Faithlife StaffIn 2020, churches accomplished many feats for the first time. For 24% of churches we surveyed, that included implementing online giving. Yet a somewhat surprising 38% of churches said cash or checks still had the biggest positive impact on church...
Ask for church donations—on Easter? Your online and/or in-person services are full. Your first priority is the gospel. Is there really room to bring in church giving? There can be, if you do it right. The first step is prayer. The second is setting...
Mary JahnkeThere are no shortcuts to an effective church capital campaign. (Sorry!) But there are simple ways to avoid common pitfalls so your church is set up for success. Whether your church will be planning a capital campaign soon, you’re gearing up to...
A church capital campaign isn’t some cold, flavorless thing done just to get a little more wiggle room in the budget. It’s a labor of love, a “passion project” to enable work that matters for eternity. It’s about serving people. Serving the Lord...
Picture two scenarios: in one, you write out your goals for the year and read them every morning. In the other, you write out your goals, then stick them in a drawer never to be seen again until the year ends. Which practice will get you closer to...
I’ve used church giving platforms that almost made me switch to checks. Almost. Those platforms, whatever they were, were stuck in 2003 and the opposite of user-friendly. Is yours like that? Or perhaps your church is missing out on premium...
Across the United States, Giving Tuesday will be celebrated on December 1, 2020. The day kicks off the giving season, offering a counterbalance to the materialism of Black Friday shopping. Although Giving Tuesday focuses on donations to nonprofit...
“This row is saved. Are you?” As COVID-19 lingers, reopening churches are working hard to protect their members. That’s why, if you walked into many churches today, you’d see signs like that—along with hand sanitizer stations, complimentary masks, ...
Did you know that only 33% of church giving happens on Sundays? And that was before COVID-19 rocked 2020 off course. People still want to give. Will you help them do it? Set up online and mobile giving today to: Provide a convenient, paperless...
“Based on your giving last year . . . . . . I’m guessing you make about $6K per year.” Said no pastor ever. As church leaders, we want to see our churches healthy and thriving, but there are some conversations we’re just never going to have. We’re...
COVID-19 has closed church doors—but it has flung open opportunities to reach new people online. Attendance has skyrocketed. In fact, 44% of pastors reported higher attendance online than in person. Along with that increase has come another kind of...
We’re running a new training mailbag segment here on the Faithlife blog, in which we answer some questions about our products from readers. Add a comment below with your questions, and we may answer them in an upcoming mailbag segment. This week...
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...
At the end of the year, there’s a giving BOOM. An incredible one-third of the year’s giving comes during December. Perhaps even more incredibly, 12% of giving for the entire year comes in the last three days of December! Your congregation is...
Beka JohnsonMobile technology has impacted culture and changed behavior in countless ways, but many churches have struggled to interact with those changes in a timely way. Some organizations have waited so long that they’ve found themselves face to face with a...
Jess HollandThinking through year-end giving on top of all the planning for holiday services can be overwhelming. But we’re here to help you easily organize your church’s year-end giving strategy in the midst of the chaos. People have a spirit of generosity...
Giving statements matter for two reasons: you provide givers with a record of their contributions, and you get an opportunity to thank them. This simple step in year-end giving is critical for strengthening the sense of partnership between you and...
Today is Giving Tuesday! If you panicked because you forgot to prep your church for it, then this post is for you. Giving Tuesday began in 2012 with a simple purpose: to connect people around the world through the act of generosity. It’s also a day...
Sending end-of-year giving statements doesn’t have to mean weeping and gnashing of teeth. Or paper cuts. Here are two simple ways you can send giving statements with Faithlife Giving. At the end of the year, Faithlife Giving will automatically...
Generosity is part of who God is—there are thousands of Bible verses that teach us about his generous character. We can also learn about biblical generosity from one another. Because we’re created to live in community, we are designed to care for...
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...
Fall is here and that means the busyness of the holiday season is about to start. And while the holidays are full of celebration and fun, it can be stressful for church members to find time to plan their generosity for the upcoming new year. But...
“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.” What is a...
Discipleship and stewardship are terms we hear often in church. But they aren’t often used together. There’s a link between discipleship and stewardship, however, and it’s not one to miss. Greg Ogden explains the characteristics of a disciple like...
It’s no secret that people use mobile devices now more than ever. But here are some mobile usage statistics that may surprise (and shock) you: Worldwide, more people own a cell phone than a toothbrush. On average, people spend over five hours a day...
Summertime doesn’t have to be a season that stretches your church funds. If you aren’t capitalizing on the ways people use mobile devices, including recurring giving, you’ll probably face the dreaded summer slump every year. Taking advantage of...
The generation known for its nomadic, trend-following tendencies is (somewhat) settling down and becoming (slightly) more predictable. Millennials are aging and will make up the largest demographic of the American workforce by 2020. According to...
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...
Maybe this describes you. Research shows that 66% of senior pastors love teaching and preaching, but in small churches especially, pastors have to wear many other hats they are less excited about. Like financial decision-maker. Around 20% of the...
Matthew BoffeyOne of the best ways to inspire generosity in your church is to keep your congregation informed. When people know where their donations are going, see the progress they are making together, and learn how God is using their gifts to grow the kingdom...