Did you know recurring givers are 75% more likely to make additional one-time gifts versus occasional givers? That’s on top of already giving 42% more annually!
If your church doesn’t focus on recurring gifts, now is the time. Recurring giving isn’t some radical, new idea. And it’s not complicated. It’s simply when people complete a one-time set up to schedule a gift that’s automatically deducted from their credit card or bank account on a recurring basis.
It’s a best practice among healthy churches for a variety of reasons:
- Increases overall giving
- Smooths out seasonal dips in generosity
- Creates consistent givers
- Helps forecast for upcoming building funds and mission trips
Follow the steps below to inspire new and loyal givers to schedule (and increase!) their gifts on a recurring basis.
Evaluate your church’s current recurring giving options
Before you start encouraging recurring gifts, evaluate your digital giving tools. Look closely at the steps to set up this type of gift. The set up process must be incredibly easy. People won’t join if it’s too complicated. If there isn’t a way to schedule gifts, switch to a platform that provides this option.
With Kindrid, people complete a one-time set up for recurring giving from their computer, smartphone, or tablet. We’ve also updated text giving to include a “make this gift recurring” box. Whether people want to give one-time or schedule recurring gifts, it takes 4 steps (or less) to complete the process.
Show people where to begin
Sometimes the only reason your church struggles to increase recurring giving is that people don’t know where to begin. They may not even know they can set up recurring giving. All you need to do is break it down for them.
Tell them what recurring giving is and show them step-by-step how to set it up. Use slides before service, put the steps in bulletin inserts, and share them on social media.
Create giving tiers as a starting point
Just like giving for the first time, it can be scary to commit to recurring gifts. An excellent way to make people comfortable (and excited!) about recurring giving is to create tiers as a starting point. Make the first gift on the tier approachable. For instance, begin with $5 once a month. The next tier could be $15 a month, and so on.
Get involved in programs that inspire recurring gifts
While recurring gifts increase overall contributions, your digital giving provider can help put even more money towards your mission! At Kindrid, we have the scholarship program Youth UpLift. It’s designed to ignite recurring giving. We provide the marketing resources to help you get the word out and inspire participation.
Continually communicate the benefits of recurring giving
The average churchgoer attends roughly 37 services a year (missing 15). Imagine they give $25 for every service they attend. That comes to $925 annually, which is great! But, you’re still missing $375 for the 15 services when they weren’t there. Capture these gifts by continually communicating the benefits of recurring giving:
- Use newsletters, social media, and your church’s website to show the real-life impact scheduled gifts make
- Share the steps to set up automatic recurring gifts at least once a month, so people see how convenient it is
- Send a letter inviting loyal givers to transition to a recurring schedule
- Celebrate recurring givers with handwritten thank you notes or by hosting an annual luncheon in their honor
Scheduled giving plays a huge role in creating a culture of generosity. By placing emphasis on it and following the tips above, you’ll increase recurring gifts and grow your ministry.
Discover how Kindrid helps churches increase recurring gifts!
