A Quick Look
- 50-percent reduction in time spent importing donations
- 69 percent of churchgoers willing to cover 2–4 percent processing fees (Vanco Church Giving Statistics 2025)
- “Vanco really took us to the next level because we could just set it up and once it was done, it was ready to go.” – Heidi Zinn, CFO
About Shadow Rock UCC
Shadow Rock Congregational United Church of Christ, located in Phoenix, Ariz., is a vibrant congregation guided by the core values of spirituality, justice and inclusion.
Key ministries include:
- Advocacy and service initiatives meeting urgent community needs.
- Inclusive worship experiences that celebrate diverse perspectives.
- Rapid response to crises such as facilities repairs and community emergencies.
- A vision of national connection, extending generosity opportunities beyond their local members.
Table of Contents
The Challenge
Before Vanco, giving at Shadow Rock was dominated by cash and checks.
Their first digital attempt, using PayPal, proved frustrating:
- Donations required manual transfers for each transaction.
- The finance team shouldered a heavy administrative burden collecting and reconciling gifts.
- The system lacked flexibility for designated giving or broader outreach.
As CFO Heidi Zinn put it: “It was very cumbersome.”
The Solution
Shadow Rock UCC embraced Vanco’s eGiving to move beyond outdated platforms and into the future of generosity.
Vanco enabled game-changing improvements that meant:
- Automated donations replaced manual processes.
- Batch reports simplified weekly reconciliation, cutting admin work in half.
- Donor-covered fees empowered givers to keep their card rewards while the church avoided extra costs.
- Flexible donation links let leadership quickly launch campaigns, like raising funds for a sudden air-conditioning replacement.
- Nationwide reach opened the door for donors across the country to respond to compelling ministry stories.
The Results
Shadow Rock UCC embraced Vanco’s eGiving to move beyond outdated platforms and into the future of generosity.
Context
According to Vanco Church Giving Statistics (2025):
- 69 percent of givers are willing to cover 2–4 percent processing fees, especially ages 24–54.
- Recurring givers donate 120 percent more than non-recurring givers.
Shadow Rock’s adoption of donor-covered fees and automated recurring giving aligns perfectly with these trends.
Streamlined donation process
Automation cut inefficiencies and gave staff more time to focus on ministry.
Adaptability and versatility
Flexible giving tools made it easy to launch new giving campaigns quickly.
Built for sustained growth
Scalability positioned the church to extend its generosity footprint nationally.
In-step with current trends
Alignment with trends meant younger and digitally savvy givers readily embraced the new system.
A 159-percent Increase in Online Giving? – Get the Benchmark Study of 25,000 Churches
We benchmarked the giving metrics of the churches we’ve worked with for a five-year period and saw an average 159-percent increase in online giving.
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Treasurer Dave
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