0705
With Americans carrying less cash around with them, U.S churches are having to accept donations by credit and debit card. Last year, Visa USA saw a 21 percent increase in the volume of payment card usage at religious organizations compared to 2005.
"We've started seeing more and more of our customers using their cards in everyday spending categories," the Star Telegram quotes Visa spokesperson Bill Dobbins as saying. "It was just a matter of time before they started doing that at church."
Some U.S. churches and religious organizations are able to accept donations by card on their Websites, or through printed forms that church-goers fill out with their card details and put in the collection plate.
But a growing number of churches have started installing kiosks that accept donations by credit or debit card. These kiosks were invented by Marty Baker, a pastor at Stevens Creek Community Church in Augusta, Georgia.
Baker told the Star Telegram that he realized that many church-goers no longer carry much cash around with them and that people prefer to pay by card. So he started Evans, Georgia-based Secure Give, a for-profit company which sells and supports Giving Center kiosks. So far, Giving Center kiosks have been installed in nearly 30 locations nationwide, up from seven last September.
The kiosks, which are made by Los Angeles, California-based Olea, feature a touchscreen, PINpad, a magnetic-stripe card reader and a receipt printer. Users are able to print out a tax credit for their donations, Secure Give says on its Website. They can also specify for what purpose they want the church to use the donation.
Related Links
www.securegive.com/
