These are questions we often hear, so we thought it would be useful to share our Treasury team’s response, along with some other information as it relates to giving.
The picture below shows a combination use of tithe dollar. Bear in mind, the image is about a decade old but still gives a general sense of how each tithe dollar is spent.
We do not know this percentage. Some suggest less than 50 percent are returning a faithful tithe. Notice the term “return” and not “pay.” We do not know if people are returning a true faithful tithe unless we ask to see their check stubs, and we cannot do this.
Each local church treasurer would have to provide this information and we don’t believe this is a question they are asking of their church treasurers.
Online giving is a tremendous tool and asset for the church. There are typically three ways to give: credit card, debit card or ACH – (direct withdrawal from either a checking or savings account). There are associated fees for each type of transaction. It is preferable that we use ACH. See the chart below for more details.
Donation example |
Fee |
Actual Fee |
Net Donation |
$1,000 |
Credit Card 2.05% of Total |
$20.50 |
$979.50 |
$1,000 |
Debit Card 0.60% of Total |
$6.00 |
$994.00 |
$1,000 |
ACH $.17 per Transaction |
$0.17 |
$999.83 |
