Rosa Speyer and Mark Simmons, the Parish Giving Advisers at Hereford Diocese, are celebrating after successfully supporting the roll-out of 51 contactless giving devices to churches, achieving a significant milestone in modernising how congregations and visitors to churches can support local parishes. Since the installation of these devices, the Diocese has seen a remarkable increase in donations, with some churches reporting an unexpected financial boost to income. In the last year, the overall income raised exceeded £52,000, with people typically giving more than £8 per card donation.
Rev’d Preb Matthew Stafford, Team Rector of the Wenlock Ministry, explains the benefits of the new technology: "Since we installed the contactless giving device, we've generated over £4,000 in additional income. This has been a fantastic development for our church, making it easier for people to give and support our mission".
In such a rural diocese, the roll-out was not without challenges. Rosa Speyer highlighted some of the initial obstacles: "One of the early challenges was that many of our churches did not have a reliable Wi-Fi signal, which is essential for the devices to function. It took some time to resolve these issues but, with perseverance and support, we overcame them. The time Mark and I spent has been worth every minute. Our parishes can see the financial benefits and are astonished that people give their money so willingly. We have lots of churches that are regularly visited by tourists so we’re excited to see how this will affect giving levels."
With the contactless giving devices now fully operational, the team is looking forward to the continued support and the positive impact on church activities. Diocesan Finance Director Stephen Herbert is optimistic about the future: “It is excellent news that the Diocese has beaten its financial target for the first 12 months of rolling out these devices, due in part to the proactive and tireless support to participating parishes from our Parish Giving Advisers, Mark Simmons and Rosa Speyer. With fewer people today carrying cash, the contactless card readers enable many more visitors and parishioners to make a donation towards the upkeep of our beautiful church buildings and towards the life and work of our churches.”
If you are interested in learning more about how to install a contactless giving device in your church, do get in touch with Mark or Rosa for an informal chat or visit our Generous Giving page.
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