Contents

• Requirements
• Turn on Text to Give
• Fund keywords
  • Keyword Rules
• What givers can text
  • Unreadable giving texts
  • Accidental donations
• Important about texting to give
• Manage Text Giving Links

This guide shows you how to configure the Text to Give service within ChMeetings. 
 

Requirements

Here is what you need to have in order to enable Text to Give:

• A paid ChMeetings plan: Text to Give is available on paid plans only. On a free plan the section explains this and shows an Upgrade button. 
• Access to the main account, as an Owner or Admin. Text to Give is only available for the main account, not for ministries. Users with the Online Giving Settings permission for contributions can change settings (including linking and unlinking phone numbers) and see the Text Giving Links list. 
• Stripe as a payment processor: The section appears for accounts whose online giving uses Stripe. It is not available for other online payment processors (PayPal and Paystack).
• A dedicated number that can receive texts. This can be a free dedicated number you can get from ChMeetings, or one from Twilio. With Twilio, you are billed by Twilio, not by ChMeetings. Dedicated phone numbers from ChMeetings are only available in the USA and Canada. Twilio may be integrated anywhere, provided Twilio supports receiving SMS in your country. No other third-party sms providers are supported at the moment.
• Two-way messaging: Simply purchasing SMS credits in ChMeetings or using a regular personal phone number and mobile plan is not enough for Text to Give to work. This is because ChMeetings needs to automatically receive and process the giver's incoming text messages, charge the linked payment method, and send confirmation replies.

Turn on Text to Give

Follow these steps to turn on the Text to Give feature:

1. Go to Contributions > Online Giving > Settings.
2. Turn on Turn On Text to Give.
3. Choose the Default Fund. Gifts that don't name a fund go here. Only funds included in online giving can receive gifts via text.
4. Check Maximum per Text. A larger gift is not charged by text; the giver gets a link to finish it on the giving page. The default is $500, but you can change it to be lower or higher.
5. Click Save Settings at the bottom of the page.

While turning on Text to Give, you can also check the following: 

• Number to Share: This is the number givers can text.
• Available Credits and Buy Credit: This is shown for a ChMeetings number only. Buy Credit opens Payments & Credit.
• Commands Givers Can Text: These are examples of what givers can text, using your own currency and one of your fund keywords (see below for details). Two notes under the commands remind you that a number on its own, like 50, is not a gift, and that each gift uses at least 2 SMS credits for the text received and for the reply.
• View Text Giving Links: Opens the list of phones set up for Text to Give.

Fund keywords

A keyword lets givers choose a fund to contribute to, with one short word, for example 50 BUILDING instead of 50 Building Fund. Here is how to set these up:

1. Go to Contributions > Contribution Funds.
2. Click the row's menu and choose Edit.
3. Make sure Include In Online Giving is on. The keyword field appears only then, and only while Text to Give is on.
4. Enter the Text to Give Keyword and click Save.

Keyword Rules

• A keyword uses letters and numbers only, up to 30 characters, and must be different from every other fund's keyword.
• Givers can text either the keyword or the fund's full name, in any capitals, for example 50 building or 50 Building Fund. Part of a name or keyword doesn't match.
  A fund without a keyword can still be given to by its full name.
• Turning off Text to Give keeps the keywords. Removing a fund from online giving clears its keyword.
   

What givers can text

Givers text the church's number. Capitals and extra spaces don't matter. The command words are always in English.

Unreadable giving texts

If a text starts with GIVE but the fund isn't found, or the amount is below the minimum, the reply lists the funds givers can name (keywords where they exist, otherwise fund names). Without GIVE, the same text would be treated as a normal reply.

Accidental donations

There is always a possibility that someone might unintentionally send a message that matches a valid giving command. However, a donation is automatically processed only if the giver has already completed the initial setup and linked their phone number to a saved payment method. Otherwise, they receive a setup link and must complete the initial donation themselves in order to be charged for a gift.

If an accidental donation occurs, the giver can text REFUND to request a refund of their most recent eligible Text to Give donation within 24 hours. Refunding the donation does not restore the SMS credits already consumed. Additionally, the REFUND command and its confirmation reply consume SMS credits when using a ChMeetings number. Twillio messaging is charged for by Twilio and does not go through ChMeetings. 

Important about texting to give

A number alone is not a gift. The Text to Give number is also your regular number for general two-way messaging, so a regular reply to a text that does not represent a gift must not be charged. A text counts as a gift only when it starts with GIVE, has the currency symbol ($50), or names one of the church's funds (50 BUILDING). Any other text is treated as a normal reply and appears in Messages, with no Text to Give reply.

Amounts can have cents, for example GIVE 12.50. The gift must be at least the church's minimum online gift, if configured, and never less than the smallest amount Stripe can charge in the church's currency (50 cents in US dollars).

A gift over the Maximum per Text gets a link to the giving page instead of being charged directly via the text.

Manage Text Giving Links

To manage text giving links (phones) the Text to Give section, click View Text Giving Links. The list shows every phone set up for Text to Give, newest first.

You can search for someone by name or phone, or filter by Status. Here is what each status tells you:

To stop charging a phone, open the row's menu and choose Deactivate, then confirm. The next gift text from that phone gets a new setup link. A link an admin deactivated can be activated again from the same menu with Activate, unless the giver has set up again since then. Links the giver turned off, or opted out of, can't be activated by an admin.