Teach Yourself, Reach Your Members, Increase Church Giving

There’s an old truism that says in order to teach something to someone else, you have to fully understand it yourself. There’s also the idea that when training someone on a task, you should follow the “Tell me, show me, help me,” model. Nowhere is this more applicable than with using Givelify for church giving.

As a church leader you already know many of your members are using their smartphones to read their bibles, order and pay for Starbucks and Uber, to pay their bills online, and even using contactless payments to purchase items at stores. These folks are already well-seasoned and comfortable with technology, so simply announcing that your church is on Givelify and they can make offerings and donations anytime, anywhere might be enough to send them on their way to cheerful church giving.

But what about those who have smartphones but don’t fully understand some of the great features and capabilities? Or those who are hesitant to download apps? The way to reach the reluctant or less informed is to teach them. The best way to teach them is to learn about Givelify yourself.

Kick the Tires

One of the benefits of the Givelify mobile giving app is the ability to sign up your church, download the app, and test it out yourself before presenting it to others. You can familiarize yourself with all the features of the app as well as your dashboard. By the time you demonstrate it to your congregation you’ll already be a master at using the app. As the trusted voice in your church, this will go a long way toward allaying fears and increasing people’s comfort with mobile church giving.

A great place to start is the “Prepare for Launch” section of the Givelify Launchpad. If you’re not already sure how Givelify works, this section will provide a step-by-step walkthrough of how to download the app and make your first donation. You can also watch a helpful video demonstrating the process:

The Givelify Launchpad also has guides and videos for customizing your church’s app profile, managing your account, and more.

Don’t Be Afraid of Your Tools

Back in college I had a job with my university’s IT department teaching computer skills classes to students, faculty, and employees. Oftentimes the non-academic employees (maintenance staff, service workers, etc.) were being made to learn a new system like Outlook or Excel as a function of their jobs. This usually resulted in resistance, especially among those who never really used computers for anything. This was the 1990s after all; not everyone was running around with a high-powered computer in their pockets like we do today with our iPhones and Androids.

For many of my students, especially the older employees, there was a genuine fear involved. I would be asked, “What if I click the wrong thing?” or “What if I break it?” In cases like these, I liked to analogize a computer to a hammer. A computer is just a hammer that lights up and makes noise. It can’t think. It has no free will. It’s not going to do anything you don’t tell it to do unless it’s actually broken. Think about it: at some point somebody had to show you how to hammer a nail. You had to learn how the hammer functioned, which end to hold, how to get the most power and efficient strike.

Consider your reluctant or fearful members when faced with the idea of downloading an app, putting in their credit or debit card information, finding your church, and making a donation. For some this seems intimidating and complicated. By demonstrating how to use Givelify in a live setting during service, you’re showing that you trust the tool, it’s easy to use, and there’s no need to be afraid. You can also utilize your younger or more tech-savvy members to help one-on-one and guide people through the process.

Church Giving Increases You Can See

By ensuring you are adept at using Givelify for church giving, and helping your members get to the same comfort level, you’re sure to see your donations increase. Organizations that actively promote Givelify and educate their members and donors report an average increase of 20-30% in giving.