Tag: mobile giving

If there has ever been a generation in need of a good PR campaign, it must be The Millennials (i.e. people born from 1979 – 1994).

They’re lazy! They’re selfish! They’re narcissistic! They’re addicted to their phones!

Spend a few minutes on the Internet or on cable TV and you’re sure to come across a talking head rambling on about how concerned we should all be about humanity’s future once The Millennials take over. This hand wringing often spills over to church offices where engaging with twenty-something givers often seems an increasingly impossible task.

Perhaps this is a challenge you’re familiar with? (more…)

A couple months ago, I told you part of my “stewardship story” and shared about how digital tools (like the ones provided by Mogiv) helped transform me from a “tipper” into a faithful “tither.”

Well today I’d like to approach the subject from the side of the church instead of the giver. Because – after all – I can talk till I’m blue in the face about the benefits of online giving, but, if it’s not bearing fruit at real live churches, what good is it?

Meet Mountain Springs Church – a multi-site church in North Idaho. They got started with Mogiv in mid-2013 and have experienced a steady uptick in giving ever since. Recently, I asked Jason Steffen, Mt. Springs’ Web and IT Director, to share some thoughts about their experience with Mogiv so far.

Why did you choose Mogiv as your giving platform?

We received several personal recommendations from The Rock Church in San Diego, CA.

Are there any positive results you can report since switching to Mogiv?

Introducing the concept of online giving in a rural community proved to be a challenge. Even though people were comfortable with online bill pay, there was a “tradition hurdle” to overcome when it came to giving to their church online. Mogiv’s simple approach to the process provided just what was needed to clear that initial hurdle. (more…)

Here’s a scenario for you to consider. Imagine you’re shopping at your favorite store. Since it’s your favorite, you’ve obviously been here more than once. This is a store that you know like the back of your hand. The layout, color-scheme, and branding are all extremely familiar, maybe even comforting.

You collect the items you need and head toward the front of the store, but when you arrive, instead of a checkout counter or a smiling face, you are greeted by a sign that directs you across the street to a strange and foreign kiosk where you’re asked to hand over your credit card and pay for your items.

Sounds ridiculous, right? Obviously, no business would ever put you through this. Not only is it inconvenient and disconcerting for you as a customer; the store misses out on the opportunity to add a personal touch to your shopping experience.

Why, then, is this the process that so many churches and nonprofits have settled on with their online giving? (more…)

By: Russ Cantu

Picture this: you get off work late. Everyone is exhausted, nothing is defrosted, and no one wants to cook. You pile everyone into the van and head to your favorite fast food joint. You pile out of the car, get in line, order your food, and find a table. There you wait at the table for your food – ten, fifteen, twenty minutes go by. By now, everyone is grumbling around the table. The kids are bouncing off the walls; coloring books are not working, and one of them is starting to cry.

You go up to the counter, and ask to speak with a manager. When he arrives, the manager turns around, finds your order, and hands it to you on a tray. The food is cold. You hang your head and the family plows through the food, grateful to finally be eating. You pack up the van and head back to the house, declaring out loud, “We will never, ever, ever, eat there again.”

Time is precious. We only have so much of it in a given day, week, lifetime. That’s why little hiccups like these can so dramatically impact our minds and emotions. This is especially true on church websites where attention spans are measured in nano-seconds. (more…)

Can I tell you a quick story? It’s a story about giving. More specifically, it’s about a giver. Even more specifically, it’s about me.

It was late 2010, and – for what seemed like the 50th week in a row – my pockets were empty as I watched the offering plate come down my row. If it was a good week, maybe I’d have $10.00 I could toss in. More likely, though, I just let the plate pass by while making silent promises to do better next week. But then next week came, and…well…you can probably guess how that turned out.

It’s not that I didn’t want to give. It’s just that I – like so many of my peers – was still figuring out how to manage bills, student loans, savings, and a social life. All too often, it was my giving that got shortchanged. On top of that, I never carried cash, and I hadn’t seen my checkbook since college! So my giving habits ended up being determined by “whatever I have leftover.” This was hardly the life of faithful stewardship I had imagined for myself. (more…)