In our digital age, even religious institutions have to be present online. Having a web page or an app helps maintain a strong bond with the community and raise funds more effectively.
Last year showed that online engagement plays a critical role in helping nonprofit organizations reach their goals. The total fundraising from online giving escalated to 13%, which is the highest number in history.
Wondering how your organization can take advantage of this fantastic tool? Here are six ways to increase online giving for churches.
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Consider using a church online giving platform.
Possibly, the easiest solution is getting in contact with a specialized platform.
With Donorbox, you can add your church's branding. It has no monthly fee and is free to set up. Many churches especially make use of their text to give features. Moreover, the supporters can donate in only three quick steps.
Tithe.ly, for example, is free to set up and relatively simple to manage. Donors can give to your church through an app or a website integration. They also have the option to enable recurring donations.
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Create an excellent online donation page
Think about your visitors. What do they want to see on your page?
A branded, well-made website seems more trustworthy, so make sure to work on that. The actual donation process has to be as simple as it can be - we don't want people to leave the page as soon as they see a lengthy form, right?
Bear in mind that plenty of supporters would want to donate through a smartphone. So, make the webpage mobile-friendly.
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Set up a donation subscription
Life happens, and supporters can simply forget to give gifts to their church. Recurring donations help avoid that.
Enable a weekly, monthly, or annual donation subscription. You may also suggest the gift sizes to the donors ($5, $20, $100...). And don't forget to tell the supporters that they can cancel the subscription whenever they feel like it.
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Create a mobile app
If you have the necessary resources to take your online game to the next level, you should go for a church mobile app.
You'll have the opportunity to talk directly to your supporters and provide the people with a branded experience.
A mobile app can be used not only to receive gifts. Share the latest news, photographs, and recordings, or create your podcast.
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Don't forget about thank you letters.
By saying 'thank you to every single donor, you show the supporters that you value and cherish them.
Take your time to develop a heartwarming letter that the system can personalize (by putting in the donor's name, for example). These small expressions of gratitude can be automatically sent to the person via an email or a pop-up message.
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Always report on finances to your donors.
One of the keys to success is transparency. The supporters have the right to know what their donations are spent on.
Use your donation page or your app to tell the church members how much has been raised, your plans, and how much has already been spent.
To engage the community, you can even make polls and surveys where the supporters choose where the funds will go.
Members that participate in such decision-making processes tend to donate more.
Conclusion
These were a few tips on how your church can increase online giving. By the way, you can ask the members if anyone can help you with launching an app or setting up a web page.
If you succeed, people will have the chance to support their beloved church no matter where they are. And that's wonderful.
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