Donations

Your financial gifts to St. Dunstan's Church are of vital importance to support our ongoing ministries and our outreach to the most vulnerable among us. Your faithful gifts can be mailed to our church office, or by using the Paypal link below.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PayPal, and how is St. Dunstan's using it to enable online donations?
PayPal is a low cost, convenient way for parishioners to keep pledges up-to-date, or, contribute to St. Dunstan’s for other special occasions such as altar flowers.  It allows a parishioner to maintain their pledge when they are not in church, such as when they are on vacation. PayPal is the most widely-used online donation provider and St. Dunstan’s has confidence in its reliability. PayPal allows the church to collect donations from a button on our website (www. http://stdunstans.net).

Why did you choose PayPal?

PayPal is simple
To make a payment through PayPal, you can either open a PayPal account (https://www.paypal.com/) or not. If you don't open an account, you must pay through PayPal by credit or debit card and enter your name, card number, and billing address each time. If you open a PayPal account, you can pay by credit card or bank transfer, all your information will be stored securely, and you won't have to re-enter it each time. You will have an opportunity to sign up for PayPal account when you are making a purchase. Or you can sign up with PayPal now.

PayPal is free for you to use
There's no cost to you to set up an account or make a payment.  However, like any financial institution, PayPal must make money. When the church receives your payment, it incurs a small fee. The fee is $.30 per transaction plus 2.2% of the amount. The table below shows the fees paid by St. Dunstan’s based different donation amounts. If you would like St. Dunstan's to receive the full benefit of your contribution, please consider factoring this fee into the amount of your online contribution.

 

Donation Set Fee Variable Fee Net Amount to Church
$50.00 $0.30 2.2% $48.60
$100.00 $0.30 2.2% $97.50
$250.00 $0.30 2.2% $244.20
$500.00 $0.30 2.2% $488.70

 

PayPal is safe
It uses the most secure software available for commercial transactions. Their computers reside behind a firewall. Users' accounts are password-protected. They must confirm their email addresses. Ownership of credit cards is confirmed by billing address. Bank accounts are confirmed by a simple but sure process, too. Because PayPal is considered so secure, it has over 100 million customers worldwide now. PayPal's web site tells about why it's so secure - https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/paypal-safety-and-security.

Tracking your transactions on PayPal is easy
You receive a confirmation email which includes details of your transaction (useful for documenting donations). You can log on to your account and see all your transactions. The church will also include the PayPal donation in its quarterly accounting statement to each parishioner. On your credit or debit card or bank statement, PayPal transactions appear with the name PayPal and the name of the Payee, ex. PayPal: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church. Finally, if you use PayPal a lot, you can even download transactions from PayPal's web site.

Do I need a PayPal account to make an online contribution to St. Dunstan's?
You do not need a PayPal account to make a one-time contribution online. PayPal will also process credit card, debit card and electronic check contributions.  If you do not have a PayPal account, you can set one up on the PayPal website when making your online contribution to St. Dunstan's.

How do I create a PayPal account if I don't already have one? If you do not have a PayPal account, you can create one on the PayPal website when making your online contribution.  When you are linked to the PayPal website, click the link under "Don't have a PayPal account?".  If you are making a one-time contribution you can also create a PayPal account after you finish the contribution process.

What if I don't want a PayPal account, can I still make an online contribution to St. Dunstan's? You can still make a one-time contribution to St. Dunstan's even if you do not want to create a PayPal account.

Will I receive credit for my online contribution(s) against my annual pledge?
You will receive full credit for the amount of your contribution against your annual pledge. However, there is a fee charged by PayPal for processing your online contribution (see above). If you would like St. Dunstan's to receive the full benefit of your contribution, please consider factoring this fee into the amount of your online contribution.

Is there a way I can designate what my online contribution is for?
When making an online contribution to St. Dunstan’s, an area is provided for you to include a note with your contribution Use this area to specify the reason for your contribution.

Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes. We are a 501(c)(3) corporation.

How does the church get the money I send?
After you complete the payment information steps at PayPal, the funds are immediately deposited in the church’s online PayPal account. The church financial secretary will then transfer your donation to the church’s bank account.

How do I know my donation made it to the church?
You will receive a confirmation email immediately after you complete your donation. You can keep the email as a receipt for tax purposes. St. Dunstan’s will also include the full amount of your PayPal donations in the quarterly accounting that we provide you.