TL;DR

Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle may be great for splitting dinner, but they’re not designed for church giving. These P2P apps lack donor tracking, recurring giving, fund designation, and proper security—causing extra admin work and inconsistent donations.

A better alternative? OnlineGiving.org provides the same speed and convenience but with the features churches need—tax statements, seamless recurring giving, fund tracking, and deep ChMS integration.

Make generosity easy, secure, and sustainable with a platform built for churches.

The Rise of Digital Giving

Over the past decade, digital payments have become the norm. From buying coffee to splitting dinner checks, people expect payments to be fast, seamless, and mobile-friendly. For many, Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle have replaced cash altogether.

It’s no surprise, then, that churches are looking at these platforms for receiving tithes and offerings. If Venmo works for everything else, why not giving?

While Venmo and other peer-to-peer (P2P) apps offer incredible convenience, they also come with limitations that make them less than ideal for church giving. Before making the switch, it’s important to understand what these platforms do well, where they fall short, and how a church-focused solution like OnlineGiving.org offers all the speed and ease of use—without the downsides.

Let’s break it down.

Why Churches Are Considering Venmo for Giving

Venmo is incredibly popular among Millennials and Gen Z. These generations rarely carry cash, rely heavily on digital payments, and love apps that make transactions frictionless. The appeal of Venmo for church giving is clear:

• It’s easy to use. Once a donor is set up, sending money is as simple as typing an amount and hitting "send."
• It’s social. Venmo’s optional public transaction feed makes giving feel more interactive (though this has privacy concerns).
• It’s already familiar. Many younger donors already use Venmo for everyday payments, so it feels like a natural extension.
• It’s fast. No need to pull out a checkbook, swipe a card, or fill out a form—just open the app and give.

For churches looking to remove friction from the giving experience, these are strong benefits. But before making the leap, it’s worth considering some of the challenges Venmo and similar P2P apps bring to church giving.

The Limitations of Venmo for Church Giving

1. No Donor Tracking or Tax Statements

Churches are required to track donations and provide end-of-year giving statements for tax purposes. Venmo doesn’t offer automatic tax receipts, meaning:

• Churches must manually track and reconcile gifts.
• Donors won’t get an IRS-compliant giving statement unless the church does extra work to provide one.
• Anonymous or misclassified gifts could cause frustration when it’s time to report charitable giving.

A proper church giving platform automates all of this, ensuring that every donation is logged, tax-compliant, and accounted for without added work.

2. No Recurring Giving Options – A Critical Issue for Churches

One of the most significant limitations of Venmo is the lack of recurring giving options.

For churches, recurring giving is a lifeline that provides financial stability, allowing for better budgeting, planning, and ministry sustainability. Without recurring giving:

• Donors must remember to give manually each time. If they forget, the church experiences dips in giving.
• Church leaders can’t rely on consistent support for monthly expenses, missions, or special projects.
• The giving experience remains transactional rather than habitual.

OnlineGiving.org makes recurring giving seamless:

• Donors can set up recurring donations on a schedule that works for them—weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly.
• Recurring gifts are charged automatically, reducing the likelihood of missed donations.
• Recurring donors can adjust their giving at any time, offering flexibility while ensuring ongoing support for the church.
• Recurring text giving is supported. Donors simply text and their set gift amount is processed automatically.
• One-click conversion of one-time gifts to recurring gifts from thank you page.

With no built-in recurring giving, Venmo forces donors to manually give every time—something that often leads to inconsistent generosity and a greater administrative burden for church leaders.

3. No Built-In Fund Designation

Most churches receive gifts for multiple purposes—general tithes, missions, building funds, benevolence, and more. Venmo doesn’t allow donors to select where their gift should go, making fund management much harder.

Dedicated giving platforms allow donors to:

• Choose exactly where their gift is going (tithes, missions, building fund, etc.).
• Set up recurring gifts for ongoing support.
• See their past giving history and adjust their generosity accordingly.

Churches using Venmo often find themselves spending more time sorting out which gift goes where, which defeats the time-saving benefits the app offers.

4. Privacy and Security Concerns

By default, Venmo transactions are public, meaning others can see who is donating and how much—unless users manually adjust their settings.

Even in private mode, Venmo isn’t built for nonprofit security needs:

• Transactions can’t be reversed easily. If a donor makes a mistake, fixing it is complicated.
• Personal data is shared for advertising. Venmo and Cash App may use transaction data for targeted marketing, which isn’t ideal for sensitive giving transactions.
• No fraud protection for nonprofits. Unlike credit card processing systems designed for charitable giving, Venmo lacks built-in fraud safeguards for churches.

For those who prefer a fast, mobile giving option without these concerns, there are better alternatives.

4. No Dedicated Support

Using P2P apps like Venmo or Cash App would add complexity for your finance team by requiring separate control panels, statements, and reconciliation processes.

Additionally, any transaction issues would need to be handled directly with Venmo or Cash App’s support teams, as they operate independently of OnlineGiving.org—meaning church administrators miss out on the dedicated, Church-honoring support provided by OnlineGiving.org.

A Giving Platform That’s Just as Fast as Venmo—But Built for Churches

It’s clear why churches want a simple, mobile-first way for people to give. The good news? You don’t have to sacrifice speed or ease of use to get the features your church actually needs.

OnlineGiving.org provides the same frictionless experience—but without the risks and limitations of Venmo. Here’s how:

• Saved payment methods. Donors never have to re-enter their card or bank account details.
• Touch ID, Face ID, and phone number recognition. Repeat givers can give instantly with no logins required.
• Seamless recurring giving options. Once set up, gifts are charged automatically without the donor needing to remember.
• True Text Giving. Donors simply text an amount, and their saved payment method is instantly charged.
• Apple Pay & Google Pay support. Donors can give instantly using their preferred digital wallet.

A Major Cost Savings for Church Financial Teams

Beyond making giving easy, OnlineGiving.org significantly reduces the workload for church financial teams.

• Automatic contribution recording integrates seamlessly with major Church Management Systems (ChMS), eliminating manual entry.
• Year-end giving statements can be automatically generated, saving hours of administrative work.
• Donation tracking and reporting are built-in, making financial management easier for church leaders.

The time and cost savings alone make OnlineGiving.org a better investment for churches long-term.

For Pastors and Elders: Try It Yourself

In some cases, church pastors and elders may not be fully aware of how OnlineGiving.org works. They may give via paycheck withholding or manually, never experiencing the platform themselves.

For those in leadership, we strongly recommend:

• Trying OnlineGiving.org’s giving process multiple times. After the first time, it becomes just as fast as Venmo.
• Exploring the different giving options—text giving, saved payment methods, digital wallets, and more.
• Scheduling a call with the OnlineGiving.org team to learn more or view a demo.

Understanding the donor experience firsthand helps leaders make informed decisions about the best tools for their church.

Making the Right Choice for Church Giving

Venmo and other P2P payment apps offer incredible convenience, but they weren’t designed for churches.

By switching to a giving solution built for churches, you can make generosity easy, secure, and sustainable—without sacrificing the frictionless experience today’s donors expect.

For church leaders who want to learn more, OnlineGiving.org offers personalized demos and support to walk through all available features. Contact the team today to explore how OnlineGiving.org can make giving faster, easier, and better for your church.

Love Venmo’s convenience? Make giving just as easy for donors—without the downsides!https://t.co/u2tMB6uoI4 is just as fast & simple, but built for churches with tax receipts, fund tracking & recurring giving. Make generosity effortless: https://t.co/laINO0RZTD pic.twitter.com/iLzOX9SDtQ

— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) March 18, 2025