Tech Forum

I am researching an issue for a couple in our ward who are handling the finances for her mother. I don't use the online system so a lot of this relates to things I have no experience with. I apologize in advance if this should be obvious or if my understanding is off.

Here's the background as I know it:

The mother is very old, with advanced alzheimer's. She is confined to a care center.
The sister in my ward is her legal representative and handles all of her financial affairs including tithes and offerings.
She set up an LDS Account for her mother so they could pay these offerings online at the same time they do their own donations.
When they attempted to make a donation, the system asked for a cell phone number. She entered her own cell number and the system said that the number belonged to a different member and disconnected the session.

So they came to me and asked if there was any way to go about making a donation. Obviously the mother doesn't have a cell phone and it wouldn't make any sense to get one. And it seems like this situation is becoming more common; I see my own siblings in similar circumstances in the next year or two.

My question to those of you who know far more about the online donations than I do: Is there a way to get around the cell phone requirement?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

idjeeper2 wrote:Is there a way to get around the cell phone requirement?

I do not recall a phone requirement at LDS Donations. If there was one, I gave my landline.

You could call the Global Service Center and ask them how to set it up for people who share the same home phone.

Most likely the cell phone number is a requirement for two-step verification of the LDS Account, for login security.

sbradshaw wrote:Most likely the cell phone number is a requirement for two-step verification of the LDS Account, for login security.

I think that's correct. It's part of the verification process in setting up an account, I don't think it's specific to donations.

I doubt of LDS Account was designed for being managed by a trustee. The OP may want to ask their clerk to contact CHQ for an answer. The alternative is to send a check in a little gray envelope with a donation slip.

sbradshaw wrote:Most likely the cell phone number is a requirement for two-step verification of the LDS Account, for login security.

That makes more sense to me. Because I don't use the online donation system, all of this was a mystery to me.

russellhltn wrote: I doubt of LDS Account was designed for being managed by a trustee. The OP may want to ask their clerk to contact CHQ for an answer. The alternative is to send a check in a little gray envelope with a donation slip.

No trustee management = quite likely

Clerk = that would be me

Donation envelope = what they have been doing. They just wanted to make it more convenient.

Thank you for the replies. I will pass this on and see if they would like to escalate the question to CHQ.

If I find any alternatives, I will post it up for others benefit.

russellhltn wrote:

sbradshaw wrote:Most likely the cell phone number is a requirement for two-step verification of the LDS Account, for login security.

I think that's correct. It's part of the verification process in setting up an account, I don't think it's specific to donations.

I doubt of LDS Account was designed for being managed by a trustee. The OP may want to ask their clerk to contact CHQ for an answer. The alternative is to send a check in a little gray envelope with a donation slip.

Online Donations has recently become available for members of our unit. When giving the presentation last 5th Sunday, a member raised a similar question. Some individuals have their managed for them by public trustees, government agencies (or yes I suppose other family) who previously used bpay to pay tithing directly to the church on behalf of the individual. How does this work now since donations are made online? The member doesn't want to disclose their LDS username and password so that the trustee can pay their tithing. The member doesn't get access to their own money. Aside from having the trustee post a cheque to the local unit, how would issue be handled?

russos wrote:Some individuals have their managed for them by public trustees, government agencies (or yes I suppose other family) who previously used bpay to pay tithing directly to the church on behalf of the individual. How does this work now since donations are made online?

How have they been doing it? I doubt if handing/mailing an envelope to the bishop is going to go away.

russos wrote:Online Donations has recently become available for members of our unit.

Which makes me suspect you're not in the North America area (at least not in the US). The options for your country might be different from what others have mentioned. The forum tends to be US-centric simply because that's where most of the participants are and the information they have access to is for that country.

Thanks for the reply. So far they have just given their bpay number to the trustee who then pays their tithing. I’m in Australia

russos wrote:Thanks for the reply. So far they have just given their bpay number to the trustee who then pays their tithing. I’m in Australia

That may make a difference. It's possible there may be plans in Austrailia to change the payment options available. Most of what we hear is US based. Most likely you'll need to contact Local Unit Support for your area and see if they can give you more information on plans and what options will be available. Or you may have to work up the organization chain to your regional or area leaders through the stake president.