News

Diocese implementing kiosk for donations

April 13, 2003

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Parishioners in the Catholic Diocese here will soon have a new way to make donations. A touchscreen kiosk from PlannedLegacyof Winnipeg, Can., will educate parishioners about the various facets of stewardship, as well as accept donations electronically via cash, check or credit card.

PlannedLegacy is designing and implementing the e-tithing system, in partnership with Fundraising Solutions of York Harbor, Maine, according to a news release. Besides accepting donations, the system will feature a custom multimedia presentation on the facets of stewardship, such as prayer, ministry and finance. The presentation will also enlighten parishioners about other opportunities for giving to their churches.

Parishioners start by entering information through an on-screen virtual keypad, after which they can make weekly, monthly or yearly commitments in various areas of appeal - each explained on the kiosk. Users can access the system via the Internet to track their commitments, make changes and update their profiles.

The Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge comprises more than 5,400 square miles in 12 counties in south central Louisiana, and serves about 200,000 Catholics, the release states.