Positively impact your givers by sprucing up your giving Thank You page.
Your church website can feel like a complex piece of your ministry. You can use it for numerous things, from marketing to communication, information to outreach.
One of the most intimidating areas of a website, though, is a church’s giving page.
Often seen as little more than a portal to funnel money toward your ministry, the way that you set up your giving page — and especially the thank you page that follows each donation — can actually make a big difference in how it impacts those interacting with your church.
Why You Should Spruce Up Your Giving Thank You Page
Giving is an integral part of the Christian walk, and the Bible features repeated calls to tithe, donate, and give charitably. One way that this has been done for thousands of years is by financially supporting the local church.
Of course, the way that we give to our churches has evolved over the years.
Everyone’s familiar with that age-old Sunday morning offering scene. The music has wrapped up and the paster is getting ready to get on the stage. But first, someone hops up onto the podium, makes a few announcements, and then haphazardly shoehorns a reminder to “give generously” before releasing the ushers to send the offering plates down the aisles.
While some churches still sport the good ol’ offering tableware, most have adapted to a more 21st-century version of giving. We have giving kiosks and direct deposit options that free up those velvet-lined plates to be repurposed for your next pass-a-dish dinner.
Typically, the most common form of online giving is done via a church website. Usually located far to the right on the main menu (where newcomers won’t be bothered by it), the giving button on a ministry’s home page redirects any incoming generosity to a page entirely devoted to processing donations.
It’s a nifty, private, and unobtrusive way to take care of the financial aspect of running a church. The only problem is, very few church leaders think past the practical. They make sure the portal is there, that it functions well, and that it’s safe — which are all very important.
However, what happens after someone supports your ministry is also worth thinking about. What should show up along with a generic “thank you” confirmation that the transaction was processed successfully?
Here are three elements that are must-haves on any church online giving Thank You page.
1. A Targeted Thank You Message
“Your transaction has been processed successfully. Thanks!” is hardly an adequate way to inform someone that their financial contribution has been received.
It may work fine for an e-commerce site, but we’re talking about a community-focused church here. The last thing that you want to do is create a cold and calculated experience that leaves a donor feeling distanced and disconnected.
Instead, take some time to actually sit down and think about what you’re saying when you thank someone for a donation. Remember, they aren’t buying goods or a service; they’re giving their hard-earned cash in support of your church, what it does, and what it stands for.
Use this perspective to inform how you phrase your donor thank you text. Rather than a brief statement that amounts to little more than a perfunctory “digital nod of gratitude,” actually include some information about where their money is going.
Now, that doesn’t mean you need to constantly be updating your giving message to reflect how a gift is going to help you pay the bills or send your next mission team to Argentina.
Nevertheless, make an effort to tie your thank you message into your church’s vision. Briefly encapsulate how someone’s monetary support will help you reach the lost, support the hurting, or otherwise impact the lives of those in your church’s congregation and neighborhood.
By offering a thoughtful thank you, you invite your donors in on the excitement of the work that the Lord is doing through your ministry.
Carefully consider how to thank someone for a donation. Remember, they aren’t buying goods or a service; they’re giving their hard-earned cash in support of your church, what it does, and what it stands for. Click To Tweet2. An Option to Share the Love
Remember the example above where an assistant pastor has to remind everyone that it’s time to dig into their pockets and give generously?
It doesn’t matter if your tithes and offerings announcer jogs everyone’s memory through a few sheepish words or a pulpit-pounding pre-sermon dissertation. Wouldn’t it be nice to remove the need for that reminder either way?
One great alternative to public announcements is offering a social sharing option. Ask some people to share on social media that they’ve donated to your ministry and ask them to share their experience in using your online giving portal.
This provides social proof. As donors use your social sharing options to spread the word, it can remind others to also utilize your digital giving portal — rather than wait to squirm around in the pew on Sunday morning as they try to fish a twenty-dollar bill out of their pocket before the plate passes by.
Innovative online giving ideas: 7 Ways To Increase Online Tithing For Churches
3. An Enriching Resource
Finally, a Thank You page is primarily focused on expressing appreciation for a financial donation. However, you can also use the opportunity to help teach your donors about true Biblical giving.
Use your Giving Thank You page as a chance to share a resource on stewardship, tithes and offerings, or Spirit-led giving. This can be a podcast, a recorded sermon, or even a downloadable pdf.
The way you present the resource isn’t what’s important here. Rather, it’s what you choose to offer. Remember, you’re talking to someone who has already donated. You don’t need to bombard them with reminders to tithe every Sunday right after they make a contribution to your ministry.
Instead, look for a rich, meaningful resource that can help inform and refine how they give. Find ways to exhort your donors to give from the heart. Point to Biblical passages that can encourage how and where they donate.
Whatever you choose, put yourself in your donors’ shoes and consider if you would find the resource encouraging. Once you’ve found something that fits the bill, include it on your Giving Thank You page.
Join the movement: 3 Good #GivingTuesday Ideas Your Church Should Be Using
Finding Value in your Giving Thank You Page
A Giving Thank You page is one of the easiest areas of your website to overlook. While your giving page gets plenty of attention, the message that follows a donation can often be bland and uninspiring.
Instead, look for ways to provide an emphatic, memorable thank you whenever someone financially supports your ministry. Think through how you would personally react if someone came up to you after a sermon and handed you their donation. Then look for ways — like those listed above — to funnel that gratitude right onto your Thank You page.
