In this season of giving, the cashless church-goers have a new means to donate, via ATM-like kiosks (seen at left) that accept credit and debit cards. Now, there's no more waiting for the passing of the plate at Stevens Creek Community Church in Augusta, Ga., and eight other churches, which have installed the ATM-like kiosks called SecureGive, according to BankRate.com. The system was the brainchild of Stevens Creek's pastor Marty Baker, who had an epiphany that led to the formation of Automated Giving Solutions LLC, a for-profit company that sells and services the kiosks for $2,000 to $5,000 a machine. Baker, who is a self-avowed cashless church-goer, realized the need for a means to make tithing easier for his congregants, so he started Automated Giving after finding there were no companies that offer such technology. While Web sites of non-profit charities often accept credit card donations, the fees are steeper than the ones charged by SecureGive. For example, a $1,000 donation via the Web could cost a non-profit $20 in fees, but the same donation via a SecureGive kiosk would cost about $1, according to BankRate. Another benefit for churches and other non-profits is that they receive donations they might not have otherwise received. Of course, the cashless could simply write a check if they really wanted to donate. —Matthew Wurtzel

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