Top 10 Best Mobile Giving Platforms For Churches in 2022
In the following article, we'll take a look at 10 platforms that receive mobile donations–and how your church might empower your congregation to give through their cell phones.
In 2022, a mobile giving app is a must-have for every church's fundraising efforts. Mobile giving makes it simple and convenient to make online donations. It also makes it easier to track and organize church giving, and even increases the likelihood of generosity.
In 2022, a mobile giving app is a must-have for every church's fundraising efforts. Mobile giving makes it simple and convenient to make online donations. It also makes it easier to track and organize church giving, and even increases the likelihood of generosity.
Table of Contents
What are Mobile Giving Platforms for Churches?Why Do You Need a Mobile Giving Platform?How to Choose a Good Mobile Giving Platform for Your ChurchHow We Evaluated these Best Mobile Giving Platforms for ChurchesTop 10 Best Mobile Giving Platforms for Churches In 2022Final ThoughtsMobile Giving Platforms for Churches FAQsWhat are Mobile Giving Platforms for Churches?
Mobile giving platforms allow users to make online donations with their mobile phones. Sometimes, mobile giving platforms are included as a part of church apps; sometimes, they are standalone apps. In either case, they can help both religious organizations and nonprofit organizations empower smartphone users to make one-time gifts or recurring donations with minimal effort.
Why Do You Need a Mobile Giving Platform?
You need a mobile giving platform for two reasons.
Frankly, your church members expect you to have the tools and technology to help them engage easily. In 2022, there's no excuse not to have technology that makes it simple and efficient to make a financial gift.
A mobile giving platform can help increase the likelihood that donors will give. When you reduce friction to giving (e.g. make it as simple as possible), church members are more likely to make a donation.
A mobile giving platform makes it simple to organize and track the generosity of your church members
A mobile giving platform is critical for every fundraising strategy. The challenge is not adopting a mobile fundraising tool; it's choosing the one that's right for your church budget and needs.
Common Features of Mobile Giving Platforms for Churches
An all-in-one fundraising solution includes:
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A feature for covering transaction fees
A feature for making both one-time donations and recurring gifts
Text-to-give services
Several options for giving
Finally, powerful fundraising tools will have reporting that helps you stay keyed into giving trends at your church.
How to Choose a Good Mobile Giving Platform for Your Church
To choose a good mobile giving platform for your church, you'll want to consider cost, functionality, and ease of use. How will the solution help you stay within budget and drive engagement?
How We Evaluated these Best Mobile Giving Platforms for Churches
To evaluate the best mobile giving platforms for churches, we looked at several factors. First, we looked at ease of use. Does the tool provide a straightforward process for both donors and admin?
Next, we looked feature set. Does the tool provide a range of helpful features for churches to run a mobile fundraising strategy?
Finally, we looked at price. How much value does the tool offer for the price?
Ultimately, we looked for tools that scored well across the board, potentially providing churches with the ability to see an increase in donations.
Next, we looked feature set. Does the tool provide a range of helpful features for churches to run a mobile fundraising strategy?
Finally, we looked at price. How much value does the tool offer for the price?
Ultimately, we looked for tools that scored well across the board, potentially providing churches with the ability to see an increase in donations.
Top 10 Best Mobile Giving Platforms for Churches In 2022
The top 10 best mobile giving platforms help churches to improve their digital fundraising efforts and provide a smooth, simple giving process for donors.
Here Are Some of the Best Mobile Giving Platforms for Churches:
1. Tithe.ly
Usability and Experience
Users of Tithe.ly's mobile giving platform report that its interface is super easy to navigate. Plus, Tithe.ly has features for making a recurring gift, covering processing fees, reporting, and even giving with crypto–creating a smooth but dynamic UX for both donors and admin.
Features
Tithe.ly's mobile giving platform includes features for giving with a cash or check (or credit or debit card); reporting; text-to-give services; and even a "one-tap" feature for donors to give with just one click. Tithe.ly also has a feature for making payments for merchandise or other paid products (such as coffee) at a church.
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Benefits
Tithe.ly's mobile giving platform can help your church improve its fundraising strategy and donor engagement by making generosity on the go effortless for your church members. It also integrates nicely with Tithe.ly's church management system (ChMS).
Pricing
For churches under 1,000, Tithe.ly's mobile giving solution is free (yes, you read that right). Larger churches can contact Tithe.ly to get a demo and custom quote.
Pros of Tithe.ly
Tithe.ly makes the tithe process clear and convenient for donors. With absolutely zero cancellation fees and zero setup cost, Tithe.ly is also an extremely affordable giving solution.
Cons of Tithe.ly
If your church members start pulling out their phones in church, don't worry–they're probably just using making an online payment with Tithe.ly. 😊
2. Subsplash
Usability and Experience
Generally, Subsplash users say that their mobile giving solution is easy to use. Some users report trouble with the customer support team, but problems seem to be resolved eventually.
Features
Subsplash's mobile giving solution integrates with giving analytics, a text-to-give service, check scanning, optional coverage of transaction fees, and admin gift entry.
Benefits
Subsplash can be a great solution for churches looking to provide mobile giving options–but it will come with a price.
Pricing
Subsplash's mobile giving church technology is free.
Pros of Subsplash
Subsplash is free to use!
Cons of Subsplash
Subsplash's mobile giving solution integrates with their larger suite of church technology. However, some users of their products report a lack of customization and features.
3. Pushpay
Usability and Experience
Both donors and admin report that Pushpay's simple user interface for giving on a mobile phone is easy to use and manage.
Features
Pushpay offers features for making recurring gifts, creating a mobile donation pledge (to be processed at a later date), text-to-give capabilities, and tools for creating a special mobile giving campaign.
Benefits
Pushpay can help faith-based organizations build a strategy for conveniently receiving mobile payments from donors.
Pricing
Pushpay is pretty pricey, starting at $149 a month.
Pros of Pushpay
Pushpay is easy to use.
Cons of Pushpay
Pushpay is very expensive, and some users report issues with their software integrations.
4. Anedot
Usability and Experience
Users of Anedot's mobile giving solution say that it provides a smooth, seamless experience.
Features
Anedot provides text-to-give capabilities, tools for ACH processing, recurring giving, an option for covering fees, and giving to separate funds.
Benefits
Anedot can help your church or faith-based organization develop a donation process that's simple, intuitive, and mobile-friendly.
Pricing
Anedot is free to use.
Pros of Go Anedot
Anedot is free and intuitive.
Cons of Anedot
Anedot doesn't have a super wide range of features, and doesn't offer additional church technology tools that can be helpful to integrate with giving (such as an app building tool or church management software).
5. GiveWP
Usability and Experience
There's a reason that GiveWP is the most widely used donation plug-in for Wordpress; it's super easy to use and understand. However, GiveWP is only for churches that use Wordpress sites.
Features
GiveWP includes features for creating a customized donation form, storing donor contact info, tracking generosity, and more. Add-ons (which include add-on costs) include peer fundraising tools, the ability to set up recurring gifts, choose a payment gateway, setting up a text-to-give campaign, and more.
Benefits
GiveWP can be a great solution for church websites that rely on Wordpress to receive donations.
Pricing
GiveWP offers a free version. If you'd like to upgrade, the pricing plan increases from $149 annually for its most basic plan to $599 annually for the agency plan.
Pros of GiveWP
GiveWP offers great customer support and is an excellent choice for churches that use WP sites.
Cons of GiveWP
As an online giving solution, GiveWP is restricted to Wordpress sites. That means churches that use other website builders will need to look for other mobile giving tools.
6. Txt2Give
Usability and Experience
Txt2Give makes text giving simple and intuitive for nonprofits and faith-based organizations. Users say that Txt2Give is "easy and effective" as an online fundraising tool.
Features
Txt2Give provides simple functionality for receiving donations via text message, the ability to set up recurring donations, and a free giving platform.
Benefits
Txt2Give can help organizations set up basic giving campaigns with text-to-give capabilities.
Pricing
Txt2Give's monthly plans for text-to-give start at $19 for churches. They have separate pricing packages for events, and they offer a free online donation platform.
Pros of Txt2Give
Txt2Give makes it simple to get started immediately, with a special launch package and awesome customer support.
Cons of Txt2Give
Txt2Give isn't part of a larger suite of church software tools. Rather, it functions as a more streamlined, simple solution for helping churches set up donations via text. That can make it less than ideal for churches look for a more comprehensive giving solution.
7. OnlineGiving
Usability and Experience
Users of OnlineGiving report that it's simple to use. However, some users report difficulty with the admin portal.
Features
OnlineGiving provides features for setting up one-time and recurring gifts and text-to-give donations. It also integrates with church management software and offers multiple payment options (including crypto).
Benefits
OnlineGiving offers churches a secure platform with multiple online giving options.
Pricing
This all-in-one church fundraising solution is $70 per month for churches with 1,200+ donations.
Pros of OnlineGiving
OnlineGiving provides a comprehensive suite of church giving features, including options to customize forms and accept payments in crypto.
Cons of OnlineGiving
OnlineGiving may work for small- and mid-sized churches with fewer donations. But the more donations you receive, the more the price increases.
8. Vanco
Usability and Experience
Vanco users say that it's easy to set up and offers an intuitive experience. However, users have also reported different challenges with the backend (including double payments and overcharges).
Features
Vanco's mobile giving solution is integrated with a system that includes an online directory, integration with church management systems, group messaging, and a private chat feature.
Benefits
Vanco offers an entire suite of products to help with mobile fundraising, and integrates with additional software tools.
Pricing
Vanco starts at $10 a month for small churches; $49 for medium-sized churches, and offers custom pricing for larger churches.
Pros of Vanco
Vanco takes an advanced approach to help churches with their mobile fundraising strategy, offering a number of different features that integrate nicely with church management systems.
Cons of Vanco
More than one user of Vanco report serious problems with the software, including overcharging donors, double reporting, and challenges with the interface.
9. Give by Cell
Usability and Experience
Give by Cell offers a simple, straightforward approach to mobile giving.
Features
Give by Cell offers tools for mobile giving, giving by text, a "fundraising" thermometer, donor management, making recurring gifts, and making mobile pledges.
Benefits
Give by Cell allows users to make donations conveniently on their cell phones, and gives admin users the ability to track and customize giving.
Pricing
Give by Cell starts at $149 a month.
Pros of Give by Cell
Give by Cell provides all the tools that churches need to create a successful mobile fundraising plan.
Cons of Give by Cell
Give by Cell is very expensive.
10. eGiving.com
Usability and Experience
Users of eGiving say that "on the whole" it's an effective tool for mobile giving.
Features
eGiving has features for mobile giving, campaign management, donation tracking, event management, pledge management, and more.
Benefits
eGiving offers churches the ability to receive donations via text, mobile, and desktop. It's an easy way to integrate online giving into a church's fundraising strategy.
Pricing
eGiving charges $19 per month. However, for the duration of the pandemic, eGiving is free (it's unclear how long this offer will last).
Pros of eGiving.com
eGiving offers churches all the basics for a mobile fundraising strategy. They also have documentation and resources to help with training.
Cons of eGiving.com
Users of eGiving report that it's not as easy to use as other tools.
Final Thoughts
In 2022, a mobile fundraising strategy is critical. While churches have many options for mobile fundraising platforms, Tithe.ly offers an extremely intuitive, affordable solution for churches to receive payments via mobile and text. Tithe.ly also stays abreast of current trends (such as giving with crypto), always offering churches the freshest, most cutting edge way to be generous.
Mobile Giving Platforms for Churches FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about mobile giving platforms.
Is PayPal Good for Churches?Is Venmo Good for Churches?How Do I Pay Tithes Online?Is PayPal Good for Churches?
PayPal isn't tailored to churches, making it less than ideal for a church's mobile fundraising strategy. It makes it difficult to set up recurring payments and has an outdated redirect model. To learn more about why PayPal isn't good for churches, click here.
Is Venmo Good for Churches?
Venmo isn't a platform designed for ongoing payments between a member and an organization. Organizations that receive more than $600 a year are required by law to report these transactions to the IRS. Venmo also lacks the tools churches need to encourage members to make ongoing donations.
How Do I Pay Tithes Online?
The best way to pay tithes online is to set up recurring payments with a system like Tithe.ly.
