Digital Giving
According to UKFinance.org.uk in 2021 only 15% of all transactions in the UK were made with cash, and 36% were made using either a smartwatch, mobile phone, or contactless card. We know that having the ability to accept digital donations is going to be key for many churches in the years to come. In 2021 alone, churches across the country received digital donations and payments of almost £5m. That’s why the Church of England is embarking on a three-year project to help thousands more churches get started with digital giving.
In the Diocese of Exeter the Mission Resources team are helping churches to move forward with digital technology and look for new ways to invite an emerging cashless society engaged with the mission of the church. The resources on this page reflect some of the useful information available to your church. Please be in touch with the Mission Resources team, we will be happy to help. mission.resources@exeter.anglican.org
Contactless giving
To get you started here are a few steps toward setting up contactless giving in your parish.
1. Decide on what device to use. You need to consider how your church will use the device, how many donations you expect, how secure it needs to be, and your internet and power requirements. The Parish Buying survey can help you think through what could work best for you.
2. Getting Connected. Your church may already have a broadband/wifi connection, if not then you might find using a mobile data route the best solution. Have a look at our Getting Connected Guide for churches wishing to provide an wireless internet connection – most contactless giving units require the internet to process donations.
3. Set up an online account. Whatever technology you are using, you will need to have an online account/management portal with the corresponding website. Through this you can review giving information and transactions, information for Gift Aid claims and edit any display screen information. Contactless devices such as the Payaz Giving Station and the CollecTin require a GiveALittle and a SumUp account.
4. Promote contactless giving well. How will people know that they can give in this way? If you are opting for a free-standing device, keeping it in a prominent and visible place will help people to donate. Eye-catching posters and banners will also be helpful for drawing people’s attention. Mention the machine in notices and have someone on hand to help in busy times.
5. Share your story. Ensure that people can learn about the vision and mission of your church, so that they feel excited to give and confident that their money will be put to good use. You could have leaflets next to your contactless device, explaining more about church life and how you serve the wider community.
6. Gift Aid it. Contactless card donations of £30 or less qualify for the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme, for which you will need a record of when donations were made and proof that they were collected in the church building. Most contactless software will report this information for you. For all donations over £30 (and donations under £30 if you have used your GASDS limit), you will need to collect Gift Aid declarations. For more information, watch this video on how to manually collect declarations for contactless gifts.
Go contactless – ParishBuying.org.uk
There are a range of contactless units available on Parish Buying to suit the different requirements of churches. As well as giving people the opportunity to make a gift, they are useful for making donations for candles or refreshments – in fact anything where cash would have been used a few years ago.
Online Giving
The Parish Giving Scheme is a great way to encourage regular donations to your church through direct debit and also helps treasurers to manage gift aid on donations received. Donors can give online to your church through the Parish Giving website, either as a regular donation or as a one-off gift. Paper gift forms are also available for the scheme. You can read more about the scheme on our website where you can also download the forms to register your church.
For one-off donations e.g. for a fundraising event, you may like to consider an online account with Give A Little. You can set up an online giving page for free with Give A Little through Parish Buying.
QR codes
QR codes are a great way to promote digital giving to your church! Both the Parish Giving Scheme and Give A Little offer simple ways to get a QR code which will enable anyone with a smartphone to to directly to the web page where they can donate. The QR code can be printed to display on posters, bookmarks or pew cards, added to your church newsletter &c. Here is an example of a QR code if you want to try it out – simply point your phone camera at the code and click on the link that appears, which will take you to the Give A Little page for Exeter Diocese.
