Reader Reply

Issue 22 - Charity Matters

The response to Lucy Dowling questions about ethical banks who can assist in setting up a debit and credit card charging facility.

Q. From Lucy Dowling

Hi,

I wonder if anyone knows of any ethical banks (or is that a contradiction in terms?) who can assist us in setting up a debit and credit card charging facility for our customers? We run a successful community cafe and many people are asking to pay with cards. The banks/providers we have approached (Streamline and Barclays) charge 25p per transaction! Any advice would be welcome.

Lucy Dowling

A.

To Lucy Dowling re query in Issue 22:

“I wonder if anyone knows of any ethical banks (or is that a contradiction in terms?) who can assist us in setting up a debit and credit card charging facility for our customers? We run a successful community cafe and many people are asking to pay with cards. The banks/providers we have approached (Streamline and Barclays) charge 25p per transaction! Any advice would be welcome.”

“ We (Charity Business) provide credit and debit card processing facilities solely for charities and not for profits. We can provide a secure web-based function which can be placed onto your website allowing people to enter card details to donate or pay for goods and services. The solution also comes with a full online reporting suite where you can extract information for gift aid or purchases (note that card information is not stored for security). We can also provide a terminal either hard-wired or wireless (for short events) which are useful for shops or cafes. Charges are only 3% of the value of the transaction plus VAT (note VAT would be charged on the other options you have investigated as well). This means that you would be charged 15p for a £5 payment or donation plus 2.25p VAT. For a £2 payment, the charge would be 6p plus 0.9p VAT. If you need the terminal (hard-wired) rental costs £10 per month and you can share your telephone line meaning there are no other charges. Again, you would need to rent one regardless of who you went to for a solution. If you would like to get further information please contact us on 01793 554204 or marketing@charitybusiness.com. Also visit our website on www.charitybusiness.com where you can find out more about us.“

Susan Gordon CA (Scotland)
Head of Marketing & Communications

http://www.charitybusiness.com