Churches receive charitable donations in many different forms. These donations can be cash, check, wire transfers, credit & debit cards, and ACH payments. In this article, we're going to cover what ACH is, the cost of accepting ACH payments, and show why so many churches are encouraging their donors to give exclusively through ACH.
ACH (Automated Clearing House) payments are a type of electronic bank-to-bank payment/transfer. Payments via ACH are made through the National Automated Clearing House Association, instead of going through card networks like Visa or Amex. ACH payments have been around since the '70s, and are only available within the United States.
In short; everyone. Whether you're a business or an individual, you can send money through an ACH transfer to any individual or business bank account. All you need is the routing and bank account number to send an ACH payment. ACH payments have been popular for decades when it comes to sending money from one person/business to another.
When it comes to Online Giving for churches, ACH and Credit/Debit Cards have their pros and Cons...
If we had a quarter for every time a church asked this question, we could buy a sweet new coffee machine for our staff office! 😋☕️ In all seriousness though, we recommend both. Here's why...
When it comes to donors that give one time (think guests and out of towners), a credit or debit card is the easiest way for them to give. They can easily scan your Church Connect QR code and donate online in under 90 seconds. For those guests that have their credit card already stored in their phones, this process is even faster.
As far as your members that give regularly, ACH is best due to the low flat rate of only $.25 per donation. Once they obtain their bank acct and routing number, they can easily give online from any device.
Churches ❤️ ACH payments and they're quickly becoming the preferred method of giving for their regular attendees. With features like recurring ACH donations and the ability to give easily from a smartphone, there's never been a better time to implement ACH donations.
You can start accepting ACH donations through ChurchTrac today. Click HERE to get started. Not a ChurchTrac User? Start your Free Trial and see why thousands of churches trust our ChMS for accepting online donations, church giving statements, and more!