Next Generation Giving Digital Supplement 2014 by Power Trade Media

NEXT-GENERATION GIVING

STRATEGIES | CASE STUDIES | TOOLS TO CONSIDER

HOW TO MARKET DIGITAL GIVING By Doug Braun

While multifunctional kiosks can drive expanded giving and greater participation in the life of the church, they can also be met with resistance from members of the congregation who are intimidated by technology and resistant to change. We propose a three step introduction program.

THE NEXT FRONTIER FOR FUNDRAISING By Marc A. Pitman

3 REASONS TO OFFER ONLINE GIVING By Rachel McCall

Recently, NonProfit Times reported that churches and faith-based groups experienced an increase of more than 16 percent in online giving last year. That figure continues to rise. While the topic of whether or not to embrace online giving can be an uncomfortable one, it can (and should) be an essential piece of your ministry outreach today. Here’s why.

NEW-SCHOOL GIVING OPTIONS PUSHPAY

When it comes to next-generation giving, eChurchGiving and Pushpay know enough to write a book — or, as the case might be, an app.

SECUREGIVE

A pioneer in the next-generation-giving space, SecureGive offers giving kiosks and has even created a church giving app in iTunes. “We live in a cashless society,” sales Director of Sales Stu Baker. “And giving shouldn’t be limited to those who carry cash or checks.”

LIGHTCMS

Designed on an all-in-one content management system (CMS) platform, a church whose website runs on LightCMS gets the benefit of built-in online collection tools, plus the ability to easily integrate a website with virtually any online payment system.

IS YOUR CHURCH REACHING ITS BUDGET? By Nancy Lawson

The most common synonym for “successful” is “accomplishment.” Is your church “accomplishing” or exceeding its budget? If not, then you must read on.

IN THE TRENCHES

Two church leaders talk about the next-generation giving tools they’re using, how members adapted to these options, and some do’s and don’ts learned through implementation.

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HOW TO MARKET DIGITAL GIVING

Among the newer technologies transforming American churches is the digital giving kiosk — a freestanding unit that enables individuals to submit tithes or make freewill offerings at any time, using several forms of payment. Kiosks should also offer accounting and reporting features. While multifunctional kiosks can drive expanded giving and greater participation in the life of the church, they can also be met with resistance from members of the congregation. To that end, we propose a three-step introduction program. Step 1: The pre-sell. The best starting point is to make sure all the system’s benefits and advantages are articulated to those with the ability to influence and authorize the purchase. Whether it’s a technology committee or the church board, it’s critical that these individuals aren’t just supportive, but excited! Enlist this group to help you inform and energize church staff, committees and church leaders — even before your kiosk arrives.

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BY DOUG BRAUN

Anticipation is a powerful marketing tool, so think about including “coming soon” announcements in the newsletter, on posters in common areas, or by way of a mention during the news-and-notes portion of the worship service. inLighten Sales Advisor Ryan Hardie, who consults with congregations on technology implementation, suggests using digital signage to get the message out. “Flat-screen TVs in church coffee shops or community rooms can be very effective in making people eager to know more about your digital giving kiosk,” he says. “Once your kiosk is in place, you can add current news and information to your digital signage program to ensure the system will serve as a constant reminder.” David Tomb, administrative pastor at Community Church of Joy (Glendale, AZ), says his church uses its website to communicate its kiosk as a convenient and secure way to give. “That has really helped build awareness.”

Less than one-fifth of our readers (18%) make giving kiosks available at their churches. Source: 2014 Church Executive Reader Survey

Step 2: The buy-in. When your kiosk is first installed, it’s critical to have a very visible group of early adopters — even if some of them are technology-adverse. Arrange for presentations and tutorials to your board of elders and deacons, as well as to chairpersons and members of various committees. Emphasize the roles they can play — by their own example, in encouraging others to try the kiosk, and by offering assistance if asked. Marketing by endorsement is a time-honored and successful strategy. It can make the difference between cautious curiosity and eager acceptance. Emphasize to your “introduction team” that acceptance is a long-term prospect, and you’ll want them to continue their practice of using the kiosk — and helping others discover its advantages, as well. Step 3: The sell-through. The last step in the process is to make personal assistance available to those who need it. You’ll want friendly, helpful, tactful individuals on hand to introduce first-time and new users to all the features the kiosk offers, and to guide them through the operations they want to perform.

Recruit a group of volunteers for this service, and make sure they’re trained well on all the kiosk’s capabilities. Their goal should be to make those they assist feel comfortable with the kiosk so that using it eventually becomes second nature.

Keep your giving kiosk top-of-mind To maintain continual awareness of your giving kiosk, use it for more than just giving. An expanded set of utilities — onscreen messaging enablement in idle mode, providing access to the church website, or enabling event registration for events, for example — gives members and visitors more reasons to interact with the kiosk. CE Doug Braun is senior vice president for sales and marketing at Clarence, NY-based inLighten, Inc., a leading provider of digital communication and self-service products. Braun has served his congregation as both a deacon and an elder.

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GENEROSITY

IN MOTION

When it comes to nextgeneration giving, eChurchGiving and Pushpay know enough to write a book — or, as the case might be, an app.

Decidedly “next-generation,” the Pushpay digital giving platform is being brought to churches by the team at eChurchGiving and is particularly appealing to first-time givers, by design. Whether these initial gifts are made by website, kiosk or mobile phone, givers only have to enter their personal details once — about a 45-second process. After that, they’re invited to download an app which lets them give using their cellphone in 10 seconds or less. This innovative platform is a response to some modern-day church giving challenges: • A declining culture of church giving. Today, statistics show only 2.4 percent of income is given to the church. In 1968, that figure was 3.1 percent. • Four years of consecutive declines in giving. “That hasn’t happened since the Great Depression,” explains Tim Abare, president of eChurchGiving in Redmond, WA, the entity bringing the Pushpay platform to U.S. churches. • Only 20 percent to 25 percent of people who regularly attend church also give regularly. This alarming finding is part of the most recent State of the Plate study.

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At The Cause Community Church in Brea, CA, about 80 percent donor isn’t in the church’s database, a new record is created. “P

• If mobile giving takes longer than 30 seconds, 85 percent of people will abandon the transaction, statistics show. • A survey that included the 50 fastest-growing churches across America showed that the average online giving experience took more than three minutes to complete. All these factors were big catalysts for Eliot Crowther, Pushpay’s co-founder and director. “Churches tend to put up barriers to giving,” he says. “If someone has a desire to give, he or she should be able to exercise that act of obedience right away.” The platform’s thoughtful design appears to be resonating — not just with givers, but with church staff.

Expected (and unexpected) blessings At The Cause Community Church in Brea, CA, Pastor Joshua Reeve says his church’s online transaction count has doubled compared to last year. But that’s only one of the benefits of implementing the Pushpay platform: This

t to 90 percent of transactions made using the Pushpay platform merge immediately. If a People are really processing their own donations at this point,” says Pastor Joshua Reeve.

ramp-up in giving also means far less internal processing of gifts. That’s why Reeve began the Pushpay integration process with his own staff first. They all reacted well to the reduced processing time, of course; it freed up their time for ministry projects. A database integration feature with the church’s management system, Fellowship One, made it possible. Now, when a gift is made, the givers’ information email matches that gift to an existing record using the donor’s email address. About 80 percent to 90 percent of transactions merge immediately. If a donor isn’t in the church’s database, a new record is created. Once staff were onboard, Reeve introduced the Pushpay digital giving platform to the members by showing them a video, which was provided by the team at eChurchGiving. Then, he made a gift in real-time from the pulpit. The following Sunday, the church showed the video again. A year later, digital giving transactions have grown from 140 per month to 300 on average (and growing). In this 1,100-member congregation, about 106 people downloaded and gave via the Pushpay app over the first

six-month period. Interestingly, almost all those givers (93) were existing givers who transitioned their giving habits over to the digital platform — and actually gave more using this method. Their average giving increase per person, per month, was a little more than $66. Over that same period, about 13 new givers downloaded and began using the Pushpay app. Their average gifts per person / month were generous: about $127. In total, the new giving platform generated monthly giving increases of about $7,900 per month driven by these 106 Pushpay givers. Over the course of a year, that translates to a $94,000 increase to the church’s budget. The ministry opportunities that this generosity fuels is the most highly celebrated benefit at The Cause. It takes different forms, but one example stands out for Pastor Reeve: Every Sunday, he watches a 50-year-old longtime church member with cerebral palsy give independently, with no assistance. “He loves the Lord, but he could never participate in the offering on his own before,” Reeve explains. “Now, in a matter of seconds, he can take out his phone and give. It lets him really be a part of the worship service.” >>

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24/7 generosity At The Dream Center in downtown Los Angeles, co-founded by Pastor Matthew Barnett, people are moved to give at all times of the day. Moments of generosity occur practically around the clock — often late at night, after a prayer session at The Dream Center’s new prayer chapel. It stands to reason, then, that a collection basket / offering envelope approach won’t cover all the church’s generosity “bases.” This round-the-clock ministry model meshes well with Pushpay’s infrastructure, as Chief Marketing Officer Fraser Clark explains. “If God moves someone to give, they need the ability to act then and there on their generosity impulse versus enforcing a rigid traditional giving model,” he says. “Matthew Barnett has found that the ability for his congregation to give immediately, via their mobile phones, has been essential in their fundraising efforts.” Barnett concurs, saying he once “longed for a day” when people could take out their phones and give using their cellphones. And, he adds, implementing Pushpay at the church has driven giving at a “dramatic, historic rate.” He points out, “A lot of that is because we’ve been able to cultivate people’s desire to give at the moment.”

Significant impact Eastlake Church in San Diego, CA, has also seen impressive results over the last year. “Pushpay has delivered stellar results on all the concerns

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that I had,” says Laura Randall, the church’s director of business and finance. “Simply stated, this product is awesome.” Additionally, Randall says the app itself is easy to use. And, the fact that Pushpay now links to the church’s database, Fellowship One, is a major timesaver — not just for the church staff who no longer needs to manually process these gifts, but also for givers. “Some, [who] may have not given or just ‘tipped’ what they had in their wallet at the time, will have another way to give,” she adds.

An inspired endeavor Experiences like these are gratifying for the churches, but also for the eChurchGiving team. After all, with their innovative platform, they set out to address the giving challenges in modern-day churches and achieved two wins in the process. “First, we [knew we] could transform online giving so that it takes less than a minute to complete,” Crowther recalls. “Second, we [knew we] could migrate those who give online into the world of mobile generosity.” In time, Crowther and his team say they hope their digital giving platform will drive another major goal: $1 billion in new giving for the Kingdom. CE — Reporting by RaeAnn Slaybaugh

THE NEXT FRONTIER FOR FUNDRAISING 10 social media tips to help ramp up results

Mobilizing social media tools for fundraising efforts is well worth the effort. Research shows one donor posting to Facebook leads up to 68 percent of his or her contacts to learn about your effort, and 39 percent to make a donation. Moreover, Twitter mentions of fundraising events can yield up to 10 times more in donations. So, the case for using social media tools is clear. To set the wheels in motion, consider these 10 tips. 1) It’s OK to ask for money. Really. Although pastors tend to fear fundraising, asking for money is something Moses, Hezekiah, Nehemiah, David and Paul all did. As church leaders, we can ask for money without fear because those who are growing closer to Jesus are more generous.

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BY MARC A. PITMAN 2) Larger gifts require face time. While social media should be used for casting the vision, large asks are better done in person. Securing a generous gift takes lots of lead-up, and it requires talking to top donors and inner family first, face-to-face. 3) Don’t always be closing. If all you’re doing with social media is “pitching” a fundraising initiative, this comes across as crass. It won’t work. The proper approach requires getting R.E.A.L. — Research, Engage, Ask, Love/Like/Live. Love/Like the person anyway — they’re always more important than the gift. 4) Lead with the vision. A lot of churches assume online fundraising will be an instant jackpot, but social

media is only a tool to communicate the vision. In the context of the vision, it’s important for church members to know that it will cost X dollars just to sustain operations at the church. 5) Whatever you do online, do it regularly. I use an aggregator called Hootsuite.com to pre-schedule social media posts. For example, on Sunday night, I cut and paste my church’s daily schedule into Hootsuite, knowing they’re going out every day that week at 4 p.m. via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. This communicates that church is a seven-day endeavor, not just a Sunday scenario. 6) Listen first. As church leaders, we should definitely use social media more for the relationship steps of “Research,” “Engage” and “Love.” Ask the congregation what social media outlets they’re involved with, and where they’re viewing that content — at home, at work and so on. Also ask for their Twitter handles, and watch what they say. As you see

what people respond to and retweet, you can craft your fundraising “pitch” much more effectively. 7) Think like an event planner. Truly effective fundraising involves deadlines and creating teams with specific responsibilities. The best approach is to drive followers back to your church’s website or giving page. Statistically, people give more on your site than when they’re asked to give right there on Facebook or Twitter. 8) Twitter tips. Twitter is the most effective tool for peerto-peer fundraising — walk-a-thons or bike-a-thons. Ask for people to retweet your post. Also limit your posts to 120 characters (compared the 140 characters allowed). This way, members or givers can retweet without the post being cut off. 9) Go beyond the norm. Today, Pinterest is generating really good results; you can “pin” just about anything that has a photo. Businessfocused LinkedIn resonates well with some people who are normally averse to social media. Using a

Google+ page for your church helps train Google how to classify it in normal website searches. Bufferapp. com optimizes sharing of posts at times when most of your members are likely to see them. Also consider podcasts; just use the sermons you’re already preaching. Podcasts expand your audience and can be cross-promoted across all your social media platforms. 10) Publicize your social media activity. People won’t follow your church’s social media activity if they don’t know you’re out there. Church bulletins are a surprisingly effective way to do this. And don’t just say “Like us on Facebook;” actually list your church’s Facebook URL (Facebook.com/YourChurchName), as well as its Twitter handle. CE Marc A. Pitman is an internationally recognized nonprofit organizational development consultant, author and founder of FundraisingCoach.com. He has compiled Bible stories of people asking for money — including Moses, David, Hezekiah and Nehemiah — available at fundraisingcoach.com/ free-articles/fundraising-in-the-bible.

THE NEXT FRONTIER FOR FUNDRAISING 5 more social media tips from Marc A. Pitman 1) Put yourself out there. As a pastor at a Vineyard church, I wasn’t doing social media, or publicizing my own activity, until my congregants asked me to. In my experience, it’s even less common for pastors to use social media for fundraising. 2) Connect donors with the impact. In this regard, churches need to get out of their own way. It’s the volunteers — not the church — out there feeding and clothing the homeless. So, show that! Share photos of people doing outreach. On social media, people respond best to faces. 3) Mobilize members and staff, online. Be aware that only about 17 percent of the people who “like” your church’s Facebook page are actually seeing its posts in their newsfeed. To get more people to see the posts, you’ll need “likes,” comments, and shares. So, the inner leadership team should immediately “like” the church’s posts to generate interest in these messages.

And ask your congregants and staff members to comment, like and share your church’s posts. 4) Moderate posts — but be cool about it. In your church’s social media pages’ “About” sections, it’s important to qualify that you will delete inappropriate posts; but don’t just automatically delete anything contentious. Have a thick skin and a tender heart. If you see an “off” comment, it can be helpful to email some of your congregants with a link to the post and ask if they agree with the troublesome post. When it comes to perception, it’s better if someone else says he doesn’t agree than for the church to take issue with it right away. 5) Be realistic about results. When it comes to crowd-funding, by and large, most projects don’t get funded — even in churches. Your best effort will still be offline. But with the average American giving only 2 percent of their income to nonprofits, there’s a lot of room for growing generosity — even in the church.

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3 reasons to offer online giving

Cash and checks are quickly becoming a thing of the past as younger generations push to use debit and credit cards — a result of more online and mobile interactions. It’s no wonder, then, that more and more churches are contemplating online giving. Recently, NonProfit Times reported that churches and faith-based groups experienced an increase of more than 16 percent in online giving last year. And, that figure continues to rise. While the topic of whether or not to embrace online giving can be an uncomfortable one, it can (and should) be an essential piece of your ministry outreach today. Here’s why. 12 | CHURCH EXECUTIVE | NEXT-GENERATION GIVING | 09/2014

BY RACHEL McCALL 1) Online giving works around any schedule. Fifty years ago, church attendance was much more consistent. David Olson, author of The American Church in Crisis study, estimates that less than 18 percent of members now attend church regularly. This is partly because families are more mobile than ever — for work, recreation or kids’ activities. Given a lack of consistent attendance, having an online giving system is critical. Offering your donors giving options online gives them the flexibility they need while still allowing them to give. Recurring donation capabilities, credit and debit card choices, and electronic check capa-

78% of our readers have embraced online giving at their churches. Source: 2014 Church Executive Reader Survey

bilities meet donors where they’re at, individually, and gives them options they want to use. 2) Technology has changed the game. Technology has changed people’s behaviors — even the ways they worship and receive the Word. Members no longer have to physically attend to engage in a worship service; with widespread livestreaming, many now choose to worship from the comfort of their own homes, at coffee shops or even on the road. The same thing is true of electronic payments. From tithing, to paying bills, to buying movie tickets, technology has given us the freedom to pay for anything online with a few clicks of a button. Having a user-friendly online giving system works the same way, and it’s simply an extension of what donors are already doing online. If you haven’t made it easy for donors to give to your organization online, you run the risk of losing them to others who have. 3) Electronic giving gets results. Providing a customdesigned, easy-to-use experience and flexible giving options will drive generosity in ways you never expected. An online giving page allows anyone who has access to your website the opportunity to give on the spot, without having to write and mail a check. Donors across the country — or even across the

world — who don’t attend your church might be motivated to give electronically. Let them! Additionally, our research shows online donors are more generous, with average online donations coming in at $120 compared to $80 offline. And the results aren’t just on the donor side: Church staff will experience a reduction in personal time it takes to make trips to the bank, manually enter donor data into a management system, and reconcile transactions. Automated functionality easily ties transactions to bank deposits and donor information, making reconciliation and reporting a breeze.

A win-win proposition We’re passionate about online giving because we see the results a quality giving solution can bring to churches every day. It provides a built-in channel to better tell a church’s story, mission and how it’s impacting lives in a way that’s inspiring. Communicate with your donors about online giving. They’ll soon see how their generosity is moving to grow the Kingdom, and be left striving to do more. CE Rachel McCall is Marketing & Communications Specialist at MinistryLINQ, a Division of The CashLINQ Group, in Spokane, WA.

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NEW-SCHOOL GIVING OPTIONS

STU BAKER Director of Sales

SecureGive SecureGive — a pioneer in the next-generation-giving space — offers giving kiosks and has even created a church giving app in iTunes. “We live in a cashless society,” says Stu Baker, Director of Sales. “And giving shouldn’t be limited to those who carry cash or checks.” When I hear “new-school giving,” I think about … Meeting donors where they are. We do this by providing giving kiosks, online giving, mobile giving and text-to-give applications. Our software allows donors to save their payment info, so they can give in just seconds. As our world grows more and more into a technically driven one, we believe the church should grow with it. It’s critical to make it easy to give because … If your systems aren’t easy or user-friendly, people won’t use them. Forgetting to stop by the ATM or bring the checkbook limits donors’ gifts to whatever cash is in their pockets — or stops them from giving altogether. We know new-school giving options work because … Most of our customers report a 20 percent or higher increase in giving. The average donation amount among

church members is $175, compared to the $20 bill they might have in their wallet. And, just as important, 27 percent of our registered users are first-time givers. Some churches haven’t offered new-school giving options because … Often times, the costs of doing business can blind the vision of fully funding the ministry. But, there’s a reason why every thriving business in America accepts cards as a means of payment. Sure, there are costs involved — but the rewards far outweigh them. If I could prescribe a recipe to drive optimal giving, it would include … A roll-out plan. This includes simple announcements, graphics or handouts. The goal is to notify donors that this giving option is available. Consistency. Every week at my church, we communicate the multiple ways to give. Reinforcement. Our system has automated thank-you emails built in. Affirm and appreciate generosity, and let givers know they’re making a difference. My final advice for churches considering new-school giving options is … Embrace this technology. It means your church can reach more people and make a difference in your community. That’s what it’s all about. CE

SecureGive’s giving platforms

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TIM WALL

Marketing Manager

LightCMS LightCMS is an all-in-one content management system (CMS) platform. According to Marketing Manager Tim Wall, a church whose website runs on this system gets the benefit of built-in online collection tools, plus the ability to easily integrate a website with virtually any online payment system.

Council Road Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, OK, uses the LightCMS platform to run its website. Shown here is the church’s giving page.

When I hear “new-school giving,” I think about … Online giving — but, that’s a broad topic with many different applications. The important thing is to find a solution that’s practical and appropriate for your church. It’s critical to make it easy to give because … Actually, giving is an act of obedience and sacrifice. No technology or tool is going to make it easy for people to give away their money. Rather, it’s the church’s job to facilitate giving, with tools that are practical for its members. Some churches haven’t offered new-school giving options because … They have legitimate concerns about how they’ll implement and support them, long term. With any

new giving option, there will be hard costs for their implementation, plus costs related to personnel and support. While it’s possible these solutions can pay for themselves, it’s not a certainty. So, a church should consider its congregation’s likelihood of embracing and using them. Many churches also have concerns about security. True, this must be a top priority; but, with the right measures in place, online giving can be much more secure than collecting physical offerings on-premises. My final advice for churches considering new-school giving options is … Just because something is trendy and new doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for your church. Consider the costs and benefits, and — most important — how likely your congregation is to use the technology. CE

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Is your church reaching its

BY NANCY LAWSON

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Two-thirds of our readers (66%) offer EFT processing / automatic debits at their churches. Source: 2014 Church Executive Reader Survey

According to a recent Giving Rocket survey of churches, only 14 percent are meeting or exceeding budget. Knowing that churches rely entirely on donations to survive, not meeting the annual budget means critical mission work is in jeopardy of being underfunded. Fundraising for any non-profit organization has always presented challenges — and always will — because the root of its failures typically stems from poor communication. Conversely, successful communication is one of the key attributes of any organization, but especially churches. The most common synonym for

Service is struggling because there’s an obvious shift in communication preferences with the evolution of technology. First, let me remind you that churches are dealing with people, and people will always have a diverse set of preferences for how they do anything, including giving. Second, is your church doing everything it can to promote giving? Are you addressing it from the pulpit, consistently? Are you communicating directly and regularly with your members? Do your members know all the ways your church benefits from these charitable gifts?

It’s refreshing to learn from the Atlas of Giving that, despite the economic struggles this country has been facing for many years, charitable giving increased 13.3 percent in 2013 compared to 2012. Much of this can be attributed to the adoption of online giving. “successful” is “accomplishment.” Is your church “accomplishing” or exceeding its budget? If not, then you must read on. Historically and traditionally, churches have relied on one primary source of communication to promote giving in their organizations: offering envelopes. This mode of communication had such an impact that companies were created out of its need as far back as a century ago, and several are still in operation. How can this be, you might ask, given the ubiquitous influence of technology? Even the U.S. Postal

After all, isn’t the church — the Body of Christ — biblically, ethically and morally obligated to reveal this information? How many avenues of giving are provided to the members? Do you still rely solely on envelopes? What about online giving, text giving, kiosk giving or mobile giving?

From the pulpit There is no scientific correlation between preaching about stewardship and how much your church receives in donations. However, just like anything else, if you never ask, you’ll probably never receive. >>

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Keep in mind that it’s not so much what you say as how you say it. While I’m not employed by Giving Rocket, I’m comfortable sharing with you that they provide a document — The Giving Talk — to help you develop just the right words to share with your congregation, motivating them to at least continue (if not increase) their giving. You can also seek out similar resources to accomplish the same.

can be found in giving kiosks. Some will say that they don’t want “ATM machines” in their church. But, churches that use giving kiosks realize that, if placed in a key area(s) of the facility, it serves as a reminder to give — just like monthly envelope mailings or periodic contribution statements. These same kiosks can serve as check-in stations, event registration kiosks and more, further increasing their value.

The importance of communication Don’t keep it a secret when your church is blessed Mobile/text giving with giving that supports a particular cause, or even helps Statistics for 2013 show that more people purchased it reach budget — shout it from the mountaintops, along their Christmas presents online via a mobile device than in with praise and gratitude! any year prior. Some of us do everything on our cell phone People are motivated by many things, but none are or tablet — I certainly do! as effective as praise. Don’t hesitate to send contribution Don’t overlook this method of giving. It’s so simple, statements at least quarterly. With all the activities going and the adoption rate is climbing. on in each person’s life, we need to be reminded of the A new method of giving which evolved several years importance of financially supporting the church. ago is text giving. Some companies charge your cell phone While not technology-based, a monthly mailing company, which then shows up on your monthly bill. Others program still addresses a certain sector of individuals who bill you through a separate invoicing process. The latter is prefer to give using an envelope. Even for tech junkies, much easier to set up. the monthly mailing program serves as a It’s a good communication piece time for giving According to a recent that reminds members In my opinion, we’re Giving Rocket survey of churches, to fulfill their spiritual very fortunate to live in only 14 percent are meeting obligation. a time when all these or exceeding budget. options are available to Online giving help increase giving in the It’s refreshing to churches — especially in learn from the Atlas of Giving that, despite the economic light of the declining attendance which churches of every struggles this country has been facing for many years, denomination face these days. charitable giving increased 13.3 percent in 2013 compared The beauty of this group of stewardship resources to 2012. Much of this can be attributed to the adoption of is that you don’t have to settle for just one; in fact, data online giving. suggests that one is simply no longer enough. In this cashless culture, and with the ever-increasing While it might be difficult to interpret actual giving as security measures to make these types of software PCI a percentage from each of these categories (envelopes, Level I-compliant, online giving is a significant venue for online, text, kiosk, mobile), let’s assume that each increasing contributions in your church. For the protection represents one equal piece of the total giving / stewardship of your members, make sure the software you’re using is “pie.” Since there are five, we can conclude that each PCI Level I-compliant (which provides the ultimate security), piece of pie represents 20 percent of your total potential not just PCI-compliant. giving. So, theoretically, if your church is only providing Some benefits of online giving include reduced one of these methods to its members, it’s only reaching 20 administrative effort, guest donations (no sign-up required) percent of its total stewardship potential — and, therefore, and recurring donations. Online giving is also an excellent probably not exceeding its budget. resource for reaching beyond your membership, in terms of As the Body of Christ, reach out to all your members charitable giving, as it opens the doors for businesses and and their preferences. This way, when they’re called to ministry supporters from all over the world to contribute to give, they have all available options in place to do so — at your church’s efforts. that moment — using their preferred giving method. CE

Giving kiosks Another communication resource to increase giving

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Nancy Lawson is the manager of strategic partner sales at NCS Services, Inc.

IN THE TRENCHES Mike Klockenbrink, Chief of Staff at Lakeside Church (Folsom, CA) What next-generation giving options do you offer at your church? We offer the ability to give through our mobile app or to set up online giving through our website. We still offer envelopes and giving baskets during the weekend gatherings. What next-generation giving platforms have proven most popular or effective? Online giving has been a huge success for us. The following is the growth we’ve experienced since 2009 to date. As you’ll see (2014), almost half of all our giving (40.4%) is now online. 2009 — 7.71% 2010 — 14.43% 2011 — 21.8% 2012 — 31.36% 2013 — 37.27% 2014 — 40.4% Setting up recurring giving has helped in the counting process — less to count and fewer mistakes on a weekly basis. We can also better predict what we can expect to receive on a monthly basis.

What do’s and don’ts has your church discovered as it has implemented next-generation giving options? Don’t think you won’t meet resistance. We teach Financial Peace University. Dave Ramsey doesn’t believe in credit cards. We made a note about being responsible with your credit cards. Do still provide people with options. Educate them about why you’re doing this or providing this option for them. Do keep talking about it, over and over. Do direct them to your website to find answers to their questions. Do encourage online giving when you email quarterly giving statements. How have givers reacted to the next-generation options? While we did experience some resistance in the beginning, many people said, “What took you so long?” We do everything electronically these days, so why not give to the church? We’ve also experienced some people feeling uncomfortable when the offering basket goes by and they don’t have anything to drop in, because they give online. For them, we’re considering cards next to the offering envelopes that read: “I / We gave online.”

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Mark Simmons, Business Manager at Christ Community Church (Milpitas, CA)

At your own church, what “next-generation” giving options do you offer? Automatic giving — This is an EFT where the donor tells us when, where and how much to transfer from their account to the church, and we then set up these scheduled electronic transfers. The donors can change the instructions at any time, so they’re fully in control. Online donations — We accept online donations, all types of offerings, including designated donations through our standard and mobile websites. Through PayPal, we offer a full range of payment options. Program registrations — This is sometimes overlooked or considered separate from “giving,” but we think it’s worth noting as it’s a big percentage of the income transactions that occur at many churches. We enable online registration for most of our paid programs and events. We use various third-party services for this as we’ve found different vendors have different strengths / weaknesses to their offerings. Generally, we provide direct links and redirects from our websites, Facebook pages, etc. After service, we often have ministry booths with laptops where people can register online.

Which ones have proven most popular or effective? That can be measured a number of ways. In terms of the number of transactions we now do online, program / event registrations have been most popular. We think that’s important as it saves a lot of staff time. The overhead of manually processing what are usually low-dollar registrations is pretty significant. In terms of absolute dollars, automatic giving is most popular. Givers love the convenience of this option. The church has noticed that as this option has become more popular, we’ve experienced less up and downs in giving week-to-week and throughout the year. This is especially prominent in the summer. Historically, churches have experienced their lowest giving during the summer, and what has come in has many peaks and valleys due to vacations and changes in attendance. Automatic giving has really leveled that out and removed a major hassle for the giver, as well. Are there any do’s and don’ts you’ve discovered as you’ve implemented next-generation giving options? Lots of them. Here are some of the more significant ones. Don’t assume that if you build it, they will come. Each option requires persistent and effective communication of what it is, how the church and donor benefit, and how to use it initially and subsequently. Don’t overlook the significance of the market adoption curve. In any market, there are early adopters — a group that jumps on the new offering — as well as a group that waits for something to become mainstream, and then late-adopters who tend to drag their heels until “everybody is doing it.” Lots of churches have unrealistic expectations about how quickly people will adopt a new offering, and not all churches have the same mix of adopters. For example: If your church is full of octogenarians, you shouldn’t expect the same adoption rate as a church of young adults. Similarly, two churches of young adults might have a very different adoption rate if one has been discipled in generosity and giving and the other is full of new babes in Christ. Don’t make the mistake of thinking of this as an event; it’s a process. As implied by the market adoption curve, this takes time and persistence. Also, your messaging must change to fit the various needs in the congregation. Some have questions / concerns about security. Others have questions about control. Some have “how-to” questions. Others are looking for an explanation of how they and / or the church benefit from this change. Still others are looking for evidence that this has become mainstream or reached the point where everybody is doing it. Don’t underestimate the power / influence of leadership, especially the senior or lead pastor. We saw a huge jump when our 60-year-old, non-tech-savvy senior pastor personally talked about the benefits of automatic giving and testified to using it himself. Do offer options. People love options! It plays well with our God-given gifts of creativity and free will. Let them know their options, the benefits of each, and how they might use them. Do vary your message and your medium. The tendency is to oversimplify what needs to be said and how often. Let’s face it: How people give to the church isn’t the most important thing on their radar. So, you have to break through to get people to move or change. >>

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Add to that the fact that your congregants come from many different perspectives, have different levels of experience and comfort with online transactions, and have different decision-making tendencies, and it’s easy to see that what needs to be said is a lot more than you envisioned. Do use your most influential leaders — and do so in appropriate ways. It’s probably not appropriate

to ask your senior pastor to preach a sermon on online giving! But, could your pastor give a testimony about how he uses online giving, the benefits he’s found using one or more of the online options, and the benefits to the church? Of course! Could your pastor do so in your email newsletter, or in a note that goes along with your quarterly or annual giving statement? Who else has

influence over your congregation? If you use one of the many fine organizations that teach on stewardship, how about including quotes from their principle? Maybe you have a sister church that’s well-respected by your congregation whose comments would be helpful. Perhaps there’s an associate or executive pastor who’s especially respected when it comes to financial matters. Do respect each congregant’s decision about what method they use to give. Once they’ve been given all the information, let them choose and realize their choice is just that: their choice, for that time. They might change their choice later or not, but the last thing you want is to create the impression that there’s a “right” and a “wrong” method to give, or that they’re in any way second-class because of their choice.

How have givers reacted to next-generation giving options? Overarching much of this discussion is avoiding Every Man’s Syndrome. This is the pandemic tendency of human beings to view everyone through their own eyes. We assume people make decisions like we do, have the same or similar opinions, and are influenced in the same ways we are. When you lay this out explicitly, as I have, no one believes that everyone actually is the same in these ways. Nevertheless, people exhibit Every Man’s Syndrome all the time. In reference to the topic of nextgeneration giving, what will people tend to do? They’ll choose the online options they offer based on which ones they’d use. They’ll design a communication campaign for online giving based on what information they would need to make a decision. They’d set their expectations on how quickly people will adopt the new option based on how long it will take them to do so. Most people have a really hard time putting themselves in other people’s shoes. Putting themselves in many other people’s shoes is even more difficult — yet, that’s the task required to be effective. CE

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