CHARLOTTE — Online giving has grown into a substantial source of income for parishes as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Three-quarters of parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte now offer online giving, and offertory revenues as of July are at approximately 85 percent of what they were at this time last year, diocesan officials report.
Offertory collections – once largely collected in envelopes at Sunday Masses – are the primary source of income for parishes to fund their ministry efforts and cover their operating costs. As the pandemic forced churches to close in March, parishes saw a dramatic drop in income. Online giving has enabled parishioners to continue supporting their parish as in-person Masses and other activities have slowly resumed with limited capacities.
In March, when the pandemic restrictions took effect, parish offertories sank 21.4 percent compared to the prior year. By the end of June, offertories had rebounded to 14.2 percent below the prior year. In July, offertories overall were reported at 15.5 percent below last year.
As of the latest available data, a little more than a third of the diocese’s 92 parishes have recovered to 90 percent or more of their offertory revenues year over year, and another third report revenues are at 70 to 90 percent of last year’s levels.
“Thankfully, parishioners are responding to the call to stewardship during these challenging times,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan development director.
But parishes are not out of the woods yet. About a quarter of the diocese’s parishes report their offertories remain below 70 percent of their revenues compared to last year. And attendance at Masses remains low – public health protocols have limited churches’ capacity for in-person Masses and many people continue to stay homebound, relying on livestreamed Masses.
The intent of online giving is to move away from weekly envelopes and toward a regular system of giving that can provide income to the parish and to support second collections, even when the parishioner isn’t at church on a given Sunday. It also eases the workload of parish staff and volunteer counters after the weekend Masses.
Diocesan finance and development officials continue to reach out to pastors with resources and ideas to keep parishioners engaged and address the challenges everyone is facing.
Kelley noted that it is important for parishes to encourage members to remain connected, involved, and close to the sacraments – even as social distancing and other public health measures keep people apart.
“It is important that we stay involved with our Church and with people,” he said.
He sees parishes engaging in communication efforts with calls, letters and social media outreach in addition to finding new ways to engage in education online.
“We are still called to respond to being good stewards to give time and financial resources, and to give in gratitude for all the blessings we received,” he said. “The Church is still performing vital ministry work, even though it may be different at this time as in virtual education or online streaming of Mass.”
“If you haven’t given yet to financially support your parish, please consider the options of giving online, through the mail or by dropping off a gift at the church,” he said.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter