The Church of England has successfully completed a three-year initiative to implement contactless giving devices in over 2,200 churches, raising almost £4 million in donations to date.
As cash usage declines, the Church of England (CofE) launched pilot programs in 2021 to identify effective methods for distributing contactless giving devices and training churches to facilitate donations via cards and mobile devices.
Funded by a £1.25 million investment from the Church Commissioners, the project has provided churches with access to free online and contactless giving software, regardless of their participation in the rollout.
In collaboration with suppliers Give A Little, CollecTin, Payaz, and GWD, the initiative offered free or subsidized devices tailored to the specific needs of churches. Notably, even those without an internet connection could participate, as some devices can store donations offline and sync later.
Ralph Assheton, Church Warden of St Leonard’s in Downham, Diocese of Blackburn, shared: “Our church has no mobile phone signal or Wi-Fi, so we had assumed we could never benefit from contactless donations. The device supplied by the Diocese has been a revelation. Although we have only had the machine running for a few months, we have already received nearly £900.”