Surviving the COVID19 crisis depends upon knowing and avoiding the 8 top mistakes churches make in online giving.

Some of you reading this have not held an on-campus service since March. Those that are starting to re-open are seeing numbers far below normal. For most churches in America, the only way they are keeping afloat financially is through online giving. Yet many churches, even those with an online giving platform, are making mistakes that cost them money and endanger their financial security. To avoid making these mistakes we have compiled our list of:

The Top 8 Mistakes Churches Make in Online Giving

Mistake #1 – Not having the latest platforms. Mistake number one used to be not offering any digital giving format at all. COVID19 changed that. Now a frequent mistake church’s make is not having the latest platform people use. For instance, with the rise of smartphones, people are doing commerce using their phones. If you don’t have the means to connect with people on the go, your giving will never be what it needs to be.

Mistake #2 – Setting up an online giving site and then forgetting about it. Your members won’t magically find your giving site. You have to continually keep online giving in the mind of your donors by posting your giving page links in all your communications.

Mistake #3 – Not making your giving site easily accessible and clearly visible. You have less than 10 seconds once a person lands on your webpage before they bailout. Your give button doesn’t have to be a flashing blue light, but it should be easy to find.

Mistake #4 – Not utilizing clickable links to your giving site. This mistake is similar to mistake number two above. Every print and digital communication should always contain a clickable link for ease of use that sends people directly to the giving page. This is especially true for all your social media posts.

Mistake #5 – Not giving multiple options by how people can give online. People love options. As a result, you must have all the major platforms people use today. From text giving to recurring giving, you want to provide multiple options thus, giving people the option to use what they like best.

Mistake #6 – Using PayPal as the only source for digital giving. PayPal certainly has a place in the digital commerce world, but it is not the best choice for a church. PayPal doesn’t offer the kinds of service, support, or platform that we do. Using PayPal as your only source will in the end costing you more money.

Mistake #7 – Paying excessive fees. If an online company charges you a setup fee, you should run away. If an online company charges you a monthly fee simply to use their processing service, you should run away. These excessive fees exist only to provide a company with additional revenue. Check out our pricing options here!

Mistake #8 – Not connecting your vision to giving. Even with the best platform if you fail to help donors see the impact their gift makes to increase the Kingdom you will never see giving increase. Helping people see the impact of a gift to your church motivates them to give to your church. Check out our free paper on how to accomplish this, The 16 Offerings of Summer.

At Gyve we can help you avoid all of the above mistakes. Using our platform and tools will allow you to connect with your donors anywhere on whatever device they choose. Contact us today, and let us help start you on the path to financial security!

Know how generous your church is today to know how life-changing it can be tomorrow.


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