Churches often fall short of their stewardship goals. In many cases, it’s because churches don’t have an online giving platform, leaving church members unsure of how to give.
If you want to know more about the benefits of online giving for churches, keep reading.
Vanco explains four ways this user-friendly technology can strengthen your church community.
1. Facilitates Automatic Giving
One-time gifts are wonderful, but automated monthly giving is the best option for any church. Reliable monthly donations are the backbone of a church’s income.
Although some donors prefer to send a physical check through the mail every month and others use automatic giving through their bank, these solutions are only workarounds. They’re time-consuming for the donor and create extra work for you.
On the other hand, an online giving portal makes monthly giving simple for your congregation and easy for you. The software eliminates paperwork and automatically registers all your client data.
If you’re worried your members won’t warm to the idea of online giving, show them how user-friendly an online giving portal can be. It couldn’t be easier for donors to commit to monthly online giving.
2. There’s an Option for Every Church
When it comes to choosing the correct online giving method for your congregation, use wise discernment. There’s an online giving option to fit the needs of every church.
Start by considering the size, demographics, and preferences of your church attendees. Is your church mostly made up of younger people who are already comfortable with online shopping and mobile banking? If so, an integrated online giving app is the best choice for you.
But if you minister to many older individuals who may not carry a smartphone (or those who do but may not be comfortable using it for financial transactions), a desktop site is your best bet. Find one with a clean layout and a straightforward donation process for the most user-friendly experience.
Don’t forget to think outside the box. Are you launching a new fundraiser that your whole city can support? If so, consider using text-to-give—you’ll be able to circulate your unique number to charities and businesses so that everyone can donate with a text message.
3. Donors Choose Which Fund to Support
How do you help contributors stay invested in your work? One way is to make it personal.
Many donors come with a particular cause on their hearts. It might be the overseas mission work your church supports or your local youth outreach program. At the same time, other donors feel called to give to the general needs of the church without earmarking them for a specific fund.
Online giving options make it easy to showcase the different funds that donors can choose, like the example below illustrates.
Your church can set up the different funds you need, including special fundraisers. When they open the page or app, donors can see all their options and choose between them with a click.
4. Makes Budgeting More Predictable
A secure online giving platform helps donors feel confident committing to automatic monthly giving. Donors quickly discover that automatic giving is much more convenient than making individual donations. That’s why many online givers choose to move to automatic gift-giving.
As anyone who has looked at the books of a nonprofit or church knows, donations can be unpredictable. It’s hard to set a budget when you’re uncertain how much money will come in.
Monthly giving is a tremendous gift because it makes budgeting more predictable. You can count on the monthly financial commitments that your congregants have made.
It also flattens out common spikes in donations (during Christmas and Easter) and lulls in giving (the summer giving slump) that occur throughout the year.
More Topics!
Vanco has even more to share! Read the list of thirteen benefits churches should consider while evaluating online giving.
To learn even more, download the free eBook, The Complete Guide to Church Stewardship. This comprehensive book shows churches how to thrive and become masters of stewardship.
With so many benefits of online giving for churches, choose a trustworthy donations partner like Vanco. Contact Vanco today to learn how their state-of-the-art software can help boost donations for your church.