Online Giving Tips
As churches make the difficult decision of whether they should cancel their worship services and/or move them online, many folks are asking us: "what about our finances?" Here are some ways to accept tithes and offerings online:
Vanco/Give Plus
Here at the conference level, we already accept donations for Our Church's Wider Mission, Hartman Center and other fundraising efforts using a service called Vanco. Several PCC churches use this service already. Vanco has multiple options for online giving, including via text and even in-church credit card kiosks. There is a monthly fee ($10 or $49, depending on your donation levels) and a per-transaction fee (.45 or .35, plus a percentage of between .80% and 2.75%) so be aware of that while looking at the options. Give Plus also easily integrates into Servant Keeper, if you are already using that program.
Learn more about Vanco/Give Plus here.
PayPal
Many folks are already familiar with PayPal, it's been used for purchasing online since the early days of online auctions. I do not have personal experience with it but I know many churches who use PayPal. They do have an eligible charity option with rates of 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction. If you want the money instantly, there is an additional fee of 1%, as well as other fees for additional features.
Learn more about PayPal here
.
Bill Pay Options
Encourage your congregations to send their tithes and offerings through their bank's online bill pay. There's usually no fees for you, and often times they can set it to autodeduct on a regular basis, making it even easier for giving to continue while folks are on vacation or otherwise miss a Sunday. Check with your bank to see what you may need to do to accept donations this way.
Other Online Options
Mailing a Check
Of course, if someone is still getting the mail at your church you can always encourage your congregation to utilize the good old fashioned postal service! Through rain, sleet, snow and gloom of COVID-19, they have been faithful.
ChurchLeadership.com has an article with even more ideas and tips
here
.
The mission of the church is even more vital than ever. Make it easy for your congregation to support you financially as you support them and your wider community in these unusual times. If you have questions, please reach out.
Stay Safe,
C. Paul Keller
Office Manager
