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| Accepting Credit and Debit Cards Creates a More Flexible Stewardship Program |
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Simply Giving® is a modern-day stewardship program for Lutheran churches, schools and institutions created by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and administered by Vanco Services, a provider of electronic payment solutions to more than 8,500 churches and nonprofit organizations nationwide. The Simply Giving® Credit Card Option is an e.service® Merchant Services solution that includes both credit and debit cards and is sponsored in part by Thrivent Financial. This service is well-suited for those families who routinely and responsibly use cards for payments and donations.
The Simply Giving® Credit Card Option is completely web based and requires no special software or card reading equipment. The only prerequisite is a computer with Internet access and a desire to grow donations or streamline operations. By automating recurring donations and fees, this payment solution eliminates the tedious task of re-entering card information each time a regularly scheduled transaction is due for processing. This method of credit and debit card processing also works well for one-time gifts and is ideal for card-not-present transactions. Best of all, if an organization already uses the e.service® Thrivent Financial EFT service, all credit, debit and EFT transactions can be managed from the same familiar online Service Center. |
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| Benefits |
| By simply adding credit and debit card capabilities, you can increase giving, achieve greater donor satisfaction and reduce administrative activity. |
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| FAQs |
| Get answers to frequently asked questions about accepting credit and debit cards. |
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| How It Works |
| View the steps involved, from initial authorization to payment confirmation. |
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| Get Started |
| Contact us for more information and to learn how easy it is to get started or download the Merchant Services startup packet. |
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The Simply Giving® Credit Card Option
e.service® Merchant Services |
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| Benefits Back to Top |
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| The Simply Giving® Credit Card Option from Thrivent Financial offers significant benefits to Lutheran churches, schools and institutions. |
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| Delivers Dependable Donations |
| By using credit and debit cards to automate religious offerings, tuition and fund raising, seasonal slumps are avoided, revenues are received exactly as scheduled and overall cash flow becomes more predictable. |
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| Reduces Administrative Activity |
| Consider the total time spent handling and processing checks from weekly, bi-weekly and monthly donors. It can add up to dozens or even hundreds of hours a year. Now imagine automating that process with a debit or credit card option or perhaps with an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) solution. Transitioning even a handful of donors to an automated solution will make a big impact on the hours dedicated to administrative activities. |
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| Offer a Debit Card Only Solution |
| Do you like the idea of accepting debit cards but are unsure about accepting credit cards? Not a problem. Some churches prefer to limit payment card transactions to debit cards only. For those churches, Vanco can put a debit card filter in place that permits debit cards and screens out credit cards. |
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| Enhances Donor Loyalty |
| Families appreciate the ability to use credit and debit cards, especially if they receive rewards from their credit card company for donations and payments they plan to make anyway. |
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| Provides the Highest Level of Security |
| Vanco Services is a PCI (Payment Card Industry) Level 1 Compliant Service Provider which means your transactions are handled in accordance with the most rigorous security standards. |
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| Increases One-Time Gifts |
| Vanco clients tell us that donors are more generous at auctions or with one-time annual gifts when they have a credit or debit card option available to them. |
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| Permits Virtual Terminal Activation |
| Once your account is created, your church or school will be able to activate an optional Virtual Terminal feature, available 24/7 via Vanco's online Service Center, and perfect for use at fundraising events or anytime you need to process real-time transactions or generate receipts immediately. |
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| How It Works Back to Top |
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Authorize |
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Using an authorization form, an individual permits your church, school or other Lutheran institution to process recurring donations or fees from a credit or debit card. |
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Enter the Payment |
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After receiving the signed authorization form, the donation or payment information needs to be entered into our system for processing. The easiest and most common way to enter payment information is through Vanco's online Service Center, a secure website designed for our clients to manage their electronic transactions. Once a payment is entered, the rest is automated. A friendly Vanco implementation specialist will help you get going and provide ongoing assistance. |
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Process and Settle |
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On the scheduled payment date, Vanco processes all authorized card transactions and directs the funds into your designated account. |
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Confirm |
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Vanco generates a deposit report confirming the total amount deposited into your account. Your donors or congregants in turn see the transactions on account statements from their credit card companies or financial institutions. |
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| Frequently Asked Questions Back to Top |
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| Do I need a card reader machine in order to accept credit cards? |
| All you need is a computer with Internet access. There is no software or equipment to purchase and maintain. The Simply Giving® Credit Card Option is ideal for card-not-present transactions such as telephone pledges or weekly church offerings. |
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| Will I receive training? |
| Yes. Upon signing up for any of our payment solutions, one of our implementation specialists will provide over-the phone training to get you up and running quickly. Live, ongoing support from our client services department is always just a phone call or email away. |
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| If we use more than one Vanco solution, will we still log onto Vanco's online Service Center the same way? |
| Yes. You will be able to manage all your Vanco payment solutions from the same online Service Center. |
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| What do your reports look like? |
| Vanco reports are simple, straightforward and easy to use. If you ever have questions about anything on our reports, you can easily reach one of our helpful client services representatives without wading through a long series of telephone prompts and commands. |
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| Can we accept credit and debit cards via our website? |
| Absolutely! Adding a "Donate Now" button to your website sends a clear signal about your ability to accept donations using contemporary methods. Many people prefer to give online and Vanco's Website Payment solution is the perfect way to promote donations to any and all of your funds. |
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| Does the service require a long-term contract? |
| No long-term contract is required. Our philosophy is to retain our clients with superior products and service. |
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| Get Started Back to Top |
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| It's Easy To Get Started! |
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| Click here to request information or download a startup packet. |
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| You may also call 800-774-9355 and ask for a sales representative or send us an email at Sales@VancoServices.com |
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