ATMs let Sunday giving go high-tech
By Virginia Norton| Staff Writer
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Eric Bradley usually goes online for his banking and pays for gas and groceries with a bank debit card.

Now, he also can use his debit card to make donations at his church, Stevens Creek Community Church in Martinez.

The church has several ATM kiosks in the fellowship hall. In 15 to 20 seconds, Mr. Bradley can swipe the card, tap in his PIN, specify the donation and get a receipt printed with a Scripture verse.

The senior pastor, Marty Baker, said he used hardware and software from different manufacturers and introduced the kiosks about 18 months ago. With the kiosks, Stevens Creek has seen its income jump. The 1,100-member church is projecting a 19 percent increase this year over last year, said Dr. Baker.

Stemming credit card use also better suits the church's philosophy on giving, Dr. Baker said.

"We don't encourage anyone to go into debt to donate," he said.

He and his wife, Patty, formed Automated Giving Solutions to market the kiosks to other churches and nonprofits.

"We feel like we will branch out with other nonprofit organizations, such as hospitals, schools, aquariums, any nonprofits that are raising money," Mrs. Baker said.

The kiosks are now in use in a handful of other churches, including nondenominational Victory World Church in Norcross, Ga. About 5,000 people attend Victory World each week, according to Dave Nowak, the church administrator.

The kiosk is in a test, with staff members making their donations in the administrative office area, but he expects it will be released to the congregation.

"A lot of the young adults don't carry cash. I don't even know if they have wallets, but they do carry debit cards," Mr. Nowak said.

Reach Virginia Norton at (706) 823-3336 or virginia.norton@augustachronicle.com.

A WHOLE NEW WAY TO GIVE

HOW IT WORKS: Just like an ATM, donors swipe a debit card, record a contribution and get a printed receipt. The touchscreen allows donors to direct the offering to any of four funds, such as tithes, general fund, building fund and missions.

THE BASICS: The devices are marketed by Automated Giving Solutions, a company organized by Marty Baker, the senior pastor of Stevens Creek Community Church in Martinez. Tabletop or standalone models are available and cost $2,500 to $5,000. Monthly fees to the host churches are $49.95.

LEARN MORE: Call (423) 303-2615 or visit securegive.com.

Reader Comments
Note: Comments are not edited and don't represent the views of The Augusta Chronicle. Please read our full comments policy. To report a post that may be inappropriate, click the icon.
Your comment will be attributed to
YOUR MESSAGE:
You have 1200 characters left.


advertisement

advertisement

TopJobs


Augusta-area Top Jobs
Customer Service Reps Customer Service Representative Work with Soldiers. Major military consumer finance company seeks CSR's for Augusta, GA branch office. Full training provided. Excellent opportu... (more)
Clerical >Office Work< $-25 | hr+ Great Benefits Serves as administrative support to warden. Call us at 706.868.6800 Full Time | Permanent Pro Resources $185 J#233 (more)
Driving Haul Bricks to local construction sites. $-12hr & Full Benefits. Call us at 706.868.6800 J#101 Full Time, Permanent Position with great South Augusta Co. Pro Resources $185 Svc Fee PERM (more)


© 2009 The Augusta Chronicle|Terms of service|About our ads|Help|Contact us|Subscribe|Local business listings


advertisement
advertisement