Pop Quiz: Between peer-to-peer payment apps and dedicated giving platforms, how many tools does your church use to accept online donations from members?

We've helped thousands of churches with their digital giving. I've personally had conversations with dozens of pastors and church leaders about this. Here are our findings...

With Church Giving Platforms, Less is More

The reason most churches juggle multiple giving options is that they're trying to meet their donors where they are.

The church leaders I talk to admit they use PayPal, Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, and others because their members already use those apps. They assume that the church needs to be available across all of those apps to increase the chances that more members donate.

Why Fewer Online Giving Platforms?

For taking online donations, the fewer platforms you offer your supporters, the better. One platform is far better than several.

Of course, this feels counterintuitive. The instinct is to cast a wide net and give people options. But wider nets don't always translate to more donations.

It's sort of like the difference between Walmart and Costco...

Walmart vs Costco

Walmart and Costco have polar opposite approaches to selling products.

Walmart fills its shelves with dozens of options for the same product. Need ketchup? You can choose between over 20 options from several different brands. Need breakfast cereal? They have A WHOLE AISLE for that!

At Costco, you get just one or two options for most products. That's it! This makes it easier for shoppers to make a decision. The result? They sell over 200% more per square foot than Walmart does.

Increase Church Donations with Fewer Options

Costco's example shows that you don't need more options to increase donations. Your donors would likely benefit if you stripped away the many giving solutions and presented just ONE option to them.

You might even see an increase in donations if you do.

One Online Giving Software is Better Than Several

There are numerous tangible benefits of having just one online giving platform:

Easier to Manage

It's much easier to manage and maintain one platform over juggling multiple accounts.

No more remembering multiple logins. No more integrating or importing from several platforms. No more memorizing the details of several accounts to help members navigate donation pages. No more helping members manage their own accounts on those platforms.

Less Vulnerable to Fraud & Theft

The more platforms you use, the more opportunities you create for hackers and fraudsters to steal or compromise your finances. The head of IT & Security at ChurchTrac calls this "expanding your attack surface."

Using one platform means you only have to worry about safeguarding one account. Having multiple accounts multiplies your vulnerabilities.

Also, multiple accounts leave your church vulnerable to embezzlement. If an account goes unmonitored, it's possible that someone with ill intent can steal money from that account without anyone at your church knowing until it's too late.

Simplicity for Members

I've sat through services where the pastor spends over 2 minutes promoting in-person giving, text giving, and giving through 3 or 4 online platforms. Not only does this take up time that could've been devoted to worship or teaching, but it fails to point members toward what you want them to do.

With one platform, your members don't have to wonder which platform is best to donate. Not to mention, the messaging from the church is more direct.

P.S. More than anything else, this is what increases the likelihood that members donate online.

Lower Your Fees

Not all church donation software programs are created equal. Some have high transaction fees or monthly charges.

Using just one platform gives you control over how much money your organization spends in fees. When choosing a platform, find one with fees as low as possible.

A Digital Giving Exception

Does your church sell items at a bookstore or operate a coffee shop? Do you have over a hundred members going on short-term missions each year? These are situations that merit the use of specific giving tools that are designed for those needs.

No church management system will do a better job at tracking items sold than a dedicated POS system like Square.

A dedicated platform made specifically for short-term missions like ManagedMissions will be superior in every way to any generic online giving software.

These situations fall far outside of a standard giving form or church app.

My Observations About Giving Integrations

Here are two observations I've found after working one-on-one with hundreds of church leaders from across the world.

1. Churches with a healthy donor base typically have a single way to give online
2. Churches that stress recurring giving have the most consistent giving

I've personally not heard success stories from churches that have grown giving and engagement using multiple mobile giving apps.

What is your church's experience? Have you seen the same trend as I have?

Ready to Switch to ONE Church Software?

No matter the size of your church, donation software is essential.

By choosing a single platform like ChurchTrac Giving, you can have online giving bundled with your church management software, making it simple and affordable to take donations online and track giving for your church.

Matt Church Engagement