GOT DOUBTS?
Despite the growing popularity of online giving, some church leaders still wonder if it’s right for their members. Countless other churches offer online giving but haven’t taken the time to educate and encourage their donors, and therefore, aren’t seeing the outstanding benefits of online giving. Hope Fellowship Church in Frisco, Texas discovered that even during a season of declining attendance rates, online giving rates–and overall giving rates–increased.
IS IT BIBLICAL?
Today, as in the Widow’s Mites story, the place where the offerings are put is an incidental detail in a study of generosity, not—in any way—a commentary on which modes of giving are more biblical. If anything, online giving comes the closest to the Matthew 6:1-4 mandate to give in secret.
DOESN’T IT COST MORE TO PROCESS ONLINE GIFTS?
There are small transaction fees included in all online giving tools. Churches that use
online giving have seen an increase in consistency of giving per individual that far outweighs the costs incurred by that individual’s giving. Multiply that by the increase in the number of people who give, and the church will still be left with higher, more consistent offering rates, despite transaction fees.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR GIVERS?
• Because FellowshipOne is a cloud-based product, congregants can give anytime, anywhere they have access to the Internet
• They can set up recurring gifts so they don’t have to remember their checkbooks or keep going online
WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE CHURCH?
• The church can receive offerings even if members are absent
• Consistent giving and recurring gifts help churches budget more efficiently and minimize seasonal giving lulls or weather-related absences
• Processing the offering is faster and error free, so staff saves time and frustration
• Offering funds are immediately available for church use
Today’s church members and attenders are all about personal choice. If you’re not offering online giving, you’re limiting the amount of offering your church receives. It’s that simple.
If you’re ready to learn more about how easy it is to offer online giving, consider web-based FellowshipOne Giving or the comprehensive, web-based enterprise church management software, FellowshipOne, which includes online giving. Click here to learn more.
