Online Giving: 5 Best Platforms for Churches

People have been donating to churches the same way for centuries. Mark 12 shares the story of the widow who donated her offerings at the temple. She dropped two copper coins into a treasury box, likely not that different from what was used in churches for two thousand years. But in the last 20 years, church-giving technology has taken a sudden leap forward.

Many Christians still prefer to give in person—even if they’re writing a check rather than dropping coins into a wooden box. However, online donation platforms offer a wildly different option for congregants interested in sharing their financial gifts using the latest technology.

Local churches are now able to collect offerings through their website, on mobile apps, via text message, and even using cryptocurrency. These are all terms that were completely unheard of for the majority of Christianity’s history. However, they’re all useful tools that the church can use to continue growing and influencing into a new age.

Church leaders looking to fully leverage this opportunity only need to select the right giving platform. There’s no one right choice for all churches, but making the best decision takes time and consideration. Here are five of the most popular options to consider for your church.

In this Article:

Breeze Giving is an easy-to-use online giving platform that makes it simple to receive online donations. With Breeze Giving, you can track giving, utilize built-in online and text giving tools, generate giving reports, and send out giving statements with just a few clicks. It’s perfect for churches that want to make it easy for their church members to give on their mobile phones, laptop and desktop computers, and more!

A couple of awesome features about Breeze Giving: Breeze offers friendly, helpful support and Breeze Giving integrates smoothly and easily with Breeze Church Management tools (which includes an unlimited contact database, child check-in, and more!)

Tithely is one of the most complete and easy-to-use giving software tools designed for churches. The platform is robust and secure—including recurring giving, peer-to-peer fundraisers, and text-to-give.

On top of that, Tithe.ly comes complete with an entire suite of tools to complement your online giving features. That gives your church access to a website builder, a mobile app, a people database, and event planning. So you’re not just equipped to accept donations using technology, but you’re also prepared to manage other aspects of your church’s digital presence and communications.

However, not every church needs all of these tools in one complete package. Your church may already have a website or mobile app covered with other systems. Tithe.ly works best when each of these pieces are connected to each other. So integrating the giving piece with external options can add a unique layer of complexity.

RebelGive is a fundamentally different online donation model for churches. Instead of taking 1-3% of each transaction, RebelGive charges congregations a flat monthly fee. This cost might be a barrier to entry for some smaller churches, but keeping 100% of the donations is a big benefit for churches. 

RebelGive also offers a high level of customization with its online donation forms. These modern-looking trademarked Giving Flows are effective for user experience, especially on mobile devices. 

The downsides of RebelGive are the lack of free trial period to try out and the fact that the platform is currently only available to churches in the United States and Canada.

PushPay is one of the oldest and most well-known church donation platforms in the industry. Similar to Tithe.ly, PushPay has built up a suite of tools around their donation software, although the giving and finance piece remains the core strength of their technology environment. It integrates directly with their ChMS database and mobile app for communication.

One feature that sets PushPay apart from nearly all other giving platforms is ParishStaq, their fully-integrated software that’s built specifically for Catholic parishes. PushPay is known for their wide range of church-giving resources that make their system easier to use.

Their higher cost and limited integrations are a few of the concerns with switching to PushPay. For this reason, PushPay is often a better option for larger churches that can afford the entire PushPay technology stack. But it may not be the best option for smaller churches with a limited budget.

If your church leadership is concerned about technology and needs a simple and budget-friendly online donation option, Easy Tithe may be a good platform to consider. They offer a less complex and less expensive option for churches, which also includes the ability to integrate with on-site giving kiosks.

Easy Tithe offers two basic plans: either just the online giving software, or a pro-version that includes a church management database and a mobile app. This makes it easier for churches to onboard, but also presents a limitation for churches looking to expand with more features in the future.

Customer service is another major selling point for Easy Tithe. They display the support desk wait time directly on the front page of their website. 

Classy is a popular online giving platform for churches and nonprofits alike. Their robust software offers a wide range of features including, peer-to-peer giving, crowdfunding, fundraising events, virtual events, and donation websites.

Unfortunately, not all churches will need all of these features, which can be a downside of using a platform that’s not built specifically for churches. It may not hurt to have them, but it often helps to have a system built with the peculiarities and expectations of a church’s situation in mind.

Classy has helped raise more than $25 billion for charities across the globe and is part of the GoFundMe company. This offers a well-known brand and a serious security architecture to keep your donors payment information safe. 

Choosing the Right Donation Platform

Each of these church-giving systems (and those not listed) each have their own pros and cons. Determining the most effective solution for your congregation begins with understanding which features are the highest priorities. These are a few of the specific areas to consider:

• How user-friendly it is to use
• The platform's security and stability
• How many features it offers
• The cost compared to your budget
• What level of customer service they offer
• The reporting and data presented
• How it integrates with your existing tools
• Their training and onboarding support

Map out all of these various elements to answer the important question: Which one best helps you reach your goals? 

The digital fundraising software you use is important because making it easy to give to your church online is important. This will be a tool your community will use often, so serving them well means taking the time to make a wise decision.