As churches, we rely on the generosity of our faithful congregations and those who value the work that we are involved with in our communities.
That’s why it’s important to have the best range of giving tools available to ensure that those who are able and want to be generous in supporting our churches have the opportunity to do so.
Digital giving tools also have the potential to generate substantially higher donations than cash gifts as evidenced by the following average donation values released in December 2021:
| Donation Method | Average Donation |
| Cash | £1.92 |
| Contactless (Single Amount) | £5.78 |
| Contactless (Multiple Amounts) | £11.08 |
| Online Giving | £41.57 |
Source - Church of England National Giving Team
Online giving
Free premium version of Give A Little - until 31st December 2024
Online giving is rapidly proving to be a powerful way for churches to generate income from givers who are able to visit a church giving page using a computer or smartphone/tablet. Users are directed to online giving pages by following links on webpages, emails and social media. Additionally, QR codes in printed materials can also be used to direct users to online giving pages when scanned by a smartphone or tablet.
The National Church have partnered with two companies, SumUp & Stripe, to create an online giving tool which is the most competitive and flexible way to offer donors the opportunity to give:
Give A Little
A tool to create any number of online giving pages and QR codes to collect donations for your church. Each page can be customised in colour and display up to 6 pre-set donation amounts, with a further option for donors to select their amount. Give A Little (Premium) will also prompt each donor to gift aid their donation and ask for permission to stay in touch.
The cost of GAL Premium usually starts at £7.50 per month but for the rest of 2024 the national church have covered the cost to enable churches to benefit from this extremely useful tool.
All churches using Give A Little Premium will receive an update if charges are to be applied and will have the option to downgrade to a free basic account (without gift aid or contact opt-in, and with an annual limit of £1,000 for donations) or cancel their account.
Stripe
A payment processor (merchant) who will facilitate the transaction between the donor and the church. Stripe charges a 1.1% transaction fee on each donation and this is deducted at source. Donations are accumulated and paid out weekly in a single payment direct to the church bank account.
Reports can be downloaded from Stripe and Give A Little to help treasurers account for all donations and fees and also claim gift aid.
How do I setup an online giving account?
1. Complete the Online Giving Setup Form from the downloads section below and email this to the Giving Team at the diocese. Your account will be created and you will receive a confirmation when it’s ready to use along with some helpful guidance on how to get the most from it.
Or
2. Complete a self-registration through Parish Buying. In order to receive the discounted versions of Give A Little and Stripe you must complete your setup through the Parish Buying website. You need to start by visiting their Online Giving page where you will find the link and instructions to create your Give A Little account. Once this is created, you need to connect your account to a payment processor and a link is provided to create an account with Stripe.
Important - accounts must be created through ParishBuying to benefit from the subsidies provided by the National Church.
I already use Give A Little and want to change my merchant provider to Stripe to get lower transaction rates...
Simply log in to your Give A Little account, go to the ‘Account’ tab and then to ‘Integrations’ and click on the ‘Integrate with Stripe’ button. Then follow the simple registration process. (If you already have a pre-existing Stripe account, you will need to register a new one following these steps in order to access the Parish Buying 1.1% transaction fee).
Once you have completed the registration, Stripe will automatically be integrated with your Give A Little account as your payment processor for web campaigns.
If you need any help in doing this please contact the Giving Team.
Contactless giving
Contactless giving devices are an excellent way to capture in-person card donations from visitors whilst in your church building. With fewer people carrying cash, these devices are an extremely valuable tool to capture donations quickly and easily.
Helpfully, a number of devices use the Give A Little app meaning a single account with Give A Little provides your church with multiple donation channels for your church and also offer the ability to collect a gift aid declaration and contact details from donors to help maximise the value of their gift.
To find out more and to explore which devices would be suitable for your church please visit our Contactless Giving page.
Easyfundraising
Easyfundraising is a completely free and helpful tool that not only helps churches raise extra funds but can also help to develop new relationships with your wider community.
Your church can setup a cause page on easyfundraising where people can register as supporters. Once registered if they use the easyfundraising website or app when they want to shop online they can generate donations for the church from retailers.
It's quick and easy to setup and is a great missional tool to help talk about what the church does and how they can help.
Further information can be found on our easyfundraising webpage.
Who to contact
Email: givingteam@bathwells.anglican.org or contact Natalie Wainwright, Lead Giving and Funding Adviser