Let’s say that your church uses recurring giving–awesome! 

Now, what do you do when you want to switch to a new giving platform? You don’t want members sending recurring gifts through the wrong platform–but it’s going to take a bit of effort and education to train church members to switch.

The most important part of helping church members to make the switch is to a) provide simple instructions for making the switch, and b) provide a clear deadline for making the switch.

In the following blog post, we’ll walk you through how to move recurring givers to a new platform–along with clear instructions on how to communicate with your church through this simple change. 

What is Recurring Giving?

Recurring giving is the automation of giving to your church. Instead of logging into an online giving form or writing a check every month (or week, or quarter), donors can check a box that automates a regular payment of their choice. 

Giving becomes automatic and seamless for donors–and predictable and consistent for your church. 

Not only that, but recurring giving significantly increases giving to your church. Recurring donors give 42% more per year than one-time donors and they make additional one-time gifts 75% more often. 

If your church already has plenty of recurring givers, that’s awesome news. But that’s no reason not to switch giving platforms. Tithe.ly offers recurring giving with the option to cover the fees…and it’s far more cost-efficient than most church giving platforms. And making the switch to Tithe.ly doesn’t have to be complicated. 

In the following section, we’ll look at five steps to help recurring givers make the switch.

4 Steps to Helping Recurring Givers Make the Switch

Helping recurring givers to make the switch involves two phases. First, you need to get your church excited about using a new giving platform. Then, you’ll want to give recurring givers specific directions on how to make the switch. 

To learn more about how to switch giving platforms at your church, click here to download a free guide on “How to Switch Church Giving Providers” in just 3 months. 

1. Plan a launch weekend. 

First, you’ll want to host a launch weekend for talking about your new giving platform. 

This is when you’ll announce the change at church and give clear directions for how to give on the new platform. You can also use this opportunity to talk about a special giving fund and give vision for generosity at your church.

This is when you’ll want to announce the launch of your custom church app as a part of your shift to a new online giving platform. A custom app can help make it even easier and more intuitive to give to your church regularly (especially when you set up recurring giving). 

2. Build a landing page for the change. 

To announce the change and help make the transition easy, build a special landing

page where your church members can access the new platform. 

The landing page will include:

• A button linking to a donation form with your new online giving platform
• A button for canceling recurring payments with the old platform
• A quick message about the change, and a “deadline” for switching platforms

Here’s an example of a transition giving landing page.

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3. Film a short video. 

To make the shift personal, create a short video announcement from your lead Pastor.

A video announcement can explain the reason behind the change and how it will make giving easier and more convenient–such as with Tithe.ly’s text-to-give and mobile giving features.

The video can also be a great way to talk about the importance of generosity. Remember that launching a new giving platform can be a great opportunity to remind your church of the power of giving.

To spread the word, use this video at your church services, on your website, and on your social media accounts.

4. Send out emails. 

Now, you need to help your donors switch to the new platform. This is especially important for donors who already make recurring gifts.

Sending a series of 1-4 emails (depending on response) can help donors make the switch by a) reminding them of the change of giving platform, and b) providing clear instructions on how to switch platforms. 

To access free email templates that you can use to communicate with your donors, click here.

Our data shows us that if you send one email a week for a month, the average church will have 75%+ of their existing recurring givers moved over onto the new platform within the first 4-6 weeks.

For the remaining recurring givers that haven't switched over, give them a call. First, thank them for their generosity and then ask them if they have been receiving your emails (if they answer "no", it is a great time to confirm that you have the most up to date information).

If they say that they have seen the emails but haven't gotten around to moving over their  donation, ask them if they need help and if they can move it over in the next few days.

Giving for the Long Haul

The best way to build generosity at your church is to encourage recurring giving.

Most churches that use Tithe.ly see a huge increase in overall giving, but they also see an increase in the number of recurring givers.

Of course, you’ll want to share the Biblical reasons for financial generosity. But you can take it one step further by sharing the practical reasons why setting up a recurring gift is best for the church–namely, that it helps you budget as you look ahead and plan to reach more people for Christ.

When churches share the practical importance of recurring giving for your church, we find that more people set up recurring gifts.

And with Tithe.ly’s option to Cover the Fees, your donors can cover the transaction costs for you–meaning that you get to keep the full donation to help advance the Kingdom of God.

That’s good news for everybody.