As churches cater to the needs of today’s generation, one area of particular importance is giving, especially when it comes to offering a means for your congregation to pay tithes online. As recent surveys show, online giving trends continue to rise and churches need to offer a means to allow their congregations to pay tithes online. With all of the options to choose from, what is the best platform for your church?
Pay Tithes Online – Top 5 Church Online Giving Platforms
A recent survey of churches in 2016 found that, when asking congregations their preference for giving tithes and offering, 68% said they want digital options like a giving kiosk at their church. To pay tithes online, 21% said they would like to be able to give online through the church website, while 49% want to be able to give through a mobile app, and 54% said they want to pay tithe online through text giving. Only 14% said they want to give through an envelope in the pew.
Given this data, here are some of the best options to explore when it comes to online giving platforms so you can offer ways for your church to pay tithes online:
Sharefaith Giving
- Included with Sharefaith membership
- Flat rate 3% transaction fees with credit/debit, and 1% for ACH echeck
- Full giving dashboard included
- Donor accounts
- Form builders
- Event registration
- ChMS integration
- Online, kiosk, and text giving options
Monthly fees: $0 (included with any Sharefaith membership)
Transaction fees: 3% for card, 1% for e-check
Sharefaith Giving is Sharefaith’s exclusive giving platform that is bundled with any Sharefaith membership at no extra charge and users can add text giving for only $10 a month if they so choose. Sharefaith’s competitive transaction fee rates are a flat rate 3% for card transactions and only 1% for ACH payments (e-check). Sharefaith Giving even includes other amazing features, such as a full giving and reporting dashboard for your church leadership team, a custom giving form builder that even allows you to brand all your materials, event registration forms, integration with third party ChMS platforms, and the ability for donors to create their own giving accounts to track their donations and tithes and offering. Sharefaith Giving allows users to give online, through a kiosk system, or even pay tithes online through text giving.
PayPal
Monthly fees: $0
Transaction fees: 2.2% + $0.30
PayPal is another popular online giving and payment platform used by many people and companies. PayPal does not have any monthly fees to use as a personal or non-profit account and a special transaction rate of 2.2% + $0.30 for non-profits. While relatively inexpensive, PayPal lacks in the feature department with no options of setting up giving funds for reporting and offers a basic payment gateway that can be difficult for members who don’t have a PayPal account of their own.
PushPay (eChurch Giving)
Monthly fees: $99 or more
Transaction fees: 2.5%
PushPay offers custom tools and reporting for online giving, starting at $99 a month, and offers a flat rate 2.5% transaction fee for each transaction. Pricing can go up if your church needs more features than the standard plan offers. Mobile users have the option to download and sign into the PushPay app, rather than going through the church’s mobile app or website.
EasyTithe
Monthly fees: $0-49+
Transaction fees: 3% + $0.39, 1% + $0.39 for eCheck
EasyTithe is another option that offers different levels of pricing and features, based on the church’s size and needs. Depending on how many transactions your church processes, you can choose lower monthly fees with higher transaction fees, or vice versa. There are also additional security fees and kiosk fees if you plan to have a giving kiosk at your church, so be sure to research options and expenses carefully beforehand.
Tithe.ly
Monthly fees: $0
Transaction fees: 2.9% + $0.30, 1% + $0.30 for eCheck
Tithe.ly doesn’t charge any monthly or setup fees, but charges fees for each transaction at a flat rate of 2.9% + $0.30 for cards (3.5% + $0.30 for American Express cards) or 1% + $0.30 for ACH payments. Tithe.ly is an accessible giving platform for churches just starting out, but lacks features found in full-fledged giving platforms and has higher transaction fees to make up for the lack of monthly fees.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are several factors to consider when you select an online giving option, such as ease of use for staff and congregation, pricing, features, etc. If you’re a Sharefaith member or are looking to get a Sharefaith membership, Sharefaith Giving is already included as an easy, affordable way for your congregation to pay tithe online and open up more giving opportunities in your church. Join Sharefaith today for only $17/month to get Sharefaith Giving, 80,000+ worship graphics, and worship presentation software all included in one fantastic, cost effective membership! Have questions? Visit support.sharefaith.com or call us at 1-888-317-4018.