How the Diocese of Galloway embraced cashless giving with Give A Little

Like many churches, the Diocese recognised that more and more people are living cash-free lives. Rather than replacing traditional collections, the idea was to offer an additional, convenient way for people to support their parish whenever and however they wished.

After reviewing a range of providers, Give A Little was chosen as the Diocesan partner. As Fr Kevin Rennie explains:

“Give A Little was the only provider that met all of the Diocese’s requirements. It offered an affordable, unified solution for both online and contactless giving, while still being simple for parishes to manage locally.”

Starting small and growing quickly

The Diocese launched with 26 churches in November 2024.

Some parishes installed contactless terminals straight away, while others preferred to begin with online giving only. From the beginning, there was a clear understanding that every parish was different and could adopt the system in the way that suited them best.

For many of the early adopters, the results came quickly:

• 1 parish covered the cost of their terminal within the first month

• 3 more did so within two months

• several others reached that point within three to four months

As confidence grew, so did participation.

By the end of 2025:

• six more churches had joined the platform

• only three churches in the Diocese remained without either online or contactless giving

• more than £47,500 had been donated through Give A Little

Perhaps most encouragingly, the Diocese also saw a 50% increase in the number of people contributing to weekly collections between January and December 2025. 

Winning over reluctant parishes

Not every parish was convinced at first.

Some worried that introducing contactless donations meant cash collections would disappear. Others questioned whether older congregations would actually use the technology.

As Fr Kevin Rennie reflects:

“Some parishes were hesitant at first, particularly where there were concerns about age demographics or moving away from cash. But once parishes began seeing the results and hearing positive experiences from others, confidence grew very quickly.”

A number of parishes chose to test the waters by:

• starting with online-only giving

• sharing a terminal with another parish

• promoting QR codes in newsletters and on social media

Over time, many of those same parishes decided to invest in their own terminals after seeing how convenient parishioners found them.

Interestingly, some churches noticed strong midweek use, with parishioners choosing to donate even when they had not attended Sunday Mass. Having terminals available whenever the church was open made giving much more flexible and accessible.

Gift Aid and recurring giving making a difference

One of the biggest successes has been Gift Aid integration.

Since launch:

• 4,410 donations have been received

• 1,355 of those were Gift Aided

• more than £5,400 in additional Gift Aid income has been generated for parishes

The Diocese has also seen growing use of recurring donations, as parishioners appreciate the simplicity of setting up regular giving through Give A Little rather than arranging standing orders.

Simple for parishes to manage

A major advantage for the Diocese has been how easy the system is for parishes to use day to day.

Weekly payouts go directly to parish bank accounts, reporting is straightforward, and parish volunteers have found the platform intuitive to manage. In nearly two years of use, very few issues have been reported.

Support has also played a key role in this success. Fr Kevin Rennie comments:

“The support we’ve received from Give A Little throughout the rollout has been fantastic. The regular meetings, quick responses and ongoing guidance have made the whole process straightforward for parishes across the Diocese.”

A unified approach across the Diocese

Having one shared giving platform across the Diocese has brought benefits beyond fundraising.

It has created consistency between parishes, simplified administration, and made it easier for clergy and parish teams to work with the same systems wherever they are serving.

Most importantly, it has helped parishes open up new opportunities for generosity, making it easier than ever for people to support their church in a way that fits modern life.

For the Diocese of Galloway, the move to cashless and online giving has not replaced traditional giving. Instead, it has strengthened it, helping parishes grow confidence, increase donations, and future-proof parish giving for years to come.