We are seeing optimism among parishes and dioceses that we visit across the United States. Catholic parishes are providing meaningful services to the community and strong educational programs to their students. Many of you are on the path to engaging parishioners in both the current activities of the parish and also the direction you want to head for the future. The Pastors we have talked to have been doing some very creative and wonderful work ranging from working with the children in the parish to develop videos of guinea pigs riding in Lego automobiles to expansive programs to serve the needy in the community.
The results from the work we have done to Increase Offertory at parishes have been very positive. A parish in the Diocese of San Diego experienced an increase in commitments of over 53% and $330,000. One in the Diocese of Providence saw an increase of over $120,000 which amounted to 79% . Another one in California had 140 new families start to participate in the parish. One in upstate New York was able to define a new identity and bring people together for a new purpose in the midst of a 5 parish merger.
Needless to say, the Pastor and parish leadership are integral to the success of any program. While every parish has different dynamics, there are some consistent points we are seeing the teams implement to increase their chances of a successful and sustained program. Here are 3 of them:
1. Focus on the good works of the parish. In addition to our formation and our personal Faith journeys, we care about organizations that are doing positive things. We want to donate our time and money to successful programs that deliver products or programs or services that we care about. Our parishes do this all the time but sometimes we don't highlight this work. Those parishes who experience a wealth of financial contributions are able to demonstrate how they are changing lives for the better and how they are improving lives for the people in the parish and the surrounding areas.
2. Use Online Giving to make it easy to give. Remove any impediments to accepting a gift. Find ways to make it easy for anyone to give to the parish. They don't have to be current members. In fact as you are communicating about the wonderful things the parish does you should expect to attract new people to the parish. Online Giving is an integral part of regular contributions and of any increased offertory program. Allow people to give from the convenience of the web at a time that is convenient for them!
3. Keep Parishioners Informed. The successful parishes use all their channels of communication to let parishioners know what is happening during and after the Increased Offertory program. They incorporate points about the direction of the parish and the intent of the program across their website, offering envelopes, newsletters, announcements and bulletins. It's very important to let all parishioners know about the results of the program and what the parish plans to do next. Parishes can sustain their results by updating parishioners regarding how funds were used, what new positive programs were implemented, and the results of those new programs.
Do you have experience with increasing offertory? Let us know!
Showing posts with label online giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online giving. Show all posts
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Go Irish! Great Football and a Successful Foundation
I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Irish return to their (in my humble opinion) deserved position in college football rankings. As a "double - Domer" I guess I'm twice as happy! The good news for Notre Dame is that I consider the football entertainment as a sideline to the true value of the university and its programs. And successful operations. Notre Dame has created a strong base of contributions and donations that have helped to build new and exciting programs that advance education and also outreach.
This reminds me of some of the points made in a book by J. Clif Christopher titled, "Not Your Parent's Offering Plate". In the book Christopher challenges church leaders to assess what they are doing in their church and the evidence of the results. He asks why people give to universities like Harvard. The answer: because they believe in the leadership of the organization and they support the "product" the organization delivers. There are lives changed by the experience at Harvard (or of course I would say Notre Dame), and lives should be changed through our church experience.
Our pastors and staff do so many good works that go unheralded. Its important that we relate some of the information about how we serve parishioners and the impact our parishioners, pastors and staff have on the community. Because these acts of service and kindness are meaningful evidence of our stewardship and our Christianity.
So you ask what does this have to do with Online Giving? In the past months of blog history there are a number of examples confirming the increase in contributions that parishes have seen from Online Giving. But if your parish has responded to the need that we all have to give, and informs you about the use of funds and talents and associated results of the use of funds, then you likely see a far greater sustained increase.
Use Online Giving to provide a convenient tool for parishioners and visitors to contribute financially to the parish. Your focus on the direction of the parish, the good deeds of the parish, and the use of the finances help to inform and support the purpose of those financial contributions.
So, I'm watching the Irish play football. But I'm contributing to programs that form young men and women. And I'm contributing to my parish as we provide services to students and to those in need in our town in South Carolina.
What is your experience? Have you tried Online Giving?
This reminds me of some of the points made in a book by J. Clif Christopher titled, "Not Your Parent's Offering Plate". In the book Christopher challenges church leaders to assess what they are doing in their church and the evidence of the results. He asks why people give to universities like Harvard. The answer: because they believe in the leadership of the organization and they support the "product" the organization delivers. There are lives changed by the experience at Harvard (or of course I would say Notre Dame), and lives should be changed through our church experience.
Our pastors and staff do so many good works that go unheralded. Its important that we relate some of the information about how we serve parishioners and the impact our parishioners, pastors and staff have on the community. Because these acts of service and kindness are meaningful evidence of our stewardship and our Christianity.
So you ask what does this have to do with Online Giving? In the past months of blog history there are a number of examples confirming the increase in contributions that parishes have seen from Online Giving. But if your parish has responded to the need that we all have to give, and informs you about the use of funds and talents and associated results of the use of funds, then you likely see a far greater sustained increase.
Use Online Giving to provide a convenient tool for parishioners and visitors to contribute financially to the parish. Your focus on the direction of the parish, the good deeds of the parish, and the use of the finances help to inform and support the purpose of those financial contributions.
So, I'm watching the Irish play football. But I'm contributing to programs that form young men and women. And I'm contributing to my parish as we provide services to students and to those in need in our town in South Carolina.
What is your experience? Have you tried Online Giving?
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
3 Ways to Increase Giving for Your Parish - Fantastic Results
This week we had the opportunity to talk with parish representatives from across the country while we were at the International Catholic Stewardship Conference. In addition to increasing our depth of understanding on our journey of Faith, we wanted to make sure we understood the experience our customers have with our products and services.
We heard some useful techniques to maintain parishioner engagement and increase contributions for parishes who are using Online Giving from OSV:
1. Send an email to announce special collections
Each month you have a new special collection planned, pull your email list from Online Giving and send parishioners information about the purpose of the collection. As part of the note let them know they can log in and select the gift as an option.
2. Send a mid-year and year-end reminder
A couple times each year send a gentle reminder email to your Online Giving contributors. Thank them for their contributions and remind them to review their gift commitments to the parish. This gentle nudge encourages people to take the time to log in to review their commitments.
3. Make Online Giving a Standard Part of Your Stewardship of Treasure program
If you do a more formal annual or periodic process to review and pray about financial commitments to the parish, you can make it easy for parishioners by including the link to Online Giving in all your materials. This is also a great way to sustain the the commitment through automatic recurring contributions.
Parishes who are offering Online Giving reported fantastic results:
One parish in Indiana credits Online Giving with "stabilizing their cash flow". They had a tremendous reduction in monthly offertory during summer months when parishioners left for vacations at lake cottages. By offering a simple way for parishioners to set up recurring contributions, this parish eliminated a 30% loss of revenue for 3 to 4 summer months. In addition the parish has seen an overall increase in contributions of 23% or more.
Two parishes we talked with compared contributions for the group of parishioners using Online Giving. They looked at the 12 months before the group started using the application and compared it to the 12 months after they started using the application. One parish in the northeast has seen an astounding 62% increase from credit card gifts, and a 49% increase overall. Another parish measured 42% increase.
In general we are observing at least 30% increase for individual parishioners who move to Online Giving. This is due to a combination of the regularly scheduled gift and conscious decision on the part of the parishioner. We also have found that coordinating Online Giving as part of a broader plan which keeps parishioners informed and engaged in the direction of the parish generates a more sustained increase over time.
Keep track of what we are doing through our news and events page: http://www.osvoffertory.com/NewsEvents.aspx
And let us know your experience at your parish!
We heard some useful techniques to maintain parishioner engagement and increase contributions for parishes who are using Online Giving from OSV:
1. Send an email to announce special collections
Each month you have a new special collection planned, pull your email list from Online Giving and send parishioners information about the purpose of the collection. As part of the note let them know they can log in and select the gift as an option.
2. Send a mid-year and year-end reminder
A couple times each year send a gentle reminder email to your Online Giving contributors. Thank them for their contributions and remind them to review their gift commitments to the parish. This gentle nudge encourages people to take the time to log in to review their commitments.
3. Make Online Giving a Standard Part of Your Stewardship of Treasure program
If you do a more formal annual or periodic process to review and pray about financial commitments to the parish, you can make it easy for parishioners by including the link to Online Giving in all your materials. This is also a great way to sustain the the commitment through automatic recurring contributions.
Parishes who are offering Online Giving reported fantastic results:
One parish in Indiana credits Online Giving with "stabilizing their cash flow". They had a tremendous reduction in monthly offertory during summer months when parishioners left for vacations at lake cottages. By offering a simple way for parishioners to set up recurring contributions, this parish eliminated a 30% loss of revenue for 3 to 4 summer months. In addition the parish has seen an overall increase in contributions of 23% or more.
Two parishes we talked with compared contributions for the group of parishioners using Online Giving. They looked at the 12 months before the group started using the application and compared it to the 12 months after they started using the application. One parish in the northeast has seen an astounding 62% increase from credit card gifts, and a 49% increase overall. Another parish measured 42% increase.
In general we are observing at least 30% increase for individual parishioners who move to Online Giving. This is due to a combination of the regularly scheduled gift and conscious decision on the part of the parishioner. We also have found that coordinating Online Giving as part of a broader plan which keeps parishioners informed and engaged in the direction of the parish generates a more sustained increase over time.
Keep track of what we are doing through our news and events page: http://www.osvoffertory.com/NewsEvents.aspx
And let us know your experience at your parish!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Will You Vote in this Election? 3 points to Motivate Giving Online
I was reading an article yesterday that featured people who were not planning to vote in the presidential election this year. There were a variety of reasons ranging from "don't like either candidate" to "not going to bother". I was fascinated that a number of people had an opinion about who they would like to have serve as our President but were not planning to vote.
At the other extreme we have volunteers in both parties who are fiercely focused on their cause and are fully engaged in the campaign of their preferred person.
This sounds to me like a cross section of any given parish and the attitudes of the parishioner base. We have a group of parishioners who are committed to the parish and the cause and are involved deeply in the community of the parish. And we have many who are not engaged and don't plan to bother.
I think the difference is in how the parish appeals to the gifts, priorities and needs of parishioners. When people have a cause they care about, they become active and engaged. When there is conflict or emergency or perceived urgency, we find ways to respond. Kind of like election times.
I have seen a couple interesting reports in the past few weeks that provide pertinent information. The first, from CARA, indicates the distribution of ages of who attends Mass:
When we are appealing to parishioners in the pews, we must consider their experience base. The age groups represented have been accepting Online Giving but also are comfortable with offering envelopes. The 9% millenial group has a very different view.
The second report indicated trends in tools used for contributions:
So we see strong acceptance of Online Giving types of applications, approaching the use of envelopes. Has this been the experience at your parish?
Our OSV data indicate that 10% is a pretty good expectation for the number of parishioners who use Online Giving as their preferred method. So taking a lesson from the behavior of people for this years election, maybe we need to find the motivation for people to use Online Giving.
Here are 3 points that you can use to motivate parishioners:
1. It is simple for them. Once they set it up it is easy to change at any time. Contributions recur automatically
2. It helps the parish. Overall giving increases because of consistently scheduled gifts and a more thoughtful contribution from the parishioner. Staff time and money handling is reduced.
3. Access is convenient. Parishioners can contribute from any location with internet access at any time.
Its time to vote in the election. While we are at it lets show our vote for our parishes and give online.
Comments?
At the other extreme we have volunteers in both parties who are fiercely focused on their cause and are fully engaged in the campaign of their preferred person.
This sounds to me like a cross section of any given parish and the attitudes of the parishioner base. We have a group of parishioners who are committed to the parish and the cause and are involved deeply in the community of the parish. And we have many who are not engaged and don't plan to bother.
I think the difference is in how the parish appeals to the gifts, priorities and needs of parishioners. When people have a cause they care about, they become active and engaged. When there is conflict or emergency or perceived urgency, we find ways to respond. Kind of like election times.
I have seen a couple interesting reports in the past few weeks that provide pertinent information. The first, from CARA, indicates the distribution of ages of who attends Mass:
When we are appealing to parishioners in the pews, we must consider their experience base. The age groups represented have been accepting Online Giving but also are comfortable with offering envelopes. The 9% millenial group has a very different view.
The second report indicated trends in tools used for contributions:
So we see strong acceptance of Online Giving types of applications, approaching the use of envelopes. Has this been the experience at your parish?
Our OSV data indicate that 10% is a pretty good expectation for the number of parishioners who use Online Giving as their preferred method. So taking a lesson from the behavior of people for this years election, maybe we need to find the motivation for people to use Online Giving.
Here are 3 points that you can use to motivate parishioners:
1. It is simple for them. Once they set it up it is easy to change at any time. Contributions recur automatically
2. It helps the parish. Overall giving increases because of consistently scheduled gifts and a more thoughtful contribution from the parishioner. Staff time and money handling is reduced.
3. Access is convenient. Parishioners can contribute from any location with internet access at any time.
Its time to vote in the election. While we are at it lets show our vote for our parishes and give online.
Comments?
Friday, August 3, 2012
A lesson from the Olympics; Key points for engaging parishioners
As I have grabbed a few minutes here and there to watch the Olympics competition, I found myself emotionally involved with some of the races and the results even when I knew the final outcome. As it turns out, this was generated in part by the "human interest" backgrounds provided about some of the competitors. I am not a fan of reality shows and, frankly, have stopped watching some of my past favorites because they had introduced so much content about the people in place of the action.
Yet here I am, taking in the information and getting involved in the story.
It occurs to me that the technique and my reaction are consistent with recommendations from the Bishops pastoral letter on Stewardship, research by Chuck Zech and Villanova University, and our own past recommendations about getting parishioners to use Online Giving! I'm sure you wonder how I arrived at this connection...
Here are a couple points to consider:
1. Use Lay Witness talks. People respond to other people much more deeply than to a concept. The purpose of the lay witness talk is for a person to tell their story. Those who share perspective and life experience with the lay witness will respond and react. This was the reaction I was having to some of the Olympic competitors. So use people in the parish to talk about their experience with Online Giving (and of course other spiritual topics). If your parishioners share their experience it becomes more real and accessible for others.
2. Appeal to peoples need to give. We have a deep need to respond through our actions, prayer and financial contributions. Yet the triggers for our response are different for each of us, rooted in our formation and life experience, and our interests and priorities. As part of the stewardship process and also to gain acceptance for your Online Giving application, your parish must appeal to this need to give by making the connection to parishioner priorities, interests and experience. Back to point number 1. The lay witness talk or "human interest" story is a great way to make this connection.
So as you embark on your journey with Online Giving, consider the Olympics. Online Giving provides convenience and security for parishioners, and consistent cash flow for the parish. Yet even those of us with good intentions may not take the step to do the simple registration. We need the extra reminder and push to make that effort. The parish can help by providing Olympic moments - stories from parishioners about their experience that help the rest of us realize that using Online Giving would be a pleasure rather than a burden.
And ultimately the great works we can do as a parish with the gifts we all share!
Have you had any Olympic moments? Please share.
Yet here I am, taking in the information and getting involved in the story.
It occurs to me that the technique and my reaction are consistent with recommendations from the Bishops pastoral letter on Stewardship, research by Chuck Zech and Villanova University, and our own past recommendations about getting parishioners to use Online Giving! I'm sure you wonder how I arrived at this connection...
Here are a couple points to consider:
1. Use Lay Witness talks. People respond to other people much more deeply than to a concept. The purpose of the lay witness talk is for a person to tell their story. Those who share perspective and life experience with the lay witness will respond and react. This was the reaction I was having to some of the Olympic competitors. So use people in the parish to talk about their experience with Online Giving (and of course other spiritual topics). If your parishioners share their experience it becomes more real and accessible for others.
2. Appeal to peoples need to give. We have a deep need to respond through our actions, prayer and financial contributions. Yet the triggers for our response are different for each of us, rooted in our formation and life experience, and our interests and priorities. As part of the stewardship process and also to gain acceptance for your Online Giving application, your parish must appeal to this need to give by making the connection to parishioner priorities, interests and experience. Back to point number 1. The lay witness talk or "human interest" story is a great way to make this connection.
So as you embark on your journey with Online Giving, consider the Olympics. Online Giving provides convenience and security for parishioners, and consistent cash flow for the parish. Yet even those of us with good intentions may not take the step to do the simple registration. We need the extra reminder and push to make that effort. The parish can help by providing Olympic moments - stories from parishioners about their experience that help the rest of us realize that using Online Giving would be a pleasure rather than a burden.
And ultimately the great works we can do as a parish with the gifts we all share!
Have you had any Olympic moments? Please share.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Does Gift Frequency Matter for Online Giving?
Greater frequency generates higher levels of giving:
I was just reviewing some data for the most recent quarter regarding the relationship of annual dollar volume to the frequency of giving. Several months ago I wrote about this topic, noting that the largest annualized gifts were from bi-weekly givers. This trend has continued. Our most recent update to our data, which has been compiled since 2009, indicates that those who donate bi-weekly give $2012 on an annualized basis. This is closely followed by weekly givers donate $1819. The numbers drop significantly for monthly ($1278) and quarterly ($737).
So even though there are more donations to reconcile for the parish, the numbers suggest that greater gift frequencies provide more income for the parish. While the amount per individual gift is smaller for the greater frequencies ( average weekly gift is around $34 while the average monthly gift is $106), the annual gift to your parish is larger.
Is your parish experiencing this?
Both ACH (direct withdrawal) and Credit Card work:
We also continue to see a fairly even distribution of contributors who elect to use credit card or ACH methods of payment. About 60% are using credit cards and 40% use ACH transactions. Gifts from credit card donors are about 7% greater than for ACH. See our indicator. The effects of frequency are consistent regardless of the choice of donation.
Which method do you prefer to use?
Online Giving exceeds $100 million
We have exceeded $100 million in processing for Online Giving and parishioner use continues to increase. You may want to join the growing group of parishes who have over 30% of parishioners using Online Giving.
We are grateful that you have chosen to use Online Giving. It's a great way to improve service to parishioners. We remain committed to serving the church through all of our offerings and materials. please contact us with your thoughts and ideas.
I was just reviewing some data for the most recent quarter regarding the relationship of annual dollar volume to the frequency of giving. Several months ago I wrote about this topic, noting that the largest annualized gifts were from bi-weekly givers. This trend has continued. Our most recent update to our data, which has been compiled since 2009, indicates that those who donate bi-weekly give $2012 on an annualized basis. This is closely followed by weekly givers donate $1819. The numbers drop significantly for monthly ($1278) and quarterly ($737).
So even though there are more donations to reconcile for the parish, the numbers suggest that greater gift frequencies provide more income for the parish. While the amount per individual gift is smaller for the greater frequencies ( average weekly gift is around $34 while the average monthly gift is $106), the annual gift to your parish is larger.
Is your parish experiencing this?
Both ACH (direct withdrawal) and Credit Card work:
We also continue to see a fairly even distribution of contributors who elect to use credit card or ACH methods of payment. About 60% are using credit cards and 40% use ACH transactions. Gifts from credit card donors are about 7% greater than for ACH. See our indicator. The effects of frequency are consistent regardless of the choice of donation.
Which method do you prefer to use?
Online Giving exceeds $100 million
We have exceeded $100 million in processing for Online Giving and parishioner use continues to increase. You may want to join the growing group of parishes who have over 30% of parishioners using Online Giving.
We are grateful that you have chosen to use Online Giving. It's a great way to improve service to parishioners. We remain committed to serving the church through all of our offerings and materials. please contact us with your thoughts and ideas.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Get more parishioners signed up and using Online Giving
This account comes to us from Bruce Richman, the Customer Sales Retention Supervisor for OSV Offertory Solutions.
Recently I was visiting a parish when the question of how to get more people to use Online Giving
came up. This particular parish had over 3,300 families with only 5% of
the parishioners signed-up. In contrast, another parish in the area
with about 1,000 families had 17% of parishioners using Online Giving.
When
visiting with the smaller parish I was asked to find out what they were
doing differently to be more successful. I knew as soon as I walked in
the door -- the differences were apparent. The first thing I saw was an
Online Giving poster mounted near the main entrance. Every person that
came through those doors saw the poster the moment they entered the
church. That action reinforced the parish’s support and need for Online
Giving.
Also,
when talking with some of the parish staff, I came to understand they
had two additional efforts to help them entice more parishioners. First,
they talked about Online Giving at the pulpit on several occasions.
These weren't long lectures but short statements and testimonials about
how easy Online Giving is to use and how it benefits the parish and the
parishioner. Second, they used OSV’s Online Giving marketing package.
This package helped the staff to announce and acquaint the parish to the
convenience of the service. Included in the package were the posters,
an announcement letter, an FAQ pamphlet, and the Online Giving mailing
card for inserting into the offering envelope packet.
Promoting
and communicating the Online Giving message at the pulpit, on boards,
and through various mailings has helped to increase contributions for
that parish and others, and can foster the growth of your parish’s
Online Giving program, too.
Share your story about how you get parishioners to use Online Giving!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
4 points about increasing parish contributions through electronic giving
One of the great expectations we have from our parish electronic giving is that we will see an increase in contributions for the parish. And it is true that parishes see an increase in contributions. But this number varies dramatically. Here are 4 points to consider:
1. Some individual gifts do increase dramatically. A gift online is a conscious choice which requires some level of thought and commitment. If your parish was not engaging in pledge renewals in the past, then using a tool like Online Giving can provide that motivation to give more. This increase has been demonstrated to be as much as 30%.
2. A few drops of rain don't raise the level of the water in the ocean. While you should expect individuals to give more, if you only have a small percentage of parishioners using your Online Giving, then the overall impact to contributions may be imperceptable. Don't expect a huge increase for the parish without encouraging people to use the system and helping them to get set up properly.
3. Memory is unreliable. Most of us have good intentions about our contributions to our parish. However, when we do miss Mass we don't always make up that contribution the way we think we do. Online Giving can help correct this through scheduled automatic deductions based on the preference of the parishioner.
4. If its not easy, people won't use it. If you are making parishioners search for your website URL, or where to find it on the website, or you don't have your Online Giving on your Facebook page... then you are missing opportunities for parishioners and even other community members to give. Be easy to find. Put the URL on your envelopes. Tweet about Online Giving and put the link on Facebook and keep it up at the top of the page. You want to attract your regular Mass attendees and also those who aren't as disciplined about their attendance. Remember students away at school, or people who travel a great deal.
With a little attention, your parish should see financial benefits to Online Giving. And you may hear about how much people like the convenience of the tool! Let us know your experience...
1. Some individual gifts do increase dramatically. A gift online is a conscious choice which requires some level of thought and commitment. If your parish was not engaging in pledge renewals in the past, then using a tool like Online Giving can provide that motivation to give more. This increase has been demonstrated to be as much as 30%.
2. A few drops of rain don't raise the level of the water in the ocean. While you should expect individuals to give more, if you only have a small percentage of parishioners using your Online Giving, then the overall impact to contributions may be imperceptable. Don't expect a huge increase for the parish without encouraging people to use the system and helping them to get set up properly.
3. Memory is unreliable. Most of us have good intentions about our contributions to our parish. However, when we do miss Mass we don't always make up that contribution the way we think we do. Online Giving can help correct this through scheduled automatic deductions based on the preference of the parishioner.
4. If its not easy, people won't use it. If you are making parishioners search for your website URL, or where to find it on the website, or you don't have your Online Giving on your Facebook page... then you are missing opportunities for parishioners and even other community members to give. Be easy to find. Put the URL on your envelopes. Tweet about Online Giving and put the link on Facebook and keep it up at the top of the page. You want to attract your regular Mass attendees and also those who aren't as disciplined about their attendance. Remember students away at school, or people who travel a great deal.
With a little attention, your parish should see financial benefits to Online Giving. And you may hear about how much people like the convenience of the tool! Let us know your experience...
Friday, June 1, 2012
Increase the Effectiveness of Online Giving; Advantages of Merchant Accounts
It's exciting to hear how parishes are using Online Giving! Many are incorporating Online Giving with their new Faith In Action websites from Our Sunday Visitor for maximum impact. We held a customer advisory panel meeting recently and heard an idea to get parishioners to give to special collections. The parish sends out an email at the beginning of each month explaining which special or one-time collections are available that month for contributions. This gives them an opportunity to encourage parishioners to give to those collections while also reminding them to sign in to make their donation. Works great!. That particular parish has seen steady growth and acceptance of Online Giving.
Also remember to thank your parishioners for using Online Giving. Oh, and while you are at it thank them for using envelopes! This is an opportunity to explain why the parish encourages the use of these tools, and how they help the parish. Explain what's printed on the envelope and why. Note the special box to check indicating "gave electronically" so parishioners can participate in the liturgy. Its possible to add other types of gifts to the envelope, such as prayer or shared time that parishioners would like to note in addition to giving electronically.
Merchant Accounts
If you are evaluating your Merchant Account setup, then remember to look at the cash flow and the timing of processing for your account. With Online Giving you are assured that parishioner contributions are processed immediately and funds are not stored in escrow. You also are assured that your parish risk is minimized. In an environment where your provider is serving as the parish merchant of record, a problem at any parish is a problem for ALL parishes. Its compounded if funds are stored in escrow.
As the merchant you also can incorporate other services to support your bookstore or possibly credit card scanners and be confident that you are both compliant and secure.
How are things working at your parish? let us know!
look here to see some recent events
Also remember to thank your parishioners for using Online Giving. Oh, and while you are at it thank them for using envelopes! This is an opportunity to explain why the parish encourages the use of these tools, and how they help the parish. Explain what's printed on the envelope and why. Note the special box to check indicating "gave electronically" so parishioners can participate in the liturgy. Its possible to add other types of gifts to the envelope, such as prayer or shared time that parishioners would like to note in addition to giving electronically.
Merchant Accounts
If you are evaluating your Merchant Account setup, then remember to look at the cash flow and the timing of processing for your account. With Online Giving you are assured that parishioner contributions are processed immediately and funds are not stored in escrow. You also are assured that your parish risk is minimized. In an environment where your provider is serving as the parish merchant of record, a problem at any parish is a problem for ALL parishes. Its compounded if funds are stored in escrow.
As the merchant you also can incorporate other services to support your bookstore or possibly credit card scanners and be confident that you are both compliant and secure.
How are things working at your parish? let us know!
look here to see some recent events
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Security and risk management: PCI Compliance cannot be outsourced
As we have increased our use of Online Giving and other electronic giving systems at our dioceses and parishes, we have become more conscious of the controls and the risks associated with payment processing. In some cases there is a great deal of anxiety around this subject. This is a good thing because we have become aware of the risks; however, we have a large number of activities that require our attention for both PCI compliance and risk management.
Does your parish or diocese hold a conference? How about an auction or a parish dinner? Do you have a parish gift store? If you are like many parishes, you have these events and activities and you may allow people to pay by credit card or even direct deposit. Do you use any type of commitment card or envelope that provides the option for a parishioner to include a credit card or bank account number on the form? Your parish may very well need to be fully PCI Compliant.
There also has been some discussion of "Merchant of Record" associated with electronic giving applications for parishes and dioceses. This concept has been raised as if it is the critical factor when implementing an electronic giving solution. The credit card associations base the requirement for PCI compliance on the ACTIVITY performed at the parish. This is regardless of formal or informal agreements defining the organization as a merchant. The parish and diocese cannot outsource the risk or the compliance to another organization.
The two most important factors parishes and dioceses should consider when they are assessing the risk associated with electronic contributions are:
Beyond that consider the integrity and financial strength of the organization providing the solution.
Our parish leadership and diocesan staff must consider all activities related to donations and finances and we must educate ourselves on the latest requirements for compliance and risk management. We have a good start on the new systems, but don't forget some of the many activities we have done for years!
Does your parish or diocese hold a conference? How about an auction or a parish dinner? Do you have a parish gift store? If you are like many parishes, you have these events and activities and you may allow people to pay by credit card or even direct deposit. Do you use any type of commitment card or envelope that provides the option for a parishioner to include a credit card or bank account number on the form? Your parish may very well need to be fully PCI Compliant.
There also has been some discussion of "Merchant of Record" associated with electronic giving applications for parishes and dioceses. This concept has been raised as if it is the critical factor when implementing an electronic giving solution. The credit card associations base the requirement for PCI compliance on the ACTIVITY performed at the parish. This is regardless of formal or informal agreements defining the organization as a merchant. The parish and diocese cannot outsource the risk or the compliance to another organization.
The two most important factors parishes and dioceses should consider when they are assessing the risk associated with electronic contributions are:
- The flow of the donation dollars. Make sure that the parishioner contribution moves from the parishioner account to the parish or diocese bank account directly. Avoid deposits into holding accounts or escrow.
Organizations that serve as a merchant on behalf of other organizations are considered aggregators by the credit card associations and are also considered to be higher risk because they hold accounts with donor funds in the accounts.
- No parish access to account information. The application should prevent the parish staff from any access to donor credit card or bank account information. Make sure any function that allows the parish access to account information is turned off.
Beyond that consider the integrity and financial strength of the organization providing the solution.
Our parish leadership and diocesan staff must consider all activities related to donations and finances and we must educate ourselves on the latest requirements for compliance and risk management. We have a good start on the new systems, but don't forget some of the many activities we have done for years!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Online Giving; Perfect for the Holidays!
This is an excellent time to add special collections for Advent, Christmas, the New Year and Epiphany into your Online Giving application. You may have a special project or cause that is important to your parish. Add a collection in Online Giving for contributions to needy families or other projects. You can add new collections at any time and even schedule the time they are visible and available for contributions.
If you don't have Online Giving, then this is the time to make the move! You can have it set up and ready for contributions from parishioners and guests who come for Christmas Mass.
The Quick Give option in Online Giving provides an easy way for people to contribute to the church without registering in the Online Giving application. When you send out your Christmas mailing and publish your Mass times, include directions for Online Giving and Quick Give.
Encourage parishioners to bring their envelope to Mass and select the "Gave Electronically" option on the envelope.
And with Online Giving in place, your parish will continue to receive contributions in the event of bad weather. The story from St. Paul Catholic Church is one example.
I'm grateful for this time to step back and consider the Hope of the season. May you and your families have a Merry Christmas and may your parish be vibrant and engaging in the upcoming year!
If you don't have Online Giving, then this is the time to make the move! You can have it set up and ready for contributions from parishioners and guests who come for Christmas Mass.
The Quick Give option in Online Giving provides an easy way for people to contribute to the church without registering in the Online Giving application. When you send out your Christmas mailing and publish your Mass times, include directions for Online Giving and Quick Give.
Encourage parishioners to bring their envelope to Mass and select the "Gave Electronically" option on the envelope.
And with Online Giving in place, your parish will continue to receive contributions in the event of bad weather. The story from St. Paul Catholic Church is one example.
I'm grateful for this time to step back and consider the Hope of the season. May you and your families have a Merry Christmas and may your parish be vibrant and engaging in the upcoming year!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Websites and Online Giving Tips for a Great Combination - Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate
This is an updated version of an earlier blog topic
As we continue to learn from our work with the Archdiocese of Boston, and across the country, your website is your "virtual front door" to your parish. One of the key components of a great parish website is easy access to Online Giving. This past week we talked with several parishes who are very interested in pursuing Online Giving. The website is a significant impediment to their progress rather than a useful tool to enable access to web-based giving. OSV "Faith In Action" websites are designed to make this easy for you.
Set a Communication Plan
As you prepare to offer web-based giving, you should create the initial communication plan and get the system set up so parishioners can immediately access the application. So one of the steps is to update your website to include information about Online Giving, plus a link that connects to Online Giving. Once you announce that the service is available, you want parishioners to be able to get to Online Giving easily so they can get started right away.
Incorporate Website Best Practices
Your website must be organized well and easy to navigate. A great parish website can help you improve the acceptance of Online Giving by making it obvious how to get started, easy to access, and by providing useful information about the importance of Online Giving. If your website provides other compelling information about the Faith, then as parishioners access the site for Online Giving, they may also be able to spend time learning more about being a good Catholic!
Here are a few tips:
The parishes I referenced earlier were embarrassed and frustrated by their web sites. The web sites were not compelling and not up to date. The person who is setting up Online Giving did not have the ability to do updates. In a couple cases, the person who updated the website worked part time and was the only person who had access to update the site.
The parish website is the best place to access your online giving application. And we should all be implementing Online Giving at our parishes so that our parishioners have this additional convenient option to contribute to the parish. So we need both. Parish Website and Online Giving. When the website is good and you have your Online Giving link prominently displayed, they work together. That's why the web site and Online Giving are like peanut butter and chocolate, which is one of my personal favorite combinations!
How about your experience with your parish website and Online Giving?
By the way thousands of new parishioners per month are signing up to use OSV's Online Giving at parishes across the country. The average parishioner use for parish is now at 13 to 14% of parishioners, up to a high of more than 50%.
As we continue to learn from our work with the Archdiocese of Boston, and across the country, your website is your "virtual front door" to your parish. One of the key components of a great parish website is easy access to Online Giving. This past week we talked with several parishes who are very interested in pursuing Online Giving. The website is a significant impediment to their progress rather than a useful tool to enable access to web-based giving. OSV "Faith In Action" websites are designed to make this easy for you.
Set a Communication Plan
As you prepare to offer web-based giving, you should create the initial communication plan and get the system set up so parishioners can immediately access the application. So one of the steps is to update your website to include information about Online Giving, plus a link that connects to Online Giving. Once you announce that the service is available, you want parishioners to be able to get to Online Giving easily so they can get started right away.
Incorporate Website Best Practices
Your website must be organized well and easy to navigate. A great parish website can help you improve the acceptance of Online Giving by making it obvious how to get started, easy to access, and by providing useful information about the importance of Online Giving. If your website provides other compelling information about the Faith, then as parishioners access the site for Online Giving, they may also be able to spend time learning more about being a good Catholic!
Here are a few tips:
- Display your parish name, city and address and contact information prominently
- Feature a map to your parish
- Add information about the Faith
- Add a section to welcome newcomers
- Add dynamic information
- Offer people the opportunity to give a gift!
The parishes I referenced earlier were embarrassed and frustrated by their web sites. The web sites were not compelling and not up to date. The person who is setting up Online Giving did not have the ability to do updates. In a couple cases, the person who updated the website worked part time and was the only person who had access to update the site.
The parish website is the best place to access your online giving application. And we should all be implementing Online Giving at our parishes so that our parishioners have this additional convenient option to contribute to the parish. So we need both. Parish Website and Online Giving. When the website is good and you have your Online Giving link prominently displayed, they work together. That's why the web site and Online Giving are like peanut butter and chocolate, which is one of my personal favorite combinations!
How about your experience with your parish website and Online Giving?
By the way thousands of new parishioners per month are signing up to use OSV's Online Giving at parishes across the country. The average parishioner use for parish is now at 13 to 14% of parishioners, up to a high of more than 50%.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Online Giving and Envelopes: Synergy for your Parish
As I meet with parishes and dioceses I find that people think of their electronic giving application and their offering envelopes separately. Recently we were visiting a parish where these were two different staff members who managed the different offerings! When we asked them if they were working together on how to get the most out of both, they said no. By the end of our meeting they recognized the need to plan together to coordinate the two.
Even more concerning are parishes who place electronic giving and envelopes at odds with each other. "How do we decide which to use? Can we eliminate envelopes?" This approach completely misses the idea that we are providing options to parishioners so everyone can give from a sense of abundance and gratitude. we don't want to exclude anyone.
In our desire to compartmentalize functions and organize ourselves, sometimes we miss the opportunity to create an environment to foster cross-communications. Both web sites and electronic giving are technology based; however, their use is for communications and for contributions. While the skill set to understand the administration of electronic giving is different from the skill set to manage offering envelopes, the purpose of both of them is the same. So periodically it makes sense to step back and talk about these tools together as a parish staff. This includes how we represent them to parishioners.
As we all have gained experience with electronic giving it has become clear that we have to think about electronic giving and offering envelopes together as options for parishioners to use for contributions. Use them to reinforce each other by including your electronic giving URL on your envelopes and by reminding Online Giving users they can use envelopes at Mass and select "gave electronically". Remind envelope users if they forgot to give to a special collection they can use Online Giving and give to that collection as a One Time Gift.
This is a wonderful opportunity to remind parishioners about prayerful giving. As we talk about the introduction of electronic giving to our parish, we can use that opportunity to thank people for using envelopes. Our parishes can provide us options that are convenient for us as parishioners, and we can even use both as the need arises! What a great time to update your envelope designs and to express gratitude to people for their contributions. As a result we can raise overall awareness, remind people of the tools available to them, and get more engagement and contributions from both our electronic giving and our envelopes.
Use the introduction of new tools like Online Giving to create synergy for your parish! The same goes for web sites and Online Giving, but that's good for another time!
Even more concerning are parishes who place electronic giving and envelopes at odds with each other. "How do we decide which to use? Can we eliminate envelopes?" This approach completely misses the idea that we are providing options to parishioners so everyone can give from a sense of abundance and gratitude. we don't want to exclude anyone.
In our desire to compartmentalize functions and organize ourselves, sometimes we miss the opportunity to create an environment to foster cross-communications. Both web sites and electronic giving are technology based; however, their use is for communications and for contributions. While the skill set to understand the administration of electronic giving is different from the skill set to manage offering envelopes, the purpose of both of them is the same. So periodically it makes sense to step back and talk about these tools together as a parish staff. This includes how we represent them to parishioners.
As we all have gained experience with electronic giving it has become clear that we have to think about electronic giving and offering envelopes together as options for parishioners to use for contributions. Use them to reinforce each other by including your electronic giving URL on your envelopes and by reminding Online Giving users they can use envelopes at Mass and select "gave electronically". Remind envelope users if they forgot to give to a special collection they can use Online Giving and give to that collection as a One Time Gift.
This is a wonderful opportunity to remind parishioners about prayerful giving. As we talk about the introduction of electronic giving to our parish, we can use that opportunity to thank people for using envelopes. Our parishes can provide us options that are convenient for us as parishioners, and we can even use both as the need arises! What a great time to update your envelope designs and to express gratitude to people for their contributions. As a result we can raise overall awareness, remind people of the tools available to them, and get more engagement and contributions from both our electronic giving and our envelopes.
Use the introduction of new tools like Online Giving to create synergy for your parish! The same goes for web sites and Online Giving, but that's good for another time!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
EFT is not the answer
Does your parish have EFT set up for direct debit with banks? Are many parishioners using it? Probably not. In one of my previous posts I wrote that I heard parishioners did not like EFT because they find it difficult to set up and even more difficult to make timely changes.
That was reinforced in a big way this week in discussion with a few dozen parishes. EFT originally seemed like a good way to go because it was a direct withdrawal from bank or checking accounts. However as banks have started charging for this service it all gets a double whammy because it is inflexible and now it has additional associated costs. Put this together with the requirement to provide bank account information to the parish office to set up the withdrawal and EFT becomes a “non-starter”.
Web based Online Giving offers parishioners the security of entering their own account information privately. The account information is immediately encrypted and secured. Parishioners can select and change their contribution amounts, frequencies, and the dates of contributions at any time. This kind of service provides the convenience and flexibility we have come to expect from electronic systems.
One business manager I spoke with this week had previously implemented EFT and changed to Online Giving, employing both direct withdrawal and credit card options for contributions. Today he regularly promotes Online Giving as an option for parishioners. In the materials he goes a step further to say that parish staff is NOT involved in the parishioner contributions. With this approach the parish has seen great acceptance of the new tool and over 20% of contributions are coming from this system.
Consider whether or not EFT is providing your parish a service that makes giving easy. You might be able to use a service that makes it more convenient plus provides a boost to parish income!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Parishioners will rush to use Online Giving
Make it useful for them.
Do you think Online Giving is useful only for collecting weekly offerings? Many administrators don’t seem to think so. They are tuning in to parishioners’ preferences and unlocking the potential of Online Giving to provide added benefits that parishioners find most useful. Here are just a few examples:
A school run by the Catholic Church in Massachusetts signed up for a separate Online Giving account and took advantage of the merchant account with Sage, payment processor for Online Giving, to sign up for a hot lunch program offered by hotlunch.com. This program provided additional time saving features and benefits to parents as well as students while allowing school administrators to use the latest in technology to streamline their operations and improve efficiency. The school also set up funds in Online Giving for before-school and after-school programs, auctions and Pre-K Extended Stay programs in addition to tuition and hot lunch. Parents who found the electronic giving option so user-friendly and easy to navigate that they went on their church’s Online Giving page and signed up to make online contributions to weekly offertory as well as to other funds set up by the Church.
Another parish in Wisconsin tuned into what was most useful and convenient to parishioners and saw 250 people signing up for Online Giving in less than six months when it introduced school tuition payment option through its Online Giving site. The tuition accounted for 74% of the transactions during that period. Once parents signed up for tuition payment through Online Giving, they found it to be so easy to set up payments, they switched to online donations for weekly offering, capital improvements and holy day collections, among other things. The church in Indiana has a similar success story to share. It signed up twice as many parishioners for Online Giving than another parish just ten miles away because it allowed parents to pay for tuition and athletic events using the ACH option in Online Giving.
Online Giving is not designed to handle all the needs of the school for managing tuition payments and related issues. There are other programs, such as FACTS Tuition Payment, that have features that might be useful to some parents. However, a majority of the parents would rather pay tuition from their bank accounts than sign up for payment to a third party that charges a fee for its services. The fees may make sense to those who need additional services but the ones who prefer to keep their tuition cost as low as possible generally opt for a simpler payment option that does not cost them anything. The cost to the school of providing the tuition option through Online Giving ($0.29 per ACH transaction regardless of the Dollar amount) is relatively insignificant. More importantly, it does not cost the parents anything.
Of all the transactions processed in our Online Giving system in August 2011, little over 42% of the Dollar amount was processed for events and activities other than regular Sunday collections. The most frequent online collections are for:
The main goal of the churches or their affiliated schools is to make it convenient to their members to pay for any of the events or services offered by them. In view of the ever-growing use of debit cards and online bill-pay option offered by banks, it is imperative that churches utilize the functionality and features built into Online Giving and get the most out of them.
Do you think Online Giving is useful only for collecting weekly offerings? Many administrators don’t seem to think so. They are tuning in to parishioners’ preferences and unlocking the potential of Online Giving to provide added benefits that parishioners find most useful. Here are just a few examples:
A school run by the Catholic Church in Massachusetts signed up for a separate Online Giving account and took advantage of the merchant account with Sage, payment processor for Online Giving, to sign up for a hot lunch program offered by hotlunch.com. This program provided additional time saving features and benefits to parents as well as students while allowing school administrators to use the latest in technology to streamline their operations and improve efficiency. The school also set up funds in Online Giving for before-school and after-school programs, auctions and Pre-K Extended Stay programs in addition to tuition and hot lunch. Parents who found the electronic giving option so user-friendly and easy to navigate that they went on their church’s Online Giving page and signed up to make online contributions to weekly offertory as well as to other funds set up by the Church.
Another parish in Wisconsin tuned into what was most useful and convenient to parishioners and saw 250 people signing up for Online Giving in less than six months when it introduced school tuition payment option through its Online Giving site. The tuition accounted for 74% of the transactions during that period. Once parents signed up for tuition payment through Online Giving, they found it to be so easy to set up payments, they switched to online donations for weekly offering, capital improvements and holy day collections, among other things. The church in Indiana has a similar success story to share. It signed up twice as many parishioners for Online Giving than another parish just ten miles away because it allowed parents to pay for tuition and athletic events using the ACH option in Online Giving.
Online Giving is not designed to handle all the needs of the school for managing tuition payments and related issues. There are other programs, such as FACTS Tuition Payment, that have features that might be useful to some parents. However, a majority of the parents would rather pay tuition from their bank accounts than sign up for payment to a third party that charges a fee for its services. The fees may make sense to those who need additional services but the ones who prefer to keep their tuition cost as low as possible generally opt for a simpler payment option that does not cost them anything. The cost to the school of providing the tuition option through Online Giving ($0.29 per ACH transaction regardless of the Dollar amount) is relatively insignificant. More importantly, it does not cost the parents anything.
Of all the transactions processed in our Online Giving system in August 2011, little over 42% of the Dollar amount was processed for events and activities other than regular Sunday collections. The most frequent online collections are for:
- Diocesan Annual Appeals
- Building Maintenance
- New Church Building
- Capital Campaigns
- Debt Reduction
- Stewardship Campaigns
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Collections
- Schools
- Tuition
- Lunch Program
- Athletic Events
- Facility Maintenance
- Operating Budget
- Overall Support
- Capital Campaign for New Building
The main goal of the churches or their affiliated schools is to make it convenient to their members to pay for any of the events or services offered by them. In view of the ever-growing use of debit cards and online bill-pay option offered by banks, it is imperative that churches utilize the functionality and features built into Online Giving and get the most out of them.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
How Do You Justify The Cost of Electronic Giving Option?
Some of the church administrators are concerned about the added cost of electronic giving option when they look for ways to boost offertory collections. Even the ones who have been offering online giving option for a year or longer are not sure if it is paying off and delivering the results that were promised by the vendors.
If your members are not contributing to the church 52 weeks (or 12 months) in a year, it makes perfect sense to offer them an option to give electronically on a recurring basis – once a week or twice a month. That way, you will see an immediate return on your investment since you will now be collecting their contributions regardless of whether they attend the church or not. For instance, if a family attends the Sunday Mass three weeks in a month on an average, or 36 weeks in a year, and it gives $50 whenever it attends the service, it is contributing $1,800 a year. If this family switches to electronic giving and sets up recurring giving of only $40 a week for 52 weeks, it is still contributing $2,080 in a year or 15% more than it did before. Many churches that have been offering Online Giving from OSV for a year or longer report their members contributing as much as 30% more since they switched to the electronic giving option due to consistency in giving.
When you compare online giving programs from various vendors, it is important to look at how much flexibility they provide for giving. Some programs are designed for withdrawing funds from the donor’s accounts only once a month, generally on a fixed date. As we all know, not everyone is paid on a monthly basis. In fact, most of the people get their paychecks once a week or twice a month (e.g. 15th and 31st). It is very inconvenient for them to schedule their contributions to the church on a fixed date during the month.
Our analysis of almost half-a-million transactions we have processed in our Online Giving shows that 30% of these transactions are set as recurring contributions. On an annualized basis, the weekly and bi-weekly contributions add up to as much as 40% more than the monthly donations. Such is the benefit of greater flexibility.
A truly cost-effective online giving program should cost no more than 3 to 4% of the total online collections for the church. If offering this option results in an increase in collections in double digits, it more than pays for itself. It is therefore important to look at the cost of this program as a percentage of additional contributions it will bring in instead of a fixed cost per family. Any program that costs you a fixed dollar amount based on total number of registered families regardless of whether these families write checks or give electronically is likely to cost you more than a program with a cost structure tied to number of online givers and their contributions.
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