Realm is Church on the Square's main online giving platform, and includes our accounting and ways of keeping records that help us thank and appreciate you, our donors. Sometimes questions come up about using the software. Here are some FAQs about using Realm to give to Church on the Square

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Signing Up

 

How do I sign up for Realm?

 

Click on the Donate button below, and as part of setting up a gift you can also set up an account. Or follow this link: https://onrealm.org/CotSBaltimore/

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I don’t remember signing up for Realm, but when I try to log in I get the following error message: “Account already exists. Sign in with your current password.” What do I do?

 

No problem! All you need to do is click “Forgot Your Password” on the Realm login screen and type in your email. Realm will send you a link to that email, and you will be able to create a new password. Going forward, you’ll be able to go to https://onrealm.org/stmattsaustin and use your new password to log in.

I forgot my password! What do I do?

It happens to everyone, no worries. Just click “Forgot Your Password” on the Realm login screen and follow the prompts. Realm will send you a link to your email, and you will be able to create a new password. Going forward, you’ll use this new password to log in.

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How do I change my password or the email associated with my account?

For these sorts of changes, you will want to click on “Manage Account” under the dropdown menu that is available when you click on your name in the top right corner of Realm. Once you have navigated to the “Manage Account” page, you are able to create a new password, or associate your Realm account with a new email address.

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How do I make a donation?

 

Once you've signed in, on the left side of the home page on Realm, there is a list of different navigation hubs. Click on the category titled “Giving,” and you will see everything you need to start the process of Pledging or making a donation. IMPORTANT: If you are at all unclear about this process, or want assistance setting up a donation through Realm for the first time, please feel free to reach out to asens@churchonthesquarebaltimore, or watch the "Online Giving Through Realm" tutorial video here. Otherwise, the steps below should help to walk you through the process.

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Click on “+ Give” to begin the process of making a donation. You’ll see a popup screen that allows you to designate the amount of money you want to give, and if you want to make this a one-time donation, or if you want the donation to repeat multiple times at specific intervals. Additionally, you can schedule one-time donations for a later date by clicking “Gift Date” and choosing a date other than today. Finally, on the top line to the right of where you input the amount of money you want to donate, you can decide where this donation will go by choosing a “Fund.” 

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Once you have your donation set up as you desire, click “Continue” on the bottom right. This will bring you to a payment screen, where you are able to enter either a credit/debit card or bank account information. If you want Realm to remember your payment information, make sure to check the box next to “Save for future use.”

How do I make a change to a recurring donation or stop a scheduled donation?

 

As with all things giving, navigate to the “Giving” tab on the left toolbar on Realm. In the range of options you see on the Giving homepage, click “Scheduled” to see all upcoming and recurring gifts that you have scheduled. On the list of donations that appear, locate the gift you want to change. To the right of the listing of this donation, there is an icon that looks like a set of ellipses. Click on this icon to see three options: Edit, Place on Hold, and Cancel. 

 

Click “Edit” to make a change to the amount of money you intend on giving, the date when this money will be donated, the duration of the gift, and the payment method. Note that the “Edit” option does NOT allow you to change the donation’s frequency.

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Click “Put on Hold” to temporarily suspend your donation. You can suspend the donation for as long as you need to, but you will have to return this page, navigate to the donation you have placed on hold, and select the option labeled “Reactivate” in order to reinstate this donation. When you reactivate the gift, you will have the same set of options listed under the “Edit” option.

Click “Cancel” to stop a donation permanently. This is also the option you will need to choose if you need to change the frequency with which you plan on making a donation (IE if you decide you want to give every other month rather than monthly, you will need to first “Cancel” your initial donation).

How do I add a new payment account, make a change to an existing payment account, or remove a payment account from my profile?

 

Navigate to the “Giving” tab from the Realm homepage. On the Giving page, there is a toolbar on the right side of the screen wherein you will see an option that says “Manage Payment Options.” Click on this text, and you’ll be taken to an account management page including all of the credit card and checking account payment accounts that you have saved to Realm. On this page, you can click “Add Payment Method” to save a new bank account or debit/credit card to your Realm profile. To make a change to an existing payment method, navigate to the payment method you wish to alter and click on the ellipsis icon. This will provide you with a dropdown menu where you can click “Edit Account” to change billing address, expiration date, etcetera; or click “Delete Account” to remove this account from your Realm profile.

When I go to make a donation, I see an option that says “Contribute an extra $XXXX to help offset processing costs.” What’s that about?

 

When making a donation, Realm has a processing fee for certain transactions. You have the option to increase your donation by a small percentage to help offset these costs for Church on the Square. Simply click the box next to the “Contribute an extra…” message to add the amount listed in the message to your donation. If you'd like to reduce processing costs, a donation from a bank account (rather than a credit card) has fewer fees. Or consider using your bank's online bill pay function to mail us a check automatically. Thank you for your support!