Frequently Asked Questions

Q – What is electronic giving?

A – Electronic giving or Automated Clearing House (ACH) is an electronic network for financial transactions in the United States. This process allows you to transfer money from your checking, savings or credit account to the church without the hassle and expense of writing a check. You are able to specify the purpose of the contribution, the amount and the frequency (one time or re-occurring).

Q –  What is the advantage of electronic giving?

A – It saves time! It saves work! It simplifies your life! You also help Middlebrook Pike UMC stabilize its budget and save dollars.

Q – How is my electronic contribution
automatically deducted from my account?

A – You may log onto the SecureGive site, and give via credit or debit card, or read the agreement and check the box for ACH transactions to make donations via checking or savings account at the site. Once you authorize the transfer, your specified contributions can be taken out one time, or on a regular basis as you choose. The contribution is transferred directly from your checking or savings account to MPUMC’s account.

Q – When will my contribution be deducted from my account?

A – Contributions will be taken from your specified bank account within 48 business hours of the date you requested. This time frame allows time for the contribution to process through your bank and the church’s bank. If the date of your contribution falls on a weekend or a holiday, the transaction will be initiated on the next banking day.

Q- Can I put amounts in different funds and special offerings, and
have them all withdrawn from my account at different frequencies?

A- You can set up to contribute to different funds at different frequencies; HOWEVER, you will have to do each one separately. There is no way right now to split a single transaction into different amounts and frequencies. When you have completed giving to one fund for a certain frequency, simply go back in to complete another. You will receive separate receipts for each.

Q- What do I use when I do my taxes?
Will I get a statement of everything I gave online?

A- You will receive a summary statement of your contributions to MPUMC once a quarter included with the next month’s offering envelopes. At any time, you may also log in to your SecureGive account and print out a statement of all transactions that were made online. You can designate the time period for this report. This print out can be used for tax purposes.

Q- Can I look up all my donations online, even those that I gave while at church?

A- No. The only transactions you can view online are the ones that were made online through the SecureGive system. Please contact the MPUMC office for complete donation information.

Q- Can anyone who works at the church see my account number?

A- No. No one at the church has access to your account/credit/debit card numbers. Only a couple employees at the SecureGive service have access to this info.

Q- What do I do if I forget my username or password?

A- If you forget your password, click on the “forgot password” link. You can then enter your email address, and your password will be emailed to the email address with which you registered.

Q – If I do not write checks, how do I keep my checkbook balance straight?

A – You may either make a notation in your check register at the time of the transaction, or you can make the notation at the time that an email is sent to you acknowledging your contribution. If you choose to contribute at regular automatic intervals, you can easily make the notations for the the entire length of time that you are contributing all at once.

Q – Without a cancelled check, how can I prove I made my contribution?

A – You have the option of printing or saving either the payment acknowledgement page, or the emailed acknowledgements. In addition, your credit card or bank statement shows an itemized list of electronic transfers. Your organization also has proof of your donation. Any of these can prove your contribution.

Q – Is electronic giving risky?

A – Electronic giving is less risky than check contribution. It cannot be lost, stolen, or destroyed in the mail. You may choose in your profile to turn off account number save. With this option, you will have to enter your account number each time a transaction is made, but it will never automatically show on the page.

Q – What if I change bank accounts, or get a new credit or debit card?

A – Simply update the information saved at the SecureGive site under the “member profile”. If you have set up recurring transactions and you do not update your account information, you may be deactivated until you update your info. This is to prevent your account from being declined over and over.

Q – How much does electronic giving cost?

A – It costs you nothing and saves you time. MPUMC pays nominal transaction fees…the lowest available. Credit and debit cards cost the organization more than savings or checking account transfers. Because of this, you may want to choose to give using automatic bank withdrawals to save additional costs for our church.

Q – What if I try it and don’t like it?

A – You can cancel your automatic deductions anytime via the SecureGive website.

Q – What if I only want to give on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis?

A – You can choose these frequencies on your own when completing your electronic giving info on the site. You also have the option to have your automatic deductions run for only a certain period of time if you attend more than one organization through the year.

Sign-Up Instructions

SecureGive is designed to enable you to fill out your offering envelope on-line and transfer funds electronically from your bank to the church. This method of giving will provide the same confidentiality that you are accustomed to while offering the convenience of online purchasing and bill payment programs.

If you would like to participate in SecureGive, click here to launch the application and then follow the instructions below to set up your account. There are 3 ways to give – online, mobile and text to give.

How to use Online Giving

Note: To use SecureGive, you will need to have cookies and scripts enabled on your browser. Refer to your browser’s help documents for more information about these features.

Step 1 –

• Access SecureGive from the link above.

Step 2 –

• Enter phone number or password. Or select ‘give without and account.’

Step 3 –

• Choose ‘One-Time’ or ‘Recurring Gift.’

Step 4 –

• Select category, and enter gift amount.

Step 5 –

• Enter payment information. Check the box to save payment information.

Step 6 –

• Click ‘Continue’

Step 7 –

• Confirm amount.

Step 8 –

• Thank you for your generosity! You will recieve confirmation on screen and via email.

How to use Mobile Giving

Step 1 –

• Download the free SecureGive app from the App Store or Google Play market.

Step 2 –

• Open the app and search for your organization by name or location (phone GPS enabled) Then, set this as your home organization.

Step 3 –

• Enter the phone number and password to login or create an account. Your church may also have the option to give anonymously.

Step 4 –

• Choose Give and select the type of transaction.

Step 5 –

• Select the category and enter donation amount.

Step 6 –

• If this is a first time donation, card info will need to be entered. There is an option to save this as a default card at this point.

Step 7 –

• Tap Continue. Confirm amount.

Step 8 –

• Thank you for your generosity! You will receive a thank you notification via phone screen, and email.

How to use Text to Give

Step 1 –

• Text keyword and amount (ex. Tithe 100) to the Text To Give number 865-248-0400.

Step 2 –

• You will receive a text to sign into your SecureGive account, or create a login.

Step 3 –

• Sign in, or create an account, and save a method of payment.

Step 4 –

• When this is complete, you will receive a text asking you to reply ‘Y’ to conrm your gift.

Step 5 –

• Thank you for generosity! You will receive a conrmation via text and by email.

Once you login once, our system will remember your information and you will not need to log in the next time you wish to give.