Churches are embracing financial institutions and technology to generate donations.
An Episcopal Church in Texas is allowing parishioners to give tithes and offerings automatically through their credit cards. "They want to get the points, and that's fine,'' says Bobby Brown, the church's business manager.
Another innovation is the ATM-like "Giving Kiosk'' which lets you swipe a credit or debit card as you enter or leave church.
Companies as ParishPay and Vanco Services have emerged to help churches collect by bank draft, credit card and debit card.
And Visa USA saw its volume at religious organisations climb 21 per cent last year.
The trend toward high-tech giving is unmistakable, and so are the varying comfort levels of churches. However as generations emerge who simply don't carry cash the crassness of this trend may in time simply be realistic.
Donating Gets High Tech
From Giving Kiosks to Frequent Flyer Miles
Trend Themes
1. Automatic Giving - Opportunity for financial institutions to innovate and offer seamless automated donation systems for churches.
2. Giving Kiosks - Potential for technology companies to develop user-friendly donation kiosks that accept credit and debit cards.
3. Rising Volume of Digital Donations - Religious organizations should explore partnerships with payment processors to tap into the growing trend of digital donations.
Industry Implications
1. Digital Payment Solutions - Opportunity for digital payment companies to provide secure and convenient solutions for churches to collect donations electronically.
2. Technology Solutions for Churches - Church technology companies can capitalize on the demand for innovative tools like Giving Kiosks that streamline the donation process.
3. Financial Institutions - Banks and credit card companies can cater to the needs of churches by offering tailored services that enable automatic giving and tracking of donations.