To faithfully thrive, your church operates thanks to the generous prayers and offerings of the parish. To serve God and the community freely, parish giving must abound throughout the year. But this isn’t always the case for many churches today.
To help your parish strengthen its funding efforts, here are some of the top ways to increase giving year after year.
1. Focus on Parish Engagement
The giving of tithes and offerings is an act of obedience, but it’s also rooted in generosity. And generosity is expressed openly in cultures of trust, fellowship, and camaraderie.
The best way to encourage faithful giving is to create a parish environment that makes people feel included. People give to causes and communities they feel close to. If your parish currently lacks engagement, it may be time to rethink this approach.
How can you make your parish feel more like a family? In what ways do people want to get more involved? Supporting your parish firsthand leads to the success of generous giving year-round. Participation, outreach, and service are priorities to invite everyone into.
2. Teach About Generosity
Some parishioners may not give because they don’t understand the spiritual principles of tithing. Everyone has different attitudes and beliefs toward giving, and toward money in general. But money doesn’t have to be an awkward topic at church.
There are many ways to equip your parishioners to learn, improve, and practice better giving habits. Perhaps it’s time to preach about giving or finances. Maybe your church can host a faith-based budgeting class. Or maybe God’s calling you to start a financial counseling ministry. Consider how your parish service team can teach your community about generosity.
3. Be a Grateful Steward
If the parish leadership or staff is irresponsible with finances, the issue might not be a lack of giving itself. A bigger issue may be suboptimal spending of the funds received.
Reflect on how your leaders can be responsible stewards of parish donations. Remain thankful in word and deed. Live by example and address your church finances regularly. Commit to taking better care of parish accounting throughout the year so you don’t have to approach funding with stress or fear.
4. Encourage All Generations to Give
It’s easy to assume that only parish elders or families are those willing to give regularly. But new findings reveal that younger generations today are heavily inclined to donate and support causes they deeply care about.
Review ministries of varying generations. How can you equip and encourage younger generations to give? What about seniors, young adults, or cultural groups— how can you empower more parishioners to step into generous acts of faith?
With online giving options today, even kids and teens get excited to donate. If you have Catholic giving app at your church, make sure to remind ministries to give at any time. Also, consider setting up ministry-specific fundraisers throughout the year.
5. Share Positive Giving Reports
If you’re currently keeping your parish funds in the dark, it might be a good time to start sharing reports. You don’t need to reveal every financial detail. Simply share some big-picture examples of how your church is giving back to its community.
What positive impact is your church having on others? How are parishioners’ funds being put to good use? Tell stories, welcome different ministry leaders to share positive results, and give your parish a reason to celebrate every few months.
With a parish giving app, you can track giving trends and view graphical statistics. Consider showing how well a certain fundraiser is doing or sharing milestones with the community.
6. Update Your Parish Donation Methods
In what ways is your parish able to give? If your church still only allows cash or check donations, it’s time to get up to date with the latest technology.
Online giving lets churchgoers submit donations to their parish instantly. Through a parish website, giving app, or even smartphone, people can give in ways that are convenient for them. A Catholic giving software is a great option, as these cater specifically to the Catholic faith and help your parish grow in generosity.
7. Plan Your Pledges and Giving Campaigns
Go above and beyond the passing of the offering plate. Plan parish giving opportunities ahead of time and set estimated goals for every year, quarter, and month.
Create long-term and short-term visions for parish fundraising. Plan each campaign to reflect the funding needs and events. For example, there are seasonal pledges for special holidays that will not only increase parish giving but benefit parishioners’ lives with meaning and spiritual discipline. Fundraise for specific causes such as community outreach, family relief, mission trips, and more.
Make it easier to plan and launch upcoming giving campaigns by tracking everything in a Catholic giving software. Giving platforms allow you to go back and view past campaigns, which helps note what to change or improve next time.
8. Make Automated Giving Easy
If your parish already uses a church mobile giving platform, encourage people to set up the automated giving option. This feature, also called recurring giving, is available on many online giving platforms.
Think of automated giving as an individualized automatic charge a parishioner sends to your church. For example, a giver can choose to pay $25 every Sunday to the parish, and $10 every other week to a ministry of their choice.
Once automated giving is in place, givers can donate even on the days they can’t physically attend mass. This feature also allows people to easily include donations in their budgets since transactions show up in electronic bank statements.
More Solutions for Improving Catholic Church Donations
Practice these eight ways to increase parish giving, and you’re on your way! If your church needs additional guidance, some resources specifically help parishes online.
At ParishSOFT, we pave a way for you to fully empower your ministry. Our Catholic giving tools equip your church to grow in generosity, financial stewardship, and parish engagement. Talk about long-term impact!
To get the support you need to increase parish funding year-round, ask about our Giving Success Program today. Whether or not you already use ParishSOFT online giving, we’re here to help.
