6 Ways to Increase Church Donations with Video

Imagine a virtual space where sermons resonate, communities grow, and the call to support meaningful causes echoes louder than ever. In this digital era, the intersection of faith and technology is not only redefining how we connect with our spirituality, but also how we contribute to the greater good. It’s no wonder so many faith-based organizations are looking to increase church donations.

Now open your eyes.

What you’ve imagined is at your fingertips. It turns out the digital landscape is not the only thing that’s evolving. Faith-based communities are finding each other and staying active through combinations of virtual and in-person events. At a time when many are wondering if we are becoming too disconnected, communities that embrace this new landscape are thriving more than ever before.

Particularly as non-profits, churches rely heavily on the generosity of their members to drive a wide array of community service, outreach, and spiritual education efforts. Let’s explore the innovative ways churches are embracing live and video-on-demand (VOD) streaming to cultivate community, foster engagement, and ultimately fuel their missions through the generosity of their congregation.

 

1. Creating Engaging Content

Let’s shout this one from the rafters. After all, no video content strategy is worth its salt without effective content to support it. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be a heavy lift for churches that are already creating engaging content every Sunday for their in-person congregation. While they can certainly do much more with video, this is a great place to start.

• Sermons and Worship Services – Upload recorded sermons and worship services to your VOD platform for members who couldn’t attend in person. You can also live stream these services while simultaneously recording them for later viewing.
• Cultivated Educational Content – Create polished educational experiences that include bible studies and seminars to further enrich member experiences in a way that can reach them in their homes.
• Create Interactive Experiences – Host discussions, workshops, and other events to bring members together across great distances and strengthen their sense of community.

A stronger community is more likely to increase church donations plain and simple. Engaging content will keep your congregation coming to your platform and further expose them to your message.

 

2. Actively Encouraging Donations

While organically growing and supporting your community might inspire them to do the same, it never hurts to be explicit about your need for support, as well as your plans for it.

• Highlight Causes – Showcase the various causes and initiatives your organization supports to give congregants a better sense of where their donations are going. Just be sure that you are not guaranteeing donations given will go to any specific cause lest these pass-through gifts lose you your tax-exempt status.
• Highlight Needs – Have specific plans for donations to repair the church, enrich the services, and more? Let your congregation know your more immediate goals.
• Call to Action – There’s no better way to increase church donations than to simply ask for them.

Sometimes your viewers just need a reminder that their religious leaders and community need their support. Many people are eager to give if you remind them why giving is important.

 

3. Making it Easy to Donate

Some members don’t need to be convinced to donate. They simply need to know how. If you’ve ever spent time on a website desperately looking for the check out button, then you know what we’re talking about.

• Clearly Marked Page – This goes beyond just having a donation page. Make that page easy to spot in your website’s navigation bar. Add buttons to that page on pages hosting your various videos.
• QR Code – You can make a QR code pop up in live and on-demand videos that either brings your viewers to your hosted donation page or whatever third-party non-profit vendor you may be using.
• Pop-ups and Banners – You likely don’t want to interrupt your content with out of the blue requests for help. However, your video platform menus can include banners across the top or pop-up windows that call the visitor to contribute.

Long story short, make it easy and obvious. Not all your viewers are going to be perfectly tech savvy. Help them help you.

 

4. Leveraging Social Media

Growth in church donations goes hand in hand with growth in followers. That, and some of your existing followers may not have fully realized the digital presence you’ve been cultivating.

• Promotion on Social Platforms – Share snippers of the church’s content on social media to reach a wider audience and direct them to the VOD platform for full access.
• Engagement Campaigns – Run engagement campaigns on social media to encourage donations and participation.
• Promote Your Charitable Efforts – Help current and potential members see how committed you are to putting church funds to good use by sharing your volunteer work, donation efforts, and more.

Adding social media to your digital roster may seem daunting if you don’t already have a presence there. However, the best way to grow your community in the digital sphere is through a holistic approach. It’s easy to see how social media contributes to that.

 

5. Utilizing Analytics

There’s nothing like hard data to make informed decisions about your live and VOD platform. Video analytics can help you measure the quality of your content, the efficacy of your calls to donate, and much more.

• Tracking Engagement – Use analytics provided by your VOD platform to understand viewer engagement and tailor content to their preferences.
• Identify Donor Patterns – Analyze donation patterns to understand when and why people are more inclined to donate. Find out what content or calls to action are converting them the most.
• Website Heat Map – If you want to get really fancy with your assessment of your platform’s strengths and weaknesses, consider using heat map analytics to see where people are clicking on your website. What buttons are garnering the most attention? Where are people lingering the most?

If it helps, think of analytics as a single strategy. You don’t need a dozen bells and whistles to make it work. You need one strong streaming solution with robust analytics built in.

 

6. Cultivating Relationships

Your most likely donors are those who have donated before. Cultivate positive relationships with your donors by letting them know how much they are appreciated.

• Personalized Thank You Emails or Videos – Show your appreciation. Don’t just confirm that the donation was received. Instead, send a genuine and personalized message.
• Encourage Regular Payments – Programs like Tithe.ly and Givelify help your congregation set up and manage regular automatic payments. These programs can be paired with an effective video strategy for optimal results.

Sometimes all it takes is a certain level of convenience and positive reinforcement to get otherwise busy individuals to lend a helping hand.

 

It All Hinges on Video

Granted, some of the above strategies for increasing church donations could be implemented without the help of a full blown live or on-demand streaming platform. However, you are far more likely to get your congregation to your website where they can take advantage of things like automated payments if you give them a compelling reason to go there. Video has also proven highly effective in growing audiences, which means growing community. The simple truth is that the most successful spiritual institutions are the ones willing to evolve with burgeoning technology and changes in the daily lives of their community members.

Learn more about how video bolsters the efforts of churches and other faith-based organizations.