Online Giving and QR Codes

What is Online Giving and Why do I Need It?

Online giving allows people to give financially to your church using the internet. This means that people can leave a gift without even having to visit the church building. The way we pay for things is changing. More and more transactions are cashless and receiving donations or payments digitally is now more important than ever.

Online giving is an easy method for people to give regularly, or give a one-off donation, and is great for visitors to the church, new comers who want to set up a quick gift, and those who don't carry cash. An online giving page can be shared across church websites, Facebook pages, newsletters, weekly emails, and any form of communication coming out of the church. It's a great mechanism to include in your church to make giving easier for more people.

How Do I Set Up Online Giving?

You can access a free online giving account through Parish Buying, the Church of England's buying service. You will need to register for an account if you haven't got one already, but this is quick and easy to do. Once logged in, navigate to the page titled Online Giving and QR Codes, under the Products and Services tab.

Through Parish Buying, you can create an online giving page using Give A Little. It is important to sign up through Parish Buying as this will give you access to the premium version of Give A Little at no cost, allowing you to collect Gift Aid from your givers as well as being able to customise the look of your giving campaign.

You can also use Parish Buying to purchase a contactless giving device which can link with your online giving account. This is another great mechanism to have in place to encourage giving in your church.

Two things to note about Give A Little:

These Give A Little premium accounts are free due to a contribution made by the Church of England, the monthly subscription usually costs £10. This is why it is so important to sign up through Parish Buying.
Every donation taken through Give A Little is subject to a banking charge between 1.1% and 1.95% per transaction, but these deals represents the best value currently available to churches.

Watch our recorded webinar below to find out more, and read through our presentation How to Set up Online Giving and Use QR Codes

How Can I Make the Most out of Online Giving?

Setting up an account won't mean the donations will come flooding in! Take a look at our top tips for making the most out of online giving, click on the image to view full screen.