Church Marketing Sucks

Editor’s note: I’d like to introduce Fraser Clark, the chief marketing officer at Pushpay. They’re helping hundreds of churches increase giving with a ministry wide solution that invites engagement through a smartphone app that makes it easy to give in under 10 seconds. We’re proud to partner with Pushpay and share their expertise on mobile giving.

Sitting in a modern, charismatic church the other day, I could feel people around me being inspired to help a youth initiative. People were ready to respond, but then they missed their moment.

The call to action urged people to visit a giving station in the foyer or fill out a paper form or stuff an envelope.

In that moment I knew circumstances, distractions and other barriers would stop people from giving who would have gladly made a donation.

Giving in the church needs to catch up with the times. We risk losing the next generation of donors if we don’t provide methods and tools that work for them. If someone starts a giving commitment in their twenties, they’re twice as likely to continue that behavior for the rest of their lives than if they start in any subsequent decade.

To engage a new generation of givers, it needs to be:

Fast. A recent poll of 100 churches (including the 50 fastest growing churches in America) showed that the online giving experience took (on average) over three minutes to complete (The Online Giving Project from Giving Rocket).

Convenient. We are seeing a generation of givers who have never written a check before. They’re less likely to carry cash but they always have a mobile phone on them. They expect online and mobile engagement. And they’re a generation that’s quick to pass judgment if something’s not as it should be.

Consistent. Rolling out a fancy new mobile giving system is great, but if it’s completely different from the online experience and that’s completely different from the on-campus experience, you’re only going to confuse people. The best way to ensure engagement is to create a simple and uniform experience across all giving touch points of your church.

The Pushpay Solution
Pushpay offers a solution that’s fast, convenient and consistent. It allows your church to accept donations via kiosk, smartphone, text and online, all with the same look and feel and all in blazing fast speed.

Once someone has donated online and completed the initial 40-second setup, they’re invited to download the app so that they can give in 10 seconds the next time. Once they download the app, all their details are pre-populated and protected with bank grade security. The next time someone is motivated to give during a service—or wherever they happen to be at the time—they can literally respond in seconds.

Church giving isn’t limited to the Sunday service: We’ve seen that “wherever they happen to be” is a reality. 39% of giving through the Pushpay platform happens on days other than Sunday—and this is where our church partners are seeing dramatic increases in generosity from both new and existing givers.

Real increases in giving can happen: Making it easier to give makes people more likely to give. And they do. Churches using our full solution have seen a 10-15% increase in giving. That kind of increase can be transformational for your church and your ministries.

It’s time for churches to bring giving into the 21st century.

To learn more about Pushpay, visit echurchgiving.com for case studies and a free report on digital giving strategies.