Check usage in America has plummeted except for one place, the local church. Lifeway Research published a study in 2023 about how people give. Here are their findings,
- 53% say they give at their church in cash. Amazingly, 75% of those aged 18-34 preferred giving by cash.
- 30% say they give at their church by check.
- 23% give through their church’s web portal.
- 14% give through their bank.
- 8% give through automated giving.
- 7% give through an App.
- 2% give via text.
The report compared recent polling numbers with a similar poll Lifeway conducted in 2017. Nearly half as many churchgoers today compared to 2017 give a check at church (30 percent v. 59 percent). But more churchgoers mail checks to the church today than in 2017 (9 percent vs. 3 percent).1.
There are a lot of takeaways from this report. One clear takeaway is that church attendees utilize multiple options to give to their local church. This begs the question, does your church offer all the options your members and attendees utilize in their normal day-to-day commerce? If not, you could be missing out on potential gifts.
Remember, the easier you make it for people to give, the more apt they are to give. This is a major reason we offer clients over a dozen ways of giving. Find out more at 615) 206-4000 or drop us at support@onlinegiving.org.
Here is another obvious takeaway from the Lifeway report: cash and check giving aren’t dead. You might assume that only Seniors write checks or give cash to a church. However, the Lifeway study showing that 75% of those aged 18-34 preferred giving by cash blows a hole in that theory.
Recently, a stewardship consultant reached out to me with a question about passing a plate and its impact on giving. His question was, “Do churches that pass some type of collection device for the offering raise more money than those that don’t?” My answer was, “Yes.” However, the only study on this issue pre-dates Covid-19. Then, it was found that churches that continued to pass collection devices raised 15% more than churches the same size that did not pass a collection device. But is that still true today?
The trend away from passing the “plate” started long before Covid. After COVID-19, many churches eliminated passing any collection device. The churches that did this, I believe, are raising less than churches with a dual approach of allowing giving onsite as well as online. In my experience, that is how important the offering is. Let me share why I believe in the importance of passing an offering plate. Let me give you an anecdotal story and then one from data.
We attend a church that passes buckets for the offering every Sunday. I watch our students, who fill the chairs front and center, put cash into those buckets as they pass them by. It’s exciting to see the next generation stepping up. I'm not excited about the amount they give, as I see a few dollars and coins inside when that bucket passes me. I'm excited that they give and are learning the principle of worshipping through giving. It's an educational process of developing disciples. But, in a day when churches are scrapping for every dollar, even small amounts multiplied by 52 weekends a year add up.
From our data through the years, we discovered that, on average, pre-Covid loose plate offering amounts would total 5% to even 10% of a church's yearly gifts. This meant that in March 2020, when offering plates were essentially banned, the typical church overnight saw a loss of 5% to 10%.
Now, depending on whether they pass a physical plate, bucket, etc., we find those numbers today, around 1% to 3%. This holds true from our Super-Mega's to our smaller churches if they pass a collection device at some point during their services. Is it worth passing a plate for only 1%? If your annual budget is $1 million, 1% is $10,000. Over time, that 1% to 3% adds up, especially in Mega's. That amounts to a lot of ministry money lost if you never pass a collection device! So, don’t dismiss cash donations.
At the same time, don’t dismiss gifts received by check. According to Lifeway, 30% say they give at their church by check. And, while check writing is going down, even at church, today, more churchgoers are mailing checks to their church than in 2017. Even though that number is only 9%, how much money is given by those folks? Checks might be in decline, but people still use them, especially church people.
At OnlineGiving.org, even though we are known for digital giving, we know the value of a handwritten check. This is why we developed an easy and effective means for our clients to handle the checks your members send you.
Check out this post about how our system can make check scanning easy, thus saving you countless hours. https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/announcing-our-new-check-scanning-capability
That’s my case. If you discount the impact of cash and checks, you could be losing out on thousands of dollars.
And, I believe I am on good footing, saying that a church that doesn't put some focus on making the offering a part of their worship experience will raise less than those churches that do. But even more alarming than the loss of revenue is the loss of teaching the value of worship through giving. Let’s elevate the offering!
The Stewardship Coach
Even though we are known for digital giving, we know the value of a handwritten check and cash donations. That's why we created the tools for a complete giving strategy.https://t.co/poZcRpktu4 pic.twitter.com/BOtfc4Lj01
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) January 22, 2024