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Small churches know the phrase ‘shoe-string budget’ all too well. Pastors and church staff alike are accustomed to doing more with less, especially when it comes to resources. However, you also know that you need tithes to keep your ministry alive and functioning.
This means finding the right tools and solutions to grow your giving and fundraising efforts. That might never expand you past the label of ‘small church,’ but your goal is to be a healthy and thriving congregation that has an impact on your community.
<a href="#list-1" class="toc-link">1. Tithely</a>
<a href="#list-2" class="toc-link">2. Breeze ChMS</a>
<a href="#list-3" class="toc-link">3. Continue to Give</a>
<a href="#list-4" class="toc-link">4. PayPal</a>
<a href="#list-5" class="toc-link">5. Donorbox</a>
<a href="#list-6" class="toc-link">6. RebelGive</a>
<a href="#list-7" class="toc-link">7. Pushpay</a>
<a href="#list-8" class="toc-link">8. Givelify</a>
<a href="#list-9" class="toc-link">9. EasyTithe</a>
<a href="#list-10" class="toc-link">10. Subsplash</a>
Small churches know the phrase ‘shoe-string budget’ all too well. Pastors and church staff alike are accustomed to doing more with less, especially when it comes to resources. However, you also know that you need tithes to keep your ministry alive and functioning.
This means finding the right tools and solutions to grow your giving and fundraising efforts. That might never expand you past the label of ‘small church,’ but your goal is to be a healthy and thriving congregation that has an impact on your community.
The right online giving platform can make that a reality. Think of it like your digital offering plate.
Even smaller churches need to seek out church donation software because it increases how many donation options you’re able to accept. Your ministries have different needs from larger churches, but you all require money to function.
Accepting online gifts opens your church to new possibilities and the ability to engage your community. You’re no longer limited to accepting cash and checks or having to process deposits manually. Now, these tasks can be automated and tithing is easier for visitors and members alike.
Offering more giving opportunities expands the culture of generosity within your church.
There’s a long possible list of benefits for all church-giving platforms. But here are just a few ideas to show you why this is worth pursuing within your small church.
Given your limited time and budget, it makes sense that a small church staff would be hesitant about picking a church-giving software. Here are a few ideas for what to look for when choosing.
Choices for church-giving systems are plentiful because online giving is so popular. We’ve selected the following list based on how effective they were in helping small churches to get started and maintain healthy fundraising efforts. This is not a comprehensive list, but it’s a good start for any small church pastor looking for a place to begin.
Here Are Some of the Best Online Giving Platforms for Small Churches:
Tith.ly’s QuickGive option allows your church members to give with a single tap. The goal is to remove complexity for supporters.
Tithe.ly giving integrates directly with the suite of tools, which also includes Church Management Software (ChMS), website builder, mobile app, and worship planning.
Tithe.ly’s giving platform has no monthly payment or setup cost. The price is covered in the transaction fees per donation.
Breeze was created to be one of the simplest Church Management Software with built-in giving. This makes it ideal for smaller churches.
Breeze is now a part of the Tithe.ly family, making it easier to connect to the rest of their tools. Breeze also has one simple monthly cost that includes all features.
Breeze costs $72 per month.
Continue to Give has a less modern user experience compared to some of the other platforms, but it’s a solid option for small churches looking to start somewhere.
Continue to Give was created for all nonprofits, not just churches. They offer additional reporting and fundraising features beyond just church-giving platforms.
There are two pricing options depending on your church size. Silver has no monthly cost, but higher transaction fees, while Gold costs $29/mo with a lower transaction fee structure.
As one of the largest online giving platforms, PayPal is easy for people to use in many settings.
PayPal is a large technology company that most people will recognize. They offer a quick and easy solution for smaller churches looking to get started fast.
There is no monthly cost for an account, but they do charge higher transaction fees.
Donorbox features a customizable and modern giving form that can be integrated into your church website. This makes adding new forms easier on a wide variety of platforms.
Donorbox is one of the more prominent nonprofit fundraising tools. They’re used by more than 50,000 organizations across 96 countries.
Donorbox offers three tiers: standard, pro, and premium. Standard has no monthly cost, but multiple fees. Pro has reduced fees but costs $139 per month. The premium account is for enterprise-level clients with custom pricing.
RebelGive uses Giving Flows to create a seamless user experience to make donations without a mobile app. These are the next generation of online giving forms.
RebelGive is based on a flat monthly cost and does not take transaction fees. The benefit is that churches keep 100% of their donations rather than paying for transactions.
RebelGive costs $29/month.
Pushpay’s online giving platform is considered relatively easy to use for churchgoers.
Pushpay is built around its giving platform, so more focus is placed on the donations side of the technology.
Pushpay offers three pricing tiers for their ChMS—core, advanced, and complete—based on what features you need.
Givelify has a very modern branding that is created to be easy to use. Donors can even give directly from Givelify’s website, offering another source of donations.
Similar to Donorbox, Givelify is a general nonprofit donor platform that serves more than 60,000 organizations globally. People can also find your organization and give from their website.
No monthly fees, just based on transaction fees.
It’s right in the name—the goal of easyTithe is to make giving to any size church simple.
EasyTithe also offers a pro option that connects your giving platform to a ChMS and mobile app. They also offer a wide range of external ChMS integrations.
The pricing is based on church size with $19/month for small churches and $49/month for mid-sized churches. The Pro option starts at $75/month for new customers.
Subsplash began as a church apps company, so their giving platform is built around an easy-to-use mobile experience.
Similar to Tithe.ly, Subsplash offers a wide range of other products, including ChMS, live streaming, websites, and messaging. All of these work together within Subsplash One.
Subsplash has no monthly cost for giving. The platform is covered by transaction fees.
In summary, online giving is no longer an optional feature for small churches—it’s an expectation that all churches should adopt to remain relevant. This makes both communications and fundraising easier and allows your members to give from anywhere in the world. Online giving can help to fuel your growth, even when operating on a limited budget.
The simple answer is that it gives people more options to give. Contributions are no longer limited to within the church building or needing to mail in a check. This expands your potential fundraising audience and it allows people to schedule ongoing donations, which increases giving.
Nothing is really free, even if it doesn’t directly cost money. Collecting donations digitally requires a system to process payments and the effort to set up an account with this platform. Not to mention the effort of promoting online offerings. So there are more cost-effective solutions, but you should still expect to invest some time and money.
It’s not enough just to have a place to donate, you must also ask your community to donate. The best way is to include a reason why giving is valuable. Let them know the impact of their gift. Tell a story about how giving has benefited your community in the past. Help them understand how this connects to your church and why the need is urgent.
