How to Give More Without Giving More
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How to Give More Without Giving More

Thu, Nov 14th 2024 · OnlineGiving.org

TL;DR:

Encourage your church members to switch from credit card donations to ACH (eCheck) payments to save on transaction fees and increase funds for ministry—without asking them to give more. ACH donations lower processing costs, have higher retention rates, and save your team time by reducing payment disruptions. A 1% savings on fees could add thousands to your church budget for missions and outreach. Contact us to learn how OnlineGiving.org can help you make the switch easily!

What if your church could increase donations without asking members to give more? One easy way to help make your budget next year is by encouraging donors to switch from credit card to ACH (eCheck) donations. With this one simple step, they could effectively increase their giving by one percent or more, depending on the type of card they were using. Let us explain how this works.

First, let’s define ACH gifts. ACH stands for Automated Clearing House and refers to the direct transfer of funds between two bank accounts. How does this work for a church? When members visit your giving page, they can choose to make a one-time or recurring gift directly from their bank account by providing their routing and account numbers. The processor then transfers the funds from the donor’s bank account to the church’s account.

How Does ACH Allow Members to “Give More Without Giving More”?

It’s simple: ACH lowers the fees per transaction. If you’ve used a digital giving platform, you know about processing fees—credit cards come with higher fees than ACH payments. While the difference might seem small (1-2% depending on the card type), that savings adds up significantly over time, freeing up more funds for missions and ministry. In other words, members give more without giving more.

Here are a few other reasons to focus on recurring giving and the benefits of ACH:

  • Increased Donor Retention: Nonprofits that focus on ACH donations often have higher retention rates. ACH payments don’t have expiration dates like credit cards, which means recurring donations continue without interruption.
  • More Revenue for Ministry: Encouraging recurring donations through ACH payments helps raise more money consistently compared to other methods.
  • Time Saved for Your Office: ACH means fewer disruptions from expired or canceled cards, saving time in tracking down donors for updated payment info. It also means fewer physical checks, streamlining your team’s workload.

Automated giving is a huge win for churches. By encouraging your donors to set up recurring giving via ACH, you can save significant funds over time. To help our church partners increase recurring giving via ACH, we provide features to promote ACH gently and highlight the cost savings for the church. We make it easy for donors to set up text giving with ACH and even allow for multiple checking accounts to be linked to a donor profile.

Imagine what a 1% savings could mean for your church budget. On a half-million-dollar budget, you’d free up an additional $5,000 for ministry. You can do the math to see what this savings could mean for your church. Hundreds of our church partners have already used this method to save money, and we can help you do the same.

Does your giving provider give you the tools to promote ACH and generate savings? If not, it’s time to give us a call!

To find out more about how we can help you increase giving, contact us today at (615) 206-4000 or support@onlinegiving.org.

 

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