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How to choose a church giving platform: 12 questions to ask
How to compare church giving platforms and apps in the UK: 12 questions about fees, payouts, Gift Aid, regular giving, data and contracts, with a checklist.
The short answer
Compare giving platforms on what matters over years, not just a list of features: how they charge (a percentage of gifts or a flat fee), whether gifts are paid straight to your church’s bank, how they handle Gift Aid declarations and claims, whether givers can manage their own regular gifts, whether you can export your data, and whether you can leave without a contract. Then work out what each would have cost your church last year, at your real level of giving.
12 questions to ask any giving platform
1. How do you charge, and what would we have paid last year?
Some platforms take a percentage of every gift, some charge a flat monthly fee, and some ask givers for an optional extra contribution. Ask for a yearly figure at your church’s real level of giving, with card fees shown separately, so you can compare like with like. Our guide to card fees on donations shows how quickly a percentage adds up.
2. Who holds the money, and how soon does it reach our bank?
The best arrangement is for gifts to be paid by a regulated payment provider straight into your church’s own bank account, so the platform never holds them. Ask how often payouts happen, and whether you can see each payment and payout yourself.
3. Can givers cover the card fee?
An optional “cover the fees” box means many gifts reach your church in full. Check it shows the exact amount and is easy to say no to.
4. How do you handle Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is worth 25% on top of every eligible gift, so this matters. Look for HMRC’s model declaration built into the giving page, a way to record paper and phone declarations, declarations that can cover the past four years, every gift matched to its declaration, a claim file ready for HMRC’s Charities Online, refunds handled correctly, and a log for the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme. Ask whether Gift Aid costs extra, or whether the platform takes a share of it.
5. Which ways can people give?
At least cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, one-off and regular gifts, and a choice of funds and appeals. Bacs Direct Debit helps with larger regular gifts.
6. Can givers manage their own regular gifts?
Givers should be able to change, pause or stop a regular gift, and update an expired card, without having to ask your treasurer. It saves you time and it keeps gifts going.
7. Do givers need an account or an app?
Every extra step loses some givers. The best giving pages let anyone give in a few taps without signing up, with an account there for those who want one.
8. Can we make it look like our church?
Your logo, colours and photo on the giving page help people trust it. Ready-made QR codes, posters and slides save your volunteers hours.
9. Can we record cash and envelope gifts too?
If online and offline gifts live in one place, your Gift Aid claims and giving statements come from one set of records instead of two spreadsheets.
10. Who owns the data, and can we take it with us?
Your givers’ details and giving history belong to your church. Check you can export them whenever you like, in a format you can open, and ask how the platform protects personal data under UK data protection law.
11. Is there a contract or a notice period?
A monthly arrangement you can cancel at any time keeps a platform honest. Be wary of long contracts and setup fees.
12. Who helps when something goes wrong?
Find out how to reach a real person, how quickly they reply, and whether your whole team can have their own sign-ins with the right level of access.
Warning signs
- A percentage fee that grows as your church’s giving grows, with no cap.
- Gifts pooled in the platform’s account and paid out to you later.
- A share of your Gift Aid, or Gift Aid as a paid extra.
- No way to export your givers and gifts.
- Long contracts, setup fees or charges for each extra user.
A checklist to take to your meeting
☐ Yearly cost at our level of giving: £______ (platform) + card fees
☐ Gifts paid straight to our church’s own bank account
☐ Givers can choose to cover the card fee
☐ HMRC model Gift Aid declarations online, on paper and by phone
☐ Gift Aid claim file for HMRC Charities Online, at no extra cost
☐ Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme records
☐ Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Direct Debit
☐ One-off and regular gifts, funds and appeals
☐ Givers can change, pause or stop regular gifts themselves
☐ No account or app needed to give
☐ Our logo and colours, with QR codes, posters and slides
☐ Cash and envelope gifts recorded in the same place
☐ Annual giving statements
☐ Export all our data at any time
☐ No contract, no setup fee, cancel any time
☐ Sign-ins for the whole team, with roles
☐ A real person to contact for help
How GoodSeed answers these questions
We built GoodSeed because we thought churches deserved straight answers, so here are ours. GoodSeed is £9.99 a month per church, whatever you receive, and never a percentage. Gifts are paid by Stripe straight into your church’s own bank account, and givers can choose to cover the card fee. Gift Aid is included: HMRC model declarations online, on paper and by phone, claim files for Charities Online, and a Small Donations Scheme log. Givers can give without an account, manage their own regular gifts, and save a card for one-tap giving. Your giving page, QR codes, posters and slides come in your colours, cash and envelopes are recorded alongside online gifts, you can export everything at any time, and there’s no contract.
Questions people ask
What is the best church giving platform in the UK?
It depends on your church: how much you receive, how many of your givers give regularly, and how much help you need with Gift Aid. Ask every platform the same questions, and compare what each would have cost you last year at your real level of giving, including card fees.
Are free giving platforms really free?
Someone always pays. “Free” platforms are usually funded by a percentage of gifts, a markup on card fees, or optional contributions requested from givers. Ask each one how it makes its money.
Can we switch giving platforms later?
Yes. One-off giving moves as soon as you update your links and QR codes. Regular givers usually need to set up their gift again on the new platform, so plan it, tell them personally and run both for a month or so. Your Gift Aid declarations and records belong to your church, so export them before you leave.
Do we need separate software for Gift Aid?
Not if your giving platform matches gifts to declarations and prepares your claim file. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to keep a separate record and build the claim spreadsheet yourself.
Sources
Checked against these sources on 20 October 2026. Rules and rates change, so check the latest guidance before you rely on a figure. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.