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Should you choose to, you can give to your church using text messages. The feature requires a quick setup, but this guide will take you through the entire process.
How it works
Here is how the text giving process works:
- You send an initial message.
- You receive a link where you can configure your payment information.
- Next, once your payment is processed, you will be charged for your first gift.
- From then on, you can simply send a text message every time you want to give instead of going through a lengthier online giving process. You will not be charged automatically for any transactions; only for those you directly send as a text.
First gift and setup
Before you can give, you will need to go through a few setup steps during which you need to add your payment information. You only have to do this once, as long as you keep your number linked for text giving. If you choose to unlink it, then you will need to redo the setup.
If you need the list of commands when getting started, text HELP to your church’s phone number.
Otherwise, you can start with a valid giving message command, such as GIVE 50.
You will receive a message containing a link which you must tap, and enter your payment information in the page that opens up.
On the payment setup page, please go through the following:
- Check the Amount and Fund, and change them as needed.
- Enter your First Name, Last Name and Email.
- Enter a card, or a US bank account if the church accepts bank payments.
- Optionally turn on Add $… to my payment to cover the processing fee, if the church asks givers to cover fees. The choice is remembered for later text gifts. Covering transaction fees is not mandatory, so you can choose not to do so if you do not want to.
- Tap Give and Set Up Text to Give. You will see a note that future texts from your phone will be charged to the payment method you just entered.
The link works once and expires after 24 hours. An expired or used link shows: This link has expired or was already used. Text the church's number again to get a new one.
If you already have a church account, you can tap Sign In to Use a Saved Payment Method. When signed in, your name and email are filled in and you can choose a payment method you saved before.
If you are not signed in and enter the name and email (or the phone) of an existing person in the church (this may be the case if you have given your information already but you have not yet created an app account), then the page asks you to sign in instead. This is so your profile can be correctly linked to your giving.
Once you have done this set up, each gift text is charged at once and answered with a thank-you message. The reply names the amoun you gave and the fund you selected, if any; or the default fund set by your church, if you have not selected one. If you choose to cover the fee, the given amount includes it.
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Bank account gifts take a few days. The reply you get says: Thank you! Your gift of $50.00 to the General Fund was received and is processing. Bank payments take a few days.
Help and commands you can text
You can text HELP to your church’s phone number to get a list of available commands. If you have not yet set up text to give, as explained above, then you will be advised to text an amount to get started. If you have already done the setup, you will be given all the available commands.
GIVE is a mandatory command. Your message must necessarily begin with the word GIVE and include an amount. If these two conditions are not met, then your message will be seen as a regular text message, not a giving text. Your church may see it and reply, but you will not be charged for a gift.
Here are the commands you can text anytime (Text capitalization does not count):
| Text | What happens |
| GIVE 50 or $50 | Gives $50 to the default fund. |
| 50 BUILDING, GIVE 50 BUILDING or $50 BUILDING | Gives $50 to the fund with that keyword or name. |
| HELP | Replies with how to give and with a list of commands. |
| UPDATE | Replies with a link to change the saved payment method. |
| REFUND | Refunds the last gift if it was made in the past 24 hours. |
| UNLINK | Turns off Text to Give for the respective phone. |
| STOP / START | Stops all texts from the church to the phone, or starts them again. |
Limits
Maximum Gifts
Your church can set up a maximum gift they will charge via text. If your gift is higher, you will not be charged via text, but will receive a link to your church’s online giving page, so you can complete the transaction there.
Text messaging limits
Operating the Text to Give service incurs costs for your church. To prevent costs from becoming too high, one phone number can send up to 20 texts to the church in 24 hours, of which up to 10 can be texts other than gifts (such as HELP). After that, the phone gets one reply saying it has sent too many texts, and further texts are ignored until the 24 hours pass. STOP and START always work.
Change your payment method
To change your payment method for gifts sent via text, just send UPDATE to your church phone number to get a link that is valid for 24 hours. On the linked page, you can either keep the current payment method or enter a new one, and can change whether you cover the fee on future text gifts. Tap Save when done.
Request a refund
Texting REFUND triggers a refund for your last gift if it was made in the past 24 hours and has been completed. A gift older than 24 hours, one that has already been refunded, or a bank payment still processing can't be refunded by text. You will get a reply that asks you to contact the church.
Manage declined charges
If your card is declined, the gift is not made. You get a reply containing a link to finish the gift on the church’s online giving page and are suggested to text UPDATE to change the card. Other failures get a similar reply that takes you to the alternative online giving page.
Turn off Text to Give
If you no longer want to send gifts via text, you can unlink your phone number from the service. Text UNLINK to turn off Text to Give for your phone number. The saved payment method still works for online giving. If you text a gift later, you get a new setup link.
Text STOP to stop all texts from the church to your phone. While messaging is stopped, gift texts sent from your phone number are then ignored with no reply. START turns texts back on, and Text to Give works again.
Alternatively, you can ask an admin to unlink your phone number. Just note that if your phone number is unlinked by an admin, they will also be able to link it back again. If you unlink yourself, an admin will not be able to link your phone number back and you will need to go through the setup process again.
Check your in-app payment methods
In the member app and portal, you can find the Payment Methods section, showing you which card is used for texts, with the phone number’s last four digits. Unlink stops charging this payment method for texts from that phone number. Removing the card also turns off Text to Give for the phone number, after a confirmation.