New Report Explores How Giving To Churches Changed During Pandemic, Highlights a Growing Digital Divide

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INDIANAPOLIS, June 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Givelify, the most downloaded mobile giving app used by more than 45,000 places of worship and nonprofit organizations, today released a new report that explores how giving to churches has changed during the pandemic. The report, Giving In Faith: How Coronavirus Widened the Digital Divide, found that nearly 55% of faith-based organizations — particularly those that are digitally savvy — experienced consistent or increased giving levels during the pandemic.

Throughout COVID, places of worship have played a critical role in communities, providing food for those in need and support for members and neighbors. But with their doors closed and the nation dealing with economic turmoil, many faith-based organizations are struggling. Givelify looked at its own app data and surveyed more than 400 faith leaders and 300 congregants to better understand how giving to churches has changed during the pandemic and what the future holds.

The report uncovered several insights about giving during the pandemic and beyond:

• Giving to churches increased or remained steady during COVID-19. Among places of worship, nearly a third reported an increase in donations, and a quarter saw consistent levels. The number of donations given each week on the Givelify mobile app nearly doubled between March 15 and April 18, highlighting the generosity of faith-based donors.
   
• Digitally savvy faith-based organizations fared better financially during COVID. During the pandemic, places of worship using Givelify saw a nearly 10% increase in the size of donations. Faith-based organizations on Givelify with a strong digital presence (website, live streaming, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube) saw 533% more donations than those without.
   
• The pandemic may accelerate a longer-term digital transformation, moving church giving primarily online. 92% of donors said they will continue to donate primarily online and on mobile after the pandemic ends and 94% of faith leaders believe online and mobile giving is here to stay.
   
• Faith-based giving is not exclusive to one place of worship. During the pandemic, more than 20% of people gave to multiple places of worship, a number that has steadily risen over the past few years. This points to the changing relationships that people have with places of worship and the desire to belong to multiple faith-based communities.

"The Giving in Faith report underscores what we've known all along at Givelify: that people are inherently generous, despite unimaginably tough circumstances. Mobile giving and online engagement allow faith leaders to tap into that generosity, making it easy for people to show their support. A digital transformation was already underway in the faith community, and COVID has accelerated it. Places of worship need a digital presence to not only survive the pandemic but thrive into the future," said Wale Mafolasire, Founder and CEO of Givelify.

Giving in Faith is the first report in an annual series that will explore the state of online and mobile giving in the faith-based community.

Additional resources:

• The full report
• Infographic
• Registration for Friday, June 26 launch event

About Givelify
Givelify is where places of worship and nonprofits come to instantly connect with the fastest growing community of people doing good, one simple, joyful gift at a time. With a rating of 4.9 out of 5 from nearly 40,000 verified reviews on the App Store and Google Play, Givelify's free mobile giving app is the most downloaded, highest rated and most reviewed platform for growing online donations. Over 45,000 places of worship and nonprofits are growing generosity and furthering their missions on Givelify. To learn more, visit www.Givelify.com.   

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Media Contact:
McKenna Gramoll
McPherson Strategies
262-527-7829
[email protected]

SOURCE Givelify