Have you ever heard the phrase, “assumptions are a dangerous thing?”
Well this is true in just about any aspect of life. And it’s particularly true when it comes to your church’s online giving. Do you assume it’s easy to give online but don’t actually use online giving yourself? Do you assume your reporting features are helping your staff manage your digital giving but you don’t regularly check in to see how it’s going? Assumptions like these can leave your giving stagnant and ministry underfunded.
Here are 5 common assumptions that can leave your staff frustrated and keep your congregation from giving.
1. “My online giving is easy for everyone in my church to use.”
It should be, but is it?
The truth of the matter is giving has to be easy. There’s no way around that. If giving isn’t easy, many in your congregation simply won’t give. But do you blame them? No one wants to spend ten minutes fumbling around a website or fiddling with a mobile app just to go in circles. Your church wants an easy, quick way to give their tithes and offerings.
Giving your congregation easy and intuitive online giving can be a game changer for your church.
2. “Everyone in my church knows how to give already. I don’t need to keep telling them about it.”
A big mistake our team sees often is church leaders assuming their congregation already knows how to give and that they regularly visit their church website.
Yes, a portion of your church does already know how to give and some people do regularly go to your church website. But there’s always going to be a group of people on Sunday who don’t know how to give to your church.
You should be telling your church how they can give their tithes and offerings every Sunday. Whether that’s giving through a mobile app, online, at a giving kiosk, through text to give, or by dropping a check into the offering plate, tell your church all the ways they can give.
3. “My online giving has the reports and features my church administrators need.”
Is your giving software providing your staff with the information they need? Can they quickly see your trends in giving over time? Can they get all of this information in seconds?
It’s easy to assume things are going fine if you’re not working with the software every day. But the reality is technology and your church are both always changing. What your church needed last year, might not be what it needs this year. Software that once worked for your church might be too out-dated or now has too many added features that are too hard to use.
Your digital giving software should be robust in reporting but easy to use. You need customizable reports and analytics that make it easier for you to reconcile transactions and to give you a quick snapshot of the health of your church’s giving at a glance. Your church staff shouldn’t be spending hours trying to create a giving statement or pulling their hair out reconciling transactions at the end of the month.
4. “I can only use online giving for my church to give their tithes and offerings.”
There’s a lot that you can be doing with digital giving to support and fund your church initiatives. But, it all depends on how well you are putting to use your software’s features.
For example, you can use a campaign feature to help raise funds for a new church campus. You can also set up multiple donation categories so your donors can easily give to tithes and offerings, donate to the debt reduction fund, support church missionaries, or give their Christmas offering all in one place.
In addition, you should utilize purchase categories. This allows your members to easily purchase church merchandise or a ticket to the women’s annual conference.
Check to see what features your software has and determine how you can best use them in your church.
5. “My donors understand the call to give.”
Make sure your givers understand where they’re at in their giving journey and that you’re resourcing them with the tools needed to take the next step in that journey. With SecureGive, your donors can clearly see how much they’ve given over various time frames. Make sure you’re giving them the tools they need to easily and clearly track their giving.
There’s a phrase that says “we automate the important.” And in the modern world, we pretty much do. Our mortgages can be a direct payment. Our paychecks come in direct deposit. Our Netflix subscription is scheduled to be paid on the 30th of each month. So why don’t we automate our giving too? Encourage your congregation to set up a recurring transaction for their tithes and offerings.
But go beyond that. Make sure you’re also teaching them what it means to honor God with their money. We get it. Talking to your church about money can be intimidating. What if you say the wrong thing? What if people take offense? What if some don’t understand your intentions? SecureGive can take that weight off your shoulders. We regularly release new and engaging stewardship resources, and even offer coaching, to help you connect with your church about giving and tips to help them better understand biblical generosity.
Don’t just make assumptions about your online giving. Check in with your congregation and church staff to ensure your digital giving is really doing its job. And if you need help, give us a call at 855-895-8951 or send an email to grow@securegive.com. We’re happy to offer you stewardship resources, a proven and customized giving growth strategy, and a digital giving upgrade.
