How can I make a donation or payment to Etz Chaim online via credit card, or bank account transfer?
We have added a new
Donations/Payments page to our website, accessible from the right side main menu of the site. When you go to that page, you will see options to either set up a recurring donation, e.g. 0 a month for 24 months, or you can pick one or more specific items that you wish to donate to or pay for. When you have filled in the necessary fields on the screen, you will click a 'PayPal' button and you will then be automatically re-directed to a web site run by PayPal, a popular online payment service.
What is PayPal?
PayPal is a popular online payment service, enabling credit card payments and money transfers via the Internet. PayPal is an international company owned by eBay, and their web site is secured via Secured Sockets Layer (SSL, HTTPS). They are a driving force behind the growth of mobile commerce and processed billion in mobile payments in 2013.
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What is the relationship between Etz Chaim and PayPal?
Etz Chaim has a non-profit merchant account with PayPal, that allows our web site to prompt you for what you want to donate or pay for, and for our site to direct you to PayPal where you can enter your credit card or bank account information in a highly secured manner and confirm your payment. PayPal then notifies Etz Chaim about your payment and what it is for.
If you have a PayPal ID you can confirm that Etz Chaim is PayPal Verified.
As an approved 501(c)3 non-profit organization, we receive a preferential transaction rate from PayPal. We do not pass on the transaction charges to you, but appreciate if you help defray the cost. For Credit Card transactions we pay a fee of 30 cents plus 2.2% of the transaction amount.
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Do I need a PayPal account to make a single payment with a Credit or Debit Card?
No. Our arrangement with PayPal allows to you to make one-time payments for multiple items via credit or debit card even if you do not have a PayPal account. However, it will be faster for you to make transactions if you obtain a PayPal account as you will not have to specify your identification and payment information every time. You would simply provide your PayPal userid/password to PayPal and it will used your saved information for the transaction. To get an account go to
PayPal's site and click on 'Sign Up'.
Do I need a PayPal account to pay via a direct bank account transfer (ACH)?
Yes. Also note that a direct bank account transfer may take 2 or 3 days for the money to be transferred. However, you do not need a PayPal account for Credit or Debit card one-time payments.
Do I need a PayPal account to set up a recurring payment, and how do I set up such a payment?
Yes, a PayPal account is required to set up a recurring payment, because the management of the recurring payments is handled by PayPal. To set up a recurring payment you will need your own PayPal account. Once you have an account, go to the Etz Chaim website Donations/Payments page, fill in the reason, monthly amount and the number of months and click 'Subscribe'. You will be redirected to PayPal's site where you must login with your PayPal user in order to confirm the transaction.
What is the cost per transaction?
There is no direct cost to you, but there may be fees paid to PayPal by Etz Chaim. If your donation is made from your own PayPal account balance or from your bank account, then there is no extra fee. If your donation is made from your credit card then Etz Chaim receives less money as PayPal deducts a fee of 30 cents plus 2.2% of your donation, from the amount you pay. This rate is for Non-Profits; regular businesses pay a higher rate. We would appreciate it if you can help defray the cost of this by adding on to your transaction accordingly.
How is Etz Chaim notified when I make a payment?
An email notification detailing the transaction is immediately sent by PayPal to our Treasurer and our Financial Secretary. The information is also posted on PayPal's secure website, which can be accessed by these individuals and by a Board member responsible for our PayPal system.
What details are included in payment notifications?
The notifications contain the payer's information, minus phone number & credit card info, and the descriptions and dollar amounts of each item as filled in on our website.
What information does Etz Chaim record about my transaction?
None of the information you type in onto Etz Chaim's website is saved by Etz Chaim's web site; it is sent by our website to PayPal's website. You then enter your credit card and other identifying information on PayPal's website. We receive a notification as described above with only the details we need to properly credit your donation or payment, such as to note that a pledge is redeemed or a particular obligation or event is paid for.
What will a credit card transaction look like on my credit card statement?
Depending on your bank, you will see either:
PayPal: ETZCHAIMKGH
or PayPal: CONG ETZCHAIM OFKGH.
Note that if you paid for multiple items with one transaction you will not see any description or breakdown of those items, only the final transaction amount will appear.
Will I receive a confirmation or receipt?
On the PayPal page you will be asked for your email address, and upon successful completion of the transaction, PayPal will email you a confirmation of the transaction, which will include a listing of all items and amounts paid with the transaction. Receipts from Etz Chaim are also available as per same procedures in place for payment by check.
What can I do to make sure Etz Chaim knows why I made a donation or payment?
When you fill out the information on Etz Chaim's site, be sure to select an appropriate 'Payment Type', such as 'Dues' or 'Kiddush' and then in the 'Payment Description' field you can provide additional information like 'for bar mitzvah on 3/15'. When you click the PayPal button and are redirected to the PayPal you should see these details in short form - place your mouse/cursor over them to see the full details'. These are what our financial staff will see, if you feel more detail is needed, close the PayPal page, adjust your entries on the Etz Chaim page and click the PayPal button again.
It's very cumbersome to type in my name, address and card number every time, isn't there an easier way?
Yes, you can open your own PayPal account, add your address and payment information, and then every time you wish to make a donation or payment, when the Etz Chaim web site redirects to PayPal, just log in to PayPal with your user ID and password, and you will be able to complete the transaction very quickly as your payment information is already known to PayPal.
What can I do to make sure my transaction is secure?
That is a good question, as we have all heard about various security problems with the Internet. Here are a few tips to reduce the possibility of a security problem:
- Do not make a payment while on a public Wi-Fi such as in a coffee shop or library. (However, your mobile device, while on a 3G/4G service, can be considered secure)
- When you are redirected from the Etz Chaim site to PayPal, verify the following:
- The address of the site should start with the characters https://www.paypal.com and should be preceded on the same line with a little picture of a lock.
- Our name should be the first line, spelled exactly as follows:
Congregation Etz Chaim of Kew Gardens Hills
- Your browser may allow you to look at the SSL security certificate to verify that it is really PayPal's certificate; how to do this varies between browsers.
I have a question or need help with this - who can I contact?
You may:
- Email questions or problem details to our Help Desk
- Contact our treasurer for assistance