Since the coronavirus has prevented in-person church gatherings, many churches are thinking about how they should share their services online. The question pastors and church leaders are asking: is it better to live stream or to prerecord your sermon? (more…)
Church attendance skyrockets at Easter and Christmas. Other times, it dips. And sometimes, it plummets—whether because of flu season, coronavirus, or summer vacations.
Of course, church isn’t about numbers. It’s about ministry. But you’ve got to keep the lights on so you can keep the doors open . . . and keep serving. Even if you’re not sticking to your regular Sunday schedule or are having church online, you’ve got to stick to a regular budget (more or less). [Read more…]
When it comes to giving, I want a giving platform that’s safe, secure, and has first-rate features so my church can collect recurring and other gifts with confidence. [Read more…]
Faithlife Giving has been serving churches throughout the United States for just over a year and, already, the giving stats we’re seeing are staggering. The biggest lesson coming out of all of it is this: If you’re only collecting gifts on Sunday morning, you’re missing out on a lot of giving for your church.
But that’s not all. Wait until you see the impact recurring giving has on above-and-beyond giving (gifts given outside of a recurring schedule that’s already been set up). [Read more…]
“To cover fees or not cover fees, that is the question.”
While Shakespeare never debated the benefit of giver-covered fees, it is a debate in churches.
Before we look at the “why” behind giver-covered fees, let’s break down the “what.”
A processing fee is an amount it costs to process or facilitate a gift. Processing fees apply to credit/debit transactions and ACH transactions.
For credit and debit cards, a processing fee is an amount charged by the credit card company that issued the card. Most card processing fees are around 3% plus a small fixed amount for each gift. (For example, Faithlife Giving’s premium rate is 2.49% plus 30 cents.)
For ACH transactions, a processing fee is usually a smaller percentage with a fixed amount. (Faithlife Giving’s premium ACH transaction fee is 1.0% plus 30 cents per gift.)
Every time you swipe a card or make an ACH payment—even when you’re buying groceries—someone is paying a processing fee to your bank or card issuer (Visa, Mastercard, etc.).
The question is, should a church pay the processing fee for online gifts or make it optional for a giver to cover the fee as part of their gift?
Theologically, churches hold different positions on giving and so also differ on whether to cover fees or not. They fall into two main camps:
No matter where you fall in the discussion, Faithlife Giving could be a great fit for your church. That’s because our goal is not to tell you how your church should give but provide you with an online giving platform that supports your goals and mission.
That’s where one of our customers’ favorite features comes in.
If your church is using Faithlife Giving, you can enable givers to cover processing fees. This means that your regular givers can increase their gifts to include processing fees, so the church gets 100% of what your giver intended you to receive. (Note: The entire gift, even the portion covering the fees, is tax-deductible.)
It’s fun to see how giver-covered fees are working out for churches using Faithlife Giving:
For our customers who make it optional for givers to cover fees, givers choose to pay them 60% of the time.
Options.
With Faithlife Giving, givers can choose to pay the processing fees in addition to their gift amount, ensuring your church receives the full gift amount.
Or you can choose for your church to cover processing fees.
Either way, Faithlife Giving gives you peace of mind so you can focus on serving people.
Learn how Faithlife Giving can make online giving an enjoyable, seamless experience for your church.
You’re probably noticing, like the rest of the world, that people are hardly carrying cash or checks anymore. Most transactions are happening from our phones.
That’s why having text-to-give in your church is so important. (Though passing the plate is, too, for those who still use cash and as a visual reminder about giving.)