RETURN PROCEDURES
Please follow the Return Procedures on the Transmittal Form when mailing your pledges in.
You will send the first two Return Mailers directly to our processing center in Berlin,
Connecticut. The first Return Mailer will need to be sent the week of November 7. You will be
mailing your second Return Mailer the following week. When you receive additional pledges
after the first two mailings, please package and send those directly back to the Diocese using
the address below and we will batch and process them. Please obtain a tracking number for
the batches sent to the processing center.
Diocese of Austin
Stewardship and Development Office
6225 Hwy. 290 E
Austin, TX 87823
Below are frequently asked questions/comments we have received about the procedures.
If you don’t see your question answered below, please call us at (512) 949-2450 to discuss your
Return Procedures.
NO WAY am I sending cash in the mail.
That still means I have to send cash in the mail.
You’re asking me to send off the envelopes without knowing what’s in them? I really need to
see the pledge card and the check.
Can’t I just open the envelopes, count the money for my records, and then mail everything
off?
I need to know what my parishioners gave. Why can’t I see that information?
Will the company change information in Parish Data System (PDS)?
How do I know I can trust this company?
I’m STILL not comfortable with the process. Can’t I just do it the old way?
NO WAY am I sending cash in the mail.
We understand. If you receive loose cash in the basket, you are welcome to deposit it to your
parish account and write a check to Catholic Services Appeal. Put the parish check in a pledge
envelope and write your parish name and “Anonymous” on the envelope; include it in your
Return Mailer. However, if you can’t get a parish check back in the same week, DO NOT delay
your Return Mailer. Send your first Return Mailer without the anonymous cash, and mail the
parish check for anonymous cash the next week, along with any new pledges you might receive
from follow-up efforts. Also, this only applies to loose cash in the basket. Remember, you are
not opening the regular pledge envelopes, which may or may not contain cash.
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That still means I have to send cash in the mail.
We know. Remember, the non-anonymous cash will be in a sealed pledge envelope that will be
identical to all the other pledge envelopes in your sealed Return Mailer. In the very unlikely
situation that someone tries to tamper with the Return Mailer before it reaches the Processing
Center, they will not be able to tell which envelopes contain cash. Also, we routinely receive
cash in the mail – not just from donors, but from parishes that have mailed their entire CSA
collection to us unprocessed. We have never encountered any problems with cash sent
through the mail.
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You’re asking me to send off the envelopes without knowing what’s in them? I really need to
see the pledge card and the check.
You can see them. The Processing Center will create digital images of every pledge envelope,
check, and any notes that may be included. Our office will have continuing access to the digital
image files, which are searchable by donor name, parish, and many other features. We will be
able to locate the exact contents of any pledge envelope. In addition, we are happy to share
the image files with you at your request.
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Can’t I just open the envelopes, count the money for my records, and then mail everything
off?
No. The Processing Center uses lockbox technology. In order to meet their very strict security
regulations, they need to be positive that the pledge envelope contains exactly what the donor
put in it. When the envelope reaches them already opened, they can no longer make that
guarantee.
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I need to know what my parishioners gave. Why can’t I see that information?
You can see it. In addition to the digital image files (see above), we will continue to post
statistics reports online every week during CSA season (November-January), and less frequently
for the rest of the year. As always, you can contact Laurie Proveaux at (512) 949-2440 or at
[email protected] to request detailed reports at any time.
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Will the company change information in Parish Data System (PDS)?
No. The Processing Center will be given read-only access to our database; they cannot edit any
information. The read-only access we are giving them will help them identify the unique ID
number of each donor; this process replaces the mailing labels we used to ask you to put on the
pledge envelopes. The Processing Center will use a 5-point match look-up method to ensure
the highest accuracy. Any gifts they can’t match with 100% certainty to a record in our
database will be researched back here in our offices by our Donor Services team. All data entry
of pledges, payments, and parishioner updates will be done right here by our diocesan team.
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How do I know I can trust this company?
The Processing Center is operated by a company called Letter Concepts, which is trusted by
dioceses all over the United States to process their pledges. Letter Concepts specializes in
diocesan annual appeals and follows all the latest security guidelines for handling money and
sensitive data. They are SOC-1 and PCI compliant.
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I’m STILL not comfortable with the process. Can’t I just do it the old way?
We have had success with the new procedures according to the feedback we have received.
We incorporated this process based on your requests from previous years. We are doing the
best we can to accommodate your requests for accurate and timely processing that doesn’t
overburden your staff. We are flexible. If you would like to process and batch your pledges
as you have done in the past, please contact Lisa Rosenberger at (512) 949-2450 or at
[email protected]. We will send you the materials you will need in order to
do so.
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For questions or extra supplies, call (512) 949-2440.
Stewardship & Development
Diocese of Austin