Church Giving: From What Locations Do People Give?

For the past several weeks we’ve been sharing findings from a study we recently conducted entitled “The Mobile Giving Revolution in Church Giving.” Givelify has processed more than 2.5 million transactions — each Wednesday we’ll dive into a different key finding from our data that will give you and your organization powerful insight into church giving trends, as well as tips and advice on how to utilize this information for growth.

Can’t wait and want to read them all? Download the full report today!

When making digital contributions to church, do people generally do so while physically present in church? What other locations do people give from, if not the church building? We’ve analyzed where people are when they give via the Givelify church giving app, and narrowed patterns to three locations:

• On-site (within a two-mile radius)
• 2–10 miles (but not on-site)
• Farther than 10 miles

We reason that worshippers are likely at home or work when they’re within 10 miles of church property, and traveling when they’re farther than 10 miles away.

Off-site vs On-site Church Giving

What we find is that most contributions happen when members aren’t physically present at their place of worship. More contributions are made off-site than what’s given on-site.

The same is true for contribution amounts: The highest contributions come when members are away from the church property or event —nearly double, on average, what’s given on-site.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Remember what we previously shared about Sunday giving? Many worshippers give throughout the week, with donation amounts peaking on Fridays and dropping to about half that amount on Sundays.

Based on that information, it makes sense that most contributions are made outside of church. In fact, even though Sunday is the single biggest giving day of the week in terms of frequency, over 50% of Sunday donations are still made offsite.

Why Do So Many Digital Contributions Happen Away from Church?

What could be the explanation? Consider worshippers who are unable to attend church — and therefore can’t contribute — because of vacations, business trips, or illness. Even if they intend to make up for those missed contributions when they return to church, many will fail to do so. With a mobile giving solution, however, these worshippers are able to contribute from anywhere in the world. They won’t have to miss a single opportunity to give.

Key Takeaway: When the church embraces technology, it empowers congregants and attendees to be more faithful in their giving.