GivePlus Churchgoer Giving Study : New Findings , New Surprises
Two years have passed since we released the first findings from our groundbreaking survey of churchgoers ’ attitudes , preferences and behaviors toward electronic giving , and we ’ re excited to announce that we ’ ll soon have an update to share with you .
Since the 2015 survey , we ’ ve shared what we learned to help churches offer their members the giving methods they want . What we found then didn ’ t always match up with our expectations , and there are more surprises ahead in our new report .
Older adults embrace e-Giving
While preferences for e-Giving remaining strong across all age groups , they ’ re much stronger among older adults than they were in 2015 :
• Ages 45-54 : 62 % prefer e-Giving , compared to 50 % in 2015
• Ages 66-74 : 58 % prefer e-Giving , compared to 39 % in 2015
What does this mean for churches ? Since the World Wide Web launched 25 years ago , churchgoers in those age groups have become more accustomed to accessing the internet , banking and paying bills online and using smartphones . Millennials already can ’ t remember a world without the internet , and there ’ ll soon be no age group that hasn ’ t grown up with it .
More people are giving less often
A decline in weekly attendance has also led to a decline in weekly giving . Almost half of churchgoers made weekly offerings in 2015 , but only about one-third do now . That ’ s led to an increase in the percentage of churchgoers who give less frequently :
• Once a month : 23 %, up from 20 % in 2015
• Every 2-3 months : 12 %, up from 6 % in 2015
• Every 6 months : 8 %, up from 2 % in 2015
These results indicate that churches need to align giving options , engagement strategies and resources with the way churchgoers live .
Surprises from millennials It ’ s no surprise that churchgoers in the 25-34 age group express the strongest preference for e-Giving , but they ’ re also most likely to contribute more of their annual income to the church and to engage in church activities outside of worship services .
Millennials ’ giving is influenced by Bible teachings and their feelings of responsibility to family and church , and they happily commit to causes they believe in . The activities they favor are more personal in nature and help them forge strong connections with their church and with the community .
Their giving is also influenced by the options they have available since they rely on debit and credit cards and their smartphones to make purchases .
Churchgoer Giving Study
Comparison of preferences and trends for 2015-2017
For more insights that can help you offer your congregation the giving options they prefer , get the full report , Churchgoer Giving Study : Comparison of preferences and trends for 2015-2017 . 10 CHURCH EXECUTIVE • MAY / JUNE 2018 churchexecutive . com