Thank you all for continuing to support the ministry work of Cornerstone with your tithes and offerings. We praise God for His faithfulness in sustaining us through these difficult times.
We have had several inquiries recently about online giving. This has come up often over the past few years and we have done much research into it. Until now, we have hesitated to use this method because of the fees involved. Most people do not realize that there is a cost for convenience and that the church does not get 100% of the contribution.
Typically the companies that help churches set up online giving charge transaction fees. Some even charge a monthly fee whether the service is used or not. For example. one site would charges the church 2.59% + .30 per transaction. For a $100 donation, the church would get $97.11.
All that being said, we are in unusual times and realize we must look at alternatives. While we still prefer our cost-free options like mailing a check or bill pay, we have added an online giving option.
For sending a check from your bank add Cornerstone as a vendor (attn: Collectors) and set up a transaction to have a check sent out weekly or monthly, or one-time only from your bank. Donations can be sent to:
Cornerstone Congregational Church
Attention: Collectors
32 Graniteville Road
Westford, MA 01886
For the new online giving option, we have decided to partner with Tithe.ly which is the parent company of Elvanto, our church management software. You can access the giving link from CornerstoneWestford.com here or download the Tithe.ly Giving app from the Apple store or Google Play. Please be aware that Tithe.ly does charge 2.9% + .30 for a debit/credit card transaction and 1% + .30 for an e-check. However, they have added the ability for the donor to pick up the charges if desired. For example, for a $100 credit card donation, after checking the box to “cover fees” the screen will show the transaction fees would be $3.30 and your total debit would be $103.30. At that point you can decide if you want to continue to cover the fees.
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the church finances or how to use the Tithe.ly giving app or setting up the bill pay option from your bank, please feel free to contact us. Thank you again for your faithful support. Blessings.
