Churches that use Virgin Money Giving are being urged to move to another online donations platform as soon as possible or risk seeing a drop in income from the end of November when the not-for-profit fundraising option closes.
Virgin Money announced in August this year that its fundraising website, which has helped 20,000 charities and more than one million fundraisers raise more than £900m online, will be wound down after the 2021 London Marathon in October as it requires significant investment to remain competitive.
Stewardship is keen to alert churches of this “shock announcement” and is encouraging Evangelical Alliance members to make moving to another platform a priority. Delaying action, Stewardship says, could result in a decline in online donations at a time when funds, for some churches, have already been hit by coronavirus.
Daniel Jones, chief generosity officer at Stewardship, said: “Thousands of churches will be impacted by the shock announcement that Virgin Money Giving will close its donations and fundraising platform on 30 November 2021. Many treasurers will not be aware, and they need to take action now to ensure online donations continue, especially at a time when most churches have seen a drop in income as a result of the COVID pandemic.”
Churches that are already registered with Stewardship to receive online funds can simply switch donor’s gifts from Virgin Money to their online Stewardship Partner Account. But for other churches, as the only Christian platform offering online donations for use by other charities and churches, Stewardship would be delighted to help treasurers ensure they continue to receive online donations from church members.
For further information, treasurers can contact Stewardship, which is a member of the Evangelical Alliance, on 020 8502 5600 or visit www.stewardship.org.uk/fundraising-churches-charities
