Enabling More Churches to go Cashless
The Church of England is funding 50 contactless giving stations for parishes in the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham.
In addition to the weekly congregational giving, the devices enable churches to have cashless payment options for events including weddings, christenings, church fetes and concerts, as well for making one-off donations and the booking of churches and halls.
Applications for contactless devices opened on Monday, 6 March 2023 and can only be made through the Parish Buying website, where more information on the available Giving Stations can be found.
Tony Brown, Giving Adviser for the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham, said: “We have an amazing opportunity for all our parishes to enable generosity through contactless giving from a generation who are increasingly embracing cashless payment systems using cards and mobile phones. We are delighted to be part of this initiative and in supporting our churches develop their giving income and I strongly encourage parishes to apply for a free device.”
Churches have until 29th March 2023 to submit their application.
If a church/parish doesn’t already have a Parish Buying account they will need to register first before accessing the application form.
The link to the application form can be found here and you can read through the project pack here.
As we move towards a cashless society, it is important that churches can receive gifts in a way people find it easiest to give. Cards overtook cash as the preferred form of payment in 2017, so the ability to accept digital donations will be key for many churches in the years to come. In 2022 alone, churches across the country received more than £6.5m in digital donations.
The Church of England’s National Giving Team has embarked on a three-year project to help thousands more churches access digital mechanisms for receiving donations. If you would like to contact Tony Brown, please email tonybrown@southwell.anglican.org or call 07879 424590.