I don't know about you, but the cool weather we had during April and most of May lulled me into thinking it was still spring! But here we are moving out of the Easter season into Ordinary Time and about to celebrate our heroes during Memorial Day.
So summer is here! and so are vacations and trips to the beach, moves to summer houses and visits with family. With all the activity we likely will be away from our home parish for some of the time. Pastors and parish staff tell us that they see significant changes in parish income during summer months in particular - ranging from 10% to 20% reduction in weekly contributions! This cash flow fluctuation creates a tremendous challenge for parishes to maintain operations and budgets.
Online Giving helps to provide consistent cash flow
We just recently held customer panel discussions at our headquarters in Huntington, IN and had many meaningful discussions about what is going well and also where we can improve. The subject of Online Giving and cash flow came up several times as a significant benefit. This is consistent with information we have heard in the past. (We also heard that ease of use of Online Giving, our customer service and our extensive support are key positive differentiators for OSV. Parishes know they can count on our help.)
St. Patrick in Carlsbad, CA credits a significant change to summer cash flow, which in turn helps the parish throughout the year. Historically, contributions were down at least 10% and they have more than made up that difference. In addition they are seeing very high fulfillment on campaign pledges that are paid through Online Giving.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton in Ft. Wayne, IN tells a similar story. The pastor describes a situation where a large number of parishioners typically go to "the lake" during the summer. Monthly income to the parish would go from about $30,000 to more like $20,000 and it practically brought the otherwise thriving parish to a standstill. They credit Online Giving with making up that difference and more.
Look on the OSV Offertory Solutions website for stories and videos about Online Giving.
Spend your summer worry free! Implement Online Giving.
If you already have Online Giving in place, then this is a great opportunity to remind more parishioners to sign up. Set up a table after Mass and make it easy for them to get started. Send a reminder to users to update their gifts. Be thankful to everyone who participates.
Let us know how we can help you!
No comments:
Post a Comment