Your parish is just starting out, but you want to have online giving. Parish online giving is a great option to add for small projects that need attention.
Do you already have electronic giving?
If you already have a pre-authorized system in place it may benefit you to have online giving added to it, talk to your pre-authroized giving partner (usually your bank). They may have something already integrated into their system that you can connect with.
Why do you need online giving for your parish or ministry?
Perhaps first ask yourself, or your parish, if you had it as an option would you give over and above your regular gift? Do you want it for just a few campaigns a year? Maybe during your annual fundraising campaign, or capital campaign, or the build a new hall campaign, you can have it as an option.
Online giving is a ‘spur of the moment’ gift. It is an inspired gift. It is not something that one of your parishioners is going to come back to time and time again. But if the link is there in an email or in a text along with an inspiring story, it may trigger a gift.
Starting from Scratch with Parish Online Giving
If you don’t have pre-authorized giving in your parish at all, it may be a great option to tie this into it request from your local bank or online merchant that you want the option to have an online giving component, may times this is already built-in. For example, Canadahelps.org allows you to do just that. As a new feature you can customize your giving page with them, and have recurring billing.
Canadahelps.org for Winnipeg Archdiocese
Custom giving page for Magnificat Ministries
Test the waters first, see if e-giving takes off in your parish, if it does, you can negotiate better rates when you know what level of giving there will be.
If it is for your pancake breakfast, or bake sale, then perhaps on the spot giving is more what your need.
Check out Square or another phone compatible giving option. Most people don’t stop at the ATM before church.
