Giving during online services and through your website is simple and easy...
Over the past couple of years, people have continued to move away from cash and begun worshipping from home; wanting to give simply to their church from the comfort of their own home. It is more vital than ever to ensure that your donors are able to give online, simply and safely.
For regular online donations, you should encourage your congregation to use the Parish Giving Scheme. This is a secure method of giving, without the church or donor being charged for the service. All other online methods take a charge for each donation and some will also charge a monthly subscription fee.
If you would like general advice from the National Church on online and streaming services, please click here and for an overview of online giving (especially for services both online and in person) click here.
Setting up for Online Donations
Step 1 - Choose which platform you want to use
For one-off donations there are lots of services available and so it is best to shop around, though there are a few questions you should ask yourself:
1) Do we want to also get a contactless device, and have both parts linked? If so please look at our contactless giving page.
2) Are you streaming services online, and so want to promote giving through those media?
3) Do you want it to calculate and claim Gift Aid on your behalf?
4) Do you have several fundraising projects you want to let people donate to, such as to the general fund or for repairing the church tower?
The Church of England currently has a very good relationship with Give A Little (which works with the SumUp contactless devices), and through the Parish Buying website, until the end of 2022, you can use their Premium Service for no extra charge. They are also working with A Church Near You, to provide special widgets, which make it even easier for your donors to donate. They are also working with Data Development's My Giving Online so that you can keep track of all your donations on which you are claiming Gift Aid or GASDS.
Step 2 - Set up your account
Once you have decided which service to go with you then need to sign up. Most platforms give helpful video guides as to how to sign up and try to make the process as easy as possible for you. Youtube is another good source for videos helping explain how to set up your account.
A full step by step guide and video on how to do this can be with Give A Little found on the Parish Buying website.
Once you have registered with an online donations provider you will be given a link which you can add to any page on your website, as well as to A Church Near You (see above).
Step 3 - Promoting your account
These days many people, when they want to find out about anything, will first check the internet. This means that having donation information on your website and clearly identifiable on your homepage has become essential. Not only does it provide a way for people to give, it also allows you to communicate the importance of giving to your community.
One of the best options is to create a dedicated page about giving on your website explaining how people can support you. This allows you to highlight the importance of regular giving alongside a link to the Parish Giving Scheme website whilst at the same time giving the reader the opportunity to donate straight away via your online donations provider. Find out how to activate the donations button on your A Church Near You page.
Joshua Townson, Generous Giving Advisor for the Diocese of Oxford, has produced this very helpful video, to help think about how you can make the most of your online giving platform.
QR codes
QR codes have become much more commonplace over the past year, especially with the NHS Track and Trace app. A QR code can be easily printed onto all your churches newsletters, pew slips and orders of service to help encourage donations.
Once you have an online account for donations, you will be able to produce QR codes, which individuals can read with their 'phones and will direct them to your giving page.
Joshua Townson, Generous Giving Advisor for the Diocese of Oxford, also produced this very helpful video, to help you weigh up the options and think about how you could use QR codes.
Remember when printing a QR code, for a 'phone to read it easily, it should be about 2.5 cm square (1 inch square), and to make sure they are easy to see, especially by people visiting your church for the first time.
