Frequently asked questions about ways to financially donate to the mission and ministries of Rocky Hill Congregational Church, UCC (“RHCC”)

 

Q: What does it mean to “pay from my bank account” online? 

A: You provide information about your bank account that enables direct transfers of your designated support from your bank account to the church (similar to writing a digital check). We have partnered with Vanco Payment Solutions, a leading financial service provider trusted by more than 20,0000 churches to process donations in a digitally efficient and secure manner for more than 20 years.  

 

Q: Can I donate using my credit card? 

A: Yes, but be aware that RHCC incurs a fee of 2.75% for all credit card transactions.  If you elect to donate using a credit card, we ask you to consider selecting the option to increase your donation by 2.75% to cover the fee. Also, note that we cannot accept payments for Scrip by credit card unless you opt to pay the 2.75% charge. (If we accepted credit cards for all scrip payments, the net income to the church from this fundraising program would be reduced almost in half!).

 

Q: Are there any instructions on how to use the Vanco Payment site?

A: We have prepared a brief explanation on how to initiate payments using Vanco found here. 

 

Q: Are there any other options for online payments?

A: Yes. You may donate through the “PayPal Giving Fund," a registered 501(c)(3) charity that directly passes along your donation to RHCC. If you use this method, the PayPal Giving Fund covers all transaction costs (including fees for using credit cards), thereby allowing 100% of your donation to go to RHCC. Access our PayPal Giving Fund page.

 

The Paypal Giving Fund cannot accept payments for scrip, since these payments are not wholly tax-deductible. Any donations made through the Paypal Giving Fund portal must be exclusively for charitable purposes.

 

Note that in order to use this donation method, you will need to have a PayPal account. (You can set one up if you do not already have one.) Within your PayPal account, you can designate a credit card as your preferred payment method. You can also use any other payment method enabled by PayPal.

 

Q: Can I use my bank’s own online banking site to make donations?

A: Yes. Your bank’s website most likely allows you to send a check directly to any entity through its bill paying module.  You should set up a new payee as “Rocky Hill Congregational Church, 805 Old Main Street, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Then you can have checks sent to the church, just like a bill payment. You can also specify that payments should be made at a recurring frequency.

 

Q. How can I set up a recurring donation (i.e., weekly, monthly)?

A. First of all, we love it when donors ask this question, as recurring gifts provide an enduring commitment that allows us greater assurance of our ability to continue to fund our mission and ministries. 

 

There are several ways that you can do this:

1. Using our interface with Vanco (link to the Vanco donation page), you may specify a weekly, biweekly, or monthly frequency for your donations. This authorization can, of course, be modified by you at any time.

2. Using your bank’s own online banking facility, you can probably direct that checks be mailed at some recurring frequency. 

 

Note that the PayPal Giving Fund does not provide a method for you to designate recurring gifts at this time.  

 

Q. Can I specify how my gift is to be used?

A. Yes, within limits.  Our Vanco interface allows you to select one of three general options: “Ongoing Sustaining Gifts”, “Scrip Payments”, and “Other”. If you select “Other”, please type in the special offering or purpose for your gift (i.e., special offering, abundance gift, memorial gift, etc.)

 

If you pay by check sent from your online banking site, please specify the purpose in the “memo” field of your check.  If that field is not passed along by your bank, then please notify our financial secretary (finsec@rhccucc.org) by email when a designated payment is made.

 

If you donate via the PayPal Giving Fund, your gift will be assumed to be an ongoing sustaining gift unless you provide explicit instructions to the financial secretary by email. 

 

Q. How and when will I receive a receipt confirming my tax deduction?

A. If you are donating by Vanco, mail, or offering plate and your donation is $250 or more, you will receive an emailed tax receipt from RHCC within a few days. Recurring givers will automatically receive a summary tax receipt at the end of each calendar year. If you are unsure that our Financial Secretary knows where to send your tax receipt, or if you wish to request a summary annual tax receipt at year-end, please send an email to finsec@rhccucc.org.

 

If you are donating through the PayPal Giving Fund, you will receive a tax receipt directly from that Fund via email, usually on the same day as your donation.

 

Q. What if I have other questions?

A. We are happy to directly respond to your specific questions or concerns. Please send an email to finsec@rhccucc.org.

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