Give Anytime, Anywhere

One important factor that makes digital giving perfect for increasing generosity is the ability to give anytime, anywhere. Now, it’s possible to give simply by reaching for the phone in your pocket. With giving apps and text-to-give, a person can give whenever—and wherever—the Lord prompts them. 

This solves the “I forgot my checkbook” problem. You know the one. Someone forgets their checkbook and makes a mental note to give twice as much next time. But next time, it’s more difficult than they imagined to write such a large check. The paralysis that follows can mean an intended offering is missed or giving is pushed aside altogether. 

But these days everyone has their phone with them at all times. We use our phones as an essential communication device, our day planner, our entertainment hub, our banking center, and a hundred other things besides. People are seldom without their phone, which means they are seldom without the ability to give. 

The other thing I love about being able to give anytime, anywhere, is that we have all been freed to give spontaneously.

The apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). 

There are two pieces to this verse that should inform our giving. First, we should give what we have decided in our hearts beforehand to give. As we’ve already seen, mobile giving removes virtually all the barriers to that sort of giving. The second type of giving, which is of course not mutually exclusive of the first, is cheerful giving. With the ability to give directly from the phones in our pockets, we can now give above and beyond whenever the Spirit prompts us to do so. 

Here’s an example of what I mean: Does your church or denomination have a missions conference? There will be those who attend in order to hear the fascinating stories of missionaries at work in the far reaches of the world, but those same people may not realize how great the financial needs are on the frontiers of the Great Commission—until they’ve heard firsthand from the missionaries your church supports. In that moment, they may want to give. The phones in their pockets will allow them to do just that, right then and there. 

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). 

Removing barriers for generous Christians to give however and whenever they choose is one of the easiest ways for a church to increase giving. You’ll find many people already desire to give. It’s our job to make it as easy and pain free as possible for them to do so.