By Todd I. Nelson
Most churches and religious organizations depend on the collection plates every Sunday to provide the majority of the funding needed to keep the church alive. After all, there are a lot of expenses when it comes to running a church. Not only is there a mortgage and utility bills, there are also the costs of the bibles and the hymnals, along with sound costs, projection costs etc. We haven't even touched on the costs of supplies for nursery care and Sunday school. And what about coffee and cookies for after the service? The pastor and other associate ministers also require a significant yearly salary. Running a church and keeping it alive and thriving is a costly endeavor these days, and it can be hard to fill the collection plates or bags every Sunday with less people every day using cash or checks. Many churches also have periodical fundraisers to help with the costs of the church. With the Internet, there are many easy ways to have a successful fundraiser for your church with minimal effort and cost. One attractive idea is to sell those silicone bracelets. They are cheap to manufacture, and selling them at even less than two dollars a piece can create a huge profit.
By making it easy for church members to donate via credit card and debit card donations, a flailing church can greatly increase their number of donations. Using a virtual terminal on your church website is a surefire way to allow your members to donate as much as they want to with simply a click of the mouse. Also, for churches and other religious organizations, Capital Merchant Solutions waives the setup fee, which is normally 249$.
Using a virtual terminal is much like any other means of credit card processing. You login using the provided username and password that is provided to you by the online payment gateway provider. You are then able to enter the required information, including the customer's name and address, their credit card number and expiration, the dollar amount etc. Once you submit the information by hitting the ‘process' button, you will immediately receive the response telling you whether the card has been approved or declined. An added bonus to this is that if the card is approved, the funds are immediately deposited into your bank account.
This is a great option for any business or organization, and especially for churches. The recurrent billing option on the website may soon replace the envelopes on the offering plate. It is possible for church members to donate a set amount of money periodically, which is a hassle free donating option for the person giving, and also the person or organization that is on the receiving end. Called ‘automatic tithing', this revolutionary idea is changing the way that church members deal with giving. It is easy to sign up on the website for set transactions. No more inconvenient stops at the bank machine before church to get money for the offering envelope, and no more trying to find a check to put in. Simply sign up for automatic transactions and the donator will have peace of mind knowing that he or she is giving automatically.
The key to raising money for any organization, including churches, is to ensure that giving money is easy and accessible for everyone, which is why using an Internet payment gateway is such a viable option for most groups. Once you have decided on the avenue you are going to pursue for your fundraiser, it is time to raise awareness and make sure that people know which options are available to them should they decide to give. The nice thing about an Internet payment gateway is that it makes it easy for non-members to give also. They simply have to go to the website and fill out the required information. When churches use a virtual terminal to raise funds, they are appealing to a broader audience than just the members if the congregation.
So, no matter which fundraiser your church chooses to pursue, having a virtual terminal makes it easy and effortless for anyone with a computer to contribute to the cause. And with the free setup options, it is an affordable addition to any churches web page, and one that will be guaranteed to increase the amount of donations to the church. It is also a great thing if your church is trying to raise money for a certain cause. If you have a group that is going on a mission trip, or if you are trying to raise money for any of the number of associations that your church supports, it is certainly much easier for people to give by just logging onto the website. This way, if people weren't in church on the day that the collection was for a certain organization, they can still donate quickly and effortlessly.
Todd I.Nelson is the Director of Marketing for HolyProcessing.com. He specializes in providing simple, profitable, church fund raising options that most congregations have never dreamed of.
Source:www.isnare.com |
