Many ways to give…
When encouraging people to give we need to provide mechanisms for them to give which are accesible and relevant. The easier it is to give and the more ways we offer to give, the more likely people are to give. Those who are watching online will need a different way to give to the people in church, and those who regularly attend will need a different way to those who are visting. Every church should think about:
Regular Givers
The best route for regular givers is the Parish Giving Scheme. Every church should consider making this available. A video introduction to the scheme for donors can be found here and there are many benefits to being on PGS, both for your church and for the donor.
Throughout the Bible we are reminded that generosity is part of our discipleship, part of the way we worship God. Each member of our church should be encouraged to give prayerful consideration to their level of giving. No one should give more than they can sensibly afford and we should not give to God out of the the unnoticed surplus of their expenditure.
Regular givers should be encouraged to give directly through the bank as this ensures that it is part of their personal budget, helps the church to receive a regular income and avoids the unnecessary handling of cash and associated costs.
Donations in Church
Those coming into the church building for whatever reason are often moved to give. This is important not only as a source of funds but because it is their response to the work of God in their life. There is a recognition of something important about the place whose purpose is worship. We need to make it meaningful and easy.
Even before Covid, the place of cash was diminishing and now many people no longer carry cash. They look for contactless card machines or want to use their phone to make a donation. There are now lots of contactless card machine options available, details and special deals can be found through Parish Buying. For mobile 'phone giving, your church can now have its own QR code which you can add to any printed material, such as your newsletters, service sheets, pew slips and posters.
Donations online
Over the past two years we have seen church services regularly being streamed online, through Facebook, Zoom, Youtube and other platforms. People now expect to see their local church online as well as physically and there is a new willingness to make online donations.
Every church now has the facility to have an online ‘donate now’ button through the ‘A Church Near You’ page, you just need to activate it! Full details of how to add your donate button to your website or ‘A Church Near You’ page can be found here.
