5 reasons why Catholics give less than 1%

June 6, 2016 by

Josh Simmons

As Catholics, we stink at giving.

How bad is it? We knew it was low, but it wasn't until we interviewed parishes and dioceses from around the country that we discovered that on average, Catholics give less than 1% to their parish! Why do Catholics give less?

Below are the top 5 reasons that we discovered through our research. Our goal with eCatholic Payments is to help overcome these obstacles and transform the way Catholics give - both the tools and the mentality of giving!

1

Giving is often difficult and inconvenient.

We live in an digital world where simplicity and convenience are an expected commodity. But at most parishes, the only way to make a donation is with a check or cash. For families, it’s hard enough to get everyone dressed and to Mass on time, so remembering a check is unlikely. And if they’re giving with cash, it’s probably just what happens to be in their wallet, which is minimal.

If we want to help Catholics give more, we have to make it easy and convenient. With eCatholic Payments, your parishioners can make one-time and recurring donations directly from your website - from any device. It’s quick, easy, and convenient.

2

Parishioners lack a proper mentality of stewardship.

Compared to other Christians, Catholics stink at giving. But why? It’s not because they are less generous. It’s likely just a mentality issue. They don’t understand their calling and responsibility to stewardship. They don’t feel connected and engaged with the mission of their parish. And they have no idea what great fruit their financial contribution will make to evangelization.

With eCatholic Payments, our goal is to transform the way Catholics give - not just the tools, but also the mentality of giving. Through videos and other digital resources, we help you educate and inspire your parishioners to answer their calling to be good financial stewards.

3

People travel - and so goes their tithe.

Families travel, especially during the summer. And when they’re gone, so is their money. Without automated giving, seasonal dips in Mass attendance have a major impact on your parish income. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

With eCatholic Payments, families can automate their tithing through online recurring giving. So even when they’re traveling, they are still tithing to their parish. Plus, when visitors travel to your parish, they will have an easy way to make a one-time donation.

4

Millennials don’t carry cash or checks.

Studies show that millennials, those parishioners younger than 38, are more generous with their time and money than other generations. Studies also show that most millennials don’t carry cash or use checks. If we’re not offering online giving, we are missing a huge opportunity to engage a major group of our parishioners in financial stewardship.

eCatholic Payments allows millennials to tithe and pay online, from any device. Not only will this help them give more (and more often), it will also engage them more fully in the mission of the parish and help significantly increase the parish income.

5

People are busy and forgetful.

We live in a busy, noisy world. And it’s getting worse all the time. People’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. This is a big reason many Catholics struggle with tithing. They’re just (too) busy and forgetful. The likelihood of them remembering to bring their tithe to Mass each week? Not good.

With eCatholic Payments, busyness and forgetfulness are no longer obstacles to tithing. Parishioners simply set-up recurring giving directly from your website using their phone, tablet, or computer. And consistent giving equals more income for the parish to fulfill your mission.