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Giving & Finance

Overview​

The Giving module lets you record, track, and report on all financial contributions to your church — cash offerings, Mobile Money, card payments, cheques, and bank transfers. Every giving record is tied to a member profile, a category, and a date.

Go to Giving in the sidebar.

Screenshot

📸 [Screenshot: Giving dashboard showing weekly/monthly/yearly stats and recent offerings list]

The Giving Dashboard​

StatPeriod
This WeekTotal giving since last Sunday
This MonthTotal giving this calendar month
This YearTotal giving this calendar year
Total TransactionsNumber of completed giving records

Below the stats is a paginated Recent Offerings list showing the last 20 records.

Setting Up Offering Categories​

Before recording offerings, set up the categories your church uses (Tithes, Sunday Offering, Building Fund, Welfare Fund, Mission Offering, etc.):

  1. Go to Settings → Church Profile
  2. Scroll to Offering Categories → click + Add Category
  3. Enter the name and save

Recording an Offering (Manual Entry)​

For cash, cheque, or any offline payment:

  1. Go to Giving → click + Record Offering
  2. Fill in:
FieldDescription
MemberSearch by name or phone (leave blank for anonymous)
AmountThe amount given
CurrencyDefaults to your church currency
Payment MethodCash, Cheque, MoMo, Card, Bank Transfer
CategoryTithe, Sunday Offering, etc.
DateDefaults to today
NotesOptional (e.g. "Thanksgiving for child's graduation")
AnonymousTick if the member doesn't want their name on the record
  1. Click Save

💡 After recording, Shepherd can print a giving receipt for the member.

Screenshot

📸 [Screenshot: Record Offering form with all fields filled in]

Collecting via Card or Mobile Money (Live Payments)​

For real-time card or MoMo collection:

  1. Go to Giving → Collect
  2. Search and select the member
  3. Enter the amount and category
  4. Choose Card or Mobile Money
  5. For MoMo: enter the member's number — Shepherd auto-detects the network (MTN/AirtelTigo/Telecel) from the phone prefix
  6. Click Collect — a Paystack payment popup appears
  7. Member completes the payment → offering is recorded automatically

💡 Payout setup required: Card and MoMo collection requires completing payout setup in Settings → Payouts.

WhatsApp Giving (GIVE Command)​

Members can give directly via WhatsApp:

  1. Member sends GIVE 50 to your church's WhatsApp number
  2. Shepherd asks them to choose a category
  3. Member confirms → Shepherd charges their registered MoMo via Paystack
  4. Giving is recorded automatically — no staff action needed

This works 24/7 and is the most convenient method for regular givers.

Payment Methods​

MethodHow It Works
CashManual entry only
ChequeManual entry only
MTN MoMoLive charge via Paystack or manual entry
AirtelTigo MoneyLive charge via Paystack or manual entry
Telecel CashLive charge via Paystack or manual entry
CardLive charge via Paystack
Bank TransferManual entry only

Giving Receipts​

In the Recent Offerings list, click 🧾 Receipt next to any offering. A printable receipt opens with member name, amount, category, payment method, date, transaction reference, and your church receipt prefix (e.g. "GCI-00045").

Member Giving Statements​

  1. Go to Giving → search for or click a member's name
  2. Their Giving Statement shows all giving records with totals
  3. Click Print for a printable version

Useful for annual tithe statements, pastoral conversations, and member self-service requests.

Donor Insights​

InsightWhat It Means
First-time givers this monthMembers who gave for the first time this month
Lapsed giversMembers who gave before but haven't given in 90+ days
Recent giversMembers who gave in the last 24 hours

Exporting Giving Data​

Go to Giving → click Export. A CSV file downloads with all records including member name, amount, category, method, date, and transaction reference.

Paystack Sub-accounts (Giving Payouts)​

To receive card and MoMo giving directly into your church's account:

  1. Go to Settings → Payouts → click Set Up Payouts
  2. Enter your bank account or MoMo details
  3. Shepherd registers a Paystack Sub-account for your church
  4. All collected giving flows directly to your account

Shepherd charges a 2% platform fee on all digital giving.

Permissions​

ActionRequired Role
View giving recordsStaff, Pastor, Admin, Super Admin
Record manual offeringAdmin, Super Admin
Collect live paymentAdmin, Super Admin
Export giving dataAdmin, Super Admin
Set up payoutsSuper Admin

Tips​

  • ✅ Set up your offering categories first before recording any giving
  • ✅ Complete payout setup before enabling card/MoMo collection
  • ✅ Use the GIVE WhatsApp command for regular givers — convenient and automatic
  • ✅ Export monthly for your accounting records
  • ✅ Check donor insights — follow up with lapsed givers through your stewardship team