Text-to-Give: A Guide for Churches and Nonprofits

"Merry Christmas." That was the first text message ever sent, in December 1992. More than 30 years later, texting is how most of us talk to the people we care about, and 98% of U.S. adults now carry a cellphone, according to the Pew Research Center.

That makes text messaging one of the simplest ways for your church to receive gifts. With a text-to-give option, anyone who can send a text can give in seconds.

In this guide, you'll learn:

• What text-to-give is and how it works
• Whether it's effective and safe
• How to choose a provider and set it up
• How to launch it and turn text gifts into recurring giving

What Is Text-to-Give?

Text-to-give (also called text giving or text-to-donate) lets people make a church donation by sending a text message. If someone can send a text, they can securely give any amount to your church in seconds, without downloading an app or visiting your website.

With Tithely, you can even let givers use emojis. Each emoji is mapped to a specific fund, so texting it works just like a regular text gift.

Sending emojis to give may not be what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he talked about cheerful givers (2 Corinthians 9:7), but it seems like a fitting application.

How Does Text-to-Give Work?

Text-to-give works the same way on any phone and any carrier. Your church gets a dedicated giving number. A giver texts an amount, such as "50," to that number, and the gift is processed and confirmed by text and email. It's simple, fast and convenient for both givers and your church.

Here's what the process looks like:

1. First gift: the giver texts an amount (or the word "Give") to your church's number and receives a one-time link to enter their card or bank details.
2. Every gift after that: the giver texts an amount, and the gift is complete. No link, form or app is needed.
3. Choosing a fund: givers add a fund name after the amount. Texting "50 Missions" sends $50 to missions, and "100 Building" goes to the building fund. You can create as many funds as you need.
4. Recurring gifts: givers add how often, such as "25 Tithe weekly," to set up a recurring gift.

A text-to-give campaign can focus on regular giving, such as tithes, or on a special gift for a specific need, such as a building project or a mission trip.

Text-to-Give vs. Text-to-Donate

Text-to-give is another way of saying text-to-donate. The difference is mostly in the wording.

"Give" is a friendly keyword that makes room for people who want to give $10 or $15, not just hundreds of dollars. "Donate" can sound like a large, formal gift. For churches, "give" also fits the language of worship and generosity people already hear on Sunday.

Is Text-to-Give Effective?

Yes, especially when it's one of several ways to give. Text-to-give removes the small hurdles that stop people from giving in the moment: no cash, no checkbook, no app to download. A small gift also feels like an easy ask when it happens in the same app people use to talk with friends and family.

It works best as part of a well-promoted giving plan. San Diego Church of Christ grew giving by 23.8% over 18 months after moving to Tithely and rolling out new giving options, including text giving, with a launch plan, ongoing reminders and teaching on generosity. Read their story.

Is Donating by Text Safe?

Some people worry about scam fundraising texts, or about sending payment details by text. Both concerns are fair, and both are easy to answer.

With a reputable text-to-give provider, givers never text their card number. They enter it once on a secure, encrypted page, and every gift after that is processed by the platform. Tithely, for example, encrypts financial data and stores it with a banking partner that meets PCI DSS Level 1 standards, the security rules set by the major card brands and checked by an independent auditor.

To help your congregation feel confident, use one dedicated number, announce it from the front and put it in your official channels. That way people know a text from that number is really from your church.

How to Choose a Text-to-Give Provider

Not every text-to-give service is built for churches. Before you choose one, check these eight things:

1. Church management integration: gifts should flow into your member records automatically, so you aren't entering data twice.
2. Recurring giving: givers should be able to set weekly or monthly gifts by text.
3. Fund designation: givers should be able to text a fund name, such as missions or building, with their gift.
4. Reporting: look for real-time reports that show trends by fund, by campaign and by season.
5. Security: the provider should be PCI compliant, encrypt payment data and watch for fraud.
6. Ease of use: setup for first-time givers should take a minute, with your church's name on the giving page.
7. Support: make sure you can reach a real person by phone, email or chat, and that training resources are available.
8. Cost: compare the monthly fee for text giving with the per-gift processing fees, and ask whether there's a contract.

To compare specific providers side by side, see our list of the best text-to-give platforms.

Who Should Use Text-to-Give?

How people give is a personal preference. Your church may already accept:

• Cash
• Check
• ACH (bank transfer)
• Online giving
• A church app
• A kiosk
• Text
• Recurring giving

Offering several ways to give lets each person use the one that fits them. Every year, more people say they prefer to give online or from their phone, according to these giving trends and statistics. Text-to-give is also an easy way to take up one-time offerings, with gifts of any size.

8 Reasons Your Church Needs Text-to-Give

1. Almost everyone has a phone

According to the Pew Research Center, 98% of U.S. adults own a cellphone and 91% own a smartphone. Most people have their phone with them all the time, while carrying cash or a checkbook is far less common than it used to be.

2. People already use their phones for money

People bank, shop and pay friends from their phones every day. Large nonprofits such as the Red Cross have promoted text giving during disasters for years, so many people already know and trust the idea.

3. Text giving is easy to use

John gets paid every other Friday and wants to give his tithe right away. Susan travels for work and often misses Sunday services. Text giving works for both of them, wherever they are.

You can also share your giving number on your website and during livestreams, so online viewers can give while they watch. First-time visitors who aren't ready to download an app can still give in seconds.

Pastor Antonio Vincent of Dream Chaser Church shared, "Once we walked people through it, giving via text message is now like second nature to them. People are even starting to use text-to-give outside of Sunday services."

4. Accounting is simpler

Cash and checks mean counting, preparing deposits and entering every gift by hand. Text gifts are recorded automatically, givers get a receipt right away and funds are deposited into your church's bank account within a few business days. A good provider, like Tithely, also gives your finance team an online portal to view transactions and export them to your accounting software.

"Text giving has made counting at the end of service much faster since people are giving electronically," said Paula Torres of Oasis Family Life Church. "It helps individuals control their giving (updating expired cards, etc.), cuts down on back-office work and provides donors with the ability to check their own giving statements."

5. It's more secure than paper

Picture an offering envelope with someone's name, address and full card number written on it. Hopefully it stays locked up until it's processed and shredded. Text giving removes that risk, because payment details are entered on a secure page and never written down.

Related: 6 Ways to Keep People From Stealing From Your Church

6. It meets younger givers where they are

Younger adults rarely write checks and are far more likely to reach for a phone than a checkbook. Text giving fits the way they already handle money.

7. It cultivates generosity all week

When giving is as easy as sending a text, people can respond whenever they're moved to give, not just on Sunday. Joe sees your church's Facebook post about an outreach to families in need and wants to help. He texts a gift to your church's number on the spot.

It makes being a generous giver part of everyday life instead of something people only think about on Sunday morning.

8. It leads to more consistent giving

People can give during the service, but they can also give anytime, from anywhere. In fact, Tithely's 2025 giving data shows that Sunday accounts for only 27.7% of giving dollars, which means about 72% arrives Monday through Saturday. See the full church giving statistics.

That matters most in slower seasons. Churches that offer a variety of giving options tend to see steadier giving in the summer, because people can give while traveling. And when someone sets up a recurring gift, it continues whether they're in their usual seat or watching from a hotel.

Related: 8 Ways to Break Out of a Summer Giving Slump

How to Set Up Text-to-Give at Your Church

Setting up text-to-give takes three steps: choose a provider, get your giving number and promote it. Here's how it works with Tithely.

Step 1: Sign up for text giving

In your Tithely account, add Text Giving to your plan. It's included with All Access, or you can add it to any plan.

Step 2: Find your text giving number

Tithely assigns your church a dedicated 10-digit number that looks like a regular phone number. Admins can find it under Giving, then Text Giving. Multisite churches can set up a separate number for each campus, so choose the right location first.

Step 3: Wait for activation, then launch

New numbers need a short activation period because of carrier rules for text messaging. Plan for about three weeks before your launch Sunday.

Here's a short video that walks through how it works:

How church members give by text

Share these steps with your congregation:

1. Text "Give" or a gift amount to the church's number.
2. Tap the one-time link to connect or create a Tithely account and add a card or bank account.
3. After that, text any amount to give. Add a fund name, such as "50 Missions," to choose where it goes.
4. Add a frequency, such as "25 Tithe weekly," to set up a recurring gift.

Giving by text also opens the door to two-way communication. Once someone has given, your church can follow up with a thank-you note and updates on how gifts are being used. Givers can opt out at any time.

How to Launch and Promote Text-to-Give

Text-to-give only works if people know about it, and the most common reason it underperforms is that a church announces it once and stops. Use the first few weeks to build the habit, then keep it in front of people.

Build the habit in the first month

• Start with your leaders. Have staff and key volunteers give by text first, so they can help others.
• Demonstrate it from the front. Walk through a gift on screen during a service, and invite people to try it right then.
• Put it on screen. Show a slide with your number and a sample text, such as "50 Tithe," during the giving moment for several weeks after launch.
• Hand out the number. Print it on a card people can keep in a wallet or Bible, and give members a few extra to share.
• Repeat it everywhere. Add the number to your bulletin, newsletter, emails, website and social posts, and to your main giving page.

For slides, pew cards and more, download the free Text-to-Give Launch Kit.

Keep it going all year

• Connect it to a specific need. In a members meeting, share a clear goal, such as a youth retreat or a benevolence need, and invite people to give by text on the spot.
• Use it at events. Put your number on signs at community events, fall festivals, conferences and mission trip send-offs.
• Share it on social media. Pair a clear need with a simple instruction, such as "Text 25 Outreach to (555) 555-5555."
• Use it for special campaigns. Text giving works well for building projects, disaster relief and holiday offerings. For more ideas, see these creative ways to use text-to-give.

For more strategies, check out 9 Proven Strategies to Increase Online Giving in Your Church and these best practices for church announcements.

Turn Text Gifts Into Recurring Gifts

A text gift is often a first step. The goal is to help one-time givers become consistent givers, because recurring giving steadies your budget and turns generosity into a habit. Match your follow-up to where each giver is:

• New givers: send a thank-you right away, with a simple invitation to make it a recurring gift. Follow up again about a month later.
• Returning givers: when someone has given twice in about 60 days, personally invite them to set up a weekly or monthly gift.
• Recurring givers: keep them engaged with card-expiration reminders, occasional check-ins and a yearly report on what their giving made possible.
• Lapsed recurring givers: send a warm note inviting them to restart, with a reminder of the impact they've had.

Keep the recurring setup simple: as few form fields as possible, a choice of frequency and start date, fund options and a clear confirmation.

Free download: Text-to-Give Launch Kit. Everything you need to launch and promote text-to-give at your church, including service slides, pew cards, a PDF guide and editable design files. Use them as-is or customize them to fit your church.

Over to You

Text giving is one more avenue for generosity your church can offer. As Pastor James Crocker put it, "We need to create avenues for people to do what God calls them to do in the realm of generosity."

It won't replace the offering plate, your giving page or a well-written letter for a special campaign. But it gives your people a fast, familiar way to give whenever they're moved to, and that makes it worth offering.

Ready to get started? Set up text giving with Tithely.