How To Set up Online Giving for Your Church

Here is a question we get all the time: How do I set up online giving for my church? 

At Anedot, our goal is to make the setup process for online giving simple and quick. 

In this blog post we will walk you through the exact steps to set up online giving for your church.

Once you complete this guide, your church will be able to give tithes and offerings online. We’ll also show you how to add some bells and whistles like text-to-give and recurring giving. 

The best part? It will not cost you anything to get started.

Why online giving?

Online giving is crucial for churches to continue their mission.

Relying on cash and checks is not a sustainable strategy, especially when considering the statistics. 

• 55% of both millennials and gen x donors prefer to give online.
• Churches that accept tithes and offerings online increase overall donations by 32%.
• 54% of donors worldwide prefer to give online with a credit or debit card.

Additionally, online giving provides churches with ways to give from wherever they are, regardless of outside factors.

With all of that in mind, let’s get to the steps.

1. Choose an online giving provider

There are a few things that you should always look for when considering an online giving platform.

Hidden fees 

Many online giving providers will quote you a certain price upfront, but then once you dig into the terms of service, you find that there are fees and charges that they never even mentioned. Make sure you do proper research and vetting of the provider.

Free text to give

Text to give should be included with any online giving platform at no additional cost. If an online giving platform charges for text to give services, skip to the next one.

Mission

You should not partner with just any online giving platform. It is vital to look into the company and gain an understanding of their “why.”

Are they looking to make a quick buck, or are they committed to helping congregations to live in obedience?

Are they looking for customers to increase monthly revenue, or are they looking for partners to grow in ministry?

These are just a few things that you should consider. It is crucial to use wisdom when deciding between different service providers.

2. Prepare to sign up

After choosing an online giving provider, you’ll need to make sure you have the proper information required to sign up.

You can make the process go quickly by making sure that you have all of the information prepared and ready. 

Here is some information that is commonly needed when applying for a fundraising account:

• Legal name
• Physical address
• Email address
• Phone number
• Bank account information (to transfer funds)
  

3. Sign up for an account

Once you’ve identified a provider to help facilitate online giving, you can begin the sign up process. 

With Anedot, the process is straightforward. Simply go to anedot.com/signup and fill out the form on the page.

Once you are registered and signed in as a user, you can apply for a Fundraising Account. If your account has been approved, you will have full access to our suite of donation tools.

4. Build your donation page

The next step is to build your donation page.

If you signed up with Anedot, the procedure is simple. We designed the platform to be easy enough for beginners, yet advanced enough for power users. 

When building your donation page, there are a few best practices to keep mind:

1. Use engaging images on your donation page.
2. Tell your givers how their donation will be used.
3. Give supporters the option to give on a recurring basis. Biweekly is a good place to start. 
4. Ensure that your donation page looks great on all screen sizes - desktop, tablet, or mobile. 
5. Offer supporters different payment options, such as credit, debit, ACH, PayPal, Apple Pay, etc.
6. Make sure you thank your supporters. We recommend sending “thank you” emails to each person who gives. (This feature is automatic with Anedot.)
   

Conclusion

To summarize, setting up online giving for your church is a fairly simple process.

1. Choose an online giving provider. Consider things like fees, security, features, and most importantly - the mission of the online giving platform. 
2. Make sure you have all the information required for the application.
3. Sign up with your preferred company. 
4. Build your donation page. 

This can be a daunting task, but we are here to help. We’ve been around for ten years and have served more than 18,000 churches, ministries, nonprofits, and campaigns.

Our goal has always been to serve church and ministries to make a bigger impact in their missions — not only as a software provider, but as a partner - supporting that mission.

We have no hidden or monthly fees, and we offer text to give to every customer at no cost.

Our service team stands ready and able to partner with churches of all sizes.