Category: Church

St Augustine’s Church

Post author By Rachel Lewis
Post date 21st May 2026

"The service from Dona is exceptional and our fundraising has increased since installing. Our challenge was international visitors not having currency to donate so our ability to collect donations via Dona has increased dramatically."

Drew White

Treasurer

£7,000+ |Total fundraised on Dona since February 2023

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St Augustine’s Church

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough

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Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, DDB, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Case Studies Church DDB

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough

Post author By Elroy Fernandes
Post date 24th January 2026

“As Fundraiser for the Diocese of Middlesbrough, I have had a consistently positive experience working with Dona, who supply our digital donation devices and online giving pages. From the very beginning of our relationship, the entire Dona team has been supportive, approachable, and a pleasure to work with.

Their attention to detail is excellent, ensuring that our digital giving systems are set up accurately, clearly branded, and easy for both parishioners and visitors to use. They take time to understand the needs of our parishes and the wider diocesan context, which makes their support feel genuinely tailored rather than generic.

I have built a great working relationship with all members of the Dona team, and communication has always been open and constructive. Feedback is actively welcomed, and Dona are always keen to listen and, where possible, develop and refine their systems with customers firmly in mind. This collaborative approach has been invaluable in helping us improve digital giving across the Diocese.

Dona’s professionalism, responsiveness, and commitment to continuous improvement make them a trusted partner, and I would confidently recommend them to any organisation looking to enhance their digital fundraising.”

Dan Woodgate, MCIOF (Dip)

Fundraising Officer at Diocese of Middlesbrough

£430,000+ |Total fundraised on Dona since 2022

£11+ |Average donation value

47% | Donations given with Gift Aid

10500 | Individual donors to date

9000 | Forecast of new donors in 2026 based on AI insights

Case Study: How the Diocese of Middlesbrough Raised Over £430,000 with Dona Donations

The Diocese of Middlesbrough has transformed its digital giving landscape through a long-term strategic partnership with Dona Donations, implementing digital fundraising terminals, online giving tools, and a centralised management system.

With over £430,000 raised (as of January 2026), the Diocese has demonstrated how modern, accessible giving technology can revitalise parish fundraising, engage donors more effectively, and streamline administrative processes across a diverse set of churches.

The Challenge

Before adopting Dona, parishes across the Diocese faced several challenges:

Highly varied levels of digital readiness between parishes
Limited administrative resources to manage multiple giving systems
Difficulty tracking and forecasting giving trends across several dozen churches
Missed opportunities for Gift Aid capture due to manual processes
The need for accessible giving options for parishioners who no longer carry cash

To address these issues, the Diocese sought a unified digital fundraising solution that could be rolled out at scale while remaining flexible enough to support the individual needs of each parish.

The Solution: Dona Digital Fundraising Ecosystem

1. Digital Fundraising Terminals Across the Diocese

Dona digital terminals were introduced across a wide range of parish environments—from small rural communities to large multi-church parishes—providing:

Fast, intuitive card and contactless giving
Real-time reporting
On-screen Gift Aid capture, driving the Diocese’s 47% Gift Aid average

These machines helped standardise digital giving while respecting the unique character of each parish.

2. Parent Account Centralisation

A major driver of success was the Diocese’s adoption of Dona’s Parent Account, designed specifically for dioceses and large charities managing multiple branches.

The Parent Account structure enables the Diocese of Middlesbrough to:

Use a secure, central login to manage all parishes from one administrative hub
Access centralised AI insights and forecasting, providing leadership with detailed trends, performance analytics, and predictions across the entire Diocese
Provide secure individual logins for each parish (“child accounts”), ensuring local teams can manage their own fundraising while remaining connected to the diocesan structure
Enjoy personal Account Management and Parent Account support webinars, helping fundraising teams upskill and adopt best practices

This framework allowed the Diocese to strike the right balance between diocesan oversight and parish-level autonomy.

3. Online Giving Pages for Every Parish

Dona also provided free online giving pages, which became a vital add-on to in-person terminals. These pages enabled:

QR code giving for in-church signage, newsletters, and printed materials
Donate buttons placed on parish websites, supporting giving beyond Sunday services
Easy sharing for special appeals or seasonal campaigns
A cashless option for parishioners and visitors

These online giving tools significantly broadened donation opportunities—often with no additional effort required from parish teams.

Working in Partnership: Tailored Support for Varied Parish Needs

One of the most impactful elements of the Diocese’s success was its close collaboration with Dona. The Diocese worked with Dona’s support and success teams to:

Develop tailored onboarding for both technologically confident and hesitant parishes
Structure multi-site parishes so giving is centralised even when multiple terminals are placed across different church buildings
Continually refine reporting and insights to best serve diocesan oversight
Provide coaching that helped smaller parishes maximise their digital fundraising potential
Adopt best practices that enabled larger parishes to streamline their donation processes

This combination of technology and tailored support helped ensure that every parish—regardless of size or resources—benefited from the rollout.

Impact

Financial Impact

The Diocese’s fundraising totals demonstrate the strength of combining user-friendly terminals with structured central management. With an average donation of £11.14 and a Gift Aid rate almost double the UK national average, Dona’s systems have substantially increased net fundraising income.

Administrative Impact

Centralised reporting saved parish staff and diocesan administrators significant time
AI insights supported better budgeting and strategic forecasting
Automated Gift Aid capture reduced paperwork and increased efficiency

Community Impact

Parishioners gained new, convenient ways to give
Digital giving helped include individuals who rarely carry cash
QR codes and online giving supported engagement with visitors, younger donors, and occasional worshippers

Conclusion

The Diocese of Middlesbrough’s partnership with Dona Donations has demonstrated how modern digital giving tools, combined with centralised insights and strong support, can transform fundraising at both parish and diocesan levels. By adopting Dona’s terminals, free online giving pages, and Parent Account structure, the Diocese has strengthened its financial resilience, increased donor engagement, and created a scalable model for digital fundraising across its entire network of parishes.

Learn more the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough

Learn More

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

Message on our social channels

Case Study: How the Diocese of Middlesbrough Raised Over £430,000 with Dona Donations

St Augustine’s Church

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough

The Staithes Museum

St Mary Magdalen’s Church, Brighton

Nidderdale Museum

ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Verso Vineyard Church

The Gurkha Museum

Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, DDB, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, Parent Account, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

The Rise and Rise of Pass-Around Digital Collection Plates

Post author By Elroy Fernandes
Post date 3rd November 2025

As churches continue to serve their local communities in new and creative ways, how we give and receive donations is also evolving.

Fixed digital donation stations are becoming a familiar feature in church buildings, mounted on walls, countertops or kiosk giving stands around the church building. However, congregations are also increasingly embracing the use of pass-around Digital Collection Plates to give with greater ease during offertory or Sunday collections.

Rather than replacing cash collection, contactless donation devices handed up and down pews alongside the traditional collection bag, basket or offertory plate, give donors more choice and control over how they wish to give.

Digital Collection Plates enable donors to select how much they would like to give, add Gift Aid seamlessly to increase donation amounts by 25% and reduce admin for church volunteers, and even choose to keep in touch with future messaging to learn more about how their donations are having an impact.

Why Digital Collection Plates matter

Today’s congregations are more comfortable than ever using contactless and digital payment systems. From tapping a card to using a phone or smartwatch, digital transactions have become second nature. Yet, despite a huge decline in cash use across the UK, many churches still rely heavily on cash collections, reducing the amount of donations they are able to receive.

Average donation amounts are higher with digital giving – typically over £12 on Dona per donation, with Gift Aid rates of over 40%.

Contactless donation machines also provide valuable tools for churches to inspire their congregations to engage with different campaigns. From important building repairs to supporting community initiatives, showcasing the different causes that a church is fundraising for can encourage donors to give more generously.

By offering digital donation machines during services and events, churches ensure that everyone can take part in giving, whether they carry cash or not. It’s a simple but powerful way to make generosity accessible to all.

Supporting giving, not replacing tradition

Importantly, digital giving is not about replacing traditional cash offertory – but enhancing it.

With Dona, you can offer pass-around donation devices alongside online, QR code, coin, envelope, and standing order collections, allowing the congregation to choose how they’d like to give.

Dona digital collection plates can be configured in two simple ways:

Tap to give with pre-set suggested donation amounts: Perfect for busy services or high-footfall times such as Advent, concerts or community groups.
Choose your own donation amount: Dona donation machines showcase 6 suggested donation amounts, with the additional option to choose your own “other amount”, allowing donors to give whatever they feel able to contribute, providing a flexible and personal giving experience.

Inspiring generosity through a range of campaigns

One of the most rewarding benefits of digital giving is the opportunity to create inspiring campaigns. From supporting your church’s community outreach work to raising funds for restoration projects, digital fundraising devices make it easy to highlight specific causes and engage your congregation to understand more deeply the range of your church’s mission.

For congregation members using standing orders to manage their regular parish giving, stewardship or tithe donations, digital offertory machines can also empower one-off or supplementary fundraising boosts.

Your church’s fundraising volunteers can easily track which donations have gone to which campaigns through their Dona Management Portal. Gift Aid declarations are provided ready to download in the right format to submit to HMRC, speeding up fundraising admin, saving time and increasing accuracy of reporting.

Celebrate the inclusivity of contactless giving

By integrating digital donation options into your regular offertory, you help normalise contactless giving as a natural part of church life. This not only futureproofs your fundraising but also helps create a culture where giving is joyful, inclusive, and accessible for everyone within the community.

With only 6% of payments predicted to be made with cash in the UK by 2033, adopting digital donation tools isn’t just practical, it’s pastoral: to ensure your church remains relevant and inclusive for today’s communities and enable everyone, whatever their means of giving, to share in the act of generosity that sustains your church’s mission.

Ready to inspire generosity this Advent?

Add digital donation machines alongside your cash offertory and empower your congregation to give more easily, more often, and more joyfully.

During December, with the busy Advent period and run-up to Christmas, churches using Dona see a 45% increase in donations compared with other months. That’s a remarkable uplift, reflecting both the generosity of congregations and the ease of giving through contactless technology.

Get in touch to receive a quote for your church today.

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Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, Hindu, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Case Studies Church DDB

Verso Vineyard Church

Post author By Elroy Fernandes
Post date 14th October 2025

"We are pleased with the latest version of our Dona machine and particularly its improved visibility, because the new design ensures the machine is more noticeable helping to attract attention. The expanded display provides greater clarity for users, and we now have the capability to display additional funds. Overall, this version is much better."

Sally Mannington

Admin and Business Operations Assistant

Verso Vineyard Church has been fundraising with Dona’s Digital Collection Plates since 2021, and began trialling our Digital Donation Box range (launching November 2025, available for pre-order now) in 2025.

Verso Vineyard Church is a vibrant and welcoming community with a simple mission — to become more like Jesus and invite His presence into every part of life. Based across St Albans, Hatfield and Hemel, Verso creates spaces where people can encounter God, build authentic relationships, and make a real difference in their local communities. Their gatherings, worship, and outreach reflect a passion for helping people discover faith, hope and purpose in everyday life.

From Sunday gatherings to community projects, youth work, and discipleship courses, Verso Vineyard Church is deeply rooted in serving others. The church encourages people to grow spiritually, care practically, and bring the love of Jesus into their families, workplaces, and neighbourhoods. Whether through moments of worship or acts of compassion, Verso is committed to seeing lives transformed and communities strengthened.

Since partnering with Dona Donations in 2021, Verso Vineyard Church has raised an incredible £232,926 (as of October 2025), with an average donation of £67.71. Thanks to Dona’s integrated Gift Aid technology, an impressive 42% of those donations included Gift Aid — boosting every pound given and helping the church do even more to serve their mission. This partnership has made generosity simpler, more impactful, and a powerful part of how Verso continues to grow and give back.

£255k+ |Total fundraised on Dona since November 2021

£67 |Average donation value

45% | Donations given with Gift Aid

Learn more about Verso Vineyard Church

Learn More

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

Message on our social channels

Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, DDB, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

St Augustine's Church, Londonderry

Learn more about St Augustine's Church

Discover more case studies...

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough

Case Study: How the Diocese of Middlesbrough Raised Over £430,000 with Dona Donations

The Challenge

The Solution: Dona Digital Fundraising Ecosystem

1. Digital Fundraising Terminals Across the Diocese

2. Parent Account Centralisation

3. Online Giving Pages for Every Parish

Working in Partnership: Tailored Support for Varied Parish Needs

Impact

Financial Impact

Administrative Impact

Community Impact

Conclusion

Learn more the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough

Case Study: How the Diocese of Middlesbrough Raised Over £430,000 with Dona Donations

Discover more case studies...

How churches are embracing pass-around donation machines alongside cash collections

Why Digital Collection Plates matter

Supporting giving, not replacing tradition

Inspiring generosity through a range of campaigns

Celebrate the inclusivity of contactless giving

Ready to inspire generosity this Advent?

Join a Webinar

Discover more fundraising news and insights...

Verso Vineyard Church

Learn more about Verso Vineyard Church

Discover more case studies...