In 2013 I shared a presentation entitled, “The Future of Giving? It Ain’t Paper! After this weekend’s Black Friday holiday shopping now more than ever is this true. Monday’s Wall Street Journal’s Business and Finance section had a lead article entitled, “Mobile Further Crowds Retail.” Consider what they found from the Thanksgiving 2016 shopping period called Black Friday…
- 99 million people shopped in physical stores but,
- 109 million shopped online!
- 18% increase in online spending on Thanksgiving and Black Friday over ’15
- -11% decline in Black Friday visits with sales dropping 10%
- 60% of Wal-Mart Black Friday online sales came through a mobile device a 50% increase from ‘15
From 2013 to 2016 the pace of change in commerce is staggering. Consider that by next year there will be almost 223 million people who own smartphones! This past weekend of shopping smartphones lead the way for holiday shoppers. What does all this mean for churches? Here are some key take aways…
The church of the future must embrace technology now not later! Only around 50% of churches offer online giving to their members. Our slow response to the technological revolution is costing the church millions of dollars. We still primarily base our giving upon the offering plate and this single platform is not enough in our checkless and cashless society.
Younger members are more prone to give digitally than with cash or checks. My previous sentence is even truer among Gen X and Millennial donors. Passing an offering plate in front of them is almost meaningless as they are not equipped to donate that way. If we are to engage this group and move them to generosity we must have the platforms available by which they can give.
Multiple options are the key towards being fully funded. While fewer people this year actually went to the store to shop 99 million showed up. So stores like Wal-Mart kept the doors open but they also engaged buyers online and through traditional venues. Successful businesses realize they have to use multiple options. The Church needs to learn this lesson as well. We must give people more than one way to give to our church to get their dollars.
You must have a plan and continue to work your plan. Churches have plans for everything except giving. The churches that will be fully funded are those that have a giving plan that they actually work. It is not enough to simply have online giving set up. You must have a plan that will enhance it and cause it to continually grow. You can’t simply add online giving and never mention it. You have to work your plan!
One thing we do at Giving365 is provide multiple plans by which any church using them can increase their giving. You can even try my plan for 14 days for only $1 here $1 for 14 Day Trail offer
Remember, the future of giving ain’t paper so let me help you navigate through the minefields with effective giving plans that include online giving!
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach