How to Set Up Online Giving for Your Church or Parish

An Easier Way to Give: Setting Up Online Giving for Churches and Parishes

Offering more than one way to give makes generosity easier for members to practice, and online giving lets them give from a phone any day of the week. That convenience depends on setup work the giver never sees. When fees and deposit timing aren’t planned, the treasurer can end up with bank deposits that don’t match the gifts recorded for Sunday.

Here is how to set up online giving for your church in nine steps.

Online giving is ready when a gift made on Sunday lands in the right fund, on the giver’s record, and in a deposit your bookkeeper can match.

1. Start With Your Church Management Software

Before comparing church online giving platforms, check whether your church management software (ChMS) has built-in online giving or a giving integration.

When giving and member records share one system, online gifts post to each person’s donation history without re-entry. If your software has no giving option, ask how outside gifts get in (automatic sync, an import file, or manual entry), since that shapes the treasurer’s weekly workload.

2. Choose a Church Online Giving Platform

The platform you choose decides what givers see and what your staff manages.

Personal payment apps move money between people, which is different from online giving for churches. Churches are responsible for documenting donor intent and keeping reliable contribution records, which these apps aren’t designed to do. Fraud warnings tied to them continue, including scams where someone poses as a pastor.

When comparing online giving software, check for:

• Split one gift across funds
• Take one-time and recurring gifts by card, bank transfer, or digital wallet
• Embed a branded form on your website
• Send automatic receipts and year-end statements
• Export deposit reports for reconciliation
• Meet the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

3. Prepare the Merchant Application

A merchant account lets your church accept card and bank payments. The application usually asks for:

• The church’s legal name and address
• Your Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Bank routing and account numbers
• Documentation of tax-exempt status
• An authorized signer

Churches that meet the 501(c)(3) requirements are automatically considered tax-exempt and don’t have to apply for IRS recognition, but your provider may still ask for documentation. Many parishes and denominational churches are covered by a parent organization’s group exemption ruling, which the diocese or denominational office can supply.

4. Set Up Funds, Payment Methods, and Fees

Once your account is approved, three settings shape how gifts are labeled, paid, and deposited. Set them with your bookkeeper.

• Fund designations. List funds givers recognize, such as general, mission, and building funds, or a parish’s weekly offertory and second collections. Map each one to the matching fund or general ledger account so deposits post without guesswork. Keep event and registration payments in their own funds, since they aren’t gifts.
• Payment methods. Offer credit and debit cards and Automated Clearing House (ACH) bank transfers, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay, depending on your platform. Bank transfers may cost less to process.
• Processing fees. Many platforms deduct fees from each gift before the deposit, and others bill them separately. Many also let givers cover the fee; keep it optional. When fees are deducted, $1,114.57 in gifts with $35.39 in fees becomes a $1,079.18 deposit. Record the full gift on the giver’s record, and ask a qualified CPA how to book the fee and any extra a giver adds.

5. Build Your Giving Page

Make your giving page easy to find and share:

• An embedded form on your church website, so givers stay on your site
• A link for emails, the bulletin, and social media
• A QR code for slides and printed cards

Run text giving and your church app on the same funds and settings, and add a Give button to your website’s main navigation.

6. Plan Receipts, Recurring Gifts, and Deposits

Each gift still needs a receipt, a place on the giver’s record, and a deposit someone can match.

Receipts and IRS Acknowledgments

Card, electronic transfer, and online payment gifts count as monetary contributions. Givers need a written acknowledgment for any single gift of $250 or more, stating whether the church provided any goods or services in return or only intangible religious benefits. One annual statement can cover several gifts, can go by email, and typically goes out by January 31. This is general information, not tax advice; confirm details with a qualified CPA.

Turn on automatic email receipts before launch.

Recurring Gifts

Let givers choose the amount, fund, frequency, and start date, and plan how to reach them when a card expires. Recurring giving makes generosity a regular, intentional practice. Once members at Idlewild Presbyterian could set up their own recurring gifts, staff stopped processing payments by hand twice a month.

“It’s been really helpful not having people relying entirely on the financial department.” – Jenni Brooks, Director of Operations, Idlewild Presbyterian

Deposit Timing and Reconciliation

ACH gifts often reach the bank in about two business days and card gifts in about three. A Sunday gift often isn’t processed until Monday, so it may reach the bank midweek, and one deposit often combines several days of gifts. Timing varies by provider. Refunds, card disputes, and returned ACH gifts can also reduce a later deposit. Have your treasurer, bookkeeper, or parish business manager match each deposit to the platform’s deposit report and reconcile every month.