhere. Churches constantly have a good cause to chip in a few extra bucks toward, whether it's a youth mission trip or raising money to replace the old projector bulb that just burned out. In the past I would always have to tell those people, "I'd love to give, but I don't have any cash on me!" Now, with online giving, I can jump on my phone and give via text or mobile app.
Personal Preference
Maybe I'm the minority here, but I really don't like carrying around cash and/or a checkbook. I feel like they are just too bulky and easy to lose, whereas my debit card is small and if I misplace it (which happens more than I want to admit), I can simply call my bank and replace it, rather than just be out of luck. I rarely use cash during my weekdays, e-Giving makes it so I don't have to on my weekends either.
Are there other reasons you love e-Giving? Leave a comment below!
Interested in learning more about the trend in electronic giving?
Download the full research report from Vanco Payment Solutions.
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