When we think of regular church giving, the Sunday offering plate is usually the first image that comes to mind. But have you ever asked yourself if there is a way to make your donations electronically?

The answer is yes! In fact, PUMC‘s financial systems can now accommodate two ways of making electronic donations – what we might call "Push" and "Pull."

With the first option, you can "Push" money out of your account to the church by setting up a payment through your bank‘s bill pay service. Most banks offer such a service at no charge as part of their online banking services. With this approach, you can also set up an automatic payment to the church on a schedule that matches your personal cash flow pattern.

With the second option -- and this is a new service at PUMC, you can ask the church to set up a transaction to "Pull" your donation from your bank account into the church‘s account. These transfers can also be scheduled in a pattern that works best for you. If you are interested in learning about this option, or are ready to set it up, please contact the church office (office(at)princetonumc.org). We are using a provider recommended by the financial group of the United Methodist Church and have already run a successful trial for several months.

In addition, there are several ways that you can make lump sum donations, including donation of appreciated stock to the church, which usually provides some additional tax benefit. If you would like more information on this type of giving option, please contact office(at)princetonumc.org.