Home •• Info Center •• About Spectrum •• Contact Customer Service •• Spectrum Partners •• Privacy Why use Spectrum's GPS Program for your donation processing account? Will participation in Spectrum's GPS Program result in Unrelated Business Income (UBI) for my non-profit organization? How long does it take before my non-profit organization will begin to receive funds from credit card transactions? Why should non-profits accept credit cards? Why accept credit cards online? Why should non-profits have their own Spectrum GPS merchant account vs. a sub or third party account? Why should non-profits have their Spectrum GPS merchant account year-round? What if we only want to accept credit cards once or twice a year? Will the GPS program work if our organization uses a Donor Management software program? What if we already have a credit card processing account? Will the GPS Program work on our website? What will it cost? How easy is it to get started? Why use Spectrum's GPS Program for your donation processing account? Our electronic payment processing expertise combined with our non-profit industry experience sets Spectrum apart from all of our competitors. We will donate a percentage of our proceeds back into YOUR charitable organization or ministry for the life of the merchant account. We will donate a percentage of our proceeds from businesses you refer to Spectrum back into YOUR charitable organization or ministry. We enable your donors to give charitable contributions through your website. We allow you to electronically process one-time or recurring donation payments made by credit cards, ATM cards, check cards, and checks. We assist you in the electronic gift processing implementation strategies. Will participation in Spectrum's GPS Program result in Unrelated Business Income (UBI) for my non-profit organization? Spectrum's extensive legal research had led us to the conclusion that participation in the GPS Program will not result in UBI for a non-profit organization. The donations you receive from Spectrum Business Solutions will be classified as Royalty Income. However, it is always advisable that you consult with your legal counsel. How long does it take before my non-profit organization will begin to receive funds from credit card transactions? Within 48 hours. Why should non-profits accept credit cards? Credit card acceptance through Spectrum's GPS Program offers your organization a wide range of benefits in terms of reduced operating costs and increased profitability, including: Increased Donations - In today’s society, donors want a quick and easy way to give to a non-profit. By accepting credit cards, you include a growing percentage of donors who prefer to give through this avenue. Faster Payment - With credit card transactions, you receive payment within 24-48 hours, improving your cash flow. Reduced Costs - You can save time on the management of billing, sending statements and tracking receivables, reducing your overhead and related expenses. Fewer Processing Problems - Reducing the number of checks you take in diminishes the likelihood of problems resulting from processing checks. This will avoid redeposit and insufficient funds fees, as well as, the cost of processing additional transactions. Improved Customer Service - Donors enjoy the speed, convenience and payment flexibility that cards provide. Card acceptance lets you accommodate your donors and offer increased payment options with monthly, quarterly or semiannual billings. Why accept credit cards online? Web presence is essential to a non-profit's success in the 21st century. A non-profit's website is incomplete without online donation capabilities. Today's donors are Internet savvy and look to the web for information about an organization. By offering online donation capabilities, you provide an instant opportunity to give. Why should non-profits have their own Spectrum GPS merchant account vs. a sub or third party account? Third-party or sub-accounts often experience costly chargebacks to the organization since their name does not appear on the donors billing statement. Processing costs are always higher with a third-party or sub accounts. According to MasterCard and Visa, it's called factoring, and it's illegal! Why should non-profits have their Spectrum GPS merchant account year-round? Having your account set up and ready to accept donations with Spectrum's GPS Program will allow your organization to facilitate your donors' desire to give with credit cards at anytime. What if we only want to accept credit cards once or twice a year? Spectrum's GPS Program has the capability of establishing your organization as a seasonal account. This type of program allows an account to stay open with up to six months of inactivity with minimal fees. Will the GPS program work if our organization uses a Donor Management software program? Yes. The GPS program is able to integrate into most Donor Management software programs. Spectrum will handle the very simple integration process for your organization. What if we already have a credit card processing account? It's very simple to convert your account to the GPS Program. Spectrum can download a new Merchant Number into any terminal or software program. Will the GPS Program work on our website? Yes. Integration of our payment gateway is simple and requires little more than a cut-and-paste of a few lines of code. Spectrum will offer assistance to your web designer in this process if needed. What will it cost? With as few as 10-15 monthly donors, most organizations cover the cost of their programs. Our experienced representatives will analyze your organization's current development components to determine the level of service that is right for you. We will prepare a cost analysis to demonstrate how Spectrum's GPS Program can save you time and money over your current processing costs. Even the smaller non-profit organization will find that our program is affordable. You will find that as your donor base increases, costs go down even further. How easy is it to get started? Getting started with Spectrum's GPS Program is easy. You will need to submit an application. Our experienced sales department staff will guide you through the application process. We will provide you with sample letters to handle donor correspondence and provide marketing consultation to help you get the word out about your exciting new donation opportunity. You can have your program up and running within a few days. Contact Spectrum now to get started! ©2003-2006 Spectrum Merchant Services. All rights reserved. Spectrum Merchant Services is a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Walnut Creek, CA and of BancorpSouth Bank, Tupelo, MS. American Express and Discover require separate approval.