Online Giving FAQ

Cornerstone is excited to accept one-time or automatically-recurring donations through a safe, simple, and effective service called "Vanco Payments." Have questions about online giving? We have provided answers in anticipation to some of the common questions you may have about giving online. 

 

Why online giving?

Cornerstone has decided to open up an online giving option as a matter of convenience. We have received feedback from people who were interested in setting up online one-time (and automatically recurring) donations. Partnering with Vanco, we have enabled web-based and GivePlus Church app giving using your checking account.

Is online giving safe?

Short answer: Absolutely! It’s equally as safe as paying bills online or purchasing something through any reputable online retailer.

Longer, "technical" answer: Vanco is a certified Level 1 PCI 3.2 Service Provider. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a mandated set of security requirements for protecting cardholder data. These standards were developed by the founding payment brands of the PCI Security Standards Council—American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard and Visa—to facilitate the broad adoption of consistent data security measures on a global basis.

Who in the church has access to my information?

All data is secured by Vanco within their secure systems. Your private bank account data will not be stored on Cornerstone software or servers. Periodically, the same individuals who record the weekly giving will import online giving data to include in the church’s financial records. These individuals are approved by the Finance Committee and Elders.

What fees are involved?

Cornerstone pays a monthly fee to Vanco for the ability to offer online giving. There are additional transaction costs that we ask the giver to cover. This fee is 1.0% of the transaction, plus $0.45 (i.e. the transaction fee on a $100 donation is $1.45). There is an option when you enter your donation to select whether you want to increase your gift to cover the transaction fee. If you do not select this option to cover the expense, your gift will be reduced by the amount of the fee, thus reducing the impact we can have for Kingdom work.

Will I receive a record of my giving?

Yes. After you give, an email will automatically be sent to the email address which you provide. You will also have the opportunity to print a receipt of each transaction In addition to a receipt for each transaction. Vanco sends a running record of your giving to Cornerstone, who will include your online giving totals with any of your other donations throughout the year for your annual giving report.

Can I use a debit or credit card to make a donation?

No. At this time, we only allow the option to give via bank account transfer. Why? Debit/credit cards are charged a higher transaction fee. Because we are committed to making the best use of the money that you give in building the Kingdom, we have decided against allowing credit/debit transactions at this time. We may revisit this in the future if there is demand to use debit/credit cards and there is a trend of donors covering the transaction fee.

Can I set up automatic, recurring donations?

Yes. When you set up your recurring donations, you have control over the amount, the rate of recurrence (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly). If you decide to stop or change your recurring donation, you are able to quickly and easily make those changes yourself.

Can I direct my donation to specific ministries/accounts?

Yes. There will be a list of accounts the church typically receives donations for. The primary account is the General account, which goes toward all the general budget items. If you would like to give to a specific ministry/account (Deacons Fund, A Place to Grow Capital Campaign, Missions, etc.), simply select it from the list of accounts when making your donation.

 

MOBILE GIVING

Can I give to Cornerstone on a mobile device?

Yes. The GivePlus Church app is available for free through the App Store and Google Play. Simply search for “GivePlus Church” and download the app. The first time you open GivePlus Church, you will be asked to enter the name of the church you wish to donate to. You can either type in Cornerstone Presbyterian Church or you can use the Find Churches Near Me feature to search for churches based on the location of your phone and select Cornerstone Presbyterian Church.

Is my data secure when donating via the GivePlus Church app?

Yes. As mentioned above, Vanco Payment Solutions meets or exceeds all industry standards to keep your data safe. They leverage technology such as tokenizing card data and encrypting sensitive information for transmission and storage.

 Do I need to create a GivePlus account?

While you can make a one-time donation as a guest, creating an account allows you access various GivePlus features. Once you create an account, you can securely store your checking/savings account information to quickly make future donations. You can also establish recurring donations and access your transaction history. To create an account, you will need to enter your email address and create a password. You will then select whether you prefer to log in using your device’s Touch ID/Fingerprint or create a PIN. An email will be sent to verify your address. You will then click the link in the email to verify your account.

Will I have to search for Cornerstone every time I want to donate using the app?

No. Once you select Cornerstone, it becomes your home church and it will display automatically the next time you open the app.

What payment methods can I use to donate on the app?

Cornerstone currently only offers giving via checking/savings accounts. We do not support debit/credit card giving (as explained above).

Will I receive a receipt when giving via the app?

If you are logged into you Give+ account, you will receive a receipt via email. You will also be able to view transactions in your giving history. If you are entered in the app as a guest, you can receive a receipt if you enter your email address when making the donation.

I forgot my GivePlus user name and password…what do I do?

Your user name is the email address you created the account with. If you cannot remember your password, click the “Forgot Password?” link and follow the instructions to create a new one. If you cannot remember the email address used, contact the church for an account lookup or create a new GivePlus account with a new email address.

Ready to get started? | Click Here to Start Giving Online |