Hello, Riverbend Community Church!
We wanted to communicate a change we are making with our giving next month. We will begin to transition from PushPay to Planning Center Giving. For some, this will not be applicable, as you pay through bank transfer, check, or cash. However, for those who pay through online, text-to-give, and/or our Riverbend App, this means we will need to transition your information to Planning Center Giving.
The Why:
Before we go into the details of how this will be processed, we would like to explain the reason for our switch. As you know, this year has been challenging for many families as well as our church. Because of this, we wanted to reevaluate the systems and processes we use in our church just in case there is a more beneficial way for our church to move forward. Concerning our online giving format, we realized we could better serve our church if we mainstreamed our giving to Planning Center because we already use this software as a database. During our research we realized we would save the church an excessive expense if we made this shift. So, in short, this will help our leadership in organization and allow us to be better stewards of our finances in order to serve more through the church.
If you have any questions as to why we decided to make a change to Planning Center in Giving, please contact Pastor Travis [travis@riverbendonline.org].
The How:
We will have 4 phases in this transition.
Phase 1: Next week (July 11th), we will change our text-to-give & our Riverbend App giving page. This will be only a small change! If you give this way, it will simply be a different number and the app will bring you to a Planning Center page instead of Pushpay. The first time you give to Planning Center it will ask for your personal info to process each gift. If you have any questions please let Pastor Travis know!
Phase 2: Pastor Travis, Pastor Joe, and Sam Schwarze will contact anyone who is a recurring online giver through email & phone call. We will answer any questions and are happy to walk you through the process of setting up your new profile of recurring giving!
Phase 3: Pastor Travis & Sam Schwarze will be tracking the transition by observing Planning Center & Pushpay. Anyone we have noticed who has not transitioned will be followed up with and we will be sure to help give any clarity needed for the transition.
Phase 4: By August 31st we will discontinue Pushpay. At this point, online giving will only be processed through Planning Center.
Thank you all so much for your generosity, support, and willingness to be obedient to our Father in your giving! It is because of you that Riverbend has been able to reach out to our community with the love of Jesus and we are excited to see what He has in store for our church in the future! Again, if you have any questions at all, please contact Pastor Travis [travis@riverbendonline.org].
We are grateful for you!
The Riverbend Team