The top 8 Reasons your church and charity needs an online giving solution!

As the internet continues to boom and people continue to transition to a mobile first environment, it is important for non-profits to stay ahead of the trend. Did you know that over 50% of your members prefer to give online?  Not having an online giving presence can often leave church, charity, and foundation members uncertain on how to give. This is because donors are moving online, and so should you.  If you are interested in learning about the benefits of online giving for your organization, keep reading, and find out just how you can strengthen your non-profit community with an online member-friendly technology.

ONLINE DONATIONS AND FUNDRAISING SAVES YOU TIME AND MONEY.

Automation already exists in an online platform. Imagine all the steps you have to take while waiting, receiving, and processing a check in the mail. It may not seem like it at first glance, but when you aggregate these steps over a year’s time, they are painful for your staff and costly to your mission.  Now, imagine an individual picking up their mobile device and giving within seconds. To top it off, that simple mobile donation is made available as soon as the same or following day. Without lifting a single finger, online giving has brought the money into your account. This automation can reduce costs and allow your organization to focus on executing your mission.

BROADENING YOUR GIVING REACH

There was time when your reach for giving extended solely to your local community. Anyone outside of this immediate area needed to be reached through mail, newsletters, radio advertisements, and TV. These additional efforts often produce limited engagement with a primarily older demographic.

Online giving, however, makes it much easier to widen your reach. You can offer anyone, anywhere in the world with internet access, the opportunity to join your cause. Finding new donors who want to support your mission is less expensive than ever before. Channeling your members to share a project you are launching on social media gives you a low-cost exponential jump on other methods that are available.

BETTER DATA, BETTER REPORTING, BETTER RECORDS

It helps to understand trends. Donation amounts given to your organization fluctuate in different months throughout the year.

Having immediate access to these data helps to properly identify and understand behavioral changes in your donor base. This information helps to prepare for upcoming slower giving months.

We can effectively discontinue manually entering in giving and donor information. When someone gives online, paperwork becomes a thing of the past. No more human error or labor costs in the 100s of hours just inputting data throughout the year.

No more wondering who, when, or during which event was a donation received. With Generosity this information is automatically tracked to to provide you with functional donation data. When taking online payments, all necessary information is recorded in real time.

MORE APPEALING TO THE YOUNGER DEMOGRAPHIC

Many churches and charities overlook our younger generation’s desire to give. Everyone who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s was raised with, or quickly introduced to, the smart phone.

This individual is highly socially engineered. They are quick to make decisions and accustomed to the speed of the internet and online payments. Contrary to popular belief, they and willing to donate if they have an option to do it quickly in a high-tech method they are accustomed to.

Contactless Giving

With the global health landscape the way it is today, all organizations have had to rethink what our practices are doing to help provide a safe environment for giving.

This has since created an expectation by many donators and church goers that a convenient online giving option must be present. As many nonprofit organizations are already aware, as the data flows in from 2020 and 2021, we will for sure see more people of an older demographic embracing mobile and online practices as it pertains to philanthropy.

MORE SECURE

The more payments we bring in electronically, the less we need to be concerned with the accountability of cash and checks.

No more locking your organization’s weekend earnings in a safe, and you can also do away with a stressful bank drive to deposit thousands of dollars on a Monday morning.

Cash brought in to giving or added in a collection plate can be lost, misappropriated, or worse. When dealing with a payment processor, that strictly adheres to the highest of security standards these are a thing of the past to worry about.

Today, with tokenized iframes and PCI compliance, the transferring of funds has NEVER been safer.

IMPROVES DONOR ENGAGEMENT

Online giving is a very simple, easy process. We are now able to do recurring payments, keep cards on file, and facilitate one time giving with a breeze. No searching for cash, checkbooks, or stopping by the bank on the way to a Sunday service or charitable event.

Membership profiles include important information for you as a nonprofit organization to reach out and contact your donor base. In a one-time donation, you are able to pull name, email, or phone information. When a member creates a profile, you will have all of these points of contact plus an address. All of these help you engage the members of your non-profit like never before.

RECURRING PAYMENTS

I have been making my gym membership payment for how many years?? Donors who set up recurring payments give 42% more annually. It is one capability that should never be overlooked by your organization. Every nonprofit should be able to pull a report within seconds telling you how many recurring payments you have every month. These people should be thanked and interacted with. Recurring payments provide a piece for your budget that is predictable. Encouraging members to consider recurring donations is paramount.

What do I do?

• Easily Brand a Generosity hosted giving page. Custom branded donation pages nested inside a nonprofit’s website generate 6X more money
• Give your members a recurring donation option
• Learn how engaging and updating supporters can raise revenue for your organization
• Reach out to us with any questions on how to raise your online presence