In addition to traditional giving (mail, offering plate), Grace now offers two other forms of digital giving:
Digital giving is safe, simple and fast! First time use requires a little extra time to enter your contact info and payment method, but you’ll only need to do this once, and future donations can take only 10 – 20 seconds. Both methods can even be used in a church service as the offering is taken and are easier and faster than writing a check.
Questions about giving
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Is online givine secure?
We’ve taken steps to ensure that the giving process is safe and secure from beginning to end. All of your giving data is secured by SSL encryption. SSL is an acronym for “Secure Socket Layer,” a security protocol that provides communications privacy over the Internet. It is the same technology used by banks and e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com to keep your information safe and secure during transactions.
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Are there any fees involved?
There are no required fees to you for online giving transactions. The default is for the church to cover the processing fees, just as merchants do in stores or online shopping – about 2.3% for credit or debit card transactions but only $0.25 for ACH (checking or savings account) transactions. Donors do have the option of covering these small fees if desired.
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Can I schedule a recurring donation?
For online/mobile giving you can specify the start and stop date range and time frequency for a recurring gift. (e.g. twice a month for the next year).
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What if I want to cancel or change my recurring gift?
Click here to manage your gifts. If you are not already logged in, you’ll be asked to enter your phone number or email and a verification code.
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Can I designate my gift for specific purposes?
Regular gifts (tithes and offerings) include all ministries of the church (e.g. personnel, facilities, ministries, missions and benevolences.).
You may also designate offerings (typically over and above regular giving) to the a) Mercy (Deacons) Fund for the ministry of the Grace deacons and deaconesses within the church and community or b) Building Fund (which currently is continuing to raise funds for projects not completed with our 2016-2018 Advance initiative). Other designations need Session approval and are not generally possible through online giving at this time,
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Will I receive a contribution statement/summary?
For regular attendees of Grace, paper statements are provided twice yearly. All donors receive an annual statement for personal/tax records. You can also view online giving history or print summary statements at any time HERE. If you are not already logged in, you’ll be asked to enter your phone number or email and a verification code.
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What about when the offering plate is passed in church?
Online giving can supplement or go hand in hand with giving in church services. It is intended to serve our digital age where increasingly fewer people using checkbooks or bringing checkbooks to church. However, when the offering plate is passed in our church services, we are always encouraging everyone to give their lives fully to the Lord (time, talents, possessions/finances). The offering isn’t just putting money in the plate, it is offering ourselves wholly to Him in worship. So giving online doesn’t take the place of our offering in worship, it’s just one of many ways we can give our lives to the Lord.
We also have Online Giving cards on the back of the chairs in the sanctuary that you can place in the offering plate to indicate that you have made an online gift during the past week. You may find this helps you feel more a direct participation in the offering.
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Who do I talk to if I have more questions?
Call 302.734.8150 or email us, and we’ll be glad to answer any other questions you may have.