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Church giving statistics & trends every pastor should know
February 18, 2021
A crucial part of every church’s financial planning is being able to anticipate upcoming tithes and offerings. This means pastors and church finance staff need accurate church giving statistics to learn what percentage of Christians tithe, what the size of the average donation is, and other giving trends. Staying up to date with current charitable giving trends is also critical to learning current donor habits and discovering new ways to encourage generosity.
The last few years highlighted the ongoing need for churches to offer multiple giving options to their donors. Here’s the key church giving data to know in 2022, along with what it means for your church.
In 2020, donors gave more to churches through online giving solutions than with cash or checks.
Churches need online giving solutions in order to encourage generosity, increase donations, and reach their budgeting goals. Online giving is no longer a “nice-to-have” option—it’s a necessity.
Smaller dollar donations are making a significant impact on charitable giving, and they’re made possible by online giving platforms that make giving effortless.
It’s critical for churches to set up online giving solutions so that they can easily collect these donations.
Also referred to as “micro” or “impulsed-based” donations, these less costly donations have become very popular, especially among younger donors.
The small percentage of how many people tithe is between 10–25%. The vast majority of members in an average congregation do not tithe on a regular basis.
Give your existing and potential donors as many tithing options as possible. The best online giving solutions, like Subsplash Giving, enable people to tithe through your church’s website, mobile app, ACH transfers, and recurring gifts.
Of the percentage of people who tithe, most give beyond 10%.
Tithers are serious about giving, so it’s important to take care of them and keep them engaged with your church. The best online giving solutions allow your donors to track their contributions. They also simplify bookkeeping for your team, so it’s easy to provide your donors with giving statements and end-of-year charitable tax statements.
Perhaps more than any other church giving statistic, this demonstrates that churches without online giving miss out on many opportunities to receive more donations.
When selecting a giving provider, be sure to choose one that offers a giving guarantee, which ensures that your overall giving will increase!
Today’s donors appreciate being able to give by setting up ongoing automatic withdrawals from their bank accounts.
Churches need to promote the usage of recurring giving—a feature included with the best online giving solutions—to their congregations. This allows your donors to give by setting up repeating donations with their card or bank account just once, so they no longer have to remember to bring cash or a check to church every week.
Recurring givers donate 42% more each year—and are 80% more likely to keep giving—than one-time givers.
48% of Millennials and 61% of Gen Z surveyed in 2020 indicated they are increasing the amount they donate towards charities.
Looking forward, this is significant because Millennials will soon receive the largest wealth transfer in the history of the world from their “Boomer” parents. Addressing their giving preferences will soon become even more important.
Younger generations are much more likely to reject traditional giving options, so churches must find new ways to engage younger donors. For example, instead of only making weekly giving appeals from the pulpit, churches can increase interest by creating fundraisers for specific causes.
Gen Z donors are much more likely to give to a church that publicly shares the positive impact it is making in their community.
10. 64% of donors say that establishing trust is essential before donating.
What this means for your church:
Churches can build trust by being transparent and welcoming accountability.
Use storytelling to share where and how your donors’ hard-earned money is being used.
Consider hosting an annual budget meeting to discuss the impact made by their tithes.
People of every age and demographic want to give to churches. This is why each year people give more money to churches and religious organizations than to any other charities!
Churches and religious groups also receive more volunteer work. Of the 77 million people who volunteer each year, 32% choose to volunteer for their churches and other religious groups.
The bottom line on church giving
The simple truth is that people are more than willing to give to churches, and they’re using new methods to make donations. The above church giving statistics make it clear that churches need to adopt modern giving options, embrace transparency, and use storytelling in order to stay connected with their donors.
At Subsplash, our goal is to help Fuel Your Mission™ by providing you with the best online giving platform with no monthly fees. You’ll have a dedicated team of experts to help you learn and adopt the best giving tools, such as in-app and website giving, text-to-give, payments for merchandise and events, recurring giving, and so much more!
