Tithing can be a tricky subject when it comes to churches. You don’t want your members to feel pressured to give but rather inspired to give. One way to inspire confidence in your members is through your choice of an online giving platform. Choosing a strategic online giving platform can increase your church’s credibility to handle finances.
When looking for the best online giving platforms for churches, you’ll see that there are both secular and Christian-based companies out there to choose from. So, what are the major differences if they both make it possible to give online? As a church, is it important to choose one over the other?
Secular Online Giving Platforms
In 2016, 32% of all charitable giving in the United States went to churches. As this number continues to increase, so does the number of online giving options. In the beginning, secular companies like PayPal were established to provide people an easy online giving option. This not only helped the transition to online giving, but it also helped increase the number of givers in churches.
However, fast forward to today and these same companies are charging additional fees for other companies and organizations to use their products. This might not seem like a big deal, but when you dig a little deeper, often these fees support organizations your church might disagree with, such as Planned Parenthood.
Also, because these secular online giving platforms weren’t specifically designed for the church, the support you receive doesn’t necessarily cater to the church either.
Rather than choose an online giving platform that charges you a fee to support a cause your church disagrees with or doesn’t provide the right support, why not choose an online giving platform that is made with churches and their mission in mind?
Online Giving Platforms for Churches
On the other hand, there are online giving platforms that are specifically created for churches. These platforms are backed by companies that support the church and ensure that the profits further the global mission of expanding the Gospel.
One option for churches is Clover Give. It was created by the church, for the church. It provides church members an easy, credible way to give financially and offers churches a simple way to track all the funds in their ministry.
Most Christian-based online giving platforms accept donations through an online platform as well as text-to-give, kiosks, pledges, and in-person gifts, so your church members can give in the way that works for them. Through these easy donation platforms, your church can also ensure the money gifted to you is used to support your mission and nothing else.
Typically with a team of people in place, Christian-run online giving companies fully support their clients because they understand the specific needs of local churches. They will make sure you are comfortable with every aspect of the online giving platform before your church launches it. Not only that, but they typically have quick setup times. For example, the average setup time with Clover Give is three-to-five days. That means that within a week you can have a successfully running online giving platform that your members can easily use.
Lastly, Christian-run online giving platforms work to match your branding and integrate with your church website so you don’t have to promote multiple links to your congregation. Simply promoting one link to your members gives credibility to your church’s giving platform.
There are many Christian online giving options out there. In contrast to secular giving platforms, you Christian ones ensure you that your online giving will further the global mission of the church.
