Donum App - FAQ

Basic Information 

1. What is the app? 

Donum is a new mobile giving app developed for the Archdiocese of Boston. The name, Donum, is a Latin word that means "gift," "present," or “offering.” The app will help parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston keep up with the times by making it easier and more convenient for you and more efficient for your parish. With Donum you can:

• Make a contribution to your parish anytime and anywhere.
• Easily support your parish even when you don’t have cash or are unable to attend Mass in person.
• Make convenient online contributions to the Catholic Appeal, parish Grand Annuals, and designated special collections.  
• Find a nearby parish when traveling within the Archdiocese.
• Access liturgical readings, parish websites, and weekly bulletins.
  
  2. What challenge is the app addressing?

For many decades, weekly collections during Mass provided the funds necessary for parishes to operate effectively and serve their communities. But as regular in-person Mass attendance has declined and the way people handle their money has changed over the years, weekly parish collections have not kept up with increasing operating costs.

When we analyzed our parishes in terms of their current online giving footprint – approximately 20% of our giving was done online, while 80% was made through cash/checks. In more than 100 parishes, online giving was less than 10% of the total collection. So, when a parishioner misses Mass, or there is a snowstorm, or if our Church is not open, as happened during COVID – there is a massive impact to a parish’s operating budget. As a result, we are looking to try to solve for inconsistencies of traditional giving by encouraging parishioners to do recurring online giving in a convenient and secure manner. This will enable our parishes to be better able to budget and plan the year. Hence, the Donum giving app was created.  

3. Why would someone use the app?

To help support their parish operations and planning by providing a recurring offertory commitment throughout the year. It’s a convenient way to make all your contributions to the Church, including offertory, second collection, Catholic Appeal, as well special collections which are taken up annually.  

What are the key features?

• Finding your parish – and being able to give directly to give them
• Being able to set up recurring donations directly to your parish
• Giving to any collection that the parish and Archdiocese runs
• Being able to find the church that’s closest to your geographical location
• Being able find Mass times
• Being able to read the “Mass Reading”
  
  4. How much does it cost?

Fortunately, a generous donor seeded the cost of developing the app, and the Archdiocese, through generous donations to the Catholic Appeal, will finance the administration of it.

The only costs to a parish are the payment processing and credit card fees that the processing company charges, and donors often times will generously add those incremental fees to their donations to cover those costs.

5. How do I get the app?

• For Apple phones - Go to the Apple store and search for “Donum” – click download
• For Android phones - Go to the Google Play store and search for "Donum” – click download

6. How do I get started?

Once you’ve downloaded the app, it’s time to register. To register you will need to enter your name, phone number, contact email address, and set up a user name and password. Once completed – you will be able to access the app.

7. How do I give to my parish?

Tap on the “Find parish” search bar. Nearby parishes will automatically appear. Or you can enter a parish name, town, or zip code.
Click on the Parish. You will see the offertory collections listed. Click on the collection you’d like to support, click donate, select the dollar amount or customize what you’d like to give, select the frequency, review donation. You will be prompted to make your payment via link, via Apple Pay or by a credit card by filling out your credit card information. Click checkout and you are all set.

8. What’s the optimal contribution a parish is looking for?

Recurring contributions, whether it be weekly, monthly or yearly, are most beneficial to a parish as they help the parish plan its yearly operating budget more accurately.

9. How do I give to the Catholic Appeal?

Click on the parish you’d like to support. Click on the Catholic Appeal donate button. Select your dollar amount, frequency, review donation, enter your payment details, and once satisfied, click checkout.

10. Will my parish get credit for my Appeal gift?

Yes. As long as you select the parish you’d like to give to – and complete the donation in that parish – your parish will receive credit for your gift.

11. How do I give to special collections?

Click on a parish that you support. Scroll down to see the Special Collections. Click on the donate button for the special collections you’d like to support

12. What other features should I be aware of?

On the app home page – you can see which parishes are nearest to you. You can see the link to the daily Mass readings. You can find any parish in the Archdiocese of Boston and make a contribution to them – assuming they are using Donum. You can view your donations history. You can review your giving history. You can also edit your profile if necessary.

13. What fee does the app charge?

To use the app – there is no fee to the parish or donor. If you make contributions through the app, the gift processor (Stripe) and your credit card company charge a fee that is comparable to other giving apps.

14. Can I pay the gift processor and credit card fee so my parish doesn’t have to?

Yes. In the donation checkout page – make sure the “include any processing fees in total” box is checked. This will then show you your total donation, including fees.

15. Is the app available on all platforms?

Yes – as mentioned above – the app is available through both the Apple and Google Play stores.

16. Who developed the Donum app?

The Donum giving app was developed by the Archdiocese of Boston and is managed in concert with each participating parish user.  

17. What are your Terms of use?

Terms of Use - Archdiocese of Boston - Boston, MA

18. What is your privacy policy?

Privacy Policy - Archdiocese of Boston - Boston, MA

19. How do I connect with customer support? 

Please send an email to [email protected]