How to build a church with effective online fundraising solutions
Building a new church, whether in your hometown or abroad as part of a mission, often requires help from the local community and congregation to reach a fundraising goal.
What are the effective online fundraising solutions for building a church?
Crowdfunding allows individuals and nonprofits to raise money through online donations to help people in need, from paying for medical bills to funding charitable trips and large-scale projects like building a church.
Raising money to build a new church through crowdfunding lets organizers fund all or part of the project by collecting donations from supporters in your community and beyond. Organizers and donors can see how much money is being raised in real time, and donors can be kept up to date through regular posts and videos about the project.
Dedicated fundraising sites like GoFundMe and GoFundMe Pro are easy-to-use platforms that help people and nonprofits set up their own fundraisers for faith-based projects in a few clicks and start raising money right away.
List of platforms that can be used to fundraise to build a church
GoFundMe:
More than 8,000 fundraisers are started every day on GoFundMe, with a donation made every second. You can start crowdfunding for your church quickly and easily without having to pay any platform fees. You can start withdrawing funds before you reach your overall goal, too.
GoFundMe Pro:
GoFundMe Pro is designed to help organizations and nonprofits fundraise however they want with a suite of dedicated features and analytical tools to help them reach their goals.
WayGiver:
WayGiver offers Christian fundraising for individuals and ministries, and lets you collect financial and prayer support for your special need. It has a number of categories for people to choose from and provides support and coaching from its staff.
GiveSendGo:
GiveSendGo is a Christian crowdfunding platform that is free to use and donates some of its own operations expenses to campaigns on its site each month. People can fundraise for mission trips or to help with medical expenses or church needs, and allows fundraisers to receive one-time donations or recurring monthly donations.
Why use GoFundMe to fundraise for building a church?
GoFundMe is a widely recognized and trusted platform used by thousands of individuals to help raise money for their local church, many of which have contributed to the building of a new church whether it is in the US or part of a mission abroad.
It has a user-friendly interface that makes it simple to navigate and has powerful social media sharing tools to help you spread the word of your fundraiser online and reach new donors.
GoFundMe allows for complete transparency in donor fund management because fundraisers have to create profiles that are verifiable, while all donations are protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee. There are no upfront costs for organizers, there is simply a 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee per donation.
How can you fundraise effectively for building a church using GoFundMe?
Online donation drives
You can set up an online donation drive either as an individual or as part of an organization to help raise money for your church. Write a compelling story on your fundraising page to encourage donations and share it on social media platforms to reach new donors.
Set goals for what you want to raise or create a list of items needed for the new church such as building and land costs or design and furnishing costs, and let people donate toward the costs. Run the donation drive for two to four weeks to build momentum among your supporters.
Virtual events and fundraisers
Run online events such as webinars with people who are important to your church or livestream events such as concerts and charge for tickets for people to access the streams.
You can also run themed fundraising campaigns on topics that are important to the church and its congregation such as climate change or helping the homeless to build engagement with supporters.
Peer-to-Peer fundraising
Empower community members to fundraise on your behalf and help spread the word of your church fundraiser. Ask members of your friends, family and congregation to leverage their personal networks and share the link to your donation page among their networks and on their social media channels to maximize donations.
How to set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for building a church?
Setting up a fundraiser on GoFundMe is an easy and simple process:
- Create an account: Set up your account with GoFundMe and follow the prompts to select your fundraising category and your location, and set a clear fundraising goal.
- Write a compelling story: Connect with potential donors emotionally by writing a strong and engaging story about what you are fundraising for, exactly what the money will be spent on, and what timeframe you expect the church to be built in.
- Set realistic fundraising goals: Be clear about the overall fundraising goal, and break down the church build into different phases so supporters know what to expect.
- Use pictures and videos: Use strong pictures and videos that show who you are helping, illustrate what you hope to achieve, and to keep donors up to date on the progress of the project.
Where can you donate to church building projects online?
You can find active faith based fundraisers to donate to through GoFundMe by searching for the name of a charity or organization in the search bar of the site. You can also click through to the “donate” tab, or search by category for “faith” fundraisers. Contributing to community-driven projects online helps to create a sense of empowerment while doing good for others.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Can anyone start a church fundraiser on GoFundMe?
You can start a fundraiser for church on GoFundMe as long as you are 18 years old or over. If you’re starting one as an individual you will need to first have a profile, which you can get verified for full transparency. If your church is a registered nonprofit you can start the fundraiser as a nonprofit.
How quickly can donations be accessed?
You or your organization can start withdrawing funds for your cause even before you reach your fundraising goal. You will need to have your bank and ID verified before you can start withdrawing funds. Transfers of donations to your account of choice should take 3-5 business days once this is done. You can set up transfers to your own bank account or a beneficiary, a business account or the bank account for your faith-based organization.
Is there a fee for using GoFundMe?
GoFundMe does not charge any fees to start a fundraiser on its platform. The only fee deducted from donations is the standard transaction fee that covers processing costs and ensures your funds are delivered securely. The transaction fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per donation for individuals and businesses, and 2.2% + $0.30 per donation for nonprofit organizations.
What support does GoFundMe provide to fundraiser organizers?
GoFundMe’s Customer Care team is available to help you through email support, and there is an AI-powered HelperBot that can also provide support.
Start fundraising today
Make a meaningful impact on your church and community by starting a GoFundMe today. With GoFundMe you can fundraise the money you need to support your faith-based needs.