Praise the Lord and swipe the plastic

Posted: March 17, 2009, 8:27 by Drew Hasselback

Hollie Shaw, our intrepid marketing reporter, last weekend explained how small businesses are feeling the heat from credit card companies because they want to charge higher fees to cover the costs of the bonuses that come with some cards, things like insurance or loyalty programs.

Consumers seem to rely more on their 'plastic' than their cash — something that presents a problem for churches that rely on the passing of the good ol' fashioned collection plate for revenue.

Pastor Marty Baker of Stevens Creek Church in Georgia pondered this problem, and even consulted the electronic scriptures (ie. the Internet) in search of a revelation that might address the issue:

I made calls and searched the internet but there was nothing out there to process electronic donations while a parishioner was at church.

Having discovered that he was but a voice crying in the wilderness, it came to pass that Pastor Marty did develop up his own giving solution: debit card kiosks that enable the church to receive digital donations.

Pastor Marty credits the system with triggering double digit revenue growth for Stevens Creek Church, and is so proud of the innovation that he and his wife Patty have established a company, SecureGive.com, to spread the gospel of electronic giving. As it is written among the first verses that appear on the SecureGive.com blog:

By definition, we are a software company, but we are so much more than just a software company. We are pioneers in a new era of innovation. We are partners to pastors, educators, humanitarians and philanthropists across our nation.

Of course, sometimes the Devil can be in the details. The "Giving Kiosk" section of the Stevens Creek Church web site was, as of March 17, showing an "under construction" page. The Online Giving section, however, was up and running.

Praise the lord and pass the scanner.