Accepting Bitcoin at your
church or house of worship

The giving gap

Every time a congregant swipes a card to tithe, a small percentage disappears before the money reaches your organization. For credit cards, that's typically 2.2%–3.5% per transaction. On a $5,000 Sunday offering, that's $110–175 leaving before anyone even knows it's gone.

Multiply that across 52 Sundays and you're looking at $5,700–$9,100 per year — enough to fund a mission trip, feed families for a season, or cover a staff salary for several months.

Bitcoin payments sent directly to a wallet don't carry that toll. The transaction fee is a few cents to a few dollars, paid by the sender, and nothing is skimmed off the top of what arrives.

The projected QR code: a simple, dignified approach

The most elegant implementation for a worship service is also the simplest: project a QR code on your screen during the offering time. Congregants who want to give digitally open their phone, scan the code, enter an amount, and send. The giving moment is preserved — no apps to download, no accounts to create, no lines to form.

OrangeTill generates the QR code from your wallet address. You can display it on any screen — a projector, a TV at the back of the sanctuary, a tablet passed through the pews, or a printed insert in the bulletin.

Which congregants actually use crypto?

More than you might expect. Bitcoin adoption in the US is estimated around 15–20% of adults. Your congregation likely includes members who:

• Already hold Bitcoin or other crypto and want a way to tithe from it
• Are younger members who don't carry cash and prefer digital options
• Are tech-forward professionals who appreciate the "no middleman" philosophy
• Are missionaries or international members whose dollar transfers carry heavy fees

You're not replacing the offering plate. You're adding a lane for people who already want to give this way but have no convenient option.

International giving made easy

For churches with global missions or members sending support across borders, crypto removes one of the biggest friction points: international wire fees and delays.

A church sending support to a missionary in Southeast Asia might pay $25–50 in wire fees and wait 3–5 business days. That same amount sent in Bitcoin arrives in minutes with negligible fees. For regular monthly support, that adds up meaningfully over a year.

Stability options: stablecoins for giving

Some faith communities are hesitant about Bitcoin's price volatility — and that's a completely reasonable concern. If a congregant gives $100 in Bitcoin today and Bitcoin drops 20% by the time the church treasurer notices, the gift is worth $80.

The solution: auto-convert to dollars the moment a gift lands. Auto-convert turns each Bitcoin gift into dollars the instant it arrives, so there's no price movement to worry about and no volatility risk. The dollars land in your account, and you transfer them to your bank when ready.

Tax and accounting considerations

If your organization is a registered 501(c)(3), donations to you — including Bitcoin donations — are generally tax-deductible for the donor. However, the tax treatment of Bitcoin donations has specific rules that are worth understanding:

• The donor: A Bitcoin donation is treated like a donation of property. If the donor held Bitcoin that has appreciated, they may be able to deduct the fair market value on the date of the gift without paying capital gains tax on the appreciation — a significant benefit over selling first and giving the cash.
• The organization: You receive the crypto as a gift. If you convert it to dollars immediately, the transaction is straightforward. If you hold it and it appreciates further, the eventual sale would generally produce a taxable gain.
• Documentation: Issue acknowledgment letters for crypto gifts as you would for any non-cash gift over $250. Your accountant can advise on the specifics.

As always, this is general information — not tax advice. Your accountant or a CPA familiar with nonprofit and crypto tax rules should review your specific situation.

Getting your leadership on board

Change in a faith community often requires care and consensus. A few thoughts for presenting Bitcoin giving to your board, deacons, elders, or trustees:

• Frame it as stewardship: "We lose $7,000 a year to payment processors. This eliminates that cost."
• Start small: Auto-convert to dollars at first. This removes the volatility conversation entirely.
• Reference precedent: Major nonprofits including The Salvation Army and the Red Cross have accepted Bitcoin donations for years.
• Emphasize the 90-day trial: There's no financial commitment to try it. If the congregation doesn't use it, nothing is lost.