Text giving is becoming an extremely popular giving option at churches these days, and for good reason.
- It’s fast. You can give by text in a matter of seconds.
- It’s familiar. Almost everyone has sent a text message, so there’s nothing new to figure out.
- It’s convenient. With text messaging, there’s no app to download and no cumbersome giving forms to navigate. The barrier to giving is extremely low.
So since it’s so fast and convenient, everyone’s going to switch to text giving when you roll it out at your church, right?
While it’s hard to disagree with the points above, I’ve come to realize that there is no single perfect giving option that suits everyone. Sure, you may have a majority of people that love text giving. Most do once they try it. But if you have a wide demographic at your church (don’t we all?), there will be some that simply won’t use it. Why?
Maybe they’ve been dropping a check in the offering plate for the last 30 years, and that’s what’s comfortable for them. Do you think just because the church introduces text giving that they’re just going to all of a sudden stop a 30-year habit and adopt a new technology?
Now consider someone like myself. I love technology. I don’t carry cash and never have a checkbook on me. Dropping my giving into a bucket doesn’t work for me, and I don’t want to log in to a website and fill out a form every time I give. Giving by text is perfect for me. I can take out my iPhone and in a few seconds I’m done.
The point I’m trying to make here is that you’ve got to give people choices. Churches need to have a comprehensive giving strategy in place that covers all major options, including cash, checks, online giving and mobile giving.
Does yours? If not, it’s running the risk of turning people away that truly want to give. It’s probably already happened. If giving goes up after launching a new, convenient giving option like Txt2Give (it usually does), that’s a pretty good indicator your church was unknowingly preventing people from giving.
Just because your church has online giving in place doesn’t mean you’re all set. Give people options when it comes to giving, and make sure one of them is a convenient, low-barrier option like Txt2Give.
What giving option is used most at your church? Let me know in the comments below.
