How it works
A contactless gift, from the tap to the deposit.
Stewardvine is attended software: a person you trust holds an iPhone, the donor taps, and Square settles the gift into your parish's own account. Here is exactly what happens — and where Stewardvine does, and does not, sit.
A volunteer or staff member holds an iPhone
Attended only. There is no kiosk and no unattended terminal. A greeter, usher, or staff member presents the device — during or after the offertory — so the moment stays personal and the ritual of the basket is respected, not replaced.
The donor taps to give
A card, phone, or watch — held near the iPhone using the Square Mobile Payments SDK and Tap to Pay on iPhone. The donor chooses a one-time gift or sets up a recurring one, and sees an instant on-screen confirmation. That confirmation is a transaction record — not a tax receipt.
Square captures the card securely
The card number is read inside Apple's Secure Element and encrypted directly to Square, the payment processor, on a PCI-validated solution. It never appears to the volunteer, and it never touches Stewardvine's servers. See the security architecture.
Square settles the gift into your parish's own account
The donation lands — directly and in full — in the parish's own Square account. The parish is the merchant of record. Stewardvine is not in the path of the funds.
Stewardvine records the gift and prepares your reconciliation
Stewardvine stores the donation metadata and the donor's receipt, and produces exports that map line-by-line to your Square deposit batches — so your count sheets and finance-council reports tie to the bank. More on reconciliation exports.
How the money flows
The gift goes from the donor to your parish. Stewardvine stays off the path.
bills a separate ~1% software service fee by its own monthly invoice. It is never deducted from a gift, and Stewardvine does not use Square's app-fee split — so donations settle in full.
Stewardvine never accepts, holds, escrows, or transmits donor funds. It is a software provider — not a bank, money transmitter, money services business, or payment processor.
Shared responsibility
Who does what
Square
Reads and encrypts the card, processes the payment, carries settlement and card-network duties, and deposits funds into the parish's own Square account.
Apple
Provides Tap to Pay on iPhone and the Secure Element that captures card data on the device — so the number is never exposed to the app or the volunteer.
Stewardvine
Provides the software: the giving screen, donation metadata and receipts, the parish-admin dashboard, and reconciliation exports. Stewardvine holds no card data and no funds.
What you need
An iPhone and your own Square account.
- A compatible iPhone. No terminals, stands, or card readers to buy or store.
- Your parish's own Square account. Stewardvine connects with least-privilege access; you keep ownership and control.
- A volunteer or staff member to present the device. Attended, every time.
Works alongside your existing tools. Stewardvine runs next to your current Square account and church management software — it is not a rip-and-replace. Recurring gifts, second collections, and your usual count-and-deposit routine all continue.
Book a Demo
Watch a gift go from a tap to your reconciliation export.
A short, no-pressure walkthrough for your pastor, business manager, and finance council.