10 Ways To Help Your Community Get Comfortable With The Give Online Button

Online donations have been around for several years. However, many organizations had not implemented them. Some due to ignorance and others due to lack of interest in the subject. But the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions changed how people donate to causes. As a result, organizations have had to reinvent their strategies and embrace online donations as the main source to get contributions.

How Do Churches Do Online Giving?

Several online platforms have provided churches with the mechanisms to receive digital donations. Thanks to this, donors no longer have to send physical checks by mail or make bank deposits, unless of course, they want to!  Moreover, these platforms allow donors to automate recurring donations. But the main challenge of online donation is to make the community feel comfortable. And to make them lose their fear of the give online button.

The Keys To Increasing Comfort Levels With The Give Online Button

With simple actions and a little creativity, you can make your congregation feel more comfortable hitting the give online button. 

Storytelling

People better assimilate information in the form of stories. This is because stories allow people to make connections between ideas and actions. Stories also boost empathy. Use powerful stories of past, present, and future projects. Show the results of your work. And tell the community how important their contribution is to achieve those results. This will make them feel more comfortable using the give online button.  

Calls to Action

Powerful stories need a powerful call to action. This will make the donor feel like the protagonist of the story. Also, this inspires their generosity. For that reason,  you need to create give online buttons with powerful phrases. For example, use phrases like “Be Part of the Change” or “Contribute to Our Mission”. These are more effective and will make your community feel engaged and inspired.

Metrics

Show the impact a community member’s donation will have through metrics. This will help them feel more comfortable with the give online button. Use clear metrics of the results obtained in each project along with your stories. An excellent way to present metrics is through infographics. According to Digital Growth, an infographic is 34% more effective in persuading users. 

Special Perks

Work with other organizations to offer special perks for every online donation. For example, you can give away digital assets like eBooks with each donation.

Sense of Urgency

Show your community why it is important to donate immediately. And the possible consequences if they do not. Also, create messages about how easy is to donate through your give online button.

Make it Easy

When setting up your give online button, choose a platform that is easy to use. This will help those not very familiar with the technology, to feel more comfortable. Also, choose a platform that allows your donors to give to several organizations. This increases their motivation and will boost their level of engagement. Which means that you can get more recurrent donations.

Clear Goals

Set clear donation goals and make them visible to the community. Also, every time someone contributes, update the goal. This will create a sense of gamification. It motivates donors to use the give online button more than once. Especially, if you have presented the project with stories and metrics. Crowdfunding platforms use this principle with great success. So you can get inspiration from how they do it. 

Spark Effect

Users are more likely to take action when the effort is small. For this reason, you should place your give online button in a place where it is easy to find. You must also have a platform that allows your community to donate with a few clicks. And where they can automate recurrent donations.

Social Proof

Robert Cialdini coined the term “social proof” in his 1984 book Influence. He stated that when people are unable to determine the appropriate mode of behavior. They assume that the surrounding people have more knowledge about the situation. As a result, they do what others do.

Social proof can make your community feel more comfortable with online donations. You can apply it by showing testimonials of members that already use the button. To collect the testimonials, take surveys to your current users. This will also give you valuable information. For example about how to improve the experience of your members. Since you can learn how the members feel about the platform.

Keep it Human

Finally, do not lose the human touch. Make videos or live streams with the leaders of your church, where they show how to use the button. This will show the impact that this tool will have on the achievement of your church mission. Also, remind the community that it is much safer, faster, and more convenient to use the give online button. Many people need an opinion leader to prove and guide them on how to use new technology.

What Is The Givelify Platform?

Givelify is an online giving platform that helps churches empower their community to donate digitally. Givelify’s technology is very easy to use for both organizations and communities. This means that both parties will have a smooth experience with online donations. 

Moreover, through the app, you can manage and track donations from your congregation. And you will also be able to connect with almost a million donors. This means that you can grow your donor base. 

Conclusion

It is not enough to just put a give online button on your church website. For the community to really warm the idea of online donation. You must create a process that reinforces the sense of community and empowers donors. The platform will play a critical role in this since it will determine how well your community embraces online donations. 

For that reason, make sure to choose a platform that is simple to use. And one that will be easily accepted by the members of your community. This will boost your online donations.

Sign up for Givelify and get set up for mobile donations in under 5 minutes.