Church online giving has come a long way in recent years. When the pandemic hit and churches were forced to pivot to a virtual church experience, having an online giving provider became absolutely essential for receiving online donations.
Even when you’re attending church in person, most church members don’t have cash to put in the offering on Sunday morning or care to write out checks for their donations.
People are used to the convenience and security of online transactions.
An online giving tool makes it easy for church members to give. So, which one is the best for your church? We have a list of seven church online giving platforms that we think are the best of the best.
Estimated reading time: 18 minutes
Table of contents
- Why Online Giving is Important for Churches
- The 7 Best Online Giving Platforms for Churches
- What to Look for When Choosing an Online Giving Platform
- How easy is it to use?
- Can givers set up recurring donations?
- What are the platform processing fees?
- What are the mobile options for donations?
- Does the online giving tool integrate with my church management system?
- Are there any donation limits?
- Does this online giving option support campaigns?
- What kind of customer support does the online giving platform offer?
- A final word on giving platforms
Why Online Giving is Important for Churches
Online giving is no longer just an option – it’s an expectation. In addition, a streamlined and easy user experience for online donations and mobile giving is essential.
But before you invest in a new church giving software program, let’s talk about what’s important.
Main benefits of online giving software
- Convenience – firstly, online giving platforms make it easy for donors to give anywhere and at any time without having to carry around cash or write checks. That includes mobile giving.
- Speed – online donation software has quick payment processing so there’s no delay in transferring funds.
- Efficiency – church online giving platforms help your finance team plan, process, and report online donations with greater efficiency.
- Security – online giving platforms use industry-leading security protocols to keep donor information safe and secure.
- Transparency – with online giving, donors can see where their money is going and how it’s being used. Most online giving software allows donors to log in and see their giving history.
Now that we’ve talked about the major benefits, let’s dive into our list of the seven best church online giving platforms.
The 7 Best Online Giving Platforms for Churches
1. Tithe.ly
REACHRIGHT’s 2022 Best Giving Option For Most Churches
Tithe.ly offers a convenient and secure solution for both churchgoers and church administrators. Online donations can be easily made via their mobile app or website, allowing members to give at any time and from anywhere.
In addition, Tithe.ly offers powerful donation and fundraising tools to help churches reach their financial goals.
Key Features
- Tithe.ly offers six ways to give from one platform
- Auto-recurring giving to set up consistent online giving
- Customized giving schedule available so givers can deposit their donations daily, weekly, or monthly
- “Cover the fees” option for donors to offset processing fees
- Text to give option
- In-depth reporting
Pricing Details
- $0/month and no set up cost
- 2.9% + 0.30 per transaction
- 1% + 0.30 ACH/Bank
- 3.5% +0.30 AMEX
Capterra Rating
4.7 stars (186 reviews)
Check out our In-Depth Tithe.ly Review
2. Pushpay
Pushpay makes online giving flexible and easy for church members. They offer a mobile app, text-to-give, giving online, and in-person giving options.
Plus, their church giving software is designed to work seamlessly with their other products and ChurchStaq (their all-in-one solution).
Pushpay also offers options for donor management and creating campaigns and pledges for specific donation causes.
Key Features
- Flexible online donation options (web, text message, church app, in-person)
- Seamless integration with other Pushpay software products
- Automated recurring giving options
- Future-dated gifts allow donors to create a donation to be processed at a later date
- Kiosk for in-person giving to receive donations from a simple tablet
- Multi-campus and multi-language options
Pricing Details
Pushpay offers three pricing packages, you can visit their site to request a quote and get more details. The three plans offered are:
- Core
- Advanced
- Complete
Capterra Rating
4.4 stars (157 ratings)
Check out our In-Depth Pushpay Review
3. SecureGive
was actually created by pastors who wanted to offer members an easier way to tithe. The platform is well-known for putting security first, which will put donors at ease, especially those who are hesitant to donate online.
According to SecureGive, the thing that sets them apart is making online giving easy. Their goal is to provide options for everyone.
Key Features
- Robust online giving analytics for churches and automatically generated giving statements for donors
- Integrations with church management software
- Cover the fee option for donors
- Enterprise security to keep donor information safe
- Custom branding and multisite branding option
- Spanish language giving option
- Cash gift entry to record cash transactions and consolidate financial reporting
Pricing Details
- Basic plan $99/month; for kiosk only or online only
- Enhanced plan $149/month; for online, mobile, text, and kiosk
- Premium plan for $199/month; all of the above plus campaigns and up to 5 campuses
- Rates 2% + $0.30
Enterprise custom plans offer features like unlimited transactions, unlimited campuses, and custom text to give short code.
Capterra Rating
4.4 stars (9 ratings)
Check out our In-Depth SecureGive Review
4. RebelGive
RebelGive has a unique selling point compared to many of the other platforms in this list: they offer fee-free online giving for churches. Instead of a transaction fee, they offer a low fixed-price rate that is based on the size of your church.
Key Features
- Keep 100% of online donations
- GivingFlows donation forms that are intuitive, fast, and lead intelligently from any page on your website.
- Sleek, minimalist, and intuitive design with custom branding and logo
- Donors can designate their donations to specific funds
- Automated recurring giving
- Automatic email receipts
- Control center for administrators with customized reporting
Pricing Details
RebelGive offers monthly and annual pricing plans for more savings. Pricing depends on your church size. You can visit their website to estimate the cost of your plan.
Check out our In-Depth RebelGive Review
5. Kindrid
The Kindrid team exists to serve the local church and help empower communities in generosity. Their online giving platform helps donors give instantly and easily.
Kindrid offers Church Sucess Coaches to help churches get the most out of their online giving platform and maximize their donations with digital tools and support.
Key Features
- One-time, recurring, and text-to-give options
- Full featured online giving mobile app
- Unlimited giving designations
- Bank level security
- Integrations with Church Community Builder (CCB), Planning Center, FellowshipOne, Rock RMS, and other church management software programs
Pricing Details
- For 0-100 givers: $19/month + transaction fees
- For 101-500 givers: $49/month + transaction fees
- For $25k/month in gift volume, reach out for a custom quote
Capterra Rating
4.7 stars (128 ratings)
Check out our In-Depth Kindrid Review
6. Mogiv
Mogiv makes online giving easy for both members and churches. There are no fees except for transaction fees. Also, Mogiv supports online, text-based, and mobile giving.
Mogiv also offers a 30-day free trial, so it’s a great option if you’re new to online giving and want to try it out before committing to a giving service.
Key Features
- Included additional features are the MinistryOne Church App and text giving
- Create and manage unlimited campaigns
- Mogiv form builder allows you to create unlimited embeddable forms for website giving and registrations
- Online giving, text, in-app, and in-person kiosk giving
- Real-time, exportable reports
- High security and rated PCI Level 1 Compliant
Pricing Details
Plans have a $10 monthly minimum, security fee included, and 1% +$0.42 ACH fee. Additional plan options are:
- $19/month with 3% + $0.42 credit card fee
- $49/month with 2.6% + $0.42 credit card fee
Capterra Rating
4.6 stars (19 review)
Check out our In-Depth Mogiv Review
7. easyTithe
easyTithe is another popular online giving option for churches. Currently, over 15,000 churches are using easyTithe.
This platform provides flexible options for fundraising, reporting, and helping your church grow a culture of generosity. You also have the option of combining easyTithe giving with their mobile app and church management software.
Key Features
- Online giving is available through the easyTithe app, online, mobile texting, and onsite kiosk donations.
- Recurring giving with options for frequency, gift amount, and payment method
- Detailed data reporting with insights on giving and forecasting
- Build custom payment forms for event registrations, payments, donations, and merchandise
- Manage multiple campuses
- Integrations with most major church management software programs
- Level 1 Certified PCI Compliant Service Provider
- Success Coaches to help with strategy, marketing, and resources
Pricing Details
easyTithe also offers a 30-day free trial. The three plans they offer are:
- Giving Small Church: $19/month and 3.00% + $0.42 per debit/credit gifts and 1.00% + $0.42 per ACH gift
- Giving Small to Mid-Size Church: $49/month and 2.6% + $0.42 per debit/credit gifts and 1.00% + $0.42 per ACH gift
- Giving + ChMS + App easyTithe Pro: $75/month
Capterra Rating
4.1 stars (180 reviews)
Check out our In-Depth EasyTithe Review
Non-Ministry Specific Options – PayPal / Stripe
PayPal and Stripe are similar online giving options for churches and nonprofit organizations. While they’re mostly used for e-commerce, both tools allow you to incorporate a payment area on your church’s website to accept donations.
So, you could consider setting up a church PayPal account, but it can’t be customized. The only fees are 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction.
Stripe can be customized, but it’s more difficult to use than the church specific giving options. Fees start at 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
What to Look for When Choosing an Online Giving Platform
There are a few key factors you’ll want to consider when choosing a software solution for online church donations. You need to look at platforms that work well for both church staff and donors.
So here are the questions you need to ask:
Is the giving solution safe?
When it comes to online giving for churches, safety is always a top concern. You want to make sure that any online giving platform you choose is PCI compliant and uses SSL encryption.
How easy is it to use?
Both donors and church staff should find the online giving solution easy to use. Platforms that are difficult to navigate can discourage people from using them.
Can givers set up recurring donations?
Recurring donations are an important way for churches to increase their revenue.
Many online giving platforms allow donors to set up recurring donations, so this is something you’ll want to look for. In addition, many online giving tools equip donors with the ability to customize their schedule and giving amount.
What are the platform processing fees?
Although there are exceptions, and some listed here, church online giving platforms typically charge a small processing fee for each donation.
When you’re comparing different online giving solutions, be sure to think about both monthly recurring fees as well as processing fees per transaction. Also, check for any additional fees in the fine print like a setup fee.
What are the mobile options for donations?
Most people, especially of the younger generation, would assume they can set up online tithing or make donations on their phone.
Some companies have church giving apps or integrate with the church’s app natively. You also want a mobile-friendly church website to make online giving simple and straightforward.
That way, mobile giving can happen anytime, anywhere.
Does the online giving tool integrate with my church management system?
Some of the online giving platforms mentioned in this list have additional software products, which you may choose to use. This includes options like event registration and church giving apps.
But if you have a church management system in place that you’re happy with, you’ll want to consider church online giving platforms that integrate well with your ChMS.
This will make it easier for your staff to manage both online and offline donations as well as the donor information.
Are there any donation limits?
Online giving platforms typically have donation limits in place. Be sure to find an online giving solution that meets the needs of your church in terms of both online and offline donations.
This also applies to the next question…
Does this online giving option support campaigns?
Some online giving platforms limit the number of campaigns you can run at one time. Others do not have any campaign limits.
If your church is planning on running multiple campaigns or fundraising pledge drives, be sure to find an online giving solution that supports this.
What kind of customer support does the online giving platform offer?
Customer support is important for any software solution, but it’s especially important for online giving platforms.
This is because online giving for churches can be complex, and you want to make sure you have a team of experts you can rely on to help with any issues that may come up.
Be sure to find an online giving platform that offers great customer support. In addition, some companies offer success coaches who can help you with marketing, best practices, to grow giving, and more.
Overcoming Challenges
While the transition to church giving platforms presents numerous benefits, it’s not without its challenges. Congregations, particularly older members, may harbor concerns about security, privacy, and the unfamiliarity of digital giving. Addressing these challenges is crucial to ensure a smooth integration of these platforms into the church community.
Security and Privacy
Firstly, building trust in the security of online transactions is paramount. Your church leaders should communicate the robust security measures implemented by giving platforms, emphasizing encryption, secure servers, and fraud prevention protocols.
Providing clear and accessible information on the platform’s commitment to protecting sensitive data can help to alleviate concerns and can foster confidence among church members.
Generational Transition
Secondly, bridging the generation gap in technology adoption is essential. Many older members may be unfamiliar with digital payment methods.
Your church can organize workshops or training sessions to guide them through the process of setting up accounts, making online donations, and addressing any technical issues.
Patient and supportive guidance from church staff or volunteers can significantly ease the learning curve for those less comfortable with technology.
Financial Hurdles
Another challenge lies in the financial implications, especially for smaller congregations with limited resources. Your church should explore platforms with reasonable fees and transparent pricing structures. Additionally, understanding the financial capabilities of the congregation and selecting a platform that aligns with their budget is crucial.
Seeking out platforms that offer special packages or discounts for religious organizations can also help alleviate financial concerns.
Solutions
Communication plays a pivotal role in overcoming these challenges. Regularly updating the congregation on the benefits of digital giving and providing step-by-step guides can demystify the process.
Highlighting success stories from other churches using the same platform can serve as inspiration and motivation.
Addressing concerns about security, guiding older members through the digital landscape, and navigating financial considerations are key challenges in adopting church giving platforms.
A thoughtful and inclusive approach, coupled with effective communication, will not only overcome these challenges but also pave the way for a more connected and financially sustainable church community.
The Future of Church Giving Platforms
Looking ahead, the world of church giving platforms is buzzing with exciting possibilities. As technology continues to evolve, so too will the ways in which congregations engage in giving. Here’s a glimpse into the future of church fundraising:
Smart Giving
Imagine a giving experience tailored just for you. Future platforms may use artificial intelligence to analyze individual preferences and habits, providing personalized suggestions for donation amounts and causes.
This smart giving approach aims to make the giving experience more meaningful and relevant to each church member. This kind of thing may seem far off right now, but as we’ve seen in other areas of technology, the power of A.I. is growing rapidly.
Seamless Integration with Social Media
The future is social. Church giving platforms are likely to integrate seamlessly with popular social media channels.
This means you could contribute to your church directly through your favorite social platforms, making it easy to share your generosity with your online community. We’ve already seen this in platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cryptocurrency Contributions
As digital currencies like Bitcoin and others gain mainstream acceptance, church giving platforms may start accepting cryptocurrency donations. This opens up new avenues for giving and appeals to tech-savvy donors who prefer to use alternative forms of currency.
I doubt we’ll see this for awhile, since cryptocurrency is still not in the mainstream, and most churches are unfamiliar with it. However, should it become common enough, its possible we may see church giving platforms adopt it.
Voice-Activated Donations
With the rise of smart speakers and voice-activated technology, making a donation could be as simple as saying, “Donate $20 to my church.” This hands-free approach to giving could make the process even more convenient for those on the go.
This is minor, and could probably already be achieved with the technology we have today. Things like Siri or speech-to-text messages have been around for years now. Its a minor addition, but it could make the giving process that much smoother.
Data-Driven Insights for Churches
Future platforms may provide churches with advanced analytics and insights into giving patterns. This data-driven approach can help churches understand their congregation’s preferences, tailor fundraising efforts, and optimize their financial strategies.
The future of church giving platforms is bright and brimming with innovation. From personalized giving experiences to cutting-edge technologies like virtual reality, the coming years promise to revolutionize the way we connect with our faith communities and support the causes we care about. Stay tuned for a future where giving is not just a transaction but a transformative experience.
A final word on giving platforms
Online giving is becoming increasingly popular for churches. There are many different giving platform options, so it can be difficult to decide which one is right for your church.
In this post, we’ve outlined major things you’ll want to consider when choosing an online giving platform. We’ve also included a list of seven of the best online giving platforms currently available.
If your church hasn’t tried online giving yet, now is definitely the time. After all, the majority of your members probably have a smartphone with them at all times. It’s easier for them to donate with a few taps than try to remember to carry cash around with them.
Choosing the right provider is important. While cost is important, additional features such as custom branding, easy of use, and integration are also vital. The right solution can and will grow giving to help you accomplish your mission.
Need help integrating online giving on your website? Contact our friendly team today to see how we can help.
More on Church Giving
About The Author
Comments 74
What are the benefits of these online giving companies over PayPal?
Author
I’d say ease of use is the biggest. You can plug these into your website in a matter of minutes. Beyond that, there is also some flexibility in designated giving and recurring giving that make using a church-specific company a good idea for most.
Speaking for GivingTools.com, the benefit is that donors receive tax receipts and a report of their charitable giving at any time. Also, in the case of GivingTools, PayPal can be used as the secure processor if desired, while still experiencing all the benefits of GivingTools. Our ACH giving Carrie’s zero percentages, so saves $$. Finally, churches can also track non-online giving with GivingTools, providing check-givers with an emailed receipt and online giving history.
Speaking for Vision2, here are some important reasons to reconsider PayPal for church giving: https://vision2.com/blog/should-you-use-paypal-for-your-churchs-online-gifts. It’s really not a great option for churches.
Update on My Well Ministry. We are a ministry and we give faith based churches and ministries processing for our costs (actual interchange) and do not profit on your account. Our ministry was started to help churches keep money in ministry work. For ACH/Echeck we charge 0%; and the average effective rate for all of our churches/ministries on debit/credit cards is 1.75%, sometimes much lower if more people give via debit card vs. credit card. Earlier this year we also released a software platform to help churches. Unless you are doing less than a couple of thousand dollars in volume per month, we will always be the cheapest option. If you are doing less than that, PayPal may be better since they do not have monthly fees.
My Well Ministry makes its profit on the monthly fee, and it is a rather big one. So, while you may not, literally, letter-of-the-law profit on “processing”, you doubtless profit on the monthly fee. No sin in that…we all have to feed our families. GivingTools has a much lower monthly fee. Even our most expensive plan ($30 monthly fee) has guaranteed card rates of 1.9% + 20¢, and ACH of just 25¢.
So, I would disagree with your claim that My Well Ministry is “always the cheapest option.”
Since we are a 501C3 Ministry, we do not make a profit. We do have a starting monthly fee of $49 to cover costs. While the 1.9% is lower than others, when it is assessed on debit cards, it is very high rate when the actual interchange rate on those types of cards is very low. It does not take much volume to offset a monthly fee. Bottom line, if we are not the best option for a church or ministry we would definitely let them know because at the end of the day, our only motive is to keep money in ministry work.
While I do appreciate any venture designed to weaken the efforts of those conglomerates that wring all they can from nonprofits, I know that being 501c3 does not automatically make you all the least expensive option for churches. It is entirely possible that you bring in more than a for-profit. It all depends on the price-point a for-profit sets.
Ultimately, you and GivingTools are on the same side, regardless of tax status.
We get it Jason. GivingTools actually invented sliced bread. GivingTools is the cat’s pajamas. GivingTools is the bee’s knees. And this comment section is Jason’s opportunity to make sure we know about GivingTools. Did I mention that Jason really really likes GivingTools? Oh look, Jason, here’s another chance to praise GivingTools. Don’t hold back; tell us how you really feel about GivingTools.
Just keeping the record straight, my friend.
Are all these companies slow in depositing the funds into a church’s bank account?
I can only speak for GivingTools in saying 2 days for credit card, 5 for ACH.
This is a great blog post. You have listed some of the best online giving platforms for churches. For small to medium-sized nonprofits, I would suggest GiveCentral, a donor management software. It helps raise funds through text-to-donate and mobile apps. Thanks for sharing.
Is their text to donate more like you get texted a link to complete the gift on their online giving platform?
I am always curious when I hear about text-to-give and apps in 2020, as they seem like outmoded vehicles from the time before smartphones. Nowadays, people can just access an online giving system anytime/anywhere anyway, right?!
Thomas,
Our church uses SimpleGive. Do you have any evaluation of that giving platform?
Author
SimpleGive is one of several Ministry Brand companies. A few of the companies on this list have been acquired by Ministry Brands over the last few years. In our experience, their platform and pricing is similar to Kindrid, MoGive, and Easy Tithe. We believe they have a decent product and could be a good fit for some churches. How has your experience been with them Jeffrey?
We are a very small church of about 35 members and want to know which online service would be best for us. All I want to do with this is to accept our tithes and offerings each week. I pay all bills by check and will not need to pay any bills online. I want all monies to go directly into our checking account and do not want to pay a high fee for this kind of service. What do you suggest? Thank you!
Author
Hi Tonya! Each one of these options will allow you to receive tithes and offerings online as a one time, or recurring gift. None of them offer online bill pay as far as we know. All of them will deposit funds straight into your account. We make some recommendations in the post, but it sounds like all of these options could work for your church. I hope that helps!
GivingTools.com is probably your best bet. With that you can get flat fee ACH giving (ie giving via connected checking account). There is no percentage taken in that, just a flat 25 cent fee. If somebody gives $10 or $100 or $1,000 it costs just 25 cents! The system also enables donors to cover the fee.
Tonya,
Check out OneChurchSoftware. They charge a percentage, lower than most, and no other fees!
I believe it is 2.99% for credit card and 1% for debit/ACH transactions. However, I believe there is a minimum fee each month of either $5 or $10. That only means if your online giving pays them less than the minimum, you are charged just the minimum. Hope this helps!
Thomas,
GivingTools comes from experience gleaned in capital campaign fundraising for churches. So the recurring giving options are extremely robust. Indeed, it is one of very few platforms that actually enable givers to make a multiyear pledge and then make payments to meet that pledge (versus just setting up a monthly payment for x).
Also, we offer 0% ACH giving…just a flat cost of 25¢ regardless of the amount given. So, for churches, this dramatically reduces the expense to the church.
I think a lot of platforms that wrap their arms around God are doing so often to market to an audience versus substantive features that support churches in particular. We aimed intentionally towards a more general market, to be welcoming to Jews, Muslims, Christians, museums, schools…anybody in need of one-time or recurring giving, campaign pledges, product sales, events, or sign-ups.
I hope this helps. And thank you for clarifying re: the recurring aspect. Oh, reminds me, we also have a sustaining supporter appeal type…you give x amount per whatever FOREVER until you cancel. Kind of different. Just another option we offer based on customer desires.
Thanks!
–Jason
Thanks Thomas. The list you’ve provided is really helpful.
Thomas, is GIVELIFY another good option? We are new at this and looking for an online giving company/software that is easy to use at both ends and no monthly fees for the church. Thank you.
Author
Hey Sylvia! We haven’t had a chance to look at them in-depth, but they are on our radar to look into a little more for the 2020 update to this post. At this point, I can tell you that we have only heard positive things. It looks like they serve a broader market than churches. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes it’s better to have something that is made only for the way churches use an online giving system. Check back in a few weeks and we will have more info! I hope you find something that’s a great fit!
Wondering how you feel a product for churches should be different than one that serves a broader audience? Curious what unique features you feel are important to this audience?
Author
Great question Jason. I have seen some churches try to use non-church platforms for online giving and have found that they are not tailored to encourage users towards setting up recurring donations. Again, we haven’t yet done an in-depth look at Giving Tools… maybe you guys are doing great there.
We’ve been a customer of Kindrid for the past 3 1/2 years. We chose them specifically for their ability to provide text-to-give to our church, inasmuch as we already had all of our other online giving needs taken care of.
At the beginning of this month, without warning, the text-to-give number they’ve assigned us stopped working. No advanced notification to us! No auto-responder to those trying to use it! It was simply dead in the water.
We reached out to Kindrid and they told us that they are moving all of their customers over to a new 5 digit short code, and that the 10 digit phone number they assigned us will no longer work.
I’ve told them we’ve invested a couple thousand dollars in printed material (Pre-printed offering envelopes, Automate-Your-Giving brochures, Year-end Special Offering Mailings) all of which contain the 10 digit number they assigned us that we’ve been using for the past 3 1/2 years.
They apologized but said there is nothing we can do apart from switching to a new number.
I’ve told them that if we need to use a new number it will be with a new vendor.
Not something that any pastor wants to be dealing with as we move into the holidays.
Just seems like Kindrid is a company that may have grown too big, too fast, to care about their individual customers and their needs.
Author
Thanks for sharing Pastor Rick. I can’t imagine the income a church could lose when their number changes like that. I am so sorry that happened to you.
I too once used Kindrid for my online giving at the church I pastored and chose them for similar reasons. They were bought out back in 2016, and while I have heard some negative feedback, nothing like this yet. I am going to reach out to some of our clients that use Kindrid and make sure they are aware of this change too.
We will be revisiting this list for 2020 and will take all the feedback we get into consideration.
In the meantime, check out our top choice for 2019 tithe.ly, or one of the other providers on this list. Let us know if we can help at all!
Thanks Thomas. My emails back and forth with our Kindrid rep, Drew, have been frequent and repetitive. He assures me that they are in fact “working” on a solution to this problem. Yet, when I’ve tried to pin him down with any sort of ETA for getting our number back up and running, he has none. In the meantime, I have our finance office launching a search for other online giving solutions that include text-to-give, so I welcome any and all suggestions.
Rick,
They are likely outsourcing the text side of this…they pass their data to that entity and receive data from them. They may not want to disclose this, even though it is the industry norm. I would not blame them entirely, recognizing that these things could happen to ANY text to give service.
That said, of course you would be frustrated, and I’d hope the matter would be fixed in 48 hours at most! Hopefully less!!
Good luck and keep us all posted. I find this interesting.
–Jason (GivingTools…if we offered T2G, I’d be a resource, but we do not)
Actually, GivingTools recently launched Text to Give, and we give it away free with every account, FYI.
Author
Additionally, there are a couple of other companies on this list that were bought out by Ministry Brands over the past few years. You can see the list of all ministry brands companies here: https://www.ministrybrands.com/our-brands/
This is a great blog post. You have listed some of the best online giving platforms for churches. Out of the list, I personally like Tithe.ly, PushPay, and Mogiv. For small to medium-sized nonprofits, I would suggest GiveCentral, a donor management software. It helps raise funds through text-to-donate and mobile apps. A well-written article elaborating on the benefits of each of the platforms. Thanks for sharing.
Author
Thanks for adding to the conversation Lekha. We will have to check out GiveCentral.
Our church currently uses PayPal for online giving from our website (1.6% + .30c/transaction) and Text2Give for text donations. The rate is 1% + US$49/month which then links to Stripe as the gateway (2.3% + .30c/transaction). We could have linked it to PayPal but this gateway limits Text2Give (no recurring payments and no “enter credit card info only once” option whereas with Stripe we can). I noticed that Text2Give did not make your list and wonder why? Have your heard of them or they just didn’t make your cut? Just wondering your reasons. I like how Tithe.ly has the option for the donor to cover the fees and allows them to add the fee amount to their donation but I’m not sure if their fee would be any cheaper. I will have to look into that one. Thank you for the information.
Author
Hey Debbie,
We looked into Text2Give. They are a solid company and not a bad choice, but they didn’t quite make the cut. The fees they charge before any of the credit card processing fees seemed a little on the high side.
It sounds like you are running into the issue that so many churches have with Paypal – It is affordable but doesn’t have the functionality that a church needs. That’s why we chose Tithe.ly as the top company for this year’s list. It seems to do everything that a church needs for a very reasonable cost.
Thanks for adding to the conversation!
As this chain is about “online giving” for churches, it would be fair to evaluate looking through THAT lens. On online giving, Tithe.ly is nothing to write home about.
Where Thith.ly excels is kiosk and text giving…their pricing there along makes sense, if you need those features. But if you do not, I am not seeing a compelling featureset…nothing special.
Author
Thanks for the input, Jason. The reason we rated tithe.ly so highly is because they offer a complete giving suite for one reasonable price. They may not be right for every church, but we think they could be a good fit for most. There are seven others that are pretty good on this list too!
Our church does not have an online payment option yet but we are looking into it. Vanco is the company from which we continually receive mailings and telephone calls. Does anyone on this thread have experience with them?
Author
We have not worked directly with them but did look into their service when we wrote this article. Their offerings seem solid, but they serve a much broader audience than churches. There is nothing wrong with that, they just may not have the church specific tools that many churches have come to expect and that other companies on this list may provide. I’d love to hear if anyone else does have experience though!
Thanks for the article.
Ministry Brands seems to own EasyTithe, Tithely, Kindrid, MoGiv, eGiving, Clover Donations, SimpleGive, eGiving.com, Giving Kiosk, EFT PLus, eGive, HaloPays, DonorDirect, ShareFaith, and Faith Direct giving and others. Maybe a theme going with poor customer support?
They are trying to sell this group of giving companies, so that could lead them to be reducing staff at these companies.
https://www.ministrybrands.com/our-brands/
Author
You are right Tom. Ministry Brands now owns a few of these companies. At the time we wrote this they had not acquired Kindrid yet. Also to our knowledge, Tithe.ly is not owned by Ministry Brands.
Have you had experience with one of these brands? We do our best to give an honest assessment of these services and really appreciate your feedback.
Oops, sorry about Tithe.ly. You’re right. They are NOT owned by Ministry Brands. My church does use Tithe.ly. It works fine. I can’t speak to the customer support, since I have not personally experienced that. Thanks.
Author
Glad to hear Tithe.ly is working for you. In the end, the best support is the one you never need, right? 🙂
What? A company is not owned by Ministry Brands? How is this possible, Tom?
Must be just Tithe.ly and GivingTools left! (Oh, and Blackbaud. Nobody will ever own Blackbaud unless Emperor Palpatine gives his personal consent.)
Tom,
What makes you state, “They are trying to sell this group of giving companies…?”
Tim
Thomas, Can you give me feedback on FellowshipOne with Ministry Brands?-Brian
Author
Hey Brian, I don’t personally use F1, but the feedback we are hearing from clients is that they haven’t seen a lot of ongoing development there since the acquisition. Many of the largest churches in the US still use F1, but Church Management Software is very hard to change, so I am not sure if that is saying anything about their current satisfaction. I would love it if some of our other readers who use the software could weigh in…
Well said, Thomas. GivingTools.com was approached by Ministry Brands (and others) and we always wonder what would happen to our creative spark if we were not responsible for our own success. I think Ministry Brands seeks to homogenize and profit from mature ventures…which is fine for business but not necessarily great for innovation. Just my 2¢.
Also, you make good points about church management software becoming an appendage of churches that is hard to change. It always amazes me how adaptive church admins are to figuring out ways *around* various product shortcomings…and they fear that change will just be the whole thing all over again…reality not measuring up to marketing hype and more innovative workarounds. Can’t blame them for fearing change, I guess!
We give faith based churches and ministries processing for our costs and do not profit on your account. We do this to keep money in ministry work. We can integrate with most software companies through one of the public gateways or we also have a donation portal option as well. Unless you are doing less than a couple of thousand dollars in volume per month, we will always be the cheapest option for you because we are passing interchange rates directly onto you. You can see more about our ministry by visiting our website at https://www.mywell.org.
Author
We will have to check this out, Carolyn! We update this list every so often, so we will keep you in mind for the next iteration! Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Donorbox is a great donation platform for churches. We offer incredibly low processing fees (the first $1000 per month is free, thereafter it’s 0.89%). We support recurring donations (perfect for tithes) and our forms take only a couple minutes to complete. Donorbox gives organizations a comprehensive dashboard to manage their campaigns, donations and donors.
P.S I work there. Feel free to contact me if you’d like more information.
Author
Thanks for adding to the conversation Rebekah. We’ll touch base to learn a little more about Donorbox.
That’s great. Feel free to contact us at any time!
We currently using easy tithe but now looking into another provider their customer support is really terrible they are getting over $1200 from us monthly in commission but when we call the support line you could easily wait over 1 hour
Author
I’m sorry to hear that Emmanuel. We have heard positive things about them in the past. If they aren’t working for you, there are some other providers on this list that are providing great online giving service for churches… Maybe try Tithely, or Kindrid?
Has you received any feedback on Tithe.ly?
Author
We have heard from a few of our clients who really like them. The team there gave us a tour of their system and we have to say we were impressed. If you have any experience with them – We would love to hear it!
Is Pushpay any good?, I have a demo schedule with them on Monday. I’m looking for a giving solution.
Author
They are a great company from everything we hear. Not the cheapest option, but they have a fantastic system.
Mike, I’ve been with EasyTithe for a couple of years now and I’m currently looking for a new provider because of their lack of customer support. There service has not ever been real great but as of this year it’s gone down hill significantly. Best Wishes!
Author
Thanks for adding to the conversation Kelly. I hope you find another company here meets your needs! Let us know who wind up going with!
You might wish to consider givingtools.com. Their reviews for customer support are pretty outstanding! http://www.capterra.com/p/142253/GivingTools/#reviews
GivingTools costs just $14.95/month and has ACH giving for a flat 25¢. This platform costs less than anything else out there.
Disclaimer: I proudly work for GivingTools, and we enjoy being the Robin Hood of online giving platforms!
Um … you better take another look at EasyTithe. I am a NEW customer (1 month) and am already having problems with their customer support. I asked a question on the 6th of this month .. they didn’t reply until the 17th. I have another question I asked 4 days ago .. they have yet to reply. I am on Facebook in hopes that I can get them that way. You listed them under your “7 Top Online Giving Companies For Churches” article heading … if customer support means anything to your ratings, you would be good to reconsider this company.
Author
Hey Mike, thanks for your feedback on EasyTithe. I’m really sorry to hear about that experience. I hope that it is just a hiccup for them, and they will get you back on track soon. Customer service definitely plays a big part in these reviews so we appreciate you chiming in. God Bless!
You may want to retract your MoGiv statements. Apparently, after being acquired by a Tennessee company not too long ago, they have fallen on hard times. They are totally non-responsive to customer inquiries via e-mail or phone.
We have used them for several years, and had no problems. However, all of a sudden, all payment processing has ceased. There was no warning. There is no explanation on their site, and there is no response from Customer Service.
Our church has now missed over $3,000 in donations this month (September 2017), with no explanation from MoGiv.
Author
Thanks for the feedback on your experience with MoGiv Pastor Marty. I’m sorry to hear about your missed donations. That’s terrible.
We heard from several churches with positive things to say about their service, so hopefully, this is just a little blip for them and it will get back to business as usual very soon.
If not, there are 6 other providers in this article that serve churches well.
Wow!
Thanks for the mention here. We’re honored to be on the list and grateful for your kind words. We’d love to get to know the person behind the post if you’re up to chat some time! Just say the word and drop us a line.
Thanks!
Barn
Author
Thanks for commenting here Barn. We will drop you a line!
Have you heard of “Stewardship Technologies”?
Author
We have! We will have to look into them further for our next update to this post. Have you had any experience with them?
Thomas,
Please give GivingTools a look as well. Thank you!
Author
We would love to take a look Jason!
Please do! Much of our work is with churches, though the product works for any nonprofit. One oft-overlooked feature is the ability to set a total pledge to be paid over time in installments.
We enable you to say, for a capital campaign for example: “I’d like to pledge $5,000 payable over a three-year period paid in monthly installments” and the system sets it up and tracks payments against the pledge.
Of course, you can give simple recurring gifts, too, like “I’d like to give $20 per week.” But our system enables you to set start and end dates, too. We’ve spent a lot of time on features that are rather unique.
That said, no guarantee it is right for everybody. You can snag a free demo account at givingtools.com and just let us know if you have any questions. We are eager to answer and to help.
There are also tutorial videos on that site, and lots of screen-grabs, so you can get a sense without a demo account as well.
We intentionally make very little on each account, and we do not mark up processing costs at all. Our goal is to drive down costs for everybody by disrupting the party for the big guys.
Thank you for this discussion!