Over the last couple of years, there has been substantial growth in the number of people utilising sites such as Kickstarter and JustGiving with one goal in mind, to raise funds for a specific cause. Naturally, in church circles we’re not particularly interested in raising money to create wacky inventions such as the ostrich pillow or a giant inflatable version of Lionel Richie’s head, but have you considered using technology to facilitate giving towards your church?
Undoubtedly, some people still prefer to give using cash or cheque which is fantastic, however we live in the days of contactless technology, where fewer people are carrying cash. Giving the opportunity to simply enter a few card details and click a few buttons can open up a new window of opportunity. The big question is, how can churches facilitate this?
Payment Methods
iKnow Church has full credit and debit card processing facilities built in, allowing anyone to give, regardless if they have made it to the ATM or not! Processing card payments within iKnow is simple. While counting a Sunday offering you can process gifts made by card right there and then, with no need to log-in to other systems.
Over the last few years, there has been a big increase in the number of people wanting to give online. To facilitate this, with iKnow your church can have a customisable online payment page that can link directly to your website. Our iKnow Mobile App also has giving built in for android devices, which is becoming an increasingly popular payment method. Both website and in-App giving through the church app go directly into the system for reporting and gift aid claim.
Tracking Giving
The finance module within iKnow is a fantastic tool for tracking where giving is being distributed throughout the church. Each church can create a range of campaigns, allowing you to track where you are designating gifts to the church. For example, you may want to be able to monitor tithes and offerings separately from giving towards mission or building projects. The campaign summary presents you with a wide range of useful information, right at your fingertips.
As well as tracking giving across the church, you may want to consider producing regular giving statements to the whole church. This is the perfect opportunity to include a letter from the church pastor with an official statement to say thank you for the donation and provide a summary of how the money has been used. Furthermore, this is a great opportunity to highlight any moments over the past year where the church’s financial support has made a significant impact.
Increased Cash Flow
Our research suggests that most churches wait at least 4 months from when a gift is made to when the subsequent gift aid is received, however this can be done much more frequently with the simplicity of iKnow's Finance module. iKnow offers a fully automated HMRC gift aid submission system for churches. We have worked with HMRC to ensure that gift aid claims are now made fully electronically meaning your church can have gift aid in your church account within days of the original gift.
If you have any questions relating to how your church can benefit from iKnow, simply give us a call on 0121 651 1125 and speak to a member of our team. Our passion lies in helping churches to use technology effectively in order to ease the pressure of church admin, so why not sign up for a free trial today?