H E L P I N G L E A D E R S B E C O M E B E T T E R S T E WA R D S .
FULLY FUNDED, FINALLY Presented by: Tithe.ly
Table of Contents HOW CORNERSTONE COMMUNITY CHURCH FULLY FUNDED ITS OPERATING BUDGET WITH DIGITAL GIVING
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Founded in 2004, Cornerstone Community Church (CCC) is a young church located in the rural mountains of Virginia, meeting in a converted downtown storefront. In a city with a population less than 7,000, finances have been a struggle for the growing church. Here, Lead Pastor Mike Morris recalls a recent change that has helped CCC not just meet its monthly budget for 2017, but exceed it. By Mike Morris
5 (OF 10) SURPRISING CHURCH GIVING FACTS
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In just about any field, there’s always the “standard” advice that seems to get repeated all over the web without any real proof … and then there’s the truth. Researched and proven findings that, although sometimes unconventional, can hold the keys to better results. It’s with that in mind that we share real church giving research based on thousands of churches and donors giving hundreds of thousands of gifts. By Mike Morris
5 FACTORS THAT DROVE SAN DIEGO CHURCH OF CHRIST’S GIVING TO GROW BY 23.8% IN 18 MONTHS
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With humble beginnings, San Diego Church of Christ (SDCOC) was once a small church in Poway, Calif. Now averaging more than 1,700 in attendance on the weekend, this multigenerational church has four locations throughout San Diego. Lead Administrator Ray Schalk recalls a recent change that has helped SDCOC not only meet its monthly budget for 2017, but exceed it.
CHAPTER 3 Coming in December 2017
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CHURCH EXECUTIVE
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FULLY FUNDED, FINALLY How Cornerstone Community Church fully funded its operating budget with digital giving Founded in 2004, Cornerstone Community Church (CCC) is a young church located in the rural mountains of Virginia, meeting in a converted downtown storefront. In a city with a population less than 7,000, finances have been a struggle for the growing church. Here, Lead Pastor Mike Morris recalls a recent change that has helped CCC not just meet its monthly budget for 2017, but exceed it. Last summer, our church decided it was time to revamp our online giving. Until that point, we offered a solution that only provided ACH bank account giving as an option — cumbersome, complicated, and only a few families in the church used it. After an extensive evaluation of different online giving platforms, we chose Tithe.ly http://get.tithe.ly/ as our new provider. We were most impressed by the ease of giving it offered via mobile devices. We Mike Morris also liked that this solution charged no monthly fees. So, it was an easy decision for our administrative team. We launched the new service in September 2016, with positive results. We now have six months of use to help us identify new trends. These include:
After launching our new online giving platform, we quickly saw our giving trends change. We now see 34% of all giving occur online, which is a big increase from our previous solution. Another positive benefit is that 41% of our online giving is recurring giving, which makes it much more consistent from week to week. After the first quarter, the church is ahead of budget by two full weeks — a more than 5% improvement compared to the previous year. It’s also the first time the church has ever been ahead of budget during the first quarter! Increased giving per person. Our attendance has been consistent over the past couple of years, which means giving per person has increased. The average gift size through Tithe.ly is $162, which shows that people are using this tool for their tithes, not just for smaller gifts. More money for ministry. Based on the current average for 2017, we should exceed our annual budget by $30,000. And, if we take into account the increased giving for the third and fourth quarter, we’re on track to exceed our budget by more than $50,000! For a church our size, that’s a huge blessing. The increased giving will allow us to do two things. First, we can pay down the mortgage on our facility. This will free up more money for ministry and mission efforts. Second, this budget surplus will allow us to expand the staff. As a church averaging about 300 people in attendance with two Sunday services, I’m the only full-time staff member, serving as lead pastor. We’ve wanted to expand our staff for several years, but the lack of funds has prevented hiring another part- or full-time staff person. We’re pleased with the consistent increased giving we’ve seen since implementing a more robust online giving solution. I’d recommend all church leaders think about making mobile giving more accessible to their congregation. Our only regret is that we didn’t implement it sooner. Mike Morris is Lead Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Galax, Va. [ https://mycornerstone.org ]
A significant ramp-up in online giving = more consistent generosity. Our church is a little unusual in that the first quarter is typically our lowest quarter, financially. Our giving starts picking back in summer, but our biggest slump is the first three months, with January representing the lowest point.
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5 (of 10)
surprising church giving facts In just about any field, there’s always the “standard” advice that seems to get repeated all over the web without any real proof. And then there’s the truth. Researched and proven findings that, although sometimes unconventional, can hold the keys to better results. It’s with that in mind that we share real church giving research based on thousands of churches and donors giving hundreds of thousands of gifts. Let’s jump in. 1) Digital giving by month It’s common for churches to see what’s been thoughtfully coined “the summer slump” where giving declines in the May-to-August window. Many churches see a 20% or more hit in giving during those months due to members being on vacation, going to BBQs, traveling with family, etc. If you look at the chart below, you’ll notice something odd — it doesn’t look like the normal giving distribution that churches all over see. There is NO SUMMER SLUMP! The fact is, giving people great mobile first options enables anytime, anywhere giving. Vacation, work travel, sick, rained or snowed in — regardless of the reason, when people can give by mobile app, web or text, they’ll do it even if they’re not in the building on Sunday morning.
2) Digital giving by day of week While Sunday accounts for 33% of digital giving, it’s crazy to see that when you give people the ability to give any time, anywhere, 67% of giving happens Monday through Saturday! If you think about it, this makes total sense! Most people tend to manage their money and bills on their own time while also tending to align their “spend” (e.g., paying bills, grocery shopping, etc.) based on when they get paid, which happens during a weekday in most cases. Key takeaway: Give people easy to use mobile first tools and options they so that they can give on their own terms.
Key takeaway: The “Summer Slump” is 100% based on the fact that people have to be “in church” to give.
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3) Digital giving by gift size Some might think digital giving is mostly for small gifts and that those who give large amounts still choose to use checks as their preferred means of delivering the funds. However, the data shows that isn’t the case. More than 80% of gifts processed on Tithe.ly were over $100, with 33% above $500 and 18% of the gifts processed on Tithe.ly over $1,000! Key takeaway: People are no longer afraid to process transactions — big or small — through digital options.
5) Digital giving by method In a mostly cashless society, we are very accustomed to using credit or debit cards for everything. When given the option, that holds true with our giving habits, as well. Only 7% of donors give by entering their bank account details. The vast majority of givers prefer using a debit or credit card. It could be due to the added layer of security; it could be because they’ve memorized their card info and don’t know their bank account / routing number; or it could be because they’re financially responsible people who want the card points / rewards. Key takeaway: Given the choice, most people choose to use their credit / debit card. If you don’t offer this option, you’re likely missing out on some people giving consistently.
4) Digital giving by occasional versus consistent givers It’s likely something you already know, but the data proves it out: Consistent givers are also the most generous givers. Looking at the chart below, you’ll see that consistent givers — t hose that give at least one time a month — make up only 15% of the total population, but they account for 51% of the giving total! Contrast that with 85% of givers being “occasional givers” who make up under 50% of the total giving. Key takeaway: Education on giving and generosity, financial management, coupled with consistent calls to give, will help increase the number of “consistent givers” at your church.
It’s a fact! We’re becoming a mobile-first society, and mobile giving is essential to your church fundraising strategy! It is our hope that this data will help you as you prepare your giving strategy and messaging for your church. Data like this helps us avoid false assumptions and guess work, and focus on reality.
g risin p r u s ore facts @ m c h. 5 g sear e r Find ch givin g r giv i n chu rc h ht
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CHURCH EXECUTIVE
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FULLY FUNDED, FINALLY 5 factors that drove San Diego Church of Christ’s giving to grow by 23.8% in 18 months With humble beginnings, San Diego Church of Christ (SDCOC) was once a small church in Poway, Calif. Now averaging more than 1,700 in attendance on the weekend, this multigenerational church has four locations throughout San Diego. Lead Administrator Ray Schalk recalls a recent change that has helped SDCOC not only meet its monthly budget for 2017, but exceed it. In late 2015, leaders at SDCOC decided it was time to revamp the church’s online giving. Until that point, the church offered an online giving solution that was cumbersome to use and wasn’t designed with a mobile-first giving experience in mind — something that’s expected by members these days due to the influence of Amazon, Apple, Starbucks, Facebook, Uber and many others. After due diligence, the SDCOC team chose Tithe.ly as their new digital giving provider. According to Schalk, the ease of giving via mobile devices, direct ChMS integration, simple admin tools, and no setup/monthly costs were all key to the decision. Next, SDCOC leaders designed a launch plan that showcased the new capabilities during their yearly kickoff workshop in January 2016. The path to better giving Since upgrading to a mobile-first, modern giving solution more than a year and a half ago, here are a few of the key metrics the church has been tracking: • 23.8% growth in overall giving (dollars) • 100.2% growth in online giving (dollars) • 5 1% of all giving now comes in online — up 61.7% from the previous system • 23% growth in the total number of givers (i.e., engaging new givers) • 5 5% of online giving is now set up as automated recurring giving • $175 average gift size through online sources Though a big improvement, these results didn’t just “happen” by implementing a new technology solution; SDCOC leaders did five very important things: #1: They created a thorough roll-out plan. A launch date was picked and a plan put in place to inform and educate the entire church. Starting with the yearly kickoff workshop, the leadership team put together a detailed video announcing Tithe.ly as the new giving platform. Next, each campus assured the leadership team that an announcement would be placed for the next few weeks to remind members of the new giving options and encourage their use. Finally, during the giving moment in the worship service, a slide was shown that presented the different ways people could give. From cash and checks in the plate, to mobile giving and text giving, members were reminded of their options in the moment of giving. 6
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#2: They kept the communications rolling. Once the big push was done, SDCOC leaders continued to inform the church about the new ways to give via email, weekly print bulletins and the website. Each communication channel kept the messaging in front of the church for a prolonged period of time. This ensured that regardless of attendance or if people “heard it the first time,” eventually every member of the church would know their options to give. #3: The gave it a personal touch. The transition from one digital giving system to another brings about unique challenges, one of which is transitioning individuals who set up recurring giving on the old system, to the new system. The leadership team at SDCOC took a very personal approach to this by sending individualized emails, making phone calls, and even walking up to people on Sunday to let them know about the switch and what it meant for them to convert to the new giving system. It took some time, but the effort was well worth it — they converted nearly every person to the new system. Now, more than 55% of the church’s online giving comes in through automated recurring gifts. #4: They reported out on financials. Although not a new practice, the leadership team continued in full financial transparency by reporting weekly giving in the bulletin. Doing this helps everyone in the church stay current on where the church stands financially. #5: They continued teaching on sacrificial, joyful giving. Again, this is not a new practice; it has been a vital part of the church’s growth in giving. Continuing to teach the heart of Jesus to give sacrificially has been at the heart and core of it all. SDCOC has been teaching on generosity and sacrificial giving for years. Most recently, they taught a series based on The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Increased giving = increased ministry Now, SDCOC is able to bring on more full-time and intern youth and campus ministry staff, which helps them maintain a focus on these important ministries. The church can also participate in supporting church plants around the Southwest and in new areas of San Diego. SDCOC has big dreams for reaching San Diego for Christ and making an impact in its community. Finally, the church has a huge heart for missions. The increase in funds gives leaders and members the ability to do more work in nearby Mexico. Since implementing a more robust online giving solution, there’s definitely excitement about the consistent increase in giving SDCOC has seen. There’s even more excitement and faithfulness about how God intends to use the funds for His glory. churchexecutive.com