9 December 2024
Earlier this year 70 contactless giving devices were provided by the National Church to parishes across the diocese. In the first three months after receiving their devices, parishes have collectively raised over £30,000 by providing their congregation and visitors with the ability to donate using credit and debit cards.
Lynda Robertson, Assistant Treasurer for Horndon, Orsett, and Bulphan applied on behalf of the parish and received a CollecTin More device. Each month they now collect hundreds of pounds on their contactless device to support their ongoing mission and ministry.
Their success is rooted in their enthusiasm for contactless giving by making the device available and prominent at each of their services and mid-week activities. The device is also used during baptisms, weddings and funerals which is particularly useful for visitors not carrying cash.
Talking about the success of the CollecTin, Lynda said:
"When the idea of using contactless machines in our churches was first raised there were concerns about connectivity, as we don’t have wi-fi in the churches. Fortunately, the CollecTin machines can run on a SIM card, like a mobile phone, and we haven’t had any issues.
We are very pleased that the machines are now being used regularly and the amount of income being generated"
If you missed out on the Digital Rollout and would like to explore whether digital giving would be a success in your parish, register for the ‘Try Before You Buy’ scheme by emailing our Parish Giving Advisors, Beccy Hills and Michelle Cottis at giving@chelmsford.anglican.org. The scheme will support you in setting up an online giving account for your parish and a device on loan for up to 6 weeks; the funds raised could be put towards the purchase of your own device!
This article has been taken from the latest edition of WePray, our quarterly prayer diary which brings together our Cycle of Prayer and stories from across our Diocese.
