Online Giving

Online giving enables people to give to your church through your church website or social media page, without having to visit your church building making it easy for people to give.

Churches rely on the generosity of their congregations and their communities to support their mission and ministry. Many people give regularly to their church by standing order or direct debit but others give in cash when the offering is taken in a church service or when visiting the church. People cannot give in this way whilst our church buildings are closed, or if they cannot get to church, or during online services. This means therefore that it is even more important that you provide a way for everyone to give by mobile phone and online.  

Get started with online giving: 

  1. Choose an online giving provider and sign up. Parish Buying has an affordable and simple online giving platform and lots of videos to help you get set up. 

  1. Ensure your PCC Treasurer and Gift Aid Secretary are aware of how and when online donations will reach your church bank account. Similarly, that they know how gift aid will be claimed on them. This process is different for different providers so it’s worth checking carefully.  

  1. Our Good Governance Guide provides a common-sense approach to issues arising from online giving in all forms. 

Directing people to your online giving page 

For people to give, you need to ask them and then tell them where, when and how to give. It’s important to share the link to your online giving page widely. Try to share the link everywhere your church goes online, from your A Church Near You page, in virtual services, on your church website or Facebook page, in emails, newsletters and even WhatsApp groups. QR codes are an excellent contactless way to share the link to your online giving page. 

You can find lots of inspiration, advice and spotlights on churches that are doing it well on the Digital Learning Labs blog on online giving.  

You can use this video on social media, church websites and anywhere else your church has an online presence. 

You can customise this video for your church using the video generator on A Church Near You (ACNY). You’ll be able to add information about your church and your online giving platform to the video. 

If you’d like to use this video without personalising it for your church, please find it here on Vimeo for sharing and download. There are several versions of different lengths for use on social media too. 

If you’d like to use the script instead it’s here (pdf) or here (word doc) 

Other Giving Mechanisms

Direct Debits

Regular giving, for example through the Parish Giving Scheme, is the best way to ensure you can financially plan for your parish’s future. 

QR Codes

QR codes allow givers to make instant donations via their phone or mobile device simply by scanning a special code. They are easy to create and will help improve the giving experience.

Gift Aid

Gift Aid is an arrangement that allows charities (including churches) to reclaim tax on a donation made by a UK taxpayer.

Legacy

Each year around 4,000 people leave a gift in their will to their church, funding mission projects, maintaining beautiful church buildings and growing faithful communities.