1. Think You Know Your Church Donors? Think Again.
What over two million transactions tell us about generosity in the church today.
Walle Mafolasire | Founder & CEO
What over 2.5 million transactions tell us about generosity in the church today.

2. What is Givelify? Mobile giving app launched December 2013
Most downloaded and highest rated mobile giving app
Over 10,000 registered US organizations
Over $200 million in donations
Nearly 200,000 registered donors
Headquartered in Indianapolis, IN
Givelify was born out of a passion to make the world a better place and the frustrations we felt trying to do so in the same old ways.
We launched our mobile giving app in December, 2013 with a simple goal: make it easier to give. In our first three months our donors made over $100,000 in charitable contributions. Three months later, that figure exceeded $1 million.
Now, nearly four years after launch, our donors have made over $200 million in donations to over 10,000 places of worship, churches, and nonprofit organizations across the country. And we’re still growing.
We now offer online/website giving and recurring donations and memo line features.
We integrate with a growing number of church management software programs.

3. Givelify’s next-gen giving
A 3-tap giving experience.
When charitable inspiration strikes, donors simply tap, give…and they’re done.
Donee Profile
Select Gift Amount
Donation Total

4. Presentation Goals
Offer powerful insight into church-giving trends through analysis of digital-donation patterns.
Reconcile preconceived notions of donor behavior with real data from ~2.5 million transactions collected over 3.5 years.
Showcase data points that are groundbreaking in ministry.
Understand how mobile technology is shaping modern donor behavior.
Givelify analysts have answered the following crucial questions with data culled from over 2.5 million donation transactions totaling nearly 200 million dollars made to over 10,000 places of worship and nonprofits / charities.
Acquire a new understanding of fundamental elements of successful giving programs.
Learn how, when, and where church members really give.
Discover how church leaders manage to ignite passionate stewardship in their churches by transforming giving into a simple experience.
Become aware of current giving trends and perhaps pick up some tips about approaches to creating a more generous congregation. (ie. The role of stewardship and how it’s communicated in your congregation is critical.)

5. Data sources & tools
~2.5 million Givelify transactions collected over 3.5 years
9,300 places of worship and 600 nonprofits
140,000 donors
iTunes Connect App Analytics
Google Play Console
Facebook Analytics, Google Analytics, AppsFlyer, Apteligent
Presentation GOALS:
Offer powerful insight into church giving trends through analysis of digital-donation patterns
Reconcile preconceived notions of donor behavior with real data from ~2.5 million transactions collected over 3.5 years
Understand how mobile is shaping behavior of modern donor
Are there learnings we can apply to other types of philanthropy by studying the habits of faith-based donors.
Secondary talking points
Acquire a new understanding of fundamental elements of successful giving programs.
Learn how, when, and where church members really give.
Discover how church leaders manage to ignite passionate stewardship in their churches by transforming giving into a simple experience.
Become aware of current giving trends and perhaps pick up some tips about approaches to creating a more generous congregation. (ie. The role of stewardship and how it’s communicated in your congregation is critical.)

6. Do women really give more than men?
Women in every age group make more Givelify donations than men.
Acknowledge that this basic gender comparison proves what everyone has been saying at the conference.
In the end, our data shows it to be true: women give more than men.
We pulled this data from Facebook Analytics - this is only the last 90 days of Data from Facebook Analytics (June - August 2017).
About Facebook Analytics (if asked)
Facebook Analytics helps you understand how people are using your desktop and mobile websites, iOS and Android apps, and Bots for messenger.
Your app doesn't need to use Facebook Login or any other Facebook service.
Background and Stats to Use:
The Gender Gap in Charitable Giving: Studies show that women are more likely to donate than men, and to donate more.
Appeared in the February 1, 2016, print edition as 'The Gender Gap in Giving.'
Note the above actually cites this study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy:
From the article/study: “In one study, baby-boomer and older women gave 89% more to charity than men their age, and women in the top 25% of permanent income gave 156% more than men in that same category.”
o Hypotheses for Why - from the article above:
A 2013 U.S. Trust survey on women and wealth found that “women are nearly twice as likely as men to say that giving to charity is the most satisfying aspect of having wealth.”
In trying to explain such differences, our research has found that women tend to be more altruistic and empathetic than men, partly because of the way men and women are socialized regarding caring, self-sacrifice and the well-being of others.
Research also suggests that men tend to make charitable gifts when an appeal frames the donation as being in the man’s self interest or as a way of maintaining the status quo, while women tend to give to promote social change or help others who are less fortunate.
Another possible reason that women give more than men is the two sexes have different attitudes toward money. For men, money may represent power, achievement or prestige, while women tend to view money in terms of personal security, freedom and a way to achieve goals.
Thought to consider:
When it comes to making offerings to the church, many women may be spending on behalf of a household. When a husband and wife share a joint bank account, this could likely be females contributing for both.
Age and Gender
Men
Women

7. Will older generations Number of donors by age group
use mobile giving apps?
The number of Givelify donors aged is actually higher than those aged
Fewer seniors use mobile, but still make up a significant percentage.
35-44
15K people
25-34
13K people
45-54
14K people
55-64
8K people
18-24
5K people
65+
4K people
While the women vs men data was what we expected, here is something we were somewhat surprised to see.
Here, we challenge the commonly heard objection our sales people receive from pastors that their church “wouldn’t benefit from Givelify, because they are a mostly older congregation with a lot of seniors who would never use a giving app.”
Findings:
The and the age groups both have more donors than the age bracket.
Fewer seniors use mobile giving, but they still make up a significant percentage.
How: We pulled this data from Facebook Analytics - this is only the last 90 days of Data from Facebook Analytics (June - August 2017).
Background and Stats to Use:
Here is a blog post we put out on Givelify back in 2015 with some good stats to reference:
See objection #3: One common objection to mobile apps for churches revolves around Seniors. Churches with a lot of older members may avoid using new technology because they think seniors will not use it. But older adults have actually shown that they are more open to modern devices than you might think.
According to Pew Research Center:
77% of seniors have a mobile phone
90% of seniors with an annual household income of over $75,000 go online
77% of seniors said that they need help learning how to use new technology
In order to have the best adoption among older donors, simply take the time to show them how the technology works. Once you show them the ropes, they will have no problem using an app to give.
In the same post above, note another point we make about not replacing other ways of giving (See Objection 5): Offering plates will always have a place in the church service. Parishioners will still be able to participate by putting cash or checks in the plate. Mobile apps for churches simply offer another option for those who do not carry cash or write checks.
Possible thing to note: A recent study showing older generations getting their news on mobile devices more “Growth in mobile news use driven by older adults” from Pew:
Hypotheses for Why:
Reasons Church Leaders think this:
Because older generations are not thought to be as tech savvy.
Because older generations have more concerns around security on their mobile devices.
Because older generations prefer the traditional giving “in the plate.”
Reasons our results prove otherwise:
Although there is truth to the fact that older generations habitually give “in the plate,” it’s also true that baby boomers and older generations use a number of mobile apps today -- to do everything from connect and engage with their families on Facebook or Instagram, follow news on Twitter, order Starbucks or Uber rides, and even make purchases through Amazon.com.
As much as older generations might want to offer in a more traditional way, many are getting used to not carrying cash. Also, a mobile app will let them give when they have to miss services for some reason.
What: A basic demographic comparison of donations coming in from various age ranges:
18-24: 5,000 people
25-34: 13,000 people
35-44: 15,000 people
45-54: 14,000 people
55-64: 8,000 people
65+: 4,000 people
Number of donors by age group

8. Giving habits by device
Android vs. iPhone
During the week (Mon-Sat), a larger percentage of donations come through Android devices.
On Sundays, Android donations are still the majority, but iPhone donations increase.
What: App usage differences across device type: Android vs iPhone.
Findings:
During the week, 70% of all our donations come from Android Devices while only 30% comes from iPhone devices.
-During the week (M-S) a larger percentage of donations come through Android devices.
This number changes to 55% Android and 45% iPhone during Sunday.
-On Sundays, Android donations are still the majority, but iPhone donations increase.
Why:
Distribution-wise, AJ found that iPhone users’ donations were more likely be to “tithes.”
Note: Tithes are typically more than offerings
We suspect more tithes on Sundays;this might also explain why the iPhone users’ donations are higher. (or b/c they are more affluent?)
We suspect more tithes on Sundays; this might also explain why the iPhone users’ donations are higher. (or b/c they are more affluent)
Maybe iPhone users give more to tithes and more on Sundays due to the fact affluent people can afford to be consistent. (Similar to recurring giving.)
Mon–Sat
Sundays

9. $40 $46 Android vs iPhone Who gives more?
$40 for Android and $46 for iPhone is the MEDIAN AMOUNT
The Mean donations were actually $79 Android, $92 iOS
Help us understand this… although, we do have a few guesses
Hypotheses for Why:
More affluent own iPhones?
Perhaps we can show that iPhone users tend to come from a higher income bracket? Or that they perhaps spend more through apps than their Android-using counterparts?
From that article: “Apple Users access more content categories and do more online shopping than Android users. This means that they have higher mCommerce engagement than Android users.”
From that article:“iPhone users tend to make more In-App purchases compared to Android. Ad-displays is the main source of revenue generation in Android Apps.”
From that article: “As per App Annie reports, revenue generation is 60% more on iTunes store of Apple, as compared to Google Play or Android.”
Perhaps point to fact that Android is overall biggest share of phones? “Android continues to increase lead over iOS in the U.S.”:
For just some general Smartphone statistics, this just came out from Pew (“10 Facts About Smartphones”):
Could be some insight into demographics of people making mobile payments here:
From that article: Ipsos found that one in four US affluents carry cash “sometimes,” while 22% “rarely” or “never” have cash on them.

10. Percentage of Donations
Which days are most
popular for giving?
The vast majority of Givelify donations occur on Sundays.
This is due to heavy giving during worship services.
*Make the statement that all the other days of the week added together show that having access to giving technology outside of Sunday service helps churches draw more in donations.
Important to Note: It’s important to note there that the Givelify app--both mobile and online--allow people to act on their generous impulses whenever and wherever; therefore, the data we review here goes beyond simple “in-church” giving. Givelify does not offer kiosk or card swipe giving, which are often used in church.
Highest - Sunday Giving: 54% of app users are giving on Sunday, and they’re giving during expected worship times. Now, on the surface this may not seem to be earth-shattering information. After all, aren’t most of your contributors already giving on Sunday? But think about those who are most likely to use an app to give in church — did they bring cash? Do they even know where their checkbook is (if they have one)?
It’s also interesting to note that this means there are 46% of church giving app users who are now able to give whenever and wherever they want, and choose to give on days other than Sunday. So, what’s the second biggest giving day?
2nd Highest - Friday Giving: 13% are giving on Friday, which is the 2nd highest day.
Friday is the most common payday in the United States for both weekly and bi-weekly payroll.
The fact that 13% of mobile church app users are giving on Friday indicates that an app-based giving solution enables your congregants to return their tithe immediately after being paid — a win-win that empowers contributor faithfulness and unties church finances from centering on Sundays only.
The concept of a “firstfruits” offering was instituted in the Old Testament (Leviticus 23)
Advice we might give: Based on this information, it might be advised for church leaders to organize their online communications (social media posts, s, etc) to coincide with Thursday night/Friday AM, or on Wednesdays.
Percentage of Donations

11. Does the day have an impact on gift amount?
While most Givelify donations are made on Sundays, donation amounts are higher toward the end of the week.
The highest donations are made on Fridays, likely due to payday.
While most Givelify donations are made on Sundays, donation amounts are higher toward the end of the week.The highest donations are made on Fridays, likely due to payday.
Why: This can give us insight into how people give when in-church vs. outside of church.
Interestingly, this backs up the notion that donations made on Fridays are those of “firstfruits,” and may therefore be higher (as people are donating on a more consistent amount from their paychecks right when it comes in and not when they have time to reflect on what is “left over” on a Sunday).
Important to Note
The Givelify app--both mobile and online--allows people to act on their generous impulses whenever and wherever; therefore, the data we review here goes beyond simple “in-church” giving.
Givelify does not offer kiosk or card swipe giving, which are often used in-church.
Median Amount

12. people give on weekdays?
What time of day do
people give on weekdays?
On weekdays, donations spike during after-work hours, between 7-9pm.
Take 1 minute to get through this and the next two slides
Pattern: a little bump in the mornings (6am-10am), and a bigger bump after-work
Interesting tidbits:
median morning donations > median after-work donations
Friday morning has a bigger morning bump (likely from payday), with the highest median donations all week

13. people give on Saturdays?
What time of day do
people give on Saturdays?
On Saturdays, people give evenly throughout the day.
On Saturdays, people give evenly throughout the day.

14. What time of day do people give on Sundays?
On Sundays, people give between 6am-4pm, mostly during worship services.
On Sundays, people give between 6am-4pm, mostly during worship services.

15. Where are people giving?
Place of Worship
44.79%
35.02%
20.19%
23.55%
42.51%
33.94%
Non-profit
*Data culled from 1Mil + transactions with known location
Three locations:
On-site
Within 10 miles (but not on-site)
Greater than 10 miles
Make sure to explain within 10 miles COULD be home or work.

16. Where are people giving?
Places of Worship
$25
$50
$50
$25
$32
$45
Non-Profit
*Data culled from 1Mil + transactions with known location
Three locations:
On-site
Within 10 miles (but not on-site)
Greater than 10 miles
Make sure to explain within 10 miles COULD be home or work.

17. Where are people giving?
On-site (0-.5 mi)
< 10 mi radius of church location
> 10 mi radius of church location
Data culled from 1Mil + transactions with known location
Non-Profit
Places of Worship
See previous two slides for how we present this best. Same data

18. Tithes vs Offerings: Which draws more?
Majority of donations received are tithes (58%) vs offerings (37%).
Tithes are also made in higher median amounts ($71 vs $20).
Majority of donation are tithes 58% of all donations received by churches are tithes.
Tithes, compared to offering have higher median donation amounts ($71 vs $20)
Why: This could provide some useful insight into how churches might encourage more giving. Such as: teaching more about the importance of tithing on a consistent 10% of earnings.
How: We need to keep in mind and perhaps even address how much of this is outside of the control of the app and may have more to do with how church leaders are educating their congregants or how they are promoting use of Givelify and/or teaching stewardship.
Background and Stats to Use:
We could reference a source to discuss definition differences between tithe and offerings:
From that article: Most churches today use the words "tithes" and "offerings" in a slightly different way. A tithe is a donation of 10% of a church member's income that goes toward the pastor's salary, the church facility, and other expenses. (Many churches ignore the fact that the church is not required to tithe. Others use the 10% as a general guideline of what parishioners should give to cover expenses.) An offering is a donation above and beyond 10% that is usually earmarked for missions, a building fund, the needy, or a parachurch ministry.
From that article: Using the words "tithe" and "offering" in such a way is fine as long as we understand what the Bible really teaches about giving.

19. How donors use Givelify?
App vs Website
Website donations make up a very small percentage of all Givelify donations (2.8%).
The vast majority of Givelify giving is done through the mobile giving app.
only 2.8% of our ~2.5 million donations come through web-giving
even then, almost half of that 2.8% is still on an iphone/Android device (see next slide for breakdown)
Acknowledge that we did not even have website giving available to donors prior to October 2015 (Beta) and January 2016 for everyone. Therefore, many of the early adopters did not know about it. We also have not heavily marketed that aspect of the app in comparison to how much we push the app itself.
From October Aug 2017
Android 46.6%
Apple 50.6%
Web 2.84%

20. accessing website giving?
How are donors
accessing website giving?
Of the small amount of website donations, more are made on mobile devices than desktop computers.
TIP: To meet the needs of modern donors, offering a mobile app giving option AND simple, mobile- optimized website forms is recommended.
True desktop giving is only 12k out of ~2.5 million donations - the rest who gave “online,” did so on a mobile device.
Stress the importance of offering mobile optimized web forms that are simple to use.
Note that our website giving allows for one-click sign-in through Facebook.

21. Does high church attendance result in more giving?
The “CME” effect
People attend church in higher numbers on Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Easter, but high attendance doesn’t result in more giving on Christmas Day/Eve or Mother’s Day.
Definition in the Urban Dictionary (CME People): "Oh, they are CME People. They only attend church on Christmas, Mother's Day, and Easter."
What: Does high church attendance result in high church giving? From 3-year trend comparing event day to average # of donations on similar weekday ( 2 weeks prior to 2 weeks after)
Why: The “CME effect” is the idea that Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Easter are the only times of year that some people attend church. These days are also known as the most highly attended days of the year for churches. One might expect that these are therefore the days when churches see the most donations.
Findings:
People attend church in higher numbers on Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Easter, but high attendance doesn’t result in more giving on Christmas day or Mother’s Day.
We found that high Christmas attendance had the least effect on the donations that came in on that holiday.
Hypothesis: Due to the Xmas holiday, people have spent all their money on gifts, and while church attendance is important on this holiday, people don’t have as much interest in giving to the church.
New Year’s Eve, on the other hand, showed the most giving, but not necessarily the highest church attendance. People might be be giving at church, but they are trying to get those donations made even outside of church. (AJ: There’s another minor effect here, giving is always up relatively on the last day of the month)
Hypothesis: For many, getting in those final donations on the year could be important for tax purposes ( I agree). That, or it’s looked at as a great way to start off the new year.
We see a slight correlation between attendance and giving levels on Easter.
Hypothesis: Christmas isn’t necessary a Sunday, but Mother’s Day and Easter always are. As is Super Bowl.
Mother’s Day has less of a correlation between attendance and giving, but it is higher than Christmas. (Again, note: it’s on a Sunday) (AJ: A more likely explanation is that if people spend more outside church, they give less in church. Christmas and Mother’s day are holidays that involves significant discretionary spending on gifts/dinners/etc. This shows up as reduced giving both in amount and frequency on those days. To support this, our data show that while tithes and offerings both drop, offerings which tends to be more discretionary, drops more on those days. Also, you also see the same effect if you look at July 4.)
On Super Bowl Sunday, while there is not has much church attendance, there is a higher level of giving. With the ability to donate using a mobile app like Givelify, people who were unable to make it to church services on game day can still give (and many due -- perhaps out of guilt?) (AJ: might also just be a statistical artifact /coincidence. THe effect is little and we only have 3 year trend.);)
Another source mentioning typical CME stats, with regard to attendance. Source:
Danziger's findings are based on Unity's bi-annual surveys of 2,000 Americans with a median household income of $90,000.
93% say Easter ranks first, second or third in church worship attendance with 55% saying it's No. 1.
84% name Christmas in the leading three, and it's tops in 29% of churches.
59% list Mother's Day in the top tier, although only 4% say it’s the highest attendance day.
Not one put Father's Day first or second. Just 3% name it third.

22. What is the most common recurring giving rate?
Most Givelify donors who opt to set up recurring donations select a Weekly or Bi-Weekly giving schedule.

23. What are the most common recurring giving amounts?
Donors who make bi-weekly recurring donations give the highest amounts.
Weekly
$30
Bi-Weekly
$107
Monthly
$68

24. Some General Findings
Older adults are more open to modern devices than many assume
Mobile giving options allow people to act on their generous impulses whenever and wherever
Android users tend to give more often, while iPhone users donate in higher amounts. (Help us understand why.)
The modern donor enjoys the simplicity of electronic giving, but even when given online (website) options, they are accessing them through mobile devices.
Tip: Offer mobile optimized web forms!
Older adults are more open to modern devices than many assume
Mobile giving options allow people to act on their generous impulses whenever and wherever
Android users tend to give more often, while iPhone users donate in higher amounts. (Help us understand why.)
The modern donor enjoys the simplicity of electronic giving, but even when given online (website) options, they are accessing them through mobile devices.
Tip: Offer mobile optimized web forms!

25. Key Takeaways
Savvy churches will change the way they approach worshippers to better engage women in their fundraising strategies.
Older generations are more tech-savvy than you realize. Give them the opportunity to give digitally and watch 'em go!
"You get what you preach." The more you teach on tithing and consistency, the better your opportunity to increase giving.
To increase reception, send key messages ( & social) in the evenings when users are more active.
Don't assume higher attendance automatically means more giving. Spend time on these days educating guests about giving options and reasons to contribute.
Savvy churches will change the way they approach worshippers to better engage women in their fundraising strategies.
Older generations are more tech-savvy than you realize. Give them the opportunity to give digitally and watch 'em go!
"You get what you preach." The more you teach on tithing and consistency, the better your opportunity to increase giving.
To increase reception, send key messages ( & social) in the evenings when users are more active.
Don't assume higher attendance automatically means more giving. Spend time on these days educating guests about giving options and reasons to contribute.

26. More Key Takeaways
Given the opportunity, people will continue to give even when they're not able to be physically present.
Make sure your giving experience is optimized for mobile so users don't give up on the process.
Getting your supporters to opt for more frequent recurring giving is likely the best opportunity to increase overall contributions to your organization.
When the church embraces technology, it empowers congregants and attendees to be more faithful in their giving.
Given the opportunity, people will continue to give even when they're not able to be physically present.
Make sure your giving experience is optimized for mobile so users don't give up on the process.
Getting your supporters to opt for more frequent recurring giving is likely the best opportunity to increase overall contributions to your organization.
When the church embraces technology, it empowers congregants and attendees to be more faithful in their giving.

27. Future Studies What does ethnicity have to do with giving?
What have you done for your donors lately?
Serial micro-givers and their motivations
The effect of cross pollinating givers
What does ethnicity have to do with giving?
What have you done for your donors lately?
Serial micro-givers and their motivations
The effect of cross pollinating givers

28. Giving is a beautiful thing.
The giving experience should be, too.