The Importance of Text-to-Give: Why This Feature is a Must-Have for Churches

Generosity fuels a church’s growth, outreach, and day-to-day needs. But managing donations, creating reports, and organizing everything can feel overwhelming for church staff.

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Generosity fuels a church’s growth, outreach, and day-to-day needs. But managing donations, creating reports, and organizing everything can feel overwhelming for church staff. With so much to oversee, finding ways to simplify giving and engage your congregation is essential for your church’s success.

That’s where our solutions come in. One Church Software offers comprehensive software tools that streamline the donation process and enhance church administration. Our text-to-give feature, in particular, simplifies giving for church members and provides valuable reporting and tracking functionalities for administrators.

What is Text-to-Give?

We make giving easy with text-to-give. This modern, efficient method allows your members to donate via SMS. The system automatically records and processes their donations, reducing manual entry and errors.

Reports suggest that 60% of church members would be willing to give via online portals. Members must create an account for the first time by sharing their preferred payment method and their email ID. 

Donors can give by text when someone sends a text message to the number assigned in One Church with the phrase “GIVE” and a dollar amount. The donation will be submitted for payment processing, and the transaction will automatically be recorded in One Church Software in Contributions and linked to the donor.

For the church, areas for giving are automated, making for seamless management of contributions.

Benefits of Text-to-Give

Implementing text-to-give offers various advantages for the church and its donors, making the donation experience more accessible. Here are a few other advantages of our text-to-give service.

Increased Donations and Engagement

One key benefit of text-to-give is convenience. Your members can donate from anywhere, anytime. By making giving easier, you’ll see greater engagement and support from your community.

Ease and Convenience for Donors

No matter where church members are, they can simply text the church via their phone to donate. Text-to-give is entirely safe, and we save all data on a secure server. 

Improved Real-Time Donation Tracking and Reporting

Administrators can easily track donations in real-time with text-to-give. This feature offers immediate insights into who is donating and how much, helping church leaders monitor finances more efficiently.

Setting Up a Donation Form

Creating a Simple and Secure Donation Form

A donation form can reflect your church’s personality and giving goals. An added benefit of creating custom donation forms is that it can help automate actions based on user interactions and personalize responses. It helps churches collect payments quickly and set expiration dates to manage form activity efficiently. Important note—creating a donation form is independent of text giving.

Promoting Mobile Giving to Your Congregation

It is essential to promote mobile giving across the congregation. Encouraging members to shift to this donation method can lead to better record-keeping, improved donor engagement, and more time for church leaders to focus on community building. For smaller churches, where administrative resources may be limited, mobile giving can streamline operations and allow growth without additional personnel.

Optimizing the Donation Process

Walking Members Through the Donation Process

Although text-to-give is easy to use, offering tutorials or personal assistance can help ensure all members feel confident with the transition. Take time to guide them through the process, and avoid making a full shift until everyone is comfortable. Walk them through the steps of setting up text-to-give or recurring donations so they feel supported every step of the way.

Offering Recurring Donations and Gift Automation

Our giving platforms make it easy to set up recurring payments. Even though donating through text-to-give is simple, automation further streamlines things. 

Security and Compliance

It’s important to ensure that any online donation system, including text-to-give, meets the highest security standards. By complying with laws and security protocols, you can build trust with your members and keep their information safe. One Church Giving is a PCI-Compliant Service Provider. We conform to the highest security standards in the payment card industry.

Special Considerations

Churches are diverse spaces, and all considerations must be accounted for. This could be on the part of the patrons or for churches. 

Text-to-Give for Small Churches and Non-Members

One Church Software offers customizable plans depending on the number of visitors a church receives. We offer unique plans for small churches, which can help streamline the process even with a lack of personnel. We also provide a separate reporting system for non-members who still wish to donate. 

Using Text-to-Give for Outreach Efforts

Beyond facilitating donations, SMS texts can be a powerful communication tool for church outreach efforts. They can effectively engage the community, share event details, offer spiritual encouragement, and foster a sense of connection. SMS texts are not just for people wanting to donate; they can also be used to further the church’s mission. 

Conclusion

SMS text-to-give is a powerful tool that can benefit churches of all sizes. It simplifies giving for donors and church administrators, making the donation process seamless and efficient. Beyond donations, text-to-give can be used to share church updates, engage visitors, and identify areas for improvement. With real-time tracking, increased engagement, and support for outreach efforts, text-to-give is an essential feature for any modern church looking to boost its impact and streamline operations.

Learn how One Church Software’s all-in-one solution can help you manage your volunteers, finances, service planning, giving, children’s ministry check-in, event registrations, and much more. Start a trial today!

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