Church Stewardship Program
Clearer Giving Operations. Stronger Stewardship.
Arclentra helps church leaders understand the costs, systems, and processes behind electronic giving. We review how gifts move from the donor through giving platforms and processing providers into bank deposits and financial reporting — then recommend practical improvements.
What we review
Five areas behind every giving program.
Giving platform and processing costs
We review what your church actually pays to accept gifts — platform fees, card and ACH processing rates, and any costs that aren't clearly itemized on your statements.
Recurring giving and failed-payment follow-up
Recurring gifts fail for ordinary reasons, like an expired card. We look at whether failed gifts get caught and followed up on, or quietly disappear from your giving totals.
Matching giving records to bank deposits
This is often called reconciliation — simply confirming that what your giving platform reports matches what actually lands in your bank account, so your financial reports can be trusted.
Staff access, approvals, and operational controls
We look at who can issue refunds, change giving records, or access donor payment data, and whether those permissions are documented and appropriately limited.
Provider coordination and implementation support
If a change makes sense, we help coordinate with your giving platform and processing providers through implementation — we don't sell or operate the platform ourselves.
How it works
Three steps, not thirty services.
Arclentra's full services catalog has more than thirty engagements for organizations of every size. For a first conversation, here's what actually applies to most churches.
Complimentary 20-Minute Review
A focused conversation about your current giving setup, concerns, and whether a deeper review makes sense for your church.
ComplimentaryPayment Readiness Diagnostic
A structured review of your giving and payment environment: evidence review, a five-dimension scorecard, priority findings, a written executive roadmap, and a 60-minute readout.
Evidence we'll ask for: recent giving-platform and processor statements, a sample of giving reports, fund-category mapping, and a general picture of who approves refunds, access, and reporting.
Fixed fee: $1,500Implementation & Ongoing Oversight
If the diagnostic identifies an opportunity worth pursuing, we scope implementation support or ongoing oversight together — scope and pricing are provided after findings are reviewed, not before.
Scoped after findingsDiagnostic vs. Statement & Fee Audit — what's the difference?
The $1,500 Payment Readiness Diagnostic looks at your whole giving and payment environment — platform fit, recurring-giving performance, reconciliation, controls, and provider coordination — and ends with a scorecard and roadmap. The $2,500–$7,500 Processing Statement & Fee Audit is a deeper, narrower engagement focused specifically on line-by-line processor, gateway, and network fees. Most churches start with the diagnostic; a fee audit is typically a follow-on engagement if the diagnostic flags a cost concern worth a closer look.
What's the "written opportunity summary" I keep seeing?
After your complimentary review, qualified churches receive a brief written opportunity summary — a short note confirming what we discussed and whether a deeper review makes sense. That's different from the diagnostic's roadmap: the roadmap is a structured deliverable with a scorecard, evidence review, and prioritized recommendations, produced only as part of the paid diagnostic.
What a church receives
A sample of what a diagnostic finding looks like.
| Finding & evidence | Priority / impact | Recommended action | Responsible | Suggested timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processing statements show a blended rate noticeably above comparable giving-platform benchmarks, with some fees not clearly itemized. | High — affects annual giving overhead | Request an itemized fee schedule from the provider and compare it against two alternative quotes. | Finance Director | Within 30 days |
| A meaningful share of recurring gifts failed last quarter without an automated donor notification or retry. | Medium — donor retention risk | Enable automatic retry and donor notification for failed recurring gifts. | Giving Platform Administrator | Within 60 days |
| Monthly bank deposits aren't itemized by fund, requiring manual reallocation by the bookkeeper. | Medium — reporting accuracy and staff time | Configure fund-level deposit reporting with the giving platform or processor. | Bookkeeper / Finance Committee | Next reporting cycle |
Illustrative example only. These rows are a representative format used to show the structure of a diagnostic report — they are not actual client data, and they do not represent guaranteed findings or results for any engagement.
Common questions
Questions church leaders ask us first.
Do we have to change giving platforms?
No. A review or diagnostic does not require switching platforms or processors. Recommendations are based on fit, cost, risk, and how your church actually operates — not a requirement to change vendors.
Can you review multiple giving platforms together?
Yes. Many churches use more than one giving platform or processor across campuses, funds, or legacy systems. We can review them together so recommendations reflect your full giving environment, not just one tool.
What information will you need?
Typically recent giving-platform and processor statements, a sample of giving reports, and a general picture of who approves refunds, access, and reporting. We'll confirm the exact list before a diagnostic begins. Please don't send card numbers, bank credentials, or donor payment details through this website.
What does the diagnostic deliver?
A five-dimension scorecard, a written list of priority findings, and an executive roadmap, reviewed together in a 60-minute readout. It covers your full giving and payment environment — not just a single fee calculation.
How are your fees and provider compensation disclosed?
Arclentra may receive compensation from a processor or giving-platform provider your church ultimately selects or uses. We disclose any material compensation relationship before you make that provider decision, and a paid review never requires you to choose an Arclentra-connected partner. Full detail is in our Disclosures.
Who's behind this
Kyle Von Stearns, Founder & Managing Principal
Churches run on the same fundamentals Kyle has spent nearly a decade evaluating: high-volume recurring payments, donor and consumer data that has to be handled carefully, and financial reporting that staff and leadership both need to trust. That's the same evidence-based review discipline he's applied to compliance-sensitive payment environments processing more than $1 million a month — brought to the specific mechanics of giving platforms, recurring donations, and church finance reporting.
- Decades of client-service experience guiding organizations through complex operational decisions.
- A consultative, not sales-driven, approach — the same posture churches expect from a trusted advisor.
- Direct familiarity with the compliance and reporting discipline that giving programs require, built from work in similarly regulated, high-volume payment environments.
Specific church names, testimonials, or case results are shared only with the church's written permission, and are never presented as guaranteed outcomes.
Next step
Start with a complimentary 20-minute conversation.
No pressure, no obligation to change your current giving platform. We'll tell you plainly whether a deeper review is worth your church's time.
Request a Complimentary 20-Minute ReviewPrefer to see everything first? View the full services catalog.