“Not your Father’s Oldsmobile.” That is a famous line from a Buick commercial in the late 1980s. The push was to gain new, younger customers by showing them that Buick wasn’t just for older people. Occasionally, they resurrect that theme, emphasizing their new, up-to-date features. Looking at cars then and looking at them now shows that today's cars are not your father’s automobiles.
For instance, have you checked out any of the new automobiles rolling off the assembly line lately? The dashboards are not the same as your father’s! Most are touch screens, allowing you to easily manage everything from the AC to listening to your favorite podcast. Some will even do the driving for you. Technology has made today’s cars easier to drive while offering more information and options. The 21st-century dashboard gets you to your destination quicker and safer than Grandpa’s old jalopy ever did.
Can you say the same thing about the dashboard your digital giving provider gives you? Does the dashboard make it easier for you or harder to handle transactions? Can you quickly find the information you need, or do you find yourself on hold, waiting for help in understanding how to use what you are paying for? The final question is, do you even utilize that dashboard? If it isn’t meeting your needs and is too difficult to understand and navigate, my guess is you are not using it to help increase giving.
You need to check out our dashboard - the OnlineGiving.org admin control panel! We have designed an intuitive, quick, and easy-to-use interface that gives you a wealth of information at your fingertips. Let me share with you here just a few of the features that I find helpful as you attempt to build a culture of generosity at your church.
First, I know I have said this, but our admin control panel is easy to use. Trust me, if this Boomer can figure it out, you can too. However, if you get stuck, we have many support tools to help you. Our Take a Tour feature walks you through every feature with short explanations and how to use it. We are also producing videos on the most common operations and how to accomplish them.
Next, all the crucial data is at your fingertips. Let me share with you a few of the features I like to use:
- Last 30 days of donations - When you first arrive at the Online Giving admin control panel, you will find the total amount of digital donations in the last 30 days. You can adjust that with a pulldown window for any time you desire.
- Total Gifts - This box tells you how many approved transactions have occurred over the designated period. Again, you can easily adjust the period under review.
- New Users – This allows you to see who has given for the first time, and you can then craft a thank you message for their gift and follow up with future appeals.
- Future Scheduled Giving – Would you like to project what fourth quarter giving will be like? This feature shows calculated estimates of what you can expect from donors. This allows for better planning.
- Inactive Users – When someone stops giving to their church, it isn’t long until they stop attending or engaging with that church. This feature gives you the total number of users who have not logged in or completed a transaction within the selected timeframe. This knowledge helps you craft appeals to this group to re-engage them.
- New and Active Users window - This timeline graph allows you to visualize your "New & Active Users" data daily. Visualizing is important for picking out trends in user activity, such as the days new and existing donors are most active. Typically, these days will be around the 1st and 15th of each month. This information can be used to know the best days to send out direct appeals for giving.
Think of the above like the key information, like the basics of your car, telling you how fast you are going and how far you have gone.
Like glancing at your speedometer, this information pulls up quickly, giving you fast and easy access to your most crucial information. These are the first windows of information you see when you log on our “dashboard.” From tracking new donors to analyzing year over year, quarter over quarter, month over month, and last week to this week, we give you the ability to know exactly what is happening in your donor world. Knowing this helps better craft appeals and set strategies for increasing generosity. All the above information is just the tip of the iceberg.
New automobiles have extended the dashboard to computer-like screens that allow additional settings, to make your driving experience more enjoyable. Our admin control panel also has additional information, which is easy to find in the pulldown menus on the side. There you will find tools to build Custom Forms and many other features. We even offer our church partners stewardship advice and help using our tools effectively to increase generosity.
We innovate new tools for our admin control panel continually. One client said, “ I see new things every time I visit the dashboard. I see improvements, new features, better reporting, etc. All the main things we want we are getting with OnlineGiving.org.” Can you say that about the dashboard your digital giving provider gives you? If not, it’s time to find a better provider.
Just as technology has expanded what our automobile dashboards now offer us, at OnlineGiving.org, we give you the best dashboard in the industry. We would love to give you a free live demonstration of our dashboard so you can compare ours with your current providers. To schedule your free demonstration, contact us at (615) 206-4000 or support@onlinegiving.org.
The Stewardship Coach
Automotive dashboards have become extremely advanced, bringing ease and enjoyment to the driving experience. We also continually innovate our "dashboard," creating the industry's best tools to increase generosity at your churchhttps://t.co/Jw6E6PsMmN pic.twitter.com/ax9XvJAhO5
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) October 30, 2023
