Contactless donations are for more than just a Sunday collection at St Laurence's Church, Stretton Parish
Stretton Parish, which is made up of three churches in Shropshire, has a rich history and is situated in a picturesque rural area. To support its activities and maintenance, the parish, like many others, relies on donations, and in recent years, they have embraced the modern technology of contactless donations with Give A Little.
23 August 2024St Laurence’s church has a regular and loyal congregation, but as a 13th-14th century building they also have tourists visiting to admire the architecture and heritage and this was the audience the Parish particularly wanted to encourage to donate.
When asked why they introduced contactless donations with Give A Little, Parish Treasurer Graham's answer was a common one:
“It's the modern way. People just don't want to use cash and therefore we need to give them a contactless option. Also, I'd far rather not handle cash, for me as a treasurer the less cash I have to handle the better.”
They opted to go down Give A Little’s Do-It-Yourself ‘DIY’ route with the Give A Little DIY DonationFrame LM84. Graham opted for a Stripe WisePad 3 card reader as it supports a wired connection to the Android tablet running the Give A Little App, rather than Bluetooth, which he felt would be more robust. The Stripe card reader also allows you to collect donations offline if needed, which Graham really liked.
The contactless donation station has been placed on the shelves of the information area where tourists will likely visit. The church has plans to add some signage around the device to make it even more eye-catching and prominent.
Stretton Parish also hosts events and social gatherings at their Parish Centre across the road from the church, and they’re looking to invest in more contactless devices to use at these. Graham explains:
“On a Saturday morning, we have what we call ‘warm welcome’- anybody can come in and get tea and cake in the summer and tea and bacon butties in the winter without being charged. People often want to donate when they come and so we're going to buy a second DIY DonationFrame”
The parish also plans to make use of Give A Little’s list of campaigns feature., Graham continues:
"We occasionally host things like barn dances in the church, where as well as our congregation, local people who don't worship at the church come along, and they often want to make donations in exchange for the food that's presented. The additional DIY DonationFrame will be really useful for these kinds of events too.
We’ll give donors the option to choose where their donations go, like general maintenance, specific projects, or event-related contributions."
On how the church visitors have responded to Give A Little, Graham said:
“Give A Little has been a versatile and welcome introduction to the parish and offering contactless donations has engaged a broader audience, from regular churchgoers to occasional visitors and event attendees.”
When asked what advice he would give to other organisations looking to start their cashless donation Journey, Graham made me laugh by confidently replying simply “Just do it!” and then elaborated with “It’s essential. I don't think in this day and age you can think you don’t need a cashless donation option.”
So if you find yourself in the beautiful Shropshire hills on a cold Saturday morning, maybe pop into Stretton parish for a bacon butty.