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Many of us fulfill our stewardship commitments to the church by writing a check each week, inserting it into an offering envelope and leaving it in the offering plate during Sunday services. When we miss a church service, though, due to vacations or other plans (as is often the case during the summer months), the church may miss our donation. Even when we make up the missed donation down the road, the temporary shortfall can make the church’s financial planning difficult.
Although the tried and true method of making contributions by cash or check will always remain an option, we now offer an alternative to this approach – an electronic giving program offered through the UCC that is designed to make it easier and more convenient for givers to give. This program permits you to make automated payments from your bank account or your credit card. The transactions are secure and you can schedule them to occur whenever it is convenient for you.
Signing up is easy. Just click the “Online Sign Up” button below and fill out the form online, or click the “Paper Sign Up” button to print out a form to fill out and return to the church.
This new electronic giving option will make it easier and more convenient for many people to make donations to the church. At the same time, your decision to use this option will help the church to even out its cash flow and promote more consistent giving. Please consider giving it a try. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Greg Gilman at
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Thanks.
Frequently
Asked Questions About Electronic Giving
Q. What is
electronic giving?
A. Electronic giving is
a direct payment program whereby your contribution is debited
automatically from your checking or savings account, or from a credit
card.
Q. What are the
advantages of electronic giving?
A. It makes it easy for
you to fulfill your stewardship commitment, even when you can’t
attend church. Giving electronically also helps the church save money
and improve its budget by evening out contributions throughout the
year.
Q. How are my
contributions automatically deducted from my account?
A. Once you sign up,
the contribution amount you specify will automatically be transferred
from your bank account or credit card to the church’s bank
account once each month.
Q. If I do not write
checks, how do I keep my checkbook balance straight?
A. Since your
contribution is made at a pre-established time once each month, you
simply record it in your check register on the appropriate date. It
will also show up on your statement.
Q. Is electronic
giving risky?
A. It is less risky
than writing checks. Electronic contributions cannot be lost, stolen
or destroyed and they have an extremely high rate of accuracy.
Q. Without a
canceled check, how can I prove my contribution?
A. Your bank statement
gives you an itemized list of transactions. It is your proof of
contributing.
Q. How much will this cost the church?
A. The costs to the church are small. The company that processes these donations receives 25¢ per donation when you give from your bank account. When you donate by credit card, the company receives 45¢ per transaction, plus the credit card fee of 2¾ %.
Q. What if I try
automated giving and I don’t like it?
A. You can cancel your
authorization at any time.
Q. How do I sign up?
A. Click the icon above
to sign up online. Alternatively, click the other icon to download an
authorization form that you can sign and return to the church along
with a voided check or savings account deposit slip.
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