The Church of England (CofE) has rolled out contactless giving devices to more than 2200 churches as part of a three-year project.

The devices have raised almost £4 million in donations so far.

The project, which saw the Church invest £1.25 million, also provides access to free online and contactless giving software for all churches, included those who didn’t participate in the roll-out.

The initiative started in 2021, when the CofE ran four pilots with dioceses across the country to test out different types of devices and initiatives to train churches so they could facilitate donations via cards and mobile devices.

“With card having overtaken cash as the preferred form of payment in society, we know that having the ability to accept digital currency is going to key for many churches in the years to come,” the CofE said at the time.

Over the past three years, the church has established partnerships with a range of organisations, including cashless fundraising specialist Give a Little, CollectTin, contactless donations solutions provider Payaz and GWD to install free or subsidised devices in churches.

The church said these partnerships allowed a number of churches without internet access to participate, as some of the devices can store donations offline and upload them online at a later time.

Ralph Assheton, church warden of St Leonard’s, Downham in the Diocese of Blackburn, says: “As our church has no mobile phone signal or Wi-Fi, we had assumed that we would never be able to benefit from the world of contactless donation. The device supplied by the Diocese has therefore been a revelation. Although we have only had the machine up and running for a few months we have definitely benefitted to the tune of nearly £900.”

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