2026 has seen a considerable increase in digital giving in our churches. In the first quarter of this year, giving via contactless, QR codes and online campaigns was £99,481, compared to £61,236 in the first quarter of 2025.
Both St Peter’s Church in Bengeworth and St Mary’s Church in Wick have used digital giving methods and have seen an increase in their giving as a result.
St Peter’s Church in Bengeworth, Evesham, have been using digital giving for a while, finding it particularly useful at their community café where they encourage people to donate what they can for refreshments. This year they have also launched a Spire project with work being very visible as the spire begins to be dismantled. The church set up a ‘give a little’ online donation page and included the QR code for the campaign on a big banner outside.
Vicar Andy Smith, said:
“People just don’t carry cash any more, so using a ‘sum up’ machine at our community café and also our Christmas and Easter events has made a big difference. It’s also easier for people to give if there’s a dedicated online giving page for a particular campaign. People can just walk past the banner, scan the code and immediately give a gift, as well as complete a gift aid declaration. We’ve raised around £16,000 for the Spire through this campaign and it’s easy for the treasurer too.”
St Mary’s Church in Wick, near Pershore, purchased a contactless giving device earlier this year having previously not had any way of donating electronically. Although the set up was a little challenging, once they ensured it was working, it has proven very popular and £5,790 was donated on the device in the first quarter of the year.
Churchwarden, Nicholas Granger, said:
“Our church is in a beautiful village and lots of people pop into the building as they’re passing through. The contactless giving machine makes it easy for them to leave a donation. The congregation have been pleased to see if too, and it’s working really well for events held outside of the church, for example our recent service in the Pershore ‘Confetti fields’. Robyn in the Stewardship team was fantastic in helping us to get the machine set up and it makes collecting donations much more straightforward. Giving has definitely gone up as a result.”
Diocesan Stewardship Officer, Robyn Rooney, said: “We are so pleased to see how well digital giving is growing across the whole diocese. This incredible generosity helps to fund the mission and ministry of the churches and means that they are able to have even more impact on their local communities.”
To explore the digital giving options that might be available for your parish, please do contact Robyn or Chris in the Stewardship team.
