Online donations are gifts given over the internet, either on a computer via the web browser or on a smartphone via a QR code. On this page we introduce our recommended provider and offer some guidance on how to set up an account and create your online donation page.
Why online donations?
During the pandemic, many churches realised the benefits of having an online presence for services, prayer and supporting their parish. Giving people the opportunity to contribute to their church online is an extension of this, as you can reach people who might only ever interact with you online, for example through streamed services, through your website, or A Church Near You, or social media such as Facebook. All of these people might want to support your ministry but if they can't do that online they won't be able to donate.
Sounds great – how do I do that?
Our friends at Parish Buying have developed an online giving service especially for churches. It’s called GiveALittle.
GiveALittle comes with certain benefits:
- Allows online donations, automatically provides QR codes, and integrates with many contactless devices
- Free to set up, no monthly fee, and discounted Church of England transaction rates
- Have as many "campaigns" (donation pages) as you want, e.g. one for the general fund, one for the building etc
- Records Gift Aid information from donors - by registering for GiveALittle through Parish Buying you will receive free access to a Premium GiveALittle membership which will allow givers to make a Gift Aid declaration when they are making their donation.
Visit Parish Buying - Online Giving for guidance on setting up and using your GiveALittle Account. If you have any questions about online donations you can contact our Parish Giving Adviser, Paul Child.
What next?
Give A Little works by partnering with a payment processor to accept donations on your behalf and deposit them into your church’s bank account. Once you have registered with Give A Little, you will be able to connect a payment processor account. There are two payment processor options available:
SumUp: a SumUp account can facilitate both contactless and online donations. You can also use your SumUp account separately with the SumUp app for taking payments.
Stripe: a Stripe Express account can facilitate online donations at a much lower cost than SumUp. It can accept Apple Pay and Google Pay for online donations and also has a high donations threshold (up to £1m) in a single transaction.
Video Guides (created by Joshua Townson, Generous Giving Advisor for Oxford Diocese)
Create a Donation Page
Online Shopping Donations
Alongside normal online donations, one other way for churches to boost their income is to collect donations from retailers whenever their supporters shop online through a system called easyfundraising. When anyone connected with the church and signed up for easyfundraising buys something from one of over 7,000 leading retailers, such as Amazon, eBay, and major supermarkets, the retailer they shop with sends your church a small free donation at no extra cost to the customer. To find out more, visit our easyfundraising page.