Frequently
Asked Questions about E-giving
Q. What is e-giving
(electronic giving)?
A. E-giving is a process of providing your
offerings to the church through electronic transfer
of funds from your savings account, checking
account, credit card, or debit card. After
reviewing several options, Berean has chosen to
utilize software and support from Vanco Services,
LLC for management of our e-giving system.
Q.
What are the advantages of e-giving?
A. E-giving is simple, secure, and makes it
easy to honor your stewardship commitments even when
you can’t attend church.
Q. Is e-giving safe?
A. Yes.
E-giving is generally safer than writing a check or
giving cash as electronic gifts cannot be lost or
stolen. There is no need to bring cash or
checks to church. Vanco Services, LLC is a PCI
(Payment Card Industry) Level 1 Compliant Service
Provider and continually manages the security of the
system.
Q. How do I make a
donation with e-giving?
A. Go to the
Berean website (www.berean-mi.org)
and click on the “e-Giving: Online Donation” tab in
the upper right hand corner. Follow the easy
to use instructions.
Q. Can I divide my
e-gift to go to different funds?
A. Yes.
You can designate your e-gift to go to the General
Fund, Building Fund, Benevolent Fund, or a
designated ministry or need which you specify.
Q. When will my
contribution be deducted from my account?
A. Your
electronic contribution will be processed on the
date you specify on the donation authorization form.
Q. Can I make
recurring contributions?
A. Yes.
The system allows you the option of making a
one-time contribution or making a recurring weekly
or monthly contribution starting on a date specified
by you.
Q. Can I change my
account information or the amount or the frequency
of my gift once I have set it up?
A. Yes.
Simply log in to the system using your user name and
password, and make the necessary changes in the
system. You can change or cancel your
contribution any time before the date of your next
contribution.
Q. What if I forget my
email address or password?
A. Go to the
“e-Giving: Online Donation” page on the Berean
website and click on “Forget your Email Address
or Password?” Follow the
instructions to get this resolved. If
this does not work, you can contact the system
administrator at chuckpru@gmail.com for additional support.
Q. How much does
e-giving cost?
A. There is no
cost to you. There are no additional fees for
transfers from checking or savings accounts.
For credit or debit cards, there is a fee of $0.45
per transaction plus an additional fee of
approximately 3 % of the donation, depending on the
card used. The church pays these
additional fees so that you get the full credit for
any contribution made.
Q. How will I know
that my e-gift was processed?
A. Once your
contribution has been processed, you will receive an
email verifying your contribution?
Q. What if there are
insufficient funds in my savings or checking account
when my e-gift is processed?
A. Berean will
not charge you a non-sufficient funds fee when this
occurs but your bank probably will. Check with
the bank for the specifics of their charges.
Berean will incur a charge of $3 from our bank for
each non-sufficient fund transaction, but we will
not pass that fee on to you.
Q. Can I review my
electronic giving history on-line?
A. Yes.
Once you have created a profile on-line you will be
able to go into the system any time and review your
electronic giving history.
Q. Will I still
receive annual giving statements from the church?
A. Annual giving
statements will still be sent out from the church
for all offerings received through the offering
envelope system. At this time these statements
will NOT include contributions made
through the e-giving system. You will
receive an email confirmation of each e-giving gift,
which has been determined to be acceptable as a
record of your e-giving for IRS purposes. In
addition, you can print an annual summary of your
e-giving, which has also been determined to be
acceptable as a record of your e-giving for IRS
purposes. If you have trouble printing
your annual statement, the system administrator will
be able to print out and send you a record of your
annual e-giving. Requests for this should be
made by contacting the system administrator at
chuckpru@gmail.com.
Q. If I have
additional questions about e-giving, who can I talk
to?
A. For any
questions, concerns, or comments about the e-giving
system, please contact the e-giving system
administrator at
chuckpru@gmail.com or the Berean Baptist Church
office at 375-0244. You will receive a
response as soon as possible.
