More and more people are tithing online instead of pulling out their checkbooks during worship or making a cash gift. For so long, passing the offering plate was a relatively straightforward process. But with the switch to online giving, the landscape looks different. The global pandemic accelerated the switch to online giving for many congregations. As churches made the switch to worshiping online, they also turned to online giving in droves.
A return to in-person worship has not necessarily meant a return to traditional giving methods. Many people prefer to tithe online. So it’s worth putting an easy-to-use system in place to facilitate online tithing and donations.
Best online giving platforms for churches in 2021
There are a number of intuitive and affordable tools to help your church facilitate online giving. Many of these tools will walk you through the set-up process step-by-step, so you don’t need to be a tech wiz to embrace online giving. Here are a few tools we recommend you check out in 2021.
Tithe.ly
Features: mobile giving, online giving, kiosk giving, admin gift entry, and text to give (comes with an additional cost)
This is our number one pick for tithing and online giving tools in 2021. You can get set up with Tithe.ly for free. It is easy to use, allows you to set up several ways to give, has outstanding customer service, and is a very secure site.
Pricing: Tithe.ly doesn’t charge a monthly fee or cost anything to set up. You will have to cover transaction fees for the gifts you take in. You also may opt to pay for add-on tools to make the most of Tithe.ly, such as text-to-give.
If your church belongs to the Reformed Church in America, you also get access to Tithe.ly at a special rate:
- No monthly fee.
- 2.65% + $0.30 for Visa/Mastercard/Discover (normally 2.9% + $0.30).
- 0.9% + $0.30 for ACH (normally 1% + $0.30).
- 3.5% + $0.30 for American Express.
- Giving by text is $14/month (normally $19).
Kindrid
Features: text to give, recurring gifts, online giving, kiosk giving, advanced analytics, fund designation
Kindrid is an excellent online giving platform for growing churches. It stands out from the pack for its focus on recurring gifts. Kindrid makes it super easy for church members to set up automatic monthly or weekly tithing. This helps people to tithe much more consistently, which is both a good faith practice and helpful for your ministry. Historically, many churches get a large percentage of their gifts in the fourth quarter of the year. But with online tithing using a platform like Kindrid, gifts come in more consistently all year, which can be helpful as you put together a church budget.
Pricing: Kindrid may come with a monthly fee, depending on how many gifts your church receives each month. Currently, it costs $19 a month for 0-100 givers. Kindrid waives the monthly subscription fee for churches with 101-500 givers.
RebelGive
Features: online giving, giving flows, mobile giving
RebelGive is a great option if your church is concerned about the impact of transaction fees on the gifts you take in. RebelGive doesn’t charge your church for transaction fees. Instead, you pay a single monthly fee to use the platform. Another unique feature RebelGive offers is “giving flows,” a smooth digital giving experience that walks people through the process step by step. This giving process is especially helpful for church members who are new to digital tithing.
Pricing: starts at $79 a month.
EasyTithe
Features: mobile giving, online giving, automatic recurring donations, Facebook integration, text to give, kiosk giving (additional fee)
This is a simple and free-to-set-up tool that is perfect for a church just getting started with online giving. You don’t have to make a big financial commitment to try it out, and you’ll be able to start accepting online donations easily. Like Kindrid, EasyTithe makes it easy for donors to set up automatic recurring gifts, which can help people tithe more consistently.
Pricing: Giving EasyTithe a try is free. EasyTithe charges tiered transaction fees on gifts, depending on the number of givers in your church. Churches with more online givers pay lower transaction fees.
Communicating about the shift to online giving
Making the shift to online giving might require a change in thinking for your church. Here are some ways to talk to your church about online giving. Think about how you can integrate the practice of tithing and cultivate generosity outside of the traditional “pass the plate” approach. Although giving may look less straightforward than it once did, there’s an opportunity here to bring generosity to the forefront of the conversation in new ways.
Jennifer Knott is a writer and editor for the Reformed Church in America’s communication team.
