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Online Giving for Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There are many advantages in using online giving; it is a necessity in today’s environment in which so many people opt-out of carrying cash or writing checks – and opt instead for using online banking, debit cards, or credit cards for their financial transactions. We want to encourage those who wish to support Most Holy Trinity to use online giving.
However, we want to be clear – online giving is voluntary - if you want to continue giving via checks or cash, then please do so. If you change your mind later, you can just begin online giving at that time.FAQs
1. What is online donations and payments?
Online donations and payments provide a simple and convenient way for our parishioners to tithe, contribute gifts for a specific need, or pay for event tickets and programs.
2. Are fees charged for transactions?
Yes, fees are charged per transaction but, the fees are charged to Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church not the donor - using the following rates:
Bank Account Transfer (eCheck) = 1% of each transaction total + $.35
Debit Cards = 1.7% of each transaction total + $.30
Credit Cards = 3.1% of each transaction total + $.20
3. How do I give contributions or tithe?
Donors may access the online giving form via our website – www.mhttrinity.org
The Online Giving form allows for two methods for giving…one-time donations (similar to guest transactions on commercial websites) and recurring donations. Donations whether one-time or recurring will continue to be entered on your personal account in the Most Holy Trinity database management system (PDS), so you will receive an end-of the year tax statement with all your transactions included.
The online giving form will allow for both regular offering donations, as well as the “second collection” for the week, i.e., Loaves & Fishes, Faith Formation, and Building Maintenance, etc. After making the appropriate choice, simply complete the short form on the parish website. You’ll need a current email address and checking account or credit card number. The form will allow giving using ACH (eCheck), debit card, or credit card.
If you choose to make a recurring gift, you will immediately receive an email to create a donor account you can use to schedule and track automatic online giving. The email will direct you to a unique page on which you can choose a username and create a password for your account. Once an account has been created, a donor can go to mhttrinity.org/payments at any time to log in to their account.
There are advantages to creating an account for recurring gift giving as it will enable donors to access their own accounts to update their personal information, change their password, the form of gift giving (eCheck, debit card or credit card), as well as details such as amount of donation and frequency. You can also stop or pause recurring donations if desired. And donors will have the ability to view a list of their recurring donations.
4. What is the difference between “one-time” and “recurring” donations?
A “one-time” donation is simply a single donation. You are not limited in the number of one-time donations you can submit; “one-time” donations are similar to “guest” transactions on commercial websites. “One-time” donations can be used for both “regular offering” and “second collection” giving; “second collection” donations can only be made using the “one-time” button. If you are making “one-time” donations for both a regular offering donation and a second collection donation, you must complete the form twice – once for the regular offering and then again by choosing the type of second collection from the drop-down list.
If you choose to make one-time donations, you will not be prompted nor have the choice to create a donor account. After submitting your gift, you will receive a separate email confirmation for each donation, to the email address provided on the donation form.
A “recurring” donation equates to an on-going donation the giver sets up to be automatically debited from their bank account or charged to their credit/debit card either on a monthly or weekly basis, as desired by the giver. All donations will continue to be entered into the Church’s database management system, PDS, thus enabling a complete list of taxable donations submitted to the Church for the calendar year.
If you choose to make a recurring gift, you will immediately receive an email to create a donor account you can use to schedule and track automatic online giving. The email will direct you to a unique page on which you can choose a username and create a password for your account. Once an account has been created, a donor can go to mhttrinity.org/payments at any time to log in to their account.
There are advantages to creating an account for recurring gift giving as it will enable donors to access their own accounts to update their personal information, change their password, the form of gift giving (ACH, debit card or credit card), as well as details such as amount of donation and frequency. You can also stop or pause recurring donations if desired. And donors will have the ability to view a list of their recurring donations.
5. When are my gifts automatically taken from my account?
One-time gifts are immediately processed and the transaction should be on your bank/credit card statement within a few days. If you chose to make a recurring gift, your first donation will process immediately. Then, you will receive an email to create an online donor account. Your account allows you to choose the frequency of your gifts as well as a date on which the funds will be automatically withdrawn from a checking account or charged to a credit card. You can also pause or cancel a recurring gift at any time. And it allows update or changes to checking account and credit card information.
6. Do I receive confirmation or record of my giving?
In order to make an online donation or payment, you must provide a current email address. After submitting your gift, you will receive an email confirmation to the address provided on the donation form. If you selected to give a recurring gift, you will receive notification about your gift as well as information to set up your online donor account for future gift scheduling. Records of all recurring gifts are also tracked within your donor account.
7. Can I give different recurring gift amounts for different needs?
Yes. Whenever a recurring gift option is made available for a fund, for example a Capital Campaign Fund, at your parish, you can schedule a gift to be automatically sent for that particular need. You can also pause or cancel a recurring gift at any time. When multiple recurring gifts are created from the donation page of your parish’s website, each gift will later appear in your online donor account for easy management.
8. What if my bank account or credit card information changes?
Upon submitting a one-time gift, all information provided will be verified in order for the gift to process. If a donor has a recurring gift, they will be able to log into their online donor account to make any necessary changes or updates to banking account, credit card, and contact information. Donor accounts also allow donors to update any details to their gifts including pausing or cancelling a scheduled gift.
9. Is it safe? Are there risks?
The online donations and payments system meets the same security standards as online banking. Plus, your online gifts cannot be lost or stolen. So as long as you are using a secure internet connection, online gifts can have fewer risks than carrying cash and checks. And there is instant tracking and recording of all transactions.
10. What if I try an online donor account but do not wish to continue using it?
Recurring gift accounts can be set up or cancelled at any time. In addition, an individual recurring gift can be paused or cancelled completely. If you attempt to cancel a gift after it has begun processing, you will need to contact the parish for a refund - instructions to request a refund will be posted on the St. Francis website. Be advised, 1-3 business days may be required before the refund is initiated due to staff availability.
11. How do I sign up for an online donor account?
Accounts are created upon submitting a “recurring” online gift via the donation form on the Most Holy Trinity website. When submitting a gift, select the gift type to be “recurring” - and indicate frequency of donation, either monthly or weekly.
Next, you will receive an email from "eCatholic", titled "Create your Donor Account for Most Holy Trinity" similiar to the display below:
Click “Create Donor Account”
The following will be displayed:
Choose your own “Username, Password, confirm the Password and click the “Create Account” button to create your donor account.
Always be sure to check email spam and junk folders for that first email notification. If you don’t see an email after submitting your first "recurring" gift, simply use the “Online Giving Help” form to have account setup form sent to you.
For those members who wish to setup a recurring payment account and need help, we can provide assistance. Please contact the Most Holy Trinity office to request assistance - you will be contacted to arrange a convenient time to setup your account.
12. What will happen to my weekly envelopes if I give online?
You will still receive your supply of weekly and special collection envelopes. This allows you to easily see what collections are coming. Additionally, be aware the number following “ENV#” on the envelope represents a unique identifier for you in the Church’s records. Please use this number whenever making any online donations, whether one-time or recurring donations. It represents additional insurance your payments are posted correctly.
If you want to continue to participate in the offertory during Mass, just make a note on the empty envelope of “I give online” and place it in the offertory basket during collection. So continue to request envelopes as you have traditionally done through the Most Holy Trinity office.
13. Shouldn’t I still have something to put in the offertory basket to show my participation?
Of course. Continue to show your stewardship participation in the offertory by bringing in an empty weekly envelope. Simply write on the empty envelope “I give online” and place it in the offertory basket during collection.
14. How will I know my recurring gifts are being received?
Your online donor account tracks all your recurring gifts. To learn more about the status of a recurring transaction, log in to your online donor account at stfranciscrockett.com/payments
15. How do I access my donor account?
If you choose "recurring" when making a donation, you will have the option at that time to setup an account. You are strongly encouraged to do so as this will provide, you, the donor, with secure access to manage your own donations – update personal information, change your password, change payment amounts, update forms of payment, frequently of payments, etc.
Once, your account has been created, a donor can go to mhttrinity.org/payments to log into and manage the account. Once you have successfully logged in, you will be able to complete the following actions in the Donations tab (pictured below):
- Change the donation amount (site administrators can restrict a donor's ability to decrease the donation amount)
- Change the donation frequency (e.g., monthly vs. weekly)
- Change the donation status (e.g., pause or unpause a recurring transaction)
- Cancel recurring transaction altogether
- Change Payment Type (e.g., from credit card to ACH)
- Change Credit Card Number
- Update Credit Card Expiration Date
- Download a PDF or CSV file of their transactions.
Donors can manage account information by clicking the “Account Info” tab pictured below to edit email address to receive notices of their payments, their mailing address, account password, and more.
As members of Most Holy Trinity begin using “online giving”, other questions may arise, so the above frequently asked question, along with any new ones will be posted on the mhttrinity.org website. Please use these as a resource to quickly and easily determine answers to your questions.