Canceled Services? 6 Ways To Keep Giving Strong
You’re already aware of it. There’s a lot of uncertainty in churches right now concerning the coronavirus.
Will our online video stream work?
Will our members stay connected?
Will our church continue to give even if we can’t meet for weeks, or even months???
You’re hearing a lot of office conversations amongst staff, leading a lot of meetings, and receiving a lot of phone calls from worried members.
Whether your church is having Sunday services this week or not, your giving doesn’t have to go down. In the midst of uncertainty, here’s 5 reliable ways to keep your giving strong:
1. Make Sure your Donors Know How to Give Digitally
The Coronavirus may be the reason some of your donors are giving online for the first time. You may have members devoted to giving with cash or check through the offering plate. Or maybe some of your regular donors are used to only giving when they come to church on Sunday. This may sound obvious, but a crucial step in giving is knowing how to give. Even though someone may be apprehensive to give in a new way, it can still be easy for them. Consider making tutorial videos or help articles available to give clear direction on how to give. If your church is using SecureGive for your digital giving platform, let us know and we can send you some resources you can use to make giving as easy as possible for your church.
2. Communicate Ways Ministry is Still Happening
Donors want to know how their giving is making a difference. People who feel involved or a part of something are more likely to give. Keep the communication about ministries open by telling your donors where their money is going. Whether it’s missions your church is doing, missionaries you’re supporting, or food banks you’re helping to stock, communicate with your donors about how their funds are helping. Even though your church may not be meeting in person this Sunday, that doesn’t mean ministry isn’t still happening. Send emails, post to social media, and send out videos to tell them about it.
3. Emphasise Mobile Giving
As you know, expanding your giving methods from beyond just passing the plate is important to any giving strategy. It can not only prevent passing a virus but it can also increase your giving potential. But, when your church can’t meet on a Sunday due to something like COVID-19, it becomes even more important. When you communicate with your church, make sure they know they can give easily and securely using their phone. By utilizing comprehensive giving methods like mobile app, text giving, and a mobile friendly website, you allow your donors to give whether or not your church is meeting this Sunday.
4. Embed Giving In Your Service Streaming Page
Whether you’ve canceled on-campus services and are only streaming online, or you regularly live stream, embedding giving is an easy way for your donors to access it as well as a great visual reminder to give. With SecureGive, you can embed a quick, one-time gift workflow to increase donor awareness. And, to help, don’t be afraid to direct your viewers’ attention to it live from the service or via the online service host in a chat.
5. Link Directly to Specific Giving Categories
Are you communicating with donors via email about the status of Sunday service this week? Consider adding a direct category link to the message. Through this link, you can prevent confusion while giving your donors a quick and easy way to give to a specific cause. If you’re doing this in SecureGive, you have the ability to select the campus and donation categories you would like donors to see. Your donors have the ability to make a one time donation or set up a recurring transaction through the link.
6. Know That SecureGive Has You Covered
If your church is a SecureGive client, you can rest easy knowing that your digital giving is taken care of. We are here to partner with you and support your ministry during times of uncertainty. We are prepared and ready to support any digital giving influx our churches face – no matter the size or when it occurs. With 99.999% uptime and the server space to support any increase of usage, we built our software for times like these. We don’t need to take extra measures. We’re already prepared. And we want this to give you that peace of mind. You have enough to worry about right now. We’ve got your giving covered.
Your doors may not be open this week, but that doesn’t mean your giving has to go down. Make sure you have the right digital giving tools in place and a clear communication strategy to keep your donors engaged. It can be scary. But, as always, the SecureGive team is here to help.
