Giving Dashboard: Your Bird’s-Eye View of Church Generosity
Picture this: It’s Monday morning, and your pastor has a board meeting in two hours. She needs a quick snapshot of how the weekend offering went, whether recurring giving is holding steady, and how the building fund campaign is progressing. Scrolling through spreadsheets or digging into individual reports would eat up precious time. What she needs is a single screen that tells the story at a glance.
Why the Dashboard Matters for Church Leaders
The Giving Dashboard is designed for exactly that moment. It sits at the top of the Giving section in your control panel, and it delivers a visual overview of your church’s giving health in seconds. Four summary cards at the top show total donations, gift count, user activity, and future scheduled giving. Below that, interactive charts break down everything from new vs. existing donor behavior to fund performance, one-time vs. recurring giving, and even what’s coming in over the next 30 days. Every chart has a time-period dropdown so you can switch between today, last 30 days, this quarter, this year, and more without leaving the page.
For church administrators running a capital campaign or tracking a special offering, the fund breakdowns are especially valuable. You can see which funds are receiving the most support, how giving is distributed across your ministry areas, and whether recurring donors are growing. The Future Donations By Fund and Future Funds by Amount charts show what’s already scheduled to come in—helpful for cash flow planning and budget forecasting.
Donations vs. Payments: Two Dashboards, One Purpose
OnlineGiving.org separates tax-deductible donations (tithes, offerings, mission gifts) from non-tax-deductible payments (event registrations, product purchases, fees). The main Dashboard focuses on donations. A separate Payments Dashboard focuses on payments. Both share the same chart structure and time-period filters, so once you understand one, you understand both. If your church uses both giving and e-commerce, you’ll want to check both dashboards regularly.
In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Giving Dashboard.
Giving Dashboard User Guide:
The Giving Dashboard is the first item in the Giving section of the control panel. It provides a visual, at-a-glance overview of your church’s donation activity through summary cards, bar charts, pie charts, and growth trends. All data is filterable by time period, and the dashboard updates dynamically when you change the period. A companion Payments Dashboard offers the same structure for non-tax-deductible payments. Together, these dashboards give church leaders and finance staff a quick way to monitor giving health without drilling into detailed reports.
Key Takeaways
- Summary Cards: Four cards at the top show Donations (amount), Gifts (count), Users (count), and Future Scheduled (amount)—each with its own time-period dropdown.
- Donor & Giving Charts: New & Active Users, Donations by New vs. Existing Users, One-Time vs. Recurring, Average Donation Amount, and Growth Chart.
- Fund Breakdowns: Donations by Fund (bar), Funds by Amount (pie), Gift Source by Amount (pie), and Weekly (Monday-Sunday) amounts.
- Future Projections: Future Donations By Fund and Future Funds by Amount show scheduled recurring giving.
- Payments Dashboard: A separate dashboard with the same chart structure for non-tax-deductible payments.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Giving Totals
- Donation Charts
- Fund Charts
- Payment Dashboard
- Understanding the Data
- Tips for Church Leaders
- Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
The Giving Dashboard is the default landing page when you open the Giving section of the control panel. It displays tax-deductible donation data only. Non-tax-deductible payments (such as event fees, product sales, or other transactions) appear on the separate Payments Dashboard. Both dashboards use the same layout and chart types, so the experience is consistent.
Accessing the Dashboard
To open the Giving Dashboard:
- Log in to the control panel.
- Click “Giving” in the left navigation menu.
- Click “Dashboard” (the first item under Giving).
The main Dashboard page loads with four summary cards at the top and a series of charts below. A “Take a Tour” button in the page header is available to walk you through the dashboard features. For the Payments Dashboard, navigate to “Payments” in the left menu and select “Dashboard.”
Giving Totals
The Four Summary Cards
At the top of the dashboard, four cards display key metrics. Each card has its own dropdown to change the time period, so you can compare different views side by side if needed.
- Donations: Total dollar amount of approved donations for the selected period.
- Gifts: Total number of approved donation transactions (gift count).
- Users: Count of users—either new users in the period (New Today, New Yesterday) or all users (All Users), depending on the period selected.
- Future Scheduled: Total dollar amount of recurring donations scheduled to process in the selected future period (Tomorrow, Next 7 Days, Next 30 Days, This Month, This Quarter, This Year, Next Month, or Everything).
The default period for the first three cards is Last 30 days. The Future Scheduled card defaults to Next 30 Days.
Time Period Options
For Donations, Gifts, and Users, the available periods include: Today, Yesterday, Everything, Last 30 days, This month, This quarter, This year, Last month, Last quarter. For Future Scheduled, the options are: Everything, Tomorrow, Next 7 Days, Next 30 Days, This month, This quarter, This year, Next month. Selecting a period updates the displayed value immediately.
Donation Charts
Below the summary cards, a series of charts provide deeper insight into donor behavior and giving patterns. Each chart has a period dropdown in the panel heading (typically Last 30 days, This month, This quarter, This year, Last month, Last quarter).
New & Active Users
This bar chart shows how many new users, active users, and inactive users fall within the selected period. Summary cards above the chart display the totals for each category. New users are those who created an account during the period. Active users are those who gave during the period. Inactive users are those who did not give during the period but have given in the past.
Donations by New vs. Existing Users
This chart breaks down donation amounts by whether the giver was a new user (first-time) or an existing user (returning) during the period. Summary cards show the total amount and gift count for each category. New users are those whose first donation in the system occurred within the period.
One-Time vs. Recurring
Several charts show the split between one-time and recurring donations. Donations Amounts by One Time vs Recurring covers all giving in the period. New User Donations Amounts by One Time vs Recurring focuses only on first-time givers. This helps you see whether new donors are choosing one-time or recurring, and how the overall mix is trending.
Average Donation Amount by New vs. Existing Users
This chart compares the average gift size for new users versus existing users. It can reveal whether first-time givers tend to give more or less than returning givers, which informs stewardship and communication strategies.
Growth Chart
The Growth Chart shows either total transaction count or total volume (dollars) over time. Use the dropdown to switch between Total Number of Transactions (Count) and Total Volume (Dollars). This chart helps you spot trends over time and see whether giving is growing or declining.
Fund Charts
Donations Amounts by Fund
This bar chart shows donation amounts broken down by fund (e.g., General Fund, Building Fund, Missions). Summary cards above the chart display the total amount and gift count for each fund. Use the period dropdown to see how fund performance changed over different time periods.
Weekly (Monday-Sunday) Amounts
This chart breaks down donations by week within the selected period. Each bar represents a week (Monday through Sunday). Use it to see weekly giving patterns and identify peak or low weeks.
Funds by Amount (Pie)
A pie chart shows the proportion of total donations going to each fund. Hover over a slice to see the fund name, percentage, and amount. Useful for understanding how giving is distributed across your ministry areas.
Gift Source by Amount
This pie chart shows how donations are coming in by source (e.g., online giving page, text giving, kiosk, mobile app). It helps you understand which channels your congregation prefers.
Future Donations By Fund
This bar chart shows scheduled recurring donations by fund for a future period. Options include: Everything, Tomorrow, Next 7 Days, Next 30 Days, This month, This quarter, This year, Next month. Use it for cash flow planning and to see which funds are receiving the most recurring support.
Future Funds by Amount
A pie chart showing the proportion of future scheduled donations by fund. Complements the Future Donations By Fund bar chart with a visual breakdown of the mix.
Payment Dashboard
Payments vs. Donations
The Payments Dashboard mirrors the Giving Dashboard structure but displays non-tax-deductible payments instead of donations. Examples include event registrations, product purchases, fees, and other transactions that are not tax-deductible gifts. Access it via “Payments” in the left menu, then “Dashboard.” The Payments Dashboard is labeled BETA. The chart titles use “Payments” instead of “Donations” (e.g., Payments Amounts by Fund, Payment Source by Amount). Top Users replaces Top Donors for users with the appropriate role.
Understanding the Data
Top Donors
If your user role includes donor administration, a Top Donors panel appears on the right side of the dashboard. It lists up to six donors with the highest approved donation amounts for the selected period. Each row shows the donor’s name, email, total amount, and approved gift count. A small donut chart may show each donor’s fund breakdown. Clicking a donor name (when permitted) opens their profile. Users with Dashboard-only access see the summary but cannot click through to profiles.
On the Payments Dashboard, the equivalent panel is Top Users, showing the top payers by transaction amount.
Tips for Church Leaders
- Morning check: Use the Dashboard as a quick Monday morning check after weekend services. Set the summary cards to “Last 30 days” for context, then switch to “Today” or “Yesterday” to see weekend totals.
- Board meeting prep: Before a finance or board meeting, review the Growth Chart, Donations by Fund, and Future Scheduled charts. These give you a clear narrative for how giving is trending and what’s coming in.
- Campaign tracking: If you’re running a capital campaign or special offering, use Donations Amounts by Fund and Funds by Amount to see how the designated fund is performing over time.
- Recurring giving health: Pay attention to the One-Time vs. Recurring charts and Future Donations By Fund. Strong recurring giving indicates predictable revenue and engaged givers.
- New donor engagement: Use the New vs. Existing User charts to see whether first-time givers are returning and whether their average gift size is growing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between the Dashboard and the Reports?
The Dashboard is a quick, visual overview with interactive charts and summary cards. It’s designed for at-a-glance monitoring. The Reports section (Generosity Snapshot, Fund Snapshot, Stewardship Pastoral Care, etc.) offers deeper analysis, AI summaries, email scheduling, and PDF export. Use the Dashboard for daily or weekly checks; use Reports for board presentations and strategic planning.
Why don’t I see the Top Donors panel?
The Top Donors panel is visible only to users with the Donor Admin role (or equivalent). Users with Dashboard-only access see the charts and totals but not the Top Donors list. If you need access, contact your organization’s administrator.
Do the charts include refunded or failed transactions?
The dashboard displays approved donation and payment data. Refunded, failed, or pending transactions are not included in the totals and charts. For detailed transaction history, use the Donations or Payments list views and their filters.
Can I export the dashboard data?
The Dashboard itself does not have a built-in export. For exportable reports with similar data, use the Donation Report or Payment Report from the Donations or Payments sections. Those reports support PDF export and can be filtered by date range, fund, and other criteria.
How often does the dashboard data update?
The dashboard loads fresh data each time you visit the page or change a time-period filter. There is no automatic refresh while the page is open. If you leave the page and return, you’ll see the latest data.
What does “Future Scheduled” include?
Future Scheduled shows the total dollar amount of recurring donations (or payments) that are scheduled to process in the selected future period. It includes only recurring schedules that have not yet been processed. One-time donations are not included because they are not scheduled in advance.
Need help setting up or interpreting your dashboard? Contact OnlineGiving.org at support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000. We offer courtesy setup assistance to help you get the most out of your giving tools.