One of the most beneficial features of a Catholic online giving software is automated giving. In our digital world today, automatic payments are part of everyday life: the Netflix subscription, the kids after school program, and the annual website hosting fee, for example. Everything’s automatic, and it simply makes life easier. It can also make your ministry more financially stable.
If you’re looking for new ways to increase the giving at your parish, keep reading. Here’s why automated giving is important for Catholics— plus how to use it and what it can do for your parish.
Who Uses Automatic Giving?
Today, at least two-thirds of adults with recurring bills in the United States choose to set up automatic payments online. It’s a convenient way to make sure consumers cover all their monthly expenses without the risk of forgetting to pay. The same applies to parishioners who want to give back to their parish
Faithful givers and even occasional givers choose automatic donation features because it’s convenient and responsible. Although donations and offerings aren’t mandatory in the Catholic faith, many members of the laity choose to give with grateful hearts.
For this reason, individuals of every age, race, background, culture, and denomination find themselves wanting to donate to their parish. And with automatic donations, anyone who can use a computer, or a smartphone can.
Top Ways Automatic Giving Increase Parish Funds
How do automated donations actually contribute to your parish funding goals? Once you find out, you’ll probably want to encourage this feature throughout your church. Let’s look at a few of the benefits.
Makes Giving Accessible to All
It’s not always possible for people to give their donations while physically present at Mass. An individual might struggle with forgetfulness. A parishioner may not get paid until a certain date, and they want their funds given to the parish a few days after they’re certain the money is available. Maybe a young couple is tracking their budget carefully because they’re planning to start a family.
There are so many reasons why parishioners prefer automatic giving. Making it available to all means more accessible giving opportunities. And ultimately, this means more people giving on a regular basis.
Frees Up More Time for Ministry Work
The automated giving feature allows both the parishioners and the clergy to spend less time managing funds and more time serving in the ministry. This might not seem like a monetary benefit, but more time serving means more community growth and faith in action. All of this results in a priceless increase throughout your parish.
Provides Accurate Donation Reports
With online giving, your clergy and staff can access comprehensive reports and track the financial status of your parish. Accounting features equip your team to fund important projects, plan ahead, set bigger funding goals for the future, and carry out charity work with major impact.
Donation reports can be automated every week, month, and season so your staff doesn’t have to manually enter the financial details. Talk about an added benefit! To learn how to automate giving records and reports using your online giving platform, reach out to customer support.
Empowers Leaders to Budget for Catholic Charities
When it comes to pledges and second collections, clergy and staff can allocate donations to the right place— without worrying about having enough for daily operations.
With automated donation, parish staff can determine projected funding every month and make informed decisions about giving to important Catholic charities. Whether your parish gives locally, nationally, or abroad, you can rest assured that the automated donations are being accounted for and put to good use in God’s ministry.
How to Encourage Automatic Giving at Your Parish
If you’re wondering how, you can inspire your parish to start egiving here are a few ideas.
- Plan mass around the topics of generosity and stewardship
- Mention automated giving options when passing the offering plate
- Promote online giving features to those who give generously in person
- Encourage youth and young adults to try giving $1-$5 per month
- Offer financial education to your parish
- Include a mention of automated giving options in parish bulletins
- Send email tutorials on how to set up automated giving
There are many ways to empower parishioners to become better stewards of money through giving and offerings. For even greater support, consider using a Catholic-friendly giving platform that comes with plenty of Catholic faith-based resources.
Automated Giving Solutions for Catholics
At ParishSOFT, we want to see your parish grow in generosity every year. We want you to stop worrying about funding and start living out God’s call for your ministry.
Whether you’re already a ParishSOFT customer or you use another online giving platform, it’s important to encourage automated giving throughout your ministry.
Need help planning the solutions and systems it takes to get more people to choose automation? Our Giving Success Program is here to help Catholic ministries like yours increase giving for years to come. Reach out today to learn more!
