Explaining Online Giving at Harvest Bible Chapel

Harvest is changing its method of online giving. This is a move that will save the church money and make an already good accountability system into an even better one. Online Giving is a convenient way to give, and can be set up for recurring automatic donations so you do not need to worry about forgetting, particularly during busy summer months. That being said, it is important that giving not be “mindless” – this might be a concern of some folks who don’t like the idea of automatic online giving. I would say that the issue with automatic giving is not that it’s mindless, but that it remains sacrificial, generous, and voluntarily as the Lord desires it to be (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). And, generally speaking, it won’t be mindless when you notice the giving has taken place at the time you’ve determined it to happen :)

Please see the below instructions and further details at the bottom of this page so you can understand more about online giving at Harvest.

Sign up for online giving:

1. Click on this link to be taken to the online giving page:

https://harvestca.infellowship.com/onlinegiving/givenow/step1

2. Click on “Sign up” on the right side of the page. Create an account by providing your name and email, and create a password. If you’ve already signed up, use the above link to sign in.

3. Once signed up or logged in, click on “Your Giving”.

4. The next page will have a history of previous online giving.

5. To give online, click the green “Give Now” button.

6. Fill in the details with your Visa, Master Card, or Discover Card. We will be offering American Express in the near future.
*In Fellowship will save your card details for future giving, making it more convenient.

7. Click Continue and finalize your giving.

How to set up recurring/scheduled giving:

1. You can either login with the first link provided, sign in, and click “Schedule Giving” or use this link to go straight there:

https://harvestca.infellowship.com/onlinegiving/scheduledgiving/step1

2. Select the fund and type in the amount for the recurring giving. Click Continue.

3. On the “Giving Schedule” page, select the frequency you plan to give, and the date you intend the giving to begin.
*You may also select an “end” date on this page. If you want the giving to continue each month, there is no need to set an end date and you can sign in to stop recurring giving at any time.

4. Select the Payment method and, if necessary, input the card information so it can be saved for scheduled giving.

5. On the final page, review and confirm the the amount, card info, billing address, and frequency. Once you have confirmed everything, click the box on the bottom left and then click “Process this Schedule”.

That’s it! You will be set up for recurring giving at the time(s) you specified.

How much does it cost?

A common question with online giving is “How much does it cost the church to process these payments?” We hope you find the below information helpful so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not you want to give online:

– The service In Fellowship, part of Fellowship Technologies, costs the church $25 per month. This is an important tool because it integrates all of the giving data (cash, checks, and online) for the church into one central location, so that accountability is higher and records are accurate.

– The payment processor we use is called Swipe Away Poverty (S.A.P.). They primarily work with non-profit organizations to charge very low rates so that more money remains with the organization (i.e. our church). The average credit card transaction is 1.59% and the average debit transaction is 0.52%. And, S.A.P. tithes 10% of its proceeds to Compassion International.

– While nothing is free, we believe we have found the right two partnerships that cost as little as possible, provide convenience in online giving, and provide us with excellent accountability and record keeping.

If you have any other questions regarding online giving at Harvest, please contact Pastor Chris directly at critter@harvestsacramento.net