“Our online giving experience is clunky and confusing.”
“I wish our giving platform looked as personal and welcoming as our church…”
“I want to streamline my administrative processes and providers.”
“What are all these high transaction fees?!?”
We hear you! We all know the problems with online giving––and you’re ready to upgrade to a platform that does better for your church! Choosing a new online giving solution can solve your day-to-day problems and make tithing easier for your church family.
You’re arming your members with a better way to answer God’s call to give through tithes and offering.
But migrating to a new online giving platform doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. PCI compliance, sensitive financial information, and private giving records all make the situation a little, well...stickier. But we’ve got a plan to help you lead your congregation onto a new online giving system:
Communicate the Why
Acknowledge the awkward, but don’t shy away from it. The biggest roadblock you’ll encounter in this transition is helping your members understand how and why they need to make the change. You’ll need to make a conscious effort to talk to your members about why a) this is important and b) the fact that the office can't just flip the switch for them like most other behind-the-scenes church management tools.
Have your pastor kick off the conversation by framing it with the problem, then showing how your new system is the solution. For example, if your members really struggle with finding a convenient way to give (because maybe your platform only allows for web browser giving), you’ll have a lot to talk about! You can emphasize all of the exciting giving methods of your upgraded system: kiosk giving, text-to-give, or through an app. If your church pays high transaction fees, or can’t get good reports, explain some of those those concerns, too.
Now your members understand the why behind the switch, and they relate to the problem––so of course they’re onboard with the new solution (even if it takes a few minutes on their part)!
Communicate the When
Next, you want to be clear when and how the transition will happen: “We're going to turn the old platform off on May 1st, so you will need to create a new account before that day.”
Pro tip: If you can, run both your old and new systems for an overlapping month (or two) to give people time to make the transition.
And most importantly, reiterate to your church family that it all comes down to their financial safety. You are protecting their financial information by asking them to create a new account––any flip-of-a-switch system might put your PCI compliance at risk. You’re looking out for their convenience and safety!
Empower Tithes and Offering
After you release your awesome new giving platform out into the world, you've essentially "broken" your members’ old online giving habits. They’ll need to get used to new habits. You'll need to encourage them through the transition.
Start by getting the word out. Make it a whole campaign: hit the streets (inside, of course) with posters, blast the exciting news on social media, and don’t forget the Sunday bulletin and your monthly newsletters. For a little snail mail fun, mail a letter straight to your recurring or past donors to thank them for their consistent support––and include the few steps they’ll need to take to get set up on the new system.
Be transparent with them: "We know we’re talking about it a lot, but it's just that important. We're making the switch on x date. This will make tithes and offering easier and our hope is that this will make our church even more potent in our community."
Use this opportunity to talk openly about online giving and get your congregation excited. You could even tie this switch to something they will find easy but significant as a trial run. For example, ask them to set up their account quickly right on their phones in your Sunday service, and ask them to donate $1 to your upcoming teen mission trip as a test. Give them a reason to make the switch right now, and they’ll see how easy it is.
If you’re migrating to e360 Giving (hooray!), we have a bundle of resources to help you build this campaign and educate your members. The Resources tab in the control panel is filled with guides and FAQs to help your whole church navigate the transition:
