How would you recommend promoting or offering ACH to church members,
especially now that in-person worship is a limited or non-option?
Barr: One messages you’d want to share is that, even though we’re
staying at home, there are still so many needs in our communities, and the
mission must go on. Help them understand that ACH is a way to continue
to fund the missions and to care for the community.
Another thing: with the pandemic going on, there’s a desire not to
interact, unfortunately. By having an electronic payment such as ACH in
place, giving is all done through the network, so it reduces that exposure. It
becomes a safer, more sanitary giving option.
There are obvious financial benefits for introducing ACH to a church. Are
there also benefits on the administrative end?
Brad Smith: There are. When people give cash or checks, it takes time
to receive it, count it, and get it to the bank. I think the administrative
benefit is a clear record of the payment, and it goes directly into the
church’s account.
You say messaging ACH for new members is especially important. At what
point in the assimilation process into the church do you recommend that?
Barr: I think it’s something you can mention early on, but not
something to lead with. Instead, share with them all the missions you do,
the community service — they’ll want to support the church’s work. Then,
share all the ways that they can participate as a new member, including
in-person, but also financial support.
If you only had a few minutes with a pastor, how would you explain why ACH
is a good option for churches during these unprecedented times?
Smith: With ACH, we’ve found that donations more than doubled over
a 12-month period. That’s because the majority of givers (about 70%) set a
schedule for their gifts.
ACH is great for sustained donations. It's cost-effective, and more money
goes to the church.
View the webinar!
Tithing for the 21st Century & the "New Normal"
Available now at www.churchexecutive.com/webinars
Right now, people's ability to give might change from month to month. Is it
difficult for church members to make a change to their ACH giving schedule,
if necessary?
Barr: No, not at all. The church would need to work with its payment
provider to see what kind of timeframe would be required to make
changes, but it should be fairly short. Just be sure that communication
is happening between the member and the church, as far as, ‘I need to
modify my donation this month / week.’
Let’s talk about data security. What makes ACH a good option for churches
in this respect?
Smith: Givers’ information is stored and already encrypted, so
the church never really has possession of information like routing
number, financial institution or account number — it’s stored at the
payment processor.
Even if your church works directly with that giver’s bank (if, say, it
doesn’t have a payment processor), the information is still stored at the
bank and subject to very strict data security policy through the Federal
Financial Institutions Examination Council requiring the bank to ensure
that data is encrypted.
In terms of data security, there are additional Nacha rules for
organizations that do store that information. There’s a lot going on in the
background that the consumer isn’t aware of, but we do it because security
is of paramount importance to us.
FREE Church Executive ™ WEBINAR:
Tithing for the 21st Century & the
“New Normal”
Churches rely on giving — and this is especially true
as you navigate unprecedented challenges.
During times like these, when face-to-face fellowship and worship is a limited
or non-option (but also every summer, when attendance decreases due to
vacations, as well as during inclement weather), a consistent flow of giving
is key to continue providing the services your members and surrounding
communities count on.
Brad Smith, AAP
Sr. Director, Industry
Verticals
Debbie Barr, AAP, CTP
Sr. Director, ACH Network
Rules, Process and
Communications
In this webinar, you’ll:
• Learn about ACH (EFT) as a consistent, reliable giving tool to help ensure
year-round, continuous giving
• Discover how to keep giving levels consistent when physical attendance at
church is low
• Get free tools and messaging to assist you in promoting ACH/EFT as a
method of giving
Available NOW at
www.churchexecutive.com/webinars
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