Church Executive MAKE GIVING CLICK: Expert advice for using technol | Page 4

Imagine a small town where one main road is used to get everyone to
where they need to go. As more people move in, you need more roads to
accomplish the same task. That’s what has happened to giving.
Only 21% of Americans carry checkbooks anymore, and only 41%
carry cash. (And even then, it’s usually in amounts less than $20.) Now,
49% of all donations to churches and parishes are made by credit card.
Plus, churches that accept tithing online increase overall donations by
more than 32%.
Bauer: Removing barriers to giving is critical when approaching first-
time givers, and technology does that. eGiving technology is a great way
to open the conversation about giving.
Approach new givers by showing them how easy technology makes
giving. Offer to show them what eGiving tools you have, send them a link
to your giving webpage, or demonstrate making a gift. Make it easy to
give the first time, and they won’t think twice about giving in the future.
We have seen in many churches that first-time givers start with a small
gift. But once they have an account set up, they start giving larger and
larger amounts. It’s amazing how a small initial donation can blossom
into sustained, substantial gifts.
Walker: Whereas many church leaders don’t think of themselves
or their churches as “tech-savvy,” they do want to think of themselves
as relevant. In today’s society, relevance will require us to lean into
technology at some point. A forward-thinking church looks for new ways
to be relevant to its community and engage more people with the message
of Christ.
As such, technology should be foremost in our thinking. Consider
how we already use technology to better our services, coordinate with
our congregations, reach outside the church walls with social media,
and more. Why should providing a digitally based giving solution be
any different?
Plus, harnessing technology to engage first-time givers has a high
return on investment.
How can technology be used to identify potential first-
time givers in the church?
Bauer: Many of our clients use church management systems (ChMS)
that can help. But, sometimes the data doesn’t come from technology —
you can eyeball it. If someone returns again and again, they clearly like
what they’re getting. That’s an opportunity to discuss a first gift.
ChMS can help spot potential givers even if you don’t have financial
data in it. Take a look at their activities. Do they come to church regularly?
Do they participate in groups or join dinners? Active members sometimes
don’t give because they are adding to the church community in other
ways. Identify these active non-giving members and begin a discussion
about making that first gift.
Finally, look to national trends regarding cellphone use and payment
preferences. Studies show around 95% of Americans own a cellphone,
and the use of checks and cash is diving fast. Churches shouldn’t ignore
this data.
Walker: To identify first-time givers, we first need to know who’s
already a giver by looking at our current giving data. Yet, in our experience,
many pastors and leaders don’t have access to this information.
Becoming a giver is a significant indication of one’s spiritual journey.
Just as we wouldn’t withhold a new faith decision or marital trouble from
leadership, neither should giving data be withheld. With access to this
information, leaders can make insightful decisions to identify and engage
with potential first-time givers.
Other technologies the church uses can help provide the reference
data to indicate first-time givers. New child check-in could indicate a new
family who has recently begun to attend. Seeing new “likes” and shares of
our social media and live stream posts can also indicate someone newly
engaged with our church and positioned to make giving their next step.
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CHURCH EXECUTIVE • M A K E G I V I N G C L I C K
Buckley: When identifying first-time givers, one thing that most
church leaders look at is volunteers or ministers. Among donors, 66%
have volunteered within the last six months, with 85% of that group
volunteering for the same non-profit organization where they donated.
Often, people who are generous with their time are also generous with
their talent and treasure.
Consider how you can reach out to members who regularly offer their
time for children’s church or child care, or those who volunteer to be
chaperones on youth trips and events. This is an excellent segment to
start with if you need to identify potential first-time givers at your church
or parish.
Once potential first-time givers are identified, how
can technology come alongside the church to cultivate
them? And related to this, are e-communications
appropriate for cultivating first-time gifts?
Walker: When people know their giving makes a difference,
they become energized. The fastest and easiest way to deliver
feedback is leveraging technology and e-communications.
Whether email or social media, letting givers and potential givers
know what a difference their giving is making puts the “why” back
in the forefront. When we start and end with the why, the “what” (the
act of giving) becomes less of the focus.
If emailing a first-time giver about his or her first gift seems awkward
or inappropriate, emphasizing the difference their gift makes in the
church, in the community, and in their own lives, lets that giver know
we want something for them, not something from them.
Buckley: Online giving makes it very easy for people of all
generations to give, even when they’re not at a church service or
mass. Plus, 55% of donations to a church are made between Monday
and Saturday.
These days, people expect a certain level of electronic
communication. Email messaging accounted for 26% of all online
revenue in 2018, and 21% of those donations were made directly
through social media.
Plus, mobile donations have increased 205% over the last year!
This isn’t surprising, since 57% of all internet traffic is accounted for
by mobile devices alone.
Additionally, you must make giving of time, talent and treasure
part of the culture. Put up posters in gathering spaces; have handouts
available; host events centered around it, or with a giving option tied
to the event; and help make it easy to give.
Bauer: Just as people give the way they’re comfortable giving,
they have preferences for communicating. Most of us use technology
to communicate every day. Churches should keep that in mind. If a
member’s go-to method for chatting with friends and family is text
messages, why wouldn’t the church engage them through text?
You can also use technology to tell your church’s story and talk
about giving. Make a video, share ministry work on social media.
Use technology to fill in the knowledge gaps about your mission to
motivate first-time giving.
I recommend not approaching a first-time gift as a heavy thing
draped in ritual and propriety. For some leaders, the habit of reaching
members using traditional methods is holding them back. The time
and expense of sending appeals on church stationary through the
mail isn’t always necessary. There’s nothing wrong with conversing
with members in their favorite way. Successful churches today use
technology to reach their members, because that’s how members
want to reached.
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