Average church attendance goes up nearly 50 percent at Easter, which certainly creates its share of challenges for churches. But your occasional visitors appreciate your hospitality and often show their gratitude by giving more than regular members.
So here are three things to think about as you prepare for the Easter influx:
• What options will your occasional visitors have for giving?
• If you rely on traditional giving, will your staff have the time to handle the extra cash and checks?
• What if your visitors are ready to give, but don’t have cash or a checkbook?
When more bring smartphones and fewer bring cash and checkbooks to church, your visitors – as well as many of your regular members-- want more giving options than just adding to the plate when it’s passed.
That’s why electronic giving is an important option. While most churches still collect most donations through traditional methods, a majority of congregations prefer to have multiple giving options.
Traditional giving has been disrupted by technology just like so many other parts of our lives. Mobile phones and the Internet have changed the way we communicate, read and shop. Check writing is quickly becoming a thing of the past as more of us pay bills online.
Churchgoers want the opportunity to give to their churches the same way they pay for things — in person by swiping a credit or debit card through a kiosk’s reader, or online with computers, tablets and smartphones. So why is church one of the only places they need cash or a checkbook if they want to contribute?
When 60 percent of respondents in our survey of more than 1,000 U.S.-based Christian churchgoers say they already give electronically or would use e-Giving if they had option, but only 25 percent report that their churches offer e-Giving, it’s a clear call to action for church leadership to close that “gap” and increase generosity.
The Giving Gap exists in some cases because churches just aren’t keeping up with how their members want to fulfill pledges or pay for other activities, events and school tuition. When churches understand when and how their members want to give, they can help them give in the moment by providing options like online, text and kiosk.
A comprehensive strategy to remove obstacles to their congregation’s generosity is critical to the strength of a church and the success of its mission, and the right combination of giving options can significantly increase the total donation plate.
Help your Easter visitors know how they can offer their financial support by downloading these customizable messages and inserting them in your bulletin.
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