More people are losing their jobs each day. Many with jobs are seeing reduced income. Tithes and offerings will mirror personal income loss.
But many people will stop giving just because they aren’t meeting at church. Maybe they don’t know how to give in a different way. Or maybe they don’t realize the church still has bills to pay.
Lots of churches have other sources of income which is drying up right now. Secondary sources of income like facility rentals may be impossible.
Let’s look at a few things you can do to limit your losses.
Online Giving Options
First, banks are still open. Your church can still receive and deposit checks. If this is the only way you have functioned until now, you can continue. Just make sure your congregation knows when and how to deliver checks to the church.
Second, a free and easy option is for people to send checks using their online banking bill pay option. All big banks and most other banks will have an option for paying bills online. And most of them are free. They can have a check mailed directly to your church from the comfort of their home computer or banking phone app.
Third, there are many money transfer apps available you can quickly setup and use, such as Venmo and PayPal.
Finally, let’s talk about Online Giving or Donor Management apps. Almost all churches should be using a donor management app. It will help track contributions and issue statements, which is hugely important for every church.
Now, choosing one can be a bit overwhelming because there are dozens of options with various levels of bells and whistles. Some must be integrated with a larger ChMS (Church Management Software). Others are completely standalone.
This list is large, yet not comprehensive:
Breeze ChMS
Tithe.ly
Subsplash Giving
Generosity by LifeWay
Pushpay
Kindred
Continue to Give
Easytithe
Givelify
The last two on the list are known for being among the lowest total costs.
Maintaining Relationships and Encouraging Remotely
It’s more important now than ever to stay in touch with your flock. They need to hear from you nearly every day in one way or another.
That means FB Live, email, FB posts, personal call/text...anything.
Some need physical care. But all need spiritual care and to be reminded that God is in control.
They want to be informed about the church. You need to remind them that the church still has bills and that the bills are paid from the contributions of your congregation.
This is a perfect time to exercise one’s faith in giving to the church.
Some people have lost their jobs or seen reduction in income. It’s necessary for others to step up to the plate to help a little more for now.
I found a good article discussing the biblical act of giving to your church and why it’s so important to continue during these troubling times.
Why Giving To Your Church Right Now Might Be More Important Than Ever (The Stone Table)
CARES ACT and Charitable Contributions
There is another huge benefit in the CARES Act that many people are overlooking. Limitations on charitable contributions have been relaxed.
For donors with large assets, this gives an opportunity to donate a much higher amount than normal which is tax deductible. Anyone can deduct up to 100% of adjusted gross income this year. Anything in excess carries over to next year.
You may want to inform your whole congregation about these changes or target certain individual givers.
Thanks for reading today.
Tomorrow's topic: Managing Church Expenses During the Pandemic