CHESTER, W.Va. -- NCS Envelope Service, known for its paper envelopes that thousands of churches use to collect offerings, is going high-tech. The company has launched an online E-giving system that enables church members to make contributions through the Internet using an electronic offering envelope.
Churches do not need to have their own Web sites to use NCS' E-giving service, according to a company news release. NCS establishes and hosts a Web page for each church, which can be updated and customized by church staff.
Churches can set up five fund designations on the electronic offering envelope and include special collection opportunities. The E-giving service also has special features for the church members, said Jim Cline, NCS' sales and marketing manager.
"Each member who chooses to participate establishes a personal giving page through a link on their church's E-giving page," Cline said. "There, they can make donations using the electronic offering envelope and stay apprised of their giving levels by viewing a graphical bar chart."
Members also receive scheduled e-mail reminders with a link that takes them directly to the electronic envelope, Cline said.
Donations are electronically transferred to the church's bank account. The contribution data is e-mailed to the church in a standard Excel format, which can be imported into any church management software, according to the release. Costs were not disclosed.
