Contactless donations and payments
Contactless giving is becoming more common throughout our day-to-day lives, and churches can use this technology as well by having donation terminals in their buildings which people can use with their debit or credit cards.
Advantages:
- Less people are using cash (and cards are more COVID safe) so contactless giving provides a safe and easy way to donate to churches.
- Donations of £30 and under are eligible for gift aid claims under the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme (GASDS) just like cash donations.
- Some machines allow donors to Gift Aid at the point of donation. Suitable for amounts over £30.
- Easier for treasurers to manage the donation as reports are easily accessible and less money handling and visits to the bank/post office.
- Some devices can be secured which allows visitors to give to open churches at any time they can access the building.
- Can be used for events (e.g., concerts, flower festivals and fetes) for donations and payments (depending on the device).
- Allows non-regular churchgoers (e.g., those attending baptisms, weddings) an easy way to support the church.
- Devices available at a variety of price points, some are securable, some do not need wi-fi or mobile signal.
What to consider:
- Will the cost of buying and the running the device (some have monthly charges) be exceeded by the expected donations? If not, you should consider getting online giving through Sum Up and Give A Little (includes QR code) which only incurs a small transaction charge on each donation.
- Is your church open, in which case you will need a securable device, or will it only be used during services and events? If you use it for events, would you want to be able to take it around the church, for example the CollecTin More is securable but also portable whereas the Payaz Giving Station is too big to move around.Where will you site the device? It needs to be visible and accessible, preferably with a display about where the money donated goes. See ‘Making the most of contactless’ guide.
- Do you have wi-fi or an adequate mobile signal to run a device (need 3 Mbps upload and download speeds inside the church) – see mobile SIM guide. If not, you will need to consider an off-line device, most of which incur a monthly charge.
- All donations will incur transaction charges – most competitive currently through Parish Buying with Give A Little and Sum Up (but adequate mobile signal or wi-fi needed)
- If you choose a device that uses Sum Up and Give A Little you will also be able to set up online giving (including a QR code) through the same account making it easier to manage donations from both sources.
- No faculty is required to introduce equipment for card payment systems – if they are not fixed to historic fabric (included in list A of the Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules 2019) but if you are not sure check with the DAC first.
Where to buy?
- Register with Parish Buying here who have negotiated special packages and deals for Church of England members including free premium membership of Give A Little.
- Go to Contactless Solutions here and log in to see current prices. Ensure that you are on the Parish Buying site when purchasing to get the most competitive prices.
- Check with the Parish Resources Team which churches you can visit to see a particular device and get feedback from those using it.
- Email julie.podd@cofesuffolk.org to arrange a chat.
Resources
Mobile Speed Test Guide | PDF
Making the most of contactless | PDF