Online Giving

Churches and church tech companies alike have been surprised by the fast-paced change and consolidation of church technology industry over the past three years. In 2012, private equity-backed Ministry Brands came on the scene with easyTithe, SimpleGive and SiteOrganic and quietly began acquiring additional church technology firms.

How many languages do you speak? Just one? Two maybe? Statistically speaking, only about ¼ of Americans can hold a decent conversation in a second language. In building apps for churches, I've seen hundreds of churches adopt new and emerging technology, which is not an easy thing to do. It’s a big leap for most churches too; moving their primary source of digital interaction to an app. But there’s a powerful language connected to an app most churches don’t speak, or understand. That is the language of Push notifications.

Digital giving continues to rise among all nonprofits--including churches. The Digital Giving Index, produced by Network for Good, analyzes giving trends each year. In the most recent 2015 report, they noted the following interesting statistics: Overall giving rose 3% from last year 31% of annual giving occurred in the month of December 12% of annual giving occurs on the last three days of the year With that said, churches are heading into the most critical time of year to focus on giving and to encourage the use of online giving for churches and their members.

Millennials are making up an increasing number of church attendees, and this generation doesn't carry cash or check. Even older folks are choosing debit cards and online payments over paper payments. Churches, however, struggle to find ways to process online donations, gifts, and offerings that do not eat into their bottom line.

In the past several years, the church technology industry has undergone many changes that have encouraged some, while discouraging others. As technology advancements continue, new companies start up and newcomers to the church tech industry enter and acquire firms to consolidate and rebuild. More recently, private equity firms have entered the space getting involved in acquisitions and shifting resources to various technology firms in order to position for growth and financial gain. All these moves cause disruption - to tech companies as well as the churches they serve; change is never easy.

Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “People don’t give to need. They give to vision.” Well, that’s not entirely true. The truth is, people give for a variety of reasons. Just like people have different personality types, they have different motivators for being generous. Everybody in your congregations isn’t motivated by the same thing. Let’s talk about the five reasons why people make a donation to your church:

You want to get online giving software for your church. You know that fewer and fewer churchgoers are carrying cash or checks these days, and it’s time to consider some more hi-tech options than passing the plate. (For more on this, see tactics #5 and #15 in our list of practical ways to increase church giving.) You may feel like you’ve made a huge decision. (You have, and it’s a smart one!) But now you face an even bigger one. How do you choose an online giving software for your church? It’s a fair question to ask, and you’re not the only one asking it. Every month, there are more than 6,200 Google searches for church online donation platforms. And what do people find when they make that search? More than a dozen options! How do you choose a church giving software—and how do you know you’re making the right choice?

Tim Goetz has always been good with numbers. Growing up in California’s Central Valley, he would end up getting an accounting degree from nearby Fresno State. Afterwards, he worked for a little over two years as a financial statement auditor at Deloitte and Touché, becoming the Fresno, CA office’s internal control specialist. In early 2007, Goetz felt pulled in another direction and he went to work at one of Fresno’s largest churches, The Well, as an Executive Pastor. He quickly realized something big was missing in all of the big accounting programs — something they all couldn’t do that churches needed them to do. That something was fund accounting.