The uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 continues into the summer. Churches across the country are tightening their purse strings to protect the finances that fund their vision and pay their staff. While 64% of churches saw an increase in online gifts between January and April, many worry this trend could drop off, especially since giving historically dips in the summer.
One proven way to see consistent generosity and increase overall giving is to encourage people to sign up for recurring gifts. All it takes is a one-time set up to schedule a recurring gift that’s automatically deducted from a credit card or bank account. People choose the amount and frequency of the gift, and can manage these from their giving account.
By signing up for a recurring giving schedule, people will never miss a gift, whether they’re attending Sunday service, watching from home, on vacation, or feeling under the weather. Plus, recurring givers are 75% more likely to make additional one-time gifts throughout the year.
To help you get started, here are 4 ways you can begin increasing recurring gifts right now.
Use online giving options that put recurring gifts front and center
Not everyone wants to give on a recurring schedule, and that’s fine. But, no one is going to sign up if you don’t provide the option. Even without promoting recurring gifts, many churches find people set these up because it makes their life easier—especially if they already use automatic withdrawals for other payments.
With Kindrid, there are two straightforward and simple ways to make your recurring giving option front and center.
#1: Whether your congregation chooses to give online, from their phone, or via text, enable a recurring gift option on your giving form. That way, as people submit their one-time gift, they can simply check a box if recurring gifts are right for them.
#2: Prompt givers to turn a one-time gift into a recurring gift after they’ve given. You enable the feature and configure how many times the person gives before seeing this option.
Enroll in Youth UpLift—the scholarship program that rewards recurring gifts
Youth UpLift is a scholarship program that encourages people to set up recurring gifts. As they do, we award you with free money that can go towards your Youth Ministry, Mother’s Day Out program, daycare, and more.
Youth Uplift is designed to inspire your congregation to get involved and help fund your youth programs. It’s free to enroll and we provide complimentary marketing materials to help you spread the word, but you do need a Kindrid account.
There are only 4 steps and it takes less than a minute to get started.
Step #1: Enroll in Youth UpLift
Step #2: Receive a confirmation email that includes free, customizable marketing resources
Step #3: Once a month, we’ll pull a report to see how many new recurring givers you have
Step #4: For every 25 new recurring gifts created, we’ll mail your church a $200 check and scholarship letter!
Beyond the free marketing materials, we also have Success Coaches that provide 1:1 guidance to help you increase recurring giving participation.
Send thank you emails that remind people about recurring giving
When sending thank you emails, remind givers that they can sign up for recurring gifts. Many people already give on a consistent basis, but they do miss a few gifts a year due to vacations, illness, family engagements, and work. Use these two email templates to help craft your message and reach out to those that are already giving on a routine, but not recurring, basis.
Share the impact of recurring gifts during the offering moment
People want to make an impact during moments when their community is suffering. Often, they’ll give one or two times to the cause, and then move on thinking the campaign has run its course. While they may know what recurring giving is, and how to sign up for it, they may not truly understand how consistent gifts matter in the real world.
During the offering moment, share stories of how the church has used recurring gifts to help people in the community. Also, highlight how you plan on using future recurring gifts. You can even go as far as creating a recurring giving program with special newsletters and luncheons to inspire people to join.
The easier and more transparent you make recurring giving, the more inspired givers will be to switch from one-time gifts to an automatic giving schedule.
Discover how Kindrid helps churches make a lasting first impression!
