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In a recent post for ChurchTechToday, I discussed four of the primary financial benefits that effective recurring giving programs can provide for churches. Increased giving, stabilized revenue, and automated workflows were all discussed at length.
Today, I want to focus on another demographic that will benefit greatly from a fast and flexible recurring giving option: your givers!
It’s no surprise that a giving tool that will benefit your church’s staff will benefit your givers as well. (How’s that old proverb go? “What’s good for the goose is good for the giver as well?” Yes, I think that’s it.
Intuitive though it may be, let’s dig a bit deeper and look at four specific things recurring giving can do for the givers in your congregation.
1) Makes It Easier To INCREASE Their Generosity
Studies have shown that the average recurring giver gives 43% more in a given year than someone who gives a handful of one-time gifts. While this will certainly help your church’s bottom line, it’s also about so much more than that. When you make it easy for your members to automate their giving, you are helping them engage in the consistent, sacrificial, and joyful generosity that is celebrated throughout the Bible. Technology alone won’t bring this about. But, for many of your givers, a recurring giving option might be just what they need to unlock the life of disciplined and cheerful stewardship they’ve always wanted for themselves.
2) Forges A Deeper Connection With The Work Of Your Church
One of the chief reasons generosity is such an integral part of the Christian life is because our hearts follow our wallets. (Matthew 6:21) Consider the words of Billy Graham, “The checkbook is a theological document. It will tell you who and what you worship.” When giving is frequent and consistent, it creates a path for your members to “worship with their wallets.” It connects them with the vision and mission of the church in a way that mere attendance cannot. Weekly or monthly giving ensures that the work of The Church is never far from our minds.
3) Eliminates The Guilt And Shame Associated With Inconsistent Giving
For many churchgoers, the offering is a tremendously uncomfortable time. And yes, much of this discomfort likely stems from a conviction about their inconsistent giving habits. And yes, in this sense, their discomfort might actually be a good thing. But wouldn’t it be better if we could remove the source of the guilt and shame altogether? Churches that place an emphasis on recurring giving not only see an increase in total giving, they also see a decrease in the nervous shifting and avoided eye contact that all too often characterize “the offering moment.” A blessed relief for many givers!
4) Makes Their Lives Easier!
As Christians, we often fall into the trap of thinking that if something is important enough to be called a “spiritual discipline,” it should also be hard. Maybe even unpleasant. Strangely enough, this principle is not supported anywhere in Scripture. (Yes, sanctification through suffering is a central tenet of The Gospels, but I’m not sure Jesus meant that to include your church’s giving process.) From Facebook pages, to Bible apps, to live streaming, to emailed sermon notes, churches are constantly leveraging technology in new and creative ways. Why should giving be any different? Why would we make it easy for a member to connect with our church on Twitter, but challenging for them to give on a monthly basis? We shouldn’t! Automation makes it easy.
Whether you’re thinking about recurring giving for the first time, or simply looking to enhance the systems already in place at your church, I’d love to be a resource to help you on your way.
Mogiv was built from the ground up with YOUR church in mind. It’s more than a giving platform. It’s a multi-channel “generosity engine” built by church leaders for church leaders. Every month, hundreds of churches across the country are using Mogiv’s embeddable giving forms, simple text giving option, social media integration, and flexible scheduled giving tools to connect with more of their givers than ever before.
We’d love for your church to be next! Visit our website (www.mogiv.com) to read customer testimonials, request a demo, or sign up for your own FREE Mogiv account.