Online Giving Popular even Expected?

Kem pointed this article about online giving out to me. It's an interesting read. Especially the survey information about what communication donors like to receive and don't want to receive. It backs up my opinion that online giving is an amazing tool for churches and charities. It's becoming more and more popular with donors. In fact, at this point in time, I think donors almost expect it to be a option for giving to an organization. Think about it. It's available 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week. Its accessible from anywhere in the world. It makes it convenient and easy for a donor to give anytime, anywhere. Churches and charities can greatly benefit from maximizing this powerful tool.

Some things that increase the power of online giving for an organization:

1. A good web presence - Are people visiting the web site frequently and for all kinds of different reasons? The more people visit the web site the more likely they are to use online giving.
2. An easy to find link to the online giving application - I think there's a happy medium here. You want it to be visible, but discrete.
3. The ability to set up a giving schedule (i.e. once a week, once a month, etc.) - This is a powerful tool. It allows donors to decide in advance what they're going to give on a regular basis and provides a regular revenue stream for the organization.
4. Easy to find, easy to understand help information - Sometimes people need help using the application. They need to be able to easily find some easy to understand help documents.