Giving to the church for the first time is an emotional experience before it’s a financial one. While finances do play a role in the decision, people give with their hearts. But, only 19% of those that give once are likely to donate a second time. There are a lot of reasons for this, and a primary one has to do with how you engage with first-time givers.
Over the last 20 years, there have been dramatic changes in the way we communicate. Rather than using snail mail, a home phone, or physically driving to a location to get information, people jump online using their laptops, smartphones, and tablets. And they do this from home, coffee shops, work, and even in grocery store lines.
Over the years, churches across the country have experienced first-hand the increase in online giving. And this year, the trend continues to rise in popularity. Not only did we see 12.1% overall growth for online giving in 2017; January started the new year off with a 16.4% online giving increase for faith-based organizations.
Easter has a way of leading people back to the church and renewing spirituality. And with larger crowds coming out to celebrate, churches have a lot on their to-do list! But, as you make plans this Easter don’t forget to incorporate convenient online giving tools that help ignite generosity.
A leading pain-point for church leaders and admin members is organizing online giving information and generosity campaigns. And when you think about it, this makes sense. Online giving grew 11.4% last year, and the increase was much higher than anticipated.
Recurring giving programs continue to grow in popularity for churches and tithers alike. Churches appreciate recurring gifts because they help with forecasting and donor retention. Tithers love the program because it’s convenient and simple to incorporate into their budget.
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