4 Little Problems Solved by Online Giving
Often times when we talk about online giving here at FaithStreet, we speak in broad strokes. You know, “online giving increases giving overall” (it does), or “online giving is affordable no matter how small your church” (it is). That’s what our customers want to hear when they contact us, so we’re more than happy to back up our claims.
But what about the small stuff we all have to sweat on a regular basis? When you think about it, it’s really the little headaches that add up over time to make life difficult, isn’t it? Here are just four (of many) ways online giving makes up for life’s little hitches and hiccups.
No more snow days/holidays
With a winter like much of the country suffered this past year, there’s no denying that sometimes, the Lord would prefer people stay in the safety of their homes. Likewise, given the east coast’s relatively balmy summer, it’s hard to blame folks for wanting to squeeze in a family getaway to the beach some weekends. Online giving eliminates that absenteeism. A few clicks on their computer or mobile device, and church members can leave the same donation they’d ordinarily leave in the plate on Sundays.
Checks are no longer a hassle
Look, checks are great. The promissory note forever changed the way human beings conduct transactions, and mostly for the better. But, they’re far from perfect. Checks get lost, checks get misread and checkbooks can run our before you know it. Online giving never “runs out.”
Online giving bolsters forgetful givers
It’s a fact: When giving is a regular part of someone’s budget and routine, they tend to give more. That’s excellent, but for some people, “budget” and “routine” will never exist in the same sentence. Maybe they forgot to hit the ATM before the service, or maybe they overspent this week without remembering that they intended to set aside a little something for the offering plate – either way, online giving takes one more variable out of the equation.
Online giving reduces guilt
This is perhaps one of the more important facets, at least from a human perspective. Yes, we’d love to have congregations made up of nothing but incredibly pious oil magnates, but that’s not reality. Some people can barely afford to give, when they can give at all. Online giving allows them to give what they can, when they can in total privacy. When the plate comes around, all they need to say is “oh, we give online through FaithStreet,” and pass it along. No one should feel “less than” for not being able to give as much as others; online giving eliminates that guilt.
How we handle the little things in life defines us. Why not let something as simple and affordable as online giving make those little bothers even smaller?