Many churches already have a strong digital presence, from live-streaming events to managing social media accounts. Rather than stopping at online visibility, however, church leaders' top priority should be providing an engaging virtual environment for their congregations.
Part of that responsibility also includes developing opportunities for online giving through which all members can support the church and donate safely. Thanks to technological advances, you can raise funds online while keeping your congregants engaged and making them feel like part of a community. Let's explore five ways your church can effectively raise funds online.
Secure Payment Processing
Members of your congregation likely take tithing and donating seriously. After all, if they didn't believe in your core values, they wouldn't be members of your church, let alone support your church financially. Beyond making them feel confident in their support, you should also ensure they know they can safely tithe or donate online.
To do so, look for a secure payment processor with essential benefits, such as:
- Short hold times
- Flat processing rates
- No hidden charges
- Quality customer service
Your payment processor should take care of everything in the background so that you can focus on raising money for your church. Once you're confident about your choice, you can start organizing your virtual church fundraiser.
Online Donation Forms for Church Fundraising
According to Double the Donation's guide to church fundraising, an online giving page is an easy and affordable way to collect donations 24/7. Embed an online donation form on your website's donation page to make online giving easier for your church's members. Your form will simplify giving with:
- Option for recurring donations: Through a comprehensive donation form, church members can sign up for recurring donations so that their card on file is automatically charged weekly or monthly.
- Pre-populated fields: Donor information will be stored for future use so that recurring donors don’t have to fill in their information every time they donate.
- Inclusion of the additional processing fee: Each church member has the option to cover the processing fee for their donation so that the entire intended amount of their donation goes to the church.
Donors are much more likely to donate when they aren’t redirected to a third-party website, which is why form customization is a crucial part of accepting online payments. Your congregation will feel more confident about donating online when your donation page follows consistent branding for your church.
Text Giving for Churches
Accepting donations via text is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to fundraise, both for your church and your donors. As the name implies, your members can donate by simply sending a text message from anywhere and at any time. To use mobile giving for your church’s fundraiser, congregation members will simply:
- Start a new message to your church’s text-to-give number
- Type your church’s keyword and the amount they’d like to donate in the message field
- Send the text
The amount will be automatically charged to the card on file with your church. Text-to-give makes donating more convenient for your congregation members who text every day, but can also be useful for the less tech-savvy members of your congregation since it’s so easy to use.
Virtual Product Fundraising
Although your congregation doesn’t donate to receive something in return, a tangible gift in exchange for their donation can show your appreciation for their gift. For example, you might give the following products in exchange for a donation:
- Branded merchandise: Create a t-shirt with your church’s logo and branding to give to members who contribute to a program.
- Food: Everyone likes a tasty snack, and the members of your congregation will likely appreciate their snack purchase going to a good cause! ABC Fundraising’s list of fundraising ideas recommends selling food products like cookie dough or pretzels to boost your fundraising efforts.
- Holiday items: Celebrate the holiday season by selling holiday-themed items to raise money for your church. For example, you might sell Christmas wreaths or Easter baskets.
To raise more funds during these events, you can employ methods like peer-to-peer fundraising. This fundraising technique lets congregants raise funds from friends and neighbors on your church’s behalf, ensuring both increased participation and donations.
Improve the Online Donor Experience
Whether you start a cookie dough fundraiser or set up mobile giving, the main focus of your fundraiser should always be donor experience. Here’s how you can keep the focus on donors:
- Regularly communicate with donors. This is key to building a long-standing relationship with members of your congregation. Establish regular contact with your congregants throughout the fundraiser and keep them updated after the event or campaign ends as you put their donations to work.
- Provide multiple giving options. Part of creating a positive donor experience is giving them options to donate as and when it’s convenient for them.
- Acknowledge donations and express gratitude. Acknowledging and expressing timely gratitude to donors plays a major role in donor retention. Before launching your fundraiser, plan how you’ll thank your members as soon as they donate.
- Show, don’t tell. Keep your members updated about how their donations are making a difference and show them visually whenever possible. For example, you can show them pictures of essential supplies for the needy or improvements to your church.
When you create a positive donor experience for the members of your congregation, they’ll feel a sense of community and confidence in their decision to give. By following the above tips, you can organize engaging events for your members while ensuring they can donate to their church safely online.
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