When our parish adopted an electronic giving system (they take the designated amount out of my account monthly), they sent us little cards with our name that indicated we were participating in the Faith Direct program to drop in the basket. I did this for a little while, but then stopped. it was just one more thing to remember… I don’t worry about what those around me think any more. I know what I am doing, and really it isn’t any of their business. I do k ow what you mean though about the appearance. I take it as one more way to practice humility.

Lisa, I really love the electronic giving, just because of the ease in doing it, and the great record keeping to provide yourself for filling out tax forms each April (and getting your charitable deduction right).  Not to mention, you’re probably getting some type of points from your credit card company (if you’re doing it that way), and this is additional income for your family or Church.

As for the collection basket, my parish’s service provides a “check-sized” piece of paper (that you can print out from the computer) stating that I have made my contribution through an e-pay system.  I have my kids drop that in the collection basket each weekend.  And, while this helps me mentally deal with the situation that others may be looking at what I contribute (not that we should be dwelling on that, but, we are, after all, human, fallible, and it is unfortunately a fact of life that it is scrutinized by others), I think it does provide a good in the end.  Others may see the paper going in and ask about the e-pay system (thus helping the Church out in the end) or fellow parishioners may even see that others are contributing to the Church and feel a calling to do the same.

We also get envelopes with a box where you can check “electronic giving”. I signed up to give automatically when we joined the church and don’t bother with the empty envelopes. As a counter for the parish, I have to separate those and it’s a bit of extra work. We joke that as more and more people sign up for electronic giving, we’re working ourselves out of a job. I think 20% of the parish participates now.

At our parish we are really promoting stewardship of all our gifts of Time, Talent, and Treasure.  Everyone, even those who are giving electronically, are provided with envelopes (they are in the pews if you forget them) where you just check off each of the three, and there’s a place for checking off that your giving is electronic.  This way everyone is asked to “wrap their gift”.  It’s been a real boost to the parish, as more people are consciously thinking about their other gifts as well as their monetary when making their offering!

Just as Todd and Danielle replied, our parish has the electronic system available. For so many years while our family was young,my husband wasn’t Catholic and I did not work, I was not able to contribute to our church. I now, faithfully, contribute every week and also use the “piece of paper” instead of an envelope. As Danielle posted we do have to remember to do it. No one knows how much is contributed but the action can speak louder than words and may help others to be more aware to financially support the church. I really like the option to do it electronically as that is how I do most of our bill paying.

We give electronically, too.  One year, I tried using the “I give electronically” envelopes, but I stopped because I felt I was costing the parish more $ than necessary and it wasted paper just to feed my own pride.  I try to focus on tempering my boys with their own donations before the basket comes around.

Our parish is old-fashioned, no e-giving.  With 2 pre-schoolers and a toddler we do the envelope plus singles that the kids drop into the basket.  They take turns picking who gets to drop what into the basket.  The kids will often accompany my husband when he does building or grounds maintenance jobs or help me bake for events too.  We figure we want them to see the tangible ways that we all should help to keep the parish running.

Wow. I have to be honest—I have never checked to make sure anyone else in Church was putting something in the basket. My husband usually takes care of our envelopes, so if it is a week where I end up going by myself (if the children are sick) I never put anything in, because I know my husband will. It never occurred to me that other people were watching and judging.

I have a hard time keeping up weekly checks so I write a larger check once a month. Just easier to remember once and I don’t go through so many checks either but my husband and I did have a talk About whether we should give weekly as an example to others but for me, I don’t pay attention to who is giving and when so I hope no one is judging us either.

If by deducting my contributions on my income tax I wind up paying $1,000 or more less to the government in income taxes, I then have more to give to causes, like the Church, that support my own values. I feel this is very important, and a reason to document our giving. Why would I want to hand over any more money to the government to fund programs I don’t believe in than I have to by law?

Our church started offering electronic giving last year.  It feels odd to not put anything in the collection basket during Mass, but that’s the envelope-in-the-collection-basket is all I’ve ever known until the past few months.  I didn’t think about giving the impression of not giving if I didn’t use the envelope method, but if the parish is suggested electronic giving, one has to assume most regular parishioners know of the option even if they choose not to use it. 

This is one of those issues where I get bogged down wondering just how much responsibility I have to make sure someone else doesn’t view what I’m doing (or not doing) in the most negative way possible.  How responsible am I for the erroneous thoughts of someone not minding their own business?  Really?

Our church started offering electronic giving last year.  It feels odd to not put anything in the collection basket during Mass, but that’s the envelope-in-the-collection-basket is all I’ve ever known until the past few months.  I didn’t think about giving the impression of not giving if I didn’t use the envelope method, but if the parish is suggested electronic giving, one has to assume most regular parishioners know of the option even if they choose not to use it. 

This an example of one of those issues where I get bogged down wondering just how much responsibility I have to make sure someone else doesn’t view what I’m doing (or not doing) in the most negative way possible.  How responsible am I for the erroneous thoughts of someone not minding their own business?  Really?

That sounds EXACTLY like our family!

Interesting timing, since our parish just took a poll on this very subject this weekend. I think they would like to start the electronic giving, if enough people are interested in it. We will not use it, I do prefer to write a check. And for years, I have never put a thing in the basket—my husband does. Due to various ministries, we are usually at separate Masses, so I never have anything to drop in—and it hasn’t bothered me a bit. I know what we are doing, and that is all that matters. We do encourage our children to tithe as well, and as they become teens, I keep reminding them. I do wish we had an envelope system for the children (as I did growing up), because I think it instills the habit very early on. I also appreciate the “privacy” of an envelope, rather than putting cash/coin into the basket. Don’t feel sheepish, Lisa, as long as you know what you are doing—that’s all that matters.

Hi, everyone! Our diocese uses electronic payment across all parishes, but still distributes envelopes for those parishoners who prefer to use them. Initially, when we changed to electronic giving, we stopped using the envelopes, thinking we were saving the parish money, only to find that with the advent of electronic giving (and thus a decrease in the peer pressure aspect inherant in displays of public giving) there was a substantial and significant decrease in contributions overall. So, now we give electronically, and use the envelopes for our daughter’s contribution.

It’s sad that a public display of giving is apparently necessary to ‘encourage’ those who might not otherwise support their parish financially to do so, but I guess it is. I would have never thought people were paying such close attention, or that they would hide behind the assumed pretense of giving.

As for ‘tithing’ literally, this is another way we’ve grown… consisitently over the last five years we’ve slowly increased our contribution to reflect a literal 10% and more of our income. Our diocese started publishing a monthly newsletter on stewardship the outlined what 1 - 10 percent of several income brackets looked like… no pressure, just information. When we totalled our giving, we realized were not ‘faithful’ to stewardship in ways which reflected gratitude in our blessings, and have made changes accordingly. The truly funny thing is that the more we give, the more we literally have to give in dollars and cents. It’s been, and continues to be, a true faith building experience.

I do think from the parish standpoint that electronic giving is great but with littles 6 and under I like to have something tangible for them to deposit in basket.  But I guess we could give them a dollar each if we ever decided to give electronically.

We donate through automatic withdrawl - and I have had that same weird feeling that others think we donate nothing.  But, I have noticed a downside for us personally.  My kids don’t see the envelope dropped in - although we’ve explained it to them.  We also forget to use their envelopes now.  I either need to get in a better habit of helping them while ours are automatic - or start using envelopes again myself so it helps us all remember them too.

My parish has electronic giving.  So they take 5% of my regular income from the bank, and then at the end of every month, I write a check for 10% of my irregular income.  We have a very well used food pantry donation box in the vestibule, and the children are invited to take a can/box and be a part of the presentation of gifts.  There is a basket in front of the altar where it all ends up.

The envelopes that people use at our parish for cash/checks have a check box on the bottom that says “I give by EFT (electronic funds transfer” so we still put in an envelope but not an additional one that the church provides.  I think it might still be an attendance thing for the school as well.

We write a check monthly and use envelopes.  I don’t think our parish has an electronic system set up, and we were somewhat leery of the second, third, and sometimes even fourth collections (via envelopes) that occur at our parish.  That being said, our parish requires a weekly envelope for our children’s religious Ed attendance, if we don’t turn them in, my daughter won’t be able to receive First Communion.  So we simply write “we give monthly” on each one.

We give once a month using envelopes but may go to once a year so save the hassle of bringing envelopes and save the cost of checks.  We do not have electronic banking.  I don’t really think the other people in the pews care what we are doing.  I certainly don’t care what they are doing.

Great topic.. we have been giving money via stock transfers that way we don’t have to pay taxes on the earnings and therefore it’s like we’re actually giving more than giving cash.  Because of this, we give in large amounts once a year.  Georgia also has the “Grace Scholars” program where you can designate your tax dollars towards Catholic education and choose the schools you want to support.  It’s dollar for dollar matched on your tax refund in the spring up to a certain amount. 

SO, in regards to the weekly envelope thing, we don’t actually drop an envelope in when our children aren’t with us- have a little weird feeling when I don’t drop one in the basket, but realizing that it’s not anyone’s business to worry about, that “weird feeling” is fleeting.  We put $10 or so in an envelope if the kids are with us so they can put the envelope in the basket- which is most of the time.

I know the feeling!!  I have also been giving electronically for many years.  My parish actually encourages it.  When my sons were little, I would have one of them place the (empty) envelope in the basket so that they would learn that it’s important to give.  Obviously, they didn’t know it was empty, nor would they have understood electronic giving at the time.  For a while, I even put a note in the envelope explaining that my contribution was made electronically when the boys started to realize that the envelope was empty! 

Our parish has laminated cards available at the entrances that say, “I give eletronically”.  You can pick one up on your way in, put it in the basket and then they are reused the following week.  Cuts out trying to remember an empty envelope from home or printing something off every Sunday.

I have worried about the same thing, Lisa.  My husband works full-time at our parish, and so I was afraid people would think that we weren’t doing our part or grateful for his salary.  At the same time, I know from him that the parish really appreciates the automatic donations because it’s more reliable income each month.  Apparently, this is an actual reason people hesitate to switch to electronic funds transfer.  He said that our pastor recommends dropping the blank envelope in.  I know we don’t need to do it, and that it doesn’t matter what people think, but we try to remember our envelope each week because 1) if we can set a good example of tithing, why not?  and 2) our girls really like to take turns putting the envelope in the basket (they’re too young for allowances, so can’t tithe their own $ yet) and I like them having that sense that we give to the church each week.  If we forget the envelope, no big deal.

I don’t think it’s a big deal anymore because of the availability of online giving.  In fact, if anything it’s probably easier to skip a week or two of basket giving and nobody would think anything of it because (in my parish) about 50% of the parishioners do online giving.

We do preauthorized donations on the 15th of each month. Our parish gets almost half of the donations that way, in fact. But we do also have envelopes. We can tick the “PAC” box on the envelope, and my toddlers can still put the envelope in the basket. We use the envelopes for additional collections. I really like this system.

This is a bit of a sore spot for me.  We always gave cash in the basket because like quoted above, right hand shouldn’t know what the left hand is doing.  Then our kids went to Catholic school.  Apparently they “require” a certain donation amount and use the envelopes as tracking, so if you don’t turn in an envelope every week they say you aren’t a practicing Catholic.  Now I get all stressed out if I’m having to take care of a baby or we go out of town and the basket doesn’t get an envelope.  I think envelopes are a bad way to track parish participation for sacraments and education.  Parishioners shouldn’t be treated differently if they’re “big supporters” of the parish or regular folks.

Good story! I have my kids drop that in the collection basket each weekend.  And, while this helps me mentally deal with the situation that others may be looking at what I contribute (not that we should be dwelling on that, but, we are, after all, human, fallible, and it is unfortunately a fact of life that it is scrutinized by others), I think it does provide a good in the end. Click:discount Burberry hobo bags

We have the option of electronic pay, so I have the amount auto charged to my credit card each month. I do not put anything in the basket (my cats would LOVE that), so I just gently pass it along to the next person. I usually sit in the front row where I can see, so I don’t care what anyone else does; I think most do the basket thing—especially the older (60 plus) people. As for faking it, it’s no one’s business whether I pay electronically, the basket, or not at all.
We are very much a stewardship parish, so while I’m unemployed I use my time and talent to help when possible (i.e. the Walk for Life for the local pregnancy center that I did last week). I wish I could do more.

I mean two of my cats would love the basket itself.