Frequently Asked Questions about E-giving
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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.