When people give to your church, they want that gift to be used to help others, not pay large transaction fees. Financial stewardship can be a difficult and complex process for nonprofits, but we can help you understand it and get the best rate for your church or ministry. Did you know that by just changing an MCC Code classification for credit card transactions, ministries can save more money on their processing?
What is a MCC code?
Each business or organization that accepts payments or contributions is assigned a Merchant Category Code according to Visa’s guidelines. The MCC code is used for activity tracking, reporting, and risk management. It is important to be aware of your MCC classification. As a ministry, you would most likely fit into one of these two categories.
8661
Religious organizations that provide worship services, religious training or study, or religious activities. This includes chapels, churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples.
8398
Non-political fundraising organizations engaged in soliciting charitable donations/contributions on behalf of organizations engaged in social welfare services or social service organizations engaged in social welfare services. This MCC also includes crowdfunding merchants that accept donations on behalf of individuals raising money for various causes without receiving any perceived or actual financial benefit for doing so.
Why It's Important
This is important to know since the interchange rate for these two codes is lower than for-profit companies. Having the wrong classification may not sound like a big deal initially, as the difference between the rates is only a few decimal points. But if you’re being overcharged for every donation, the difference becomes clear–those fees could be making a big impact in the lives of real people in your community.
If you're a My Well Ministry partner, we’ve proactively updated your account, so you're already receiving the lowest possible rates. Updating your classification is another small example of how we’re partnering with your ministry to reach more people for Jesus.
This is the bottom line
We believe that every dollar given to your ministry should be used to fund your ministry. Updating your MCC code is a small yet effective way to do that. If you want to learn more about partnering with My Well Ministry, contact one of our ministry consultants to learn more.
