Ways to give: Lessons from a vacuum company
What can church people learn from a vacuum company? A friend showed me the donate page for a pet charity founded by Bissell vacuums. There are 12 ways to give:
Crypto
Stocks
Mutual funds
Donor advised funds
Planned giving - will
Planned giving - living trust
Planned giving - retirement plan
Credit card
Debit card
Google Pay
Check
Workplace match
Do you notice what’s missing from this list? Cash.
But wait, there’s more! The donor can make gifts in honor of someone, or a gift in memory. The gifts can be one-time or monthly. You can donate online, by phone or through the mail. All told, there are 12 x 2 x 2 x 3 different donation permutations. That’s 144 ways to give!
Your church doesn’t need 144 ways to give. But they do need more than 2. Why? Because cash or cheque only sends a message that younger people needn’t worry about giving.
I want people to be able to donate to their church using their phone. Not because phones are important, but because practicing the spiritual discipline of giving is important.
Here’s a chart of some ways to give regularly. How can your church make it easier to be generous?
Not a substitute for professional financial advice.
Q: What’s the best way to give regularly?
A: One that works for you. If you’re just getting started, choose an amount you can afford, give regularly and see what happens. Think of it as a spiritual experiment!
Do not sweat it if the giving platform takes a small percentage from each donation. They are doing the receipting, handling the online security etc. It’s better for a charity to receive 90something percent of an online gift, compared to 0% of a gift the you didn’t make because you only had a credit card or a phone with you. And automated giving compounds your generosity. Like a subscription service, but better :)
Providers who can help enable generosity
CanadaHelps is a well-established charity. You can use CanadaHelps’ online platform to donate to any charity in Canada using credit card, PayPal or Crypto. Stocks too. Make it monthly if you can. CanadaHelps provides an easy way to add a donate button to your church’s website too, if the pandemic didn’t already steer you in that direction.
Abundance Canada is a good choice if you have assets to give (stocks, insurance etc.) and want to talk to someone about a generosity plan. They do donor advised funds and can set up regular giving from a DAF. Abundance is not a website option but rather a “talk to Abundance” nudge for people who want to be generous. Full disclosure: I am a client.
GiveWise is a newer option. If you have assets to give, are tech savvy and know exactly what you want to do, it’s entirely online. It’s the only way I’m aware of to donate monthly using a DAF, without interacting with a human in some way. They can be an giving option on your church’s website.
N.B. This is not a substitute for professional financial or legal advice, just suggestions on ways to be generous.
This blog is intended for people in Canada who want to give regularly to their church. If you live somewhere else and want to give regularly to your church, bless your heart! I hope you get to experience the joy of regular giving too. Don’t hesitate to respond to this email, I’d love to hear about giving options where you are. How can your church make it easier to be generous?