How much are people really giving to the church?

When are they most likely to give?

Are they using online giving? 

What do churches really need to operate?

Are most churches worried about their financial future?

These are the kinds of questions that keep us up at night at Tithely (not joking… we don’t sleep). 

Rather than guess at the answers, we took a deep dive into the facts. 

First, we analyzed billions of dollars given to over 37,000 churches. 

Then, we surveyed over 6,000 individual churches.

The results were surprising. 

We learned that:

• The majority of giving comes from small recurring gifts, NOT big one-time donations
• Most small-medium churches use digital giving tools…but their church members aren’t taking full advantage of online giving
• Sunday is still the most popular day to give to churches–despite the fact that many churches no longer pass around the physical offering plate
• However, over 70% of all giving is done throughout the week, Monday through Saturday, meaning people like to give digitally when it is more convenient for them

Want to learn more about the state of giving in the church today? Keep reading.

Talking to Church Leaders

Before diving into the results of our survey, let’s take a closer look at our survey takers. 

More than a quarter of survey takers (26.3%) were senior pastors and leaders. 

The remaining 74% included a combination of church admin, volunteers and church members, finance staff, executive pastors, associate pastors, worship pastors, and other staff members. 

More than half of all survey respondents (68.8%) were Tithely customers. 

Next, we asked about the size of the church. Knowing whether we were talking to small, medium, or large churches was key in understanding budget and giving numbers. 

In short, about half of our survey takers were from small churches, and half were from medium-sized churches. A very small percentage were from large churches.

Are Churches Really Going Digital?

Three years post-pandemic, we’re looking at a changed landscape of church attendance. 

During the pandemic, the vast majority of churchgoers were tuning into live-streamed services from their homes. Churches that didn’t offer livestreaming had to quickly adopt the technology, and churches that already offered digital church saw skyrocketing attendance. 

But did the trend stick?

Let’s take a look at how many Christians watch online church, according to the State of Giving survey.

The remaining survey takers either did not offer live-streaming, or didn’t know how many viewers they had. 

Keep in mind that many of the churches we surveyed have under 100 people. That being said, an online viewership of even 50 people is very significant!

It seems that Christians are still watching church online–digital church is indeed here to stay. 

How Much Do Churches Need to Operate?

A church’s budget could vary quite a bit, depending on where they are located, where they meet, the size of their staff, and more. That being said, it’s helpful to know how much churches need for operating expenses. 

What did our survey results show?

About half of all churches surveyed operate for $100-$499k. 

How have Tithely products helped your church?

Finally, we asked about how Tithely has helped churches.

Out of the 6,000 churches who responded to our survey, about 4,100 (68.8%) were Tithely customers. 

Across the board, survey takers who use Tithely reported awesome results…saved time, an increase in generosity, and better communication. An all-around win for churches and their members! 🥳

Giving from 2022-2023: A Quick Summary

Here’s a quick recap of what we discovered from the 2023 State of Giving Survey:

Churches still receive the most money in the form of small gifts….

$1,000+ gifts make for great testimonies, and certainly represent amazing generosity, but the majority of giving still comes from gifts that are below $500 (with many at $100 or less!)

Giving is consistent throughout the year…

Summer may represent a drop in church attendance, but it doesn’t necessarily mean people aren’t giving from June-August. 

But Sunday still wins as the most generous day of the week….

Giving still spikes every Sunday, whether people are giving digitally or not. 

We’ve got a long way to go with digital giving (and recurring giving)….

Over half of the churches surveyed reported that the majority of their donors still give with cash or check. Nearly half of churches have less than 20% recurring donors. And only 1 in 10 churches have over 60% recurring donors.

But we’ve made strides with technology adoption!

80% of churches surveyed have an online giving tool! That’s a great start to increasing digital generosity. 

Most churches don’t have many new givers. 

61.7% of churches report that less than 10% of their giving comes from new donors. This is definitely an area of improvement!

Despite economic uncertainty, giving is on the rise…

For most churches, giving continued to stay the same or increase in 2022 (from 2021). In fact, 57.5% of churches reported that giving has increased! 

The vast majority of churches anticipate that their total and year-end giving will either remain the same or increase in 2023.

Churches want to be trained. 

The top areas of training and education desired? Communication, giving, social media, and church management systems. 

The 2023 State of Giving: Full Results

Want to learn the full results of the 2023 State of Giving survey? Download the free ebook here.