Should I Really Care About Offering Online Giving? YES!!

You would think that an old fundraising professional like me would know all there is about online giving. Well, you AND I would be very surprised by new data out from VANCO Payment Solutions, a specialist in faith-based online giving solutions that tracks online giving trends! Here are a few of their findings.

Older adults embrace e-Giving

While preferences for e-Giving remaining strong across all age groups, they’re much stronger among older adults than they were just two years ago:

• Ages 45-54: 62% prefer e-Giving, compared to 50% in 2015
• Ages 66-74: 58% prefer e-Giving, compared to 39% in 2015

What this mean for churches is that churchgoers in those age groups have become more accustomed to banking and paying bills online and using smartphones, and that is reflected in their wanting to give electronically as well.

More people are giving less often

Churches with declining weekly attendance also see a decline in weekly giving. Almost half of churchgoers made weekly offerings in 2015, but only about one-third do now. That’s led to an increase in the percentage of churchgoers who give less frequently:

• Once a month: 23%, up from 20% in 2015
• Every 2-3 months: 12%, up from 6% in 2015
• Every six months: 8%, up from 2% in 2015

These results indicate that churches need to align giving options and strategies with the way churchgoers live.

Surprises from millennials

Millennial churchgoers ages 25-34 have the strongest preference for e-Giving, AND they’re also most likely to contribute more of their annual income to the church and to engage in church activities outside of worship services.

Millennials’ giving is influenced by their faith and feelings of responsibility to family and church, and they happily commit to causes they believe connect themselves with the church and community. Their giving is also influenced by the giving options available since they rely on debit and credit cards and their smartphones to make purchases.

Is an offering plate passed in the pew missing potential contributors? Yes! Contact the Minnesota Conference office for help in getting set up for online giving.

Bob Olsen

Development Officer