In this article, we feature two churches that have recently implemented
TransactU to offer online giving at their churches. We hope that
these two examples will inspire your organization to take the leap
and seriously consider offering online giving capabilities to your
congregation.
Customer Q&A with Anthony Williams, CFO of
Worship Center Christian Church in Birmingham, Alabama
Can you describe to me how you made
the decision to go with ServiceU?
We have a relatively young ministry (16 months) and wanted to offer
our members as much flexibility as possible when it came to worshiping
through giving. Our decision to utilize ServiceU’s services was
based on research and recommendations from other ministries with
similar service offerings.
What percentage of your donations are taken
online vs. on Sunday?
Approximately 8 to 10 percent.
How does TransactU make the accounting
side simpler and more streamlined?
Instead of keying the individual contributions as they
come in, we utilize one of the TransactU reports to enter the contributions
at the end of each month.
What are some of the ways that you promote online giving to your
members?
We have announcements printed in our bulletin and on the
projector screen during each service.
How do you assist members that aren't computer
savvy by still want to give online?
We offer technical assistance for those who want to give online.
We also have a form they can complete which authorizes us to set
up recurring contributions on their behalf.
Customer Q&A with Christy Moore, Project Director for
Yorba Linda Friends Church in Yorba Linda, CA
What went into your church's decision making
process to set up online giving?
We wanted to offer a convenient alternative for individuals
to financially give to the church. We found that with the growing
use of Internet banking, it was becoming increasingly important
to provide this tool for our members. This then provided a means
of giving for families on vacation or for those who preferred to
conduct their financial banking online.
When did you begin offering online giving?
We began a soft run in October 2006 and more fully promoted
online giving beginning in 2007. Implementing the software gradually
gave us an opportunity to become more familiar with this new tool
and how we could integrate it into our pre-existing financial processes.
What percentage of people now give online?
In total, 5% of our giving comes through TransactU and
8% of our contributors have taken advantage of this new tool.
To what do you attribute your initial success
with online giving through TransactU?
We began using online registrations prior to using online
giving. Since registration for all of our 100+ events/studies go
through TransactU, our congregation was already familiar with using
the software; therefore, when it came to introducing online giving
users felt comfortable with the ease of using the software as well
as the security that ServiceU provides.