Method of fund-raising with a keyless contribution and gift commitment management device

Abstract

A method of and device for streamlining, simplifying and inducing the giving of contribution or gift commitments by contributors or prospective gift givers [, and receiving thereof upon receipt that] involves dispersing through a crowd of prospective contributors or gift givers a plurality of keyless, electronic contributions or gifts management devices for immediate entry of consecutive data comprising the identities of the contributors or gift givers making the monetary contribution commitments or monetary gift commitments, and device therefor. Optionally, the method and mode of operation of the device involves a plurality of gift recipients of the monetary contribution or monetary gift commitments, and further includes the step of supplanting a gift recipient or fund-raising organization with another gift recipient or fund-raising organization to which contribution or gift commitments are made. The method and mode of operation of the device has the advantage that the entry of gifts or contribution commitments to a plurality of the gift recipients or fund-raising organizations is simplified. [Optionally, the method and the mode of operation of device includes the step of correlating a numerical amount to the successive contributors' or gift givers' data to obtain contribution or gift data sets, and in which the step of dispersing is selected from the group consisting of spreading, distributing, migrating, advancing, disseminating, and diffusing the devices. The method and mode of operation of the device further includes the steps of communicating the data for a plurality of contribution or gift commitments in a substantially continuous stream to a remote device for immediate recordation thereof on the remote device. Optionally, the method or mode of operation of the devices involves a plurality of consecutive contribution or gift commitments entered on the devices unimpeded by verification of authorization whereby the throughput of contribution or gift commitments entered on the devices is enhanced. In yet another variant of the method or mode of operation of the device involves a first group of contributors or gift givers making gift or contribution commitments on the devices that are correlated to a numerical contribution or gift amount and in other contributors or gift givers making gift or contribution commitments correlated to mutable contribution numerical amounts. The numerical amount is selected from the group of a pre-programmed numerical amount, a prearranged numerical amount, a fixed numerical amount, a variable numerical amount, a numerical amount of an order inducing the making of a monetary contribution, and a post-programmed numerical amount. The entry of the consecutive contributions or gifts further comprises immediate recordation thereof on the devices, and optionally further including the step of communicating the contribution or gift data to a card account processor for processing thereof.

Claims

I claim:

1. A method of streamlining, simplifying and inducing the giving of contribution or gift commitments by contributors or prospective gift givers comprising,

dispersing through a crowd of prospective contributors or gift givers a plurality of keyless, electronic contributions or gifts management devices for immediate entry of consecutive data comprising the identities of the contributors or gift givers making the monetary contribution commitments or monetary gift commitments, entering on said keyless, electronic contributions or gifts management devices said consecutive data comprising the identities of the contributors or gift givers making the monetary contribution commitments or monetary gift commitments, and giving said contributions or gifts by processing said consecutive data comprising the identities of the contributors or gift givers making the monetary contribution commitments or monetary gift commitments.

2. The method of claim 1 in which there are a plurality of gift recipients of the monetary contribution or gift commitments, and further comprising the step of supplanting gift recipient or fund-raising organization data with some other gift recipient or fund-raising organization to which contribution or gift commitments are made,

whereby the entry of gifts or contribution commitments to a plurality of the gift recipients or fund-raising organizations is simplified and streamlined.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of correlating a numerical amount to the successive contributors' or gift givers' data to obtain contribution or gift data sets, and in which the step of dispersing is selected from the group consisting of spreading, distributing, migrating, advancing, disseminating, and diffusing said devices.

4. The method of claim 3 in which a plurality of consecutive contribution or gift commitments are entered on the devices unimpeded by verification of authorization

whereby the throughput of contribution or gift commitments entered on the devices is enhanced.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of communicating the contribution or gift data to a card account processor for processing thereof.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the step of processing comprises entering credits to accounts of recipients of the gifts or contributions and entering debits to accounts of the contributors or gift givers.

7. The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising the step of temporarily retaining substantially identical data of the contribution and gift commitments at said device and at another remote device simultaneously,

whereby there is a decreased risk of loss or corruption of the contribution or gift data on said keyless contributions or gifts management device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of communicating the data for a plurality of contributions or gifts in a substantially continuous stream to a remote device for immediate recordation thereof on said remote device.

9. The method of claim 1 in which a first group of contributors or gift givers make gift or contribution commitments on the devices that are correlated to a fixed numerical contribution or gift amount and in which other contributors or gift givers make gift or contribution commitments correlated to mutable contribution numerical amounts.

10. The method of claim 1 in which a numerical amount of said monetary contribution commitment or said monetary gift commitment is selected from the group of a pre-programmed numerical amount, a prearranged numerical amount, a fixed numerical amount, a variable numerical amount, a numerical amount of an order inducing the making of a monetary contribution, and a post-programmed numerical amount.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the entry of the consecutive contribution or gift commitments further comprises immediately recording said commitments on the devices.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the devices have user interfaces consisting essentially of a means for ratification of a contribution or gift commitment.

13. A portable contribution or gift management device for the making of gift or contribution commitments, said device transferable manually from one contributor or gift giver to another contributor or gift giver, comprising:

a self-powered, keyless contributions or gifts management device, said device having means for immediate entry of data identifying consecutive contributors or gift givers having card record mediums therewith, means for capturing the immediate entry of said data identifying consecutive contributors or gift givers, and means for giving said contributions by processing said data identifying said consecutive contributors or gift givers making the monetary contribution commitments or monetary gift commitments, said means for giving said contributions by processing said data identifying said consecutive contributors or gift givers making the monetary contribution commitments or monetary gift commitments disposed on said self-powered, keyless contributions or gifts management device or optionally disposed on a remotely located device receiving said data identifying said consecutive contributors or gift givers from said self-powered, keyless contributions or gifts management device.

14. The device of claim 13 further comprising means for supplanting a gift recipient or fund-raising organization to which contribution or gift commitments are made with another gift recipient or fund-raising organization to which the contribution or gift commitments are made.

15. The device of claim 13 further comprising means for capturing information of a plurality of consecutive card record mediums of contributors or gift givers without breaking up the capture of the information of the card record mediums, and in which the card record mediums comprise data which is updated periodically.

16. The device of claim 13 further comprising means for directly correlating numerical amount data to the successive contributors' or gift givers' respective card record medium information to obtain contribution or gift data sets.

17. The device of claim 16 in which the monetary contribution commitments or monetary gift commitments further include numerical amount data selected from the group consisting of pre-programmed numerical amount data, fixed numerical amount data, variable numerical amount data, numerical amount data of an order inducing the making of a monetary contribution, and post-programmed numerical amount data.

18. The device of claim 16 in which the consecutive contribution or gift data sets are immediately recorded on the device unimpeded by a remote verification of authorization,

whereby the throughput of contribution and gift commitments entered on the device is greatly enhanced.

19. The device of claim 13 further comprising a user interface consisting essentially of means for ratifying the successful entry of the data on the device.

20. The device of claim 13 further comprising means for immediate communication of the contribution or gift commitment data entered on the device to a remote device for immediate recordation thereof on the remote device.

21. The device of claim 20 further comprising means for the remote device and the keyless contributions or gifts management device both to temporarily retain substantially identical data of the contribution and gift commitments,

whereby there is a decreased risk of loss or corruption of the contribution or gift data on said keyless contributions or gifts management device.

22. The device according to claim 13 in which said medium has indicia thereon detectable by said card reader for indicating the credit level of the corresponding contributor or gift giver, and said device automatically indicating to the contributor or gift giver whose credit level has been detected a suggested monetary contribution or gift amount to be contributed.

Description

BACKGROUND

Technical Field: This invention relates generally to a method of providing a keyless and dual mode contribution and gift commitment management device to maximize contribution and gift commitments and device therefor, particularly, it relates to an electronic contribution or gift commitment management terminal or peripheral that provides for the entry and recordation of contribution and gift commitments extremely efficiently by only requiring a single action on the part of contributors or gift givers in one mode of operation, and provides for a second mode of operation that provides for contributors and gift givers to make successive contribution or gift commitments that are their contribution of gift commitment preferences. The invention provides a streamlined method of fund raising and gift making and providing substantiation for contributions and gifts made to fund raising organizations and gift recipients that maximizes that making of and consummation of monetary contribution or gift commitments.

Fund-raising organizations and recipients of gifts are typically assisted in the solicitation of contributions and gifts through the use of pledges, and the like. A contributor or gift giver is requested to make a pledge, and then later to honor the pledge. A problem with this type of fund-raising is that a number of pledges do not get honored. Some contributors or gift givers forget about their pledge. Another problem is that when a pledge is solicited the contributor or gift giver may not have his check book with him or may not have adequate cash on hand to make a contribution or gift. Moreover, the contributor's or gift giver's financial situation may have changed between the making of a pledge and the honoring the pledge so that he no longer has adequate resources, even though the contributor or gift giver had adequate resources available at the time a pledge was made.

Moreover, the impulse for a contributor or gift giver to make a pledge is maximized at the time a pledge is solicited. However, the impulse dissipates over time, and as such when it comes time to honor the pledge and consummate the pledge (at a time remote from when the pledge was solicited and made) the contributor or gift giver generally does not have the same desire to do so. In any event, in such situations fund raising organizations or gift recipients lose pledged contributions and gifts. There exists a need for an apparatus and method that allows a fund-raising organization or gift recipient to capture the impulse of a contributor or gift giver to make a contribution or gift commitment and consummate a contribution or gift prior to the dissipation of the impulse of the contributor or gift giver to make the contribution or gift commitment.

If a contributor or gift giver is a cardholder and wishes to make a contribution or gift at a fund-raising event by way of an information bearing card, for example a credit or debit card, there is no convenient way available for the contributor or gift giver to make a contribution or gift conveniently or rapidly. Hence, the contributor's or gift giver's ardor, impulse, and desire to make a contribution or gift will dissipate before a contribution or gift, by way of cash or check, can be obtained from the card bearing contributor or gift giver.

Another possibility is that a fund raising campaign or gift recipient may have a short time period allocated for the solicitation of contributions and gifts. Known information bearing card processing terminals require a procedure of verification of authorization of amounts of the contributions and gifts, validity of the cardholder's accounts, or identity of the cardholder for each encounter and are thus too slow for passing the device from contributor or gift giver to contributor or gift giver. Consequently, due to the inconvenience a cardholder is less likely to make a contribution or gift. Moreover, these types of terminals do not allow a plurality of cardholders to sequentially make contributions and gifts rapidly during a time allocated to the contribution or gift process to be practical. There exists a need for a fund-raising contributions and gifts management terminal or peripheral that will allow for the immediate recordation of contributions or gifts in a short amount of time.

Interposing a verification of authorization step between sequential contributions or gifts results in delay, that further inconveniences a group of contributors or gift givers who are cardholders making them less likely to contribute by information bearing card. Interposing a request for authorization further raises the specter that where a group of sequential contributors or gift givers, 1 through n, are solicited for contributions and gifts, the ardor and desire of the nth contributor or gift giver in the sequence will have dissipated (e.g. the nth contributor or gift giver grows impatient or looses his desire to make a gift or contribution), by the time contributor or gift giver 1 through contributor or gift giver n-1 have recorded contribution or gift information, requests for authorization have been obtained for each contribution or gift, signatures for each contribution or gift have been obtained, or a combination thereof. There exists a need for a contributions and gifts management terminal and method that does not interpose a request for authorization between a plurality of sequential contributions or gifts whereby contributors or gift givers are not inconvenienced and the ardor to make a contribution or gift is captured in time and space.

Known methods by which a contributor or gift giver makes a contribution or gift do not induce or facilitate the making of a contribution or gift in that when approached by a fund-raiser or gift recipient, a contributor or gift giver may not have cash on him to make a contribution or gift. Moreover, a contributor or gift giver may not have his check book with him. Hence, there is a high probability that the fund raiser or gift recipient will not receive any contribution or gift from an individual if that is the case. There exists a need for a contributions and gifts management fund-raising terminal that immediately records card contributions and gifts by cardholders, and a method of fund-raising and gift making that induces and facilitates the making of a contribution or gift.

Furthermore, processing of contributions and gifts is costly and generally requires time and resources: to scout out contribution or gift prospects, to solicit a pledge on behalf of a fund-raising organization or gift recipient, to have a contributor or gift giver fill out a pledge card, to have the contributor or gift giver honor the pledge, and considerable time and resources to process a pledge made by cash or check to get it into the fund-raising organization's or gift recipient's account. There exists a need for a quicker, more efficient, less costly method and apparatus to solicit, and manage contributions and gifts.

Further, known methods by which a contributor or gift giver makes a contribution or gift allow for the external stimulus that induces the making of a contribution or gift to dissipate before the contribution or gift is consummated. With respect to pledges, known pledging methods remove the consummation of the contribution or gift process in time and space from the point where an external stimulus for inducing the making of a contribution or gift is exerted on a contributor or gift giver or on a group of contributor or gift givers or gift givers. The problem of removing the consummation of the contribution or gift process in time and space from the point of exertion of maximum stimulus, is that the impulse to make a contribution or gift decays and dissipates over time. As the impulse dissipates over time a contributor or gift giver is less likely to consummate the contribution or gift or less likely to contribute a larger contribution or gift amount than he or she would otherwise give if the consummation of the contribution or gift process were to occur near the point of maximum stimulation to make a contribution or gift.

By way of example, where a fund-raiser or gift recipient solicits a pledge from a contributor or gift giver the solicitation of a pledge, and pledge commitment is usually made during a point close to the maximum stimulus to the prospective contributor or gift giver to make a contribution or gift. However, a pledge commitment is generally honored at a time and place remote from the time and place the pledge commitment was solicited and made. Interposing a period of time between the solicitation and making of a pledge and honoring of a pledge results in a dissipation of the impulse to make a contribution or gift. The result is that fund-raisers and gift recipients are usually required to make several follow-ups solicitations in order to consummate the contribution or gift, e.g. actually get the contributor or gift giver to fill out a check in the amount of the contribution or gift, and mail the check to the fund-raising organization or gift recipient.

Since the contributor or gift giver has at this point been far separated in time and space from the external stimulus applied to make the contribution or gift, the impulse to make a contribution or gift has decayed and dissipated, and it is more difficult to consummate the contribution or gift. There exists a need for a method of facilitating, consummating, and inducing a monetary contribution or gift that allows the contribution or gift to be consummated at a time and place where the impulse, or the external stimulus creating the impulse, to make a contribution or gift is greatest. There exists a need for a fund-raising contributions and gifts management terminal and method that obtains successful consummations of contribution or gift prior to the dissipation of the impulse or motivation to make a contribution or gift.

Fund-raisers and gift recipients are faced with limited resources that include man-power resources, and other tangible resources. By way of example, assuming that a fund-raising organization has a plurality of simultaneous events competing for man-power, a fixed group of resources with which to gather and solicit contributions or gifts, and a scenario where it would be logistically impossible to service all of the competing events, a fund-raising organization must allocate its resources in such a way as to maximize the contributions and gifts over the competing events. There exists a need for a method of allocating the resources of a fund-raising organization that will maximize the quantity and size of contributions and gifts over a number of competing events given a fixed amount of resources.

Similarly, assuming that a fund-raising organization or gift recipient has a multiplicity of prospective contributor or gift givers at a single event, a fixed group of resources with which to gather and solicit contributions or gifts at a single event and a limited amount of time during which to gather contributions and gifts, and a scenario where it would be logistically impossible to solicit all of the prospective contributors or gift givers, a fund-raising organization or gift recipient must allocate its resources in such a way as to maximize the contributions and gifts during the single event. There exists a need for a method of dispersing, circulating, and allocating the resources of a fund-raising organization during an event that will maximize the quantity and size of contributions and gifts given a fixed amount of resources. That is, there exists a need for a method of allocating contribution management terminals to maximize results of contribution or gift sessions that are generally conducted with limited staffing, limited seed money, and a lack of volunteers.

A further problem is that when a solicitor of contributions and gifts contacts a contribution or gift prospect, he or she generally has no background information concerning the prospect's historical propensity to give or his ability to give, e.g. his or her affluence. As a result the solicitor may request a contribution amount that is less than the amount that the prospect has the ability, propensity, or means to absorb. Hence, the contribution potential of an individual prospect may not be maximized. There exists a need for a contributions and gifts management terminal that can provide message prompts corresponding to a contributor or gift giver's or gift giver's ability to give, historical propensity to give, and that provides the ability to determine how large of a contribution or gift to request based on a prospect's perceived ability to contribute.

A further problem is risk of loss associated with the large amount of contributions or gifts that are stored on a contributions and gifts management terminal or peripheral. A contributions and gifts management terminal may have tens of hundreds of successive contributions or gifts stored thereon representing tens of thousands of dollars of contributions and gifts. Loss or damage to a single terminal may jeopardize a significant number of contributions and gifts resulting in the great loss of the information concerning the contributions or gifts. There exists a need for a method of safe-guarding and fail-safe apparatus for safe-guarding the multiplicity of contributions or gifts stored on contribution management terminals.

Gift recipients have no convenient way of facilitating the making of gifts at social occasions by way of information bearing card. There social occasions include weddings, birthday parties, christenings, funerals, other religious rites, and the like. There exists a need for a method of facilitating and inducing the making of monetary gifts made by information bearing card that immediately records successive gifts rapidly at weddings, birthday parties, baptisms, graduations, anniversaries, and the like. There also exists a need for a contributions and gifts management terminal or peripheral that increases the immediate recordation of a plurality of successive by eliminating portions of the decision making process surrounding the making of a plurality of successive contributions including the time needed to select a preferred gift amount.

It would be highly desirable to solve the variety of problems enumerated above facing fund raisers and gift recipients, and members of fund-raising organizations in soliciting contributions and gifts by way of information bearing cards. It is an object of the present invention to solve the variety of problems enumerated above facing fund raisers and gift recipients.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fund-raising and gift giving method and contributions and gifts management terminal, and system that can collect, analyze, and display statistical information associated with a contribution or gift or a plurality of respective contributions and gifts and provide useful quantitative data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in a method of streamlining, simplifying and inducing the giving of contribution or gift commitments by contributors or prospective gift givers, and receiving thereof upon receipt that involves dispersing through a crowd of prospective contributors or gift givers a plurality of keyless, electronic contributions or gifts management devices for mediate entry of consecutive data comprising the identifies of the contributors or gift givers making the monetary contribution commitments or monetary gift commitments, and device therefor. Optionally, the method and mode of operation of the device involves a plurality of gift recipients of the monetary contribution or monetary gift commitments, and further includes the step of supplanting a gift recipient or fund-raising organization with another gift recipient or fund-raising organization to which contribution or gift commitments are made. The method and mode of operation of the device has the advantage that the entry of gifts or contribution commitments to a plurality of the gift recipients or fund-raising organizations is simplified.

Optionally, the method and the mode of operation of device includes the step of correlating a numerical amount to the successive contributors' or gift givers' data to obtain contribution or gift data sets, and in which the step of dispersing is selected from the group consisting of spreading, distributing, migrating, advancing, disseminating, and diffusing the devices. The method and mode of operation of the device further includes the steps of communicating the data for a plurality of contribution or gift commitments in a substantially continuous stream to a remote device for immediate recordation thereof on the remote device. Optionally, the method or mode of operation of the devices involves a plurality of consecutive contribution or gift commitments entered on the devices unimpeded by verification of authorization whereby the throughput of contribution or gift commitments entered on the devices is enhanced. In yet another variant of the method or mode of operation of the device involves a first group of contributors or gift givers making gift or contribution commitments on the devices that are correlated to a numerical contribution or gift amount and in other contributors or gift givers making gift or contribution commitments correlated to mutable contribution numerical amounts. The numerical amount is selected from the group of a pre-programmed numerical amount, a prearranged numerical amount, a fixed numerical amount, a variable numerical amount, a numerical amount of an order inducing the making of a monetary contribution, and a post-programmed numerical amount. The entry of the consecutive contributions or gifts further comprises immediate recordation thereof on the devices, and optionally further including the step of communicating the contribution or gift data to a card account processor for processing thereof.

Optionally, the method and mode of operation includes the step of temporarily retaining substantially identical data of the contribution and gift commitments at said device and at another remote device simultaneously. Means for capturing information of a plurality of consecutive card record mediums of contributors or gift givers with out breaking up of the capture of the information of the card record mediums is provided. These and other objects of the present invention are further described herein in the description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall system of a gift and contributions management terminal network according to the present invention;

FIG. 1a is a general schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an exemplary contributions and gifts management terminal system according to the present invention;

FIG. 1b is a flow chart illustrating the functionality of optional donation communication servicing software and associated hardware of an exemplary fund-raising contributions and gifts management terminal according to the present invention;

FIG. 1c is a flow chart illustrating the functionality of optional tallier servicing software and associated hardware of an exemplary contributions and gifts management terminal according to the present invention;

FIG. 1d is a flow chart illustrating the functionality of optional tallier servicing software and associated hardware for executing an optional donation session according the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bar coded envelope, an embodiment of an fund-raising terminal with an envelope contribution or gift acceptor, and a fund-raiser's terminal;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an electronic contributions and gifts management terminal or peripheral with a card processor, and capable of accepting cash, check, or envelope contributions and gifts;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic contributions and gifts management terminal or peripheral with various additions;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a hand held portable fund-raising terminal or peripheral according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a portable contributions and gifts management terminal or peripheral;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a terminal face with which a user interfaces;

FIGS. 8, 8a and 8b are top plan views of terminals or peripherals having various prompts for use with the corresponding contributions and gifts management terminals or peripherals;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an envelope/deposit box;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a face on a terminal or peripheral for soliciting contributions and gifts for a plurality of fund-raising organizations or gift recipients, a plurality of causes within a fund-raising organization or gift recipients, or combination thereof;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a face of a terminal or peripheral for soliciting contributions and gifts for a plurality of political candidates;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a face of a terminal or peripheral for soliciting contributions and gifts for a fund-raising organization or gift recipient where there are multiple causes during each collection of a contributions and gifts;

FIG. 13 is a diagram of a method of soliciting contributions and gifts for a fund-raising organization or gift recipient;

FIG. 14 is a diagram of another embodiment of the method of soliciting contributions and gifts illustrated in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a diagram of a method of substantiating contributions and gifts to a fund-raising organization or gift recipient;

FIG. 15a is another embodiment of a method of FIG. 15 for substantiating contributions and gifts to a fund-raising organization or gift recipient;

FIG. 16 is a diagram of a method of soliciting contributions and gifts for a plurality of causes and a method of processing the contributions and gifts collected;

FIG. 17 is a diagram of groups and sub-groups of contributor or gift givers as used in the present invention;

FIG. 17a is a diagram of formulas applied in the utilization of methods of the present invention;

FIG. 17b is a diagram of a formula applied in the utilization of methods of the present invention;

FIG. 17c is a diagram of formulas applied in utilization of methods of the present invention;

FIG. 17d is a diagram of a function of stimulus versus time utilized in the methods of the present invention;

FIG. 17e is an illustration of different stimuli applied in the methods of the present invention and a diagram of groups and sub-groups of contributor or gift givers or gift givers;

FIG. 17f is a plan view of a face of a terminal or peripheral for soliciting contributions and gifts for a fired-raising organization or gift recipient where there are wish list messages displayed during a contribution or gift session;

FIG. 17g is a plan view of a face of a terminal or peripheral for soliciting contributions and gifts for a fund-raising organization or gift recipient where there are another group of wish list messages displayed during a contribution or gift session;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a method of allocating terminals or peripherals among competing fund-raising or social events;

FIG. 18a is a diagram illustrating a method of allocating terminals or peripherals among competing sub-groups of contributors or gift givers within a single fund-raising or social event;

FIG. 18b is a diagram illustrating another variant of a method of allocating terminals among competing sub-groups of contributor or gift givers or gift givers within a single fund-raising event;

FIG. 18c is a diagram illustrating a method of facilitating the making of a cumulative contribution or gift over time and processing the cumulative contribution or gift over time;

FIG. 19 illustrates a device of the present invention for inducing the making of greater contributions or gifts at exemplary social events such as a graduation;

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a method of safe-guarding and limiting the risk of loss of a multiplicity of contributions or gifts made on contribution or gift management terminals or peripherals;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a variant of the fund-raising contributions and gifts management terminal or peripheral;

FIGS. 21a-21d are perspective views of variants of keyless contributions and gifts management terminals or peripherals;

FIGS. 22-22a are perspective views of variants of contributions and gifts management terminals or peripherals that immediately record fixed contributions and gifts and in another mode of operation allow for variable contributions and gifts to be made and immediately recorded thereon; and,

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a system for simplifying the acknowledgment of a plurality of contributions made at remote locations on contributions management terminals or peripherals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates an overall configuration of a contributions and gifts management terminal or peripheral network according to the present invention. An electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is used by a fund-raiser or gift recipient at a fund-raising event or social event for the solicitation and receiving of contributions and gifts. Fund raising events include charity balls, political fund raising dinners, benefit concerts, sports events, door to door contribution or gift solicitation, personal contribution or gift solicitation, and the like. Social events include weddings, funerals, interments, last rites, burials, burial ceremonies, anniversaries, birthday parties, graduation parties, religious rite events, and the like.

A fund-raiser can include a charitable organization. A charitable organization generally is an organization that is awarded nonprofit status by the IRS, or other tax processing governmental body. Charitable organizations include nonprofit tax exempt organizations that are classified under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. This classification is a reliable indicator of the tax deductibility of contributions and gifts. Charitable organizations defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code are divided into two classes: public charities and private foundations. A public charity solicits funds from the public and uses the funds to sponsor or support social, educational, or religious activities, or engage in activities that provide for relief for distressed or underprivileged individuals. Public charities are defined in Section 509(a)(1-4) of the IRS Code.

Included in the group of charitable organizations are churches, conventions or associations of churches; educational organizations; hospitals and medical research organizations; organizations created to benefit state and municipal colleges and universities that normally receive their support from the government or the general public; and other publicly supported organizations such as museums, libraries, support groups for cultural organizations, organizations for the gathering of contributions and gifts for research into and the elimination of medical disorders, and organizations that provide direct services to the public.

Fund-raising organizations also include organizations that receive the majority of their support from activities relating to their tax exempt functions, such as a museum's receipts or tuition paid to an educational institute. Fund raising organizations or gift recipients also include public television, radio, and other forms of media organizations that derive support from the public by way of contributions and gifts.

Fund-raising organizations also include those organized exclusively to support other qualified public charities, such as churches, schools, and hospitals; those operated for the purpose of testing products for public safety; and, private foundations established to maintain or aid social, educational, religious, or other charitable purposes.

A "fund-raiser" or "fund-raising organization" is a private foundation; a tax exempt corporation; a not-for-profit corporation; an organization organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, and/or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals; a civic league; an organization not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare; and, private for profit an not-for-profit organizations that gather a contribution or gift on behalf the above mentioned organizations. Exemplary organizations may include the Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, Salvation Army, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, United Way Crusade of Mercy, high schools, grammar schools, colleges, museums, and fund-raising arms of other organizations, the like.

A "fund-raising organization" and/or "fund-raiser" also includes a political organization, a party, committee, association, fund, or other organization, fund, or other organization (whether incorporated or not) organized and operated primarily for the purpose of directly or indirectly accepting a monetary contribution or gift or making an expenditure, or both, for an "exempt function." An exempt function includes the function of influencing or attempting to influence the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of an individual to any Federal, State, or local public office or office in a political organization, or the election of Presidential or Vice-Presidential electors, whether or not such an individual or electors are selected, nominated, elected, or appointed; and, a campaign committee, and/or a fund established for the nomination or election of an individual to a Federal, State, or Public office.

A "fund-raiser" or "fund raising organization" can also include an ad hoc committee or organization created for the direct or indirect gathering of a monetary contribution or gift for a charitable goal. It may include an organization or fund established for a humanitarian purpose such as raising resources for an organ transplant, for feeding or clothing needy people, and the like.

Information bearing cards as referred to herein are used for making of a monetary contribution or gift by a contributor or gift giver who is a cardholder. An example of an information bearing card is a credit card including, credit cards issued by an organization. Such cards are: VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and an American Express cards. An information bearing card as used herein refers also to a debit card including, by way of example, a Cirrus card, a Plus card, a Maestro card, an Interlink card, and any other type of card that can be used for an electronic fund transfer. The term "card" also contemplates a private label card issued or maintained by a fund-raising organization or an affiliate of a fund-raising organization, and a prepaid card that can be purchased by cash, check, credit, or debit cards. An information bearing card can be a credit card, debit card, or combination thereof. Different information bearing cards are used herein including magnetic striped cards and cards having electronic circuits thereon.

Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 of the type in FIG. 3 mounts a card processor 160/240 that processes contributions and gifts, and a card reader and accompanying circuitry that reads smart cards, e.g. PCMCIA cards, JEIDA/PCMCIA compliant memory cards, IC cards, GEC Card Technology LTd. IC cards, West Midlands, U.K. and/or Gemplus Card Services memory and microprocessor cards. The present invention contemplates the use of contact less IC cards, e.g. such as those available from Mitsubishi Electric UK Ltd., Hatfield UK, and Oakwood design, Letchworth UK, and the like. Other forms of information bearing cards are also usable with fund-raising electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 embodiments.

The electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, FIGS. 1 and 2, accepts a cash currency contribution 143, an envelope 600 containing a cash contribution or gift, a credit card 145 contribution or gift, and/or a debit card 150 contribution or gift. Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 collects, stores, and provides information about a contributor or gift giver and a contribution or gift. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is a portable unit with a wire-less communication link 140. The electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is a portable hand-held unit with a wire-less communication link 140. Using a communication link 140, preferably an RF (radio frequency) communication link, an infra-red communication link or other free-propagating electromagnetic energy communication link, the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 communicates information about a contributor or gift giver and the contribution or gift to a fund-raiser's terminal or peripheral 120 in the embodiment shown. As used herein, the term, "fund-raiser's terminal or peripheral," refers to a terminal or peripheral that can be used by personnel associated with a fund-raising organization or gift recipient, such as its business manager, a secretary, a clerk, a volunteer acting on behalf of the fund-raiser or gift recipient, or an accountant, etc.

In another embodiment, the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 immediately; at once; without delay; directly; forthwith; or combination thereof, records the information about the contributor or gift giver and the contribution or gift or a plurality of successive, sequential, in line, and/or in succession contributors or gift givers and their corresponding monetary contributions and gifts, e.g. each contributors' or gift givers' respective card information and respective information representative of a numerical monetary contribution or gift amount for each respective contributor or gift giver, it has accepted in a data storage 302, and then at a later time it can be off-loaded and communicated to fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 via communication circuitry 990 (FIG. 1a) and a communication link 140, e.g. after a single event fund-raising or social event or after a full day of such fund-raising or social events. Terminal or peripheral 100 and/or terminal or peripheral 120 is optionally programmed to correlate sequential, serial, continuously made, consecutively made, chain of, and/or string of data sets of information that identify the specific event with contributor or gift giver data sets comprised of contribution information. As such, the contributors and gift givers acknowledgments of the contributions and gifts will identify the social event, fund-raising event, recipient of the contribution or gifts, as appropriate. The fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 can be located on-site or at some remote location. The fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 communicates the information about the successive, systematic, in order, and/or in regular order contributors or gift givers and their respective contributions or gifts, or a plurality of contributor s or gift givers and their corresponding numerical contribution or gift amounts, e.g. card information and information representative of a numerical monetary contribution or gift amount for each respective contributor or gift giver, via a communication link 1030, which by way of example, can be a telephone hookup, with a card account processor 1031, or the like. A card account processor can also be a funds processing telecommunications network, third party card processor, a bank, or a combination thereof. A card account processor can also be computer network, e.g. the Internet, VISA Net, a merchant bank, a card processing bank or organization, or a combination thereof.

All embodiment of the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is hand-held and comprises a card reader 307, means for manually entering a monetary contribution or gift amount, an optional visual display 840 for displaying numerical information of the amount entered, an on-board battery power source (preferably, a rechargeable battery power source) 1437, a data storage 302, and an optional program storage. Preferably the case of the fund raising electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is of a size and shape to easily fit into the palm of a contributor's or gift giver's hand. The contributor or gift giver's thumb can rest on a side wall of the case of the electronic contribution or gifts or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 and other fingers on the same hand can bear against a second side wall of an opposite side of the case of the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. This allows the contributor or gift giver to easily hold the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 in one hand. The size and shape of the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 also assists in the passing of the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 from one contributor or gift giver to another (FIG. 12). It will be further understood that the optional size and shape of the case of the hand-held electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 further allows for the contributor or gift giver to hold the terminal in one hand while being able to pass an information bearing card, for example a credit card or a debit card, with the contributor or gift giver's other hand through a card reader on the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 (FIGS. 13 and 14).

An embodiment of electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 communicates information about successive contributors or gift givers, e.g. card information, and the contribution or gift amount, e.g. numerical monetary amount information, or a plurality of contributor or gift givers or gift givers and their corresponding contribution or gifts and gifts, e.g. card information for each respective contributor or gift giver and information representative of a numerical contribution monetary amount for each respective contributor or gift giver, directly via a communication link 1030, for example, a telephone hookup, thereby bypassing the fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 to a funds processing database 1031, and the like. The card account 1035 of the contributor or gift giver is appropriately charged the amount of the contribution or gift, or debited for the contribution or gift, as appropriate, and the account of the fund-raising organization 1033 is augmented respectively (FIGS. 13 and 14).

An example of a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 optionally has a credit card processor 160, and/or a debit card contribution or gift processor 240. Such a processor directly utilizes a cellular communication link, or other standard telephone hookup. The electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 immediately records successive, sequential, in line, and/or in succession contributors' or gift givers' card account and contribution or gift information in a data storage 302. After the fund-raising event or day (or a portion thereof) of soliciting contributions and gifts, a communication link 1030 is connected directly to a processor 160/240 and/or data storage 302, and communication circuitry 990 via a communication link 1030 transfers contributor or gift giver information to a card account processor 1031, and the like. The card account of the contributor or gift giver 1035 is appropriately charged or debited the amount of the contribution or gift and the account of the fund-raising organization 1033 is augmented respectively (FIG. 13).

A contribution or gift can be made on an off-line electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. The electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 does not interpose a request, or requests, for an authorization or verification, an authorization step, pre-authorization step, verification step, or combination thereof, between the making, entering, immediate recording, or combination thereof, of a contribution or gift made by a first contributor or gift giver, and subsequent contributions or gifts made by a plurality of subsequent contributor or gift givers or gift givers.

In yet another variant of the method of the present invention, the terminal 100, the peripheral 100, the network, and/or the system described herein optionally have a mode of operation in which consecutive data sets are entered, and/or recorded uninterrupted, uninterferred with, uncut in on, unbroken in on, unimpeded, and/or uniformly entered, and or recorded.

In another embodiment of the method disclosed herein, the terminal 100 or peripheral 100 does not interpose a request for an authorization or verification, an authorization step, pre-authorization step, verification step, or combination thereof, between the making of a sub-group of contributions or gifts within a group of contributions or gifts (N) made by contributor or gift giver.sub.1 through contributor or gift giver.sub.N-1, e.g. at a single fund-raising or social event such as a dinner or the like. By way of example, there may be several hundred cardholder contributions or gifts, e.g. N=500. Sequential contributions or gifts are made by contributor or gift giver 1 to contributor or gift giver 500 prior to interposing a request for an authorization or verification, an authorization step, pre-authorization step, verification step, or combination thereof. In another variant, a sequential contributions or gifts are made by contributor or gift giver 1 to contributor or gift giver 500 prior to interposing a request for an authorization or verification, an authorization step, pre-authorization step, verification step, or combination thereof, between contribution or gift 10 and contribution or gift 11, contribution or gift.sub.n (where n is an integer greater than 10) and contribution or gift.sub.n+1, or combination thereof. Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120, a card account processor 1031 (including a clearing organization and/or an issuing organization), fund-raising terminal network, or combination thereof, post contribution or gift processes card information and contribution or gift numerical amount information. Post contribution or gift processing may include a request for authorization or verification, an authorization step, pre-authorization step, verification step, or combination thereof. It will be understood that a plurality of sequential contributions and gifts made by a first contributor or gift giver, a second contributor or gift giver, and . . . nth contributor or gift giver can be made at a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 off-line before the information representative of the contributions and gifts, e.g. card information and numerical contribution or gift amount information, is off-loaded from an off-line electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to card account processor 1031, fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120, or combination thereof, for processing and authorization. It is further understood that the speed with which a multiplicity of sequential contributions and gifts can be accepted from a large group of sequential contributor or gift givers or gift givers is greatly accelerated since a request for authorization or verification, an authorization, pre-authorization, verification step, or combination thereof, is not interposed between an entry of card information and entry of a numerical monetary contribution or gift amount by each respective contributor or gift giver. It is yet further understood that this method and apparatus allows down stream contributor or gift givers or gift givers to be closer in time and place to the stimulus, or impulse created by the stimulus, to make a contribution or gift transaction.

By way of example, there may be several thousand cardholder contributor or gift givers or gift givers at an event, e.g. a Papal Mass, a convention, at an out-door concert, zoo, the republican or democratic national convention, at an auditorium, at a church, at a church hall, an out door religious service, an outdoor fund-raising event at a national park, at a seminar, at a rally, at a banquet hall, at a movie theater, at a sporting event, etc. Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100.sub.1 through electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100.sub.X (where X is an integer) are circulated, interspersed, or dispersed among the prospective cardholding contributors or gift givers. Successive sequential, in line, and/or in succession contributions or gifts are made on and immediately recorded on electronic contributions or gifts management terminals of peripherals 100 by each respective cardholding contributors or gift givers desiring to do so. Each respective electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 can receive several hundred successive, systematically entered, in order, and/or in regular order contributions or gifts without need of input of additional information. Tens of hundreds of contributions or gifts are received at one fund-raising or social event by electronic gifts and contributions management terminals 100.sub.1-X. These tens of hundreds of contributions and/or gifts are then off-loaded at the end of such an event from the electronic contributions and gifts management terminals 100.sub.1 to 100.sub.X for further processing as described above. It will be seen that literally tens of hundreds of contributions or gifts can be received from cardholder contributors or gift givers in a single social or fund-raising event. The apparatus and method of the invention are highly efficient in receiving possibly tens of thousands of dollars of contributions and gifts within a single event, the event lasting a matter of hours. It is further understood that the impulse to make a contribution or gift for the group of card holding contributor or gift givers or gift givers at the single event is captured in time and space.

The request for authorization or verification, authorization step, verification step, or combination thereof, is optionally decoupled from each respective contribution or gift at the time the entry of a respective contributor's or gift giver's respective card information and contribution or gift amount information is entered, immediately recorded, or combination thereof, into a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100.

It will be further understood that a plurality of contributions and gifts can be accepted in a short amount of time utilizing this procedure and mode of operation of terminal 100 or peripheral 100 and that contributions and gifts that are later found to be unauthorized can be discarded and only authorized contributions and gifts are then credited to a fund-raiser's or gift recipient's account 1033 and debited to a contributor's or gift giver's account 1035. It is also possible to store the group of unauthorized transactions so that the contributors or gift givers making these contribution or gift transactions can be contacted to resubmit their respective contributions and gifts.

The dispersion, circulation, or combination thereof, of a plurality of terminals 100 or peripherals 100 among a group of prospective contributors or gift givers for the immediate recordation of contributions or gifts is preferred in the method of the present invention. Dispersion, circulation, or the combination thereof, of a plurality of terminals or peripherals 100 increases the speed within which a multiplicity of contributions or gifts are recorded on the terminals, and allows for a significant improvement in the immediacy and interplay between a fund raiser and a prospective gift giver and contributor, thus increasing the impulse to make a contribution of gift. This results in an increase of the size of the average contribution of gift made by a contributor or gift giver, and an increase in the total number of contributions or gifts made by a group of prospective gift givers or contributors.

At or near an entrance or exit, as shown in FIG. 1, of a place of where a fund-raising event or social event 800 is held, there can be located a receipt generator 820. The receipt generator 820 produces a receipt for an individual contribution or gift or a plurality of respective individual contributions and gifts. In a variant the gifts and contributions management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 transmits card information and contribution or gift amount information to receipt generator 820 via a wireless communication link for successive contributors or gift givers who elect to obtain a receipt for their contribution or gift at or near the time their respective contribution or gift was entered onto electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. In a variant, receipt generator 820 is located at a remote location from electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, and is a portable electronic battery operated unit. The location of the receipt generator 820 at a location remote from terminals 100 or peripherals 100 increases the speed within which contributions or gifts are made and immediately recorded on terminals 100 or peripherals 100. This is desirable given the short amount of time generally allocated to contribution or gift sessions.

The receipt 830 is used to substantiate a contribution or a plurality of successive contributions made by a single contributor or gift giver over a period of time, or by a plurality of successive contributors or gift givers made over a period of time. Substantiation may be required to receive a tax benefit from a governmental taxing authority, e.g. the Internal Revenue Service, or a state or local taxing or tax processing body. By way of example, computer 3397 (FIG. 230) records the contributions or gifts made by contributor or gift maker X over a period of time, e.g. one year, 6 months. Computer 3397 has a mode of operation that automatically selects, categorizes, and determines whether or not a specific data set comprised of a contribution, gift, or portion thereof, qualifies for a charitable contribution or gift deduction. If a specific contribution, gift, or portion thereof, qualifies for a charitable contribution thereof the data set it is automatically added to a register of contributions or gifts of contributor or gift maker X, and/or correlated with a data set comprised of an appropriate designation. If a specific contribution, gift, or portion thereof, does not qualify for a charitable contribution deduction, this contribution, gift, or portion thereof, is added to another register of contributor or gift giver X storing this type of gift or contributions, and/or associated with a data set comprised of this designation. After a period of time, contributions or gifts made by gift maker X are automatically processed by computer 3397 in its mode of operation, e.g. an expert software scheme, and contributor or gift giver X is sent an acknowledgment acknowledgment, corroboration, affirmation, or recognition by way of printer 3396 listing contributions that are in the register that qualifies for a charitable contribution deduction, and optionally, listing contributions, gifts, or portions thereof that do not so qualify. It is understood that contributions or gifts made by contributor X to a multiplicity of recipients of gifts or contributions can be easily processed in this mariner. Further, it is understood that a multiplicity of contributors or gift givers can have contributions and gifts that are made to a multiplicity of recipients of contributions or gifts assembled, processed and acknowledged this way. One of the benefits of the automated acknowledgment process revolves developing contributor or gift giver loyalty to a particular gift or contribution recipient, and substantially decreased effort on the part of the contributor or gift maker in assembling records needed for justification of charitable contribution deductions made to a plurality of gift or contribution recipients. Further, the data sets comprised of contributions optionally have data sets representative of which portion of a contribution or gift qualifies for a charitable contribution or gift deduction correlated thereto. This assists in the processing of the contributions or gifts by computer 3397. Data sets described herein are optionally entered, made, and/or sequentially, in series, continuously, consecutively, as a chain, and/or as a string. Further data sets described herein optionally consist essentially of contributor or gift giver identity information, contributor or gift giver numerical contribution or gift amount information, cause information, tax deductibility status of a gift or contribution information, candidate information, gift recipient information, or combination thereof.

Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 can communicate via a communication link, preferably an RF (radio frequency) communication link or an infra-red communication link, with the receipt generator 820. Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 can instead communicate contribution or gift and contributor or gift giver information, via a communication link to a fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120. Fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 then communicates the contributor or gift giver and contribution or gift information to a receipt generator 820. The communication consists of information about the contributor or gift giver, the contribution or gift, the date, the special fund or intention for which the contribution or gift was given, data sets comprised of whether or not the contribution or gift qualifies for a charitable contribution deduction, and the like. The communication consists of the same type of information wherein card information and contribution or gift information is associated for each respective contributor or gift giver where a large group of contributor or gift givers or gift givers makes contributions and gifts via electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 prior to transmitting the information to a card account processor 1031.

Upon receipt of the communication, the receipt generator 820 processes the information about the contributor or gift giver, the contribution or gift, or the data sets comprised of the status of the contribution or gift in terms of whether or not is qualifies for a charitable contribution deduction to generate a receipt 830. The receipt 830 may be generated automatically by the receipt generator 820 to be picked up by the contributor or gift giver or attender of a fund raising or social event after a fund-raising or social event or solicitation of a contribution or gift, or may be generated at the request of the contributor or gift giver or attender after the event as the contributor or gift giver is leaving the place of contribution or gift, or may be generated for mailing or faxing to the contributor or gift giver or attender. A contributor or gift giver may desire the receipt 830 for tax purposes or for determining if the contributor or gift giver is meeting a contribution or gift quota.

The present invention also contemplates optionally locating the receipt generator 820 on an electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, and generating receipt 830 at electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100.

In yet another embodiment of the method of the invention a record of the contribution or gift is generated at a card account processor 1031, a bank, or combination thereof, and forwarded to a contributor or gift giver. A receipt for a contribution or gift appears on a contributor's or gift giver's monthly credit card statement, bank statement, or combination thereof. Optionally, an annual, or after some other appropriate time period, a statement is forwarded to a respective contributor or gift giver itemizing all contributions and gifts given, e.g. to charitable organizations, for tax purposes, or otherwise. The format of the statement can be such that a tax processing entity, e.g the IRS, will accept the information for substantiating the contribution or gift or group of contributions and gifts at issue, and/or grant a charitable contribution or gift deduction. It will be understood that records of the contribution or gift transactions made by tens of hundreds of cardholder contributor or gift givers or gift givers can easily be processed and forwarded to each respective contributor or gift giver of the tens of hundreds of contributor or gift givers or gift givers for meeting contribution or gift quotas and for substantiating charitable contribution or gift deductions and the like given at a plurality of fund-raising management terminals 100.

Security for fund-raising or social events is provided by a theft deterrent 540 located at or near an entrance or exit of a fund-raising event 800 to deter the theft of the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Theft deterrents are well known in the art. Security systems used in retail stores can be used, for example, the present invention contemplates that the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 can contain a detectable element that can be detected by the theft deterrent 540. As such, if someone attempts to unlawfully take the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 through an entrance or exit of a place of a fund-raising event 800 or past a sensor, an audible or visible alarm signal, or the like, will be generated. A homing device can be placed on the terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to allow tracking of the terminal 100 or peripheral 100, e.g a system comparable to systems used to trace stolen automobiles.

The present invention includes provision for an optional tallier service routine S480, a set of software routines which run on a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120, at a card account processor 1031, or combination thereof, to tally a plurality of successive contributions and gifts. In an alternate embodiment, service routine S480 is located within the fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120. The service routine S480 tallies a credit card 145 contribution or gift, a debit card 150 contribution or gift, a cash contribution or gift 143, an envelope 600 containing a cash contribution or gift, and combinations thereof. Moreover, service routine S480 performs a number of arithmetic functions including but not limited to addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, as well as a statistical calculation on the successive contributions and gifts. Service routine S480 is connectable to commercially available accounting programs in such is desired.

In conjunction with a printer, electronic contributions management terminal 100 or electronic gift management peripheral 100, fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120, or combination thereof, are used to generate a report commonly used for accounting purposes, including but not limited to a summary of total contributions and gifts generated, a monthly statement, a histogram, a contribution or gift average per contributor or gift giver, sub-group of contributor or gift givers or gift givers, or group of contributor or gift givers or gift givers.

The fund-raising terminal network of the present invention, which includes a hand-held electronic gifts management terminal 100 or electronic contributions management peripheral 100, a fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120, a card account processor 1031, or combination thereof, collects, analyzes, and visually displays statistical information associated with an individual contribution, successive contributions or gifts immediately recorded thereon, a tally of individual contributions and gifts, or combination thereof. The electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 contains an optional statistical information collecting routine S500, a set of software routines which run on processing circuitry 903 (FIG. 1a). In a variant, the statistical information collecting routine S500 is located in the fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal 120 or peripheral 120. The statistical information collecting routine S500 collects contribution or gift data from the contribution or gift reader 1340 and associated circuitry 1333 (FIG. 1a), and communicates it to storage 302 (FIG. 1a). A statistical information analyzing routine S520, a set of software routines which run on a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 located within the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 in one embodiment, or in the fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 in an alternate embodiment, then retrieves contribution or gift data from data storage 302 and performs arithmetic and statistical calculations thereon.

FIG. 1a is a general schematic block diagram of a terminal 100 or peripheral 100 of an embodiment of the present invention which includes a contribution or gift reader 1340, contribution or gift reader circuitry 1333, a power source 1437, and optional communication circuitry 990. Although display circuitry 842 is shown in this general embodiment of the invention, display 842 is optional.

In the present embodiment, processing circuitry 903 includes a microprocessor. However, multiple microprocessors, or a plurality of dedicated microprocessors can also be used. Processing circuitry 903 and associated circuitry are powered through a power source 1437. Processing circuitry 903 interfaces with associated circuitry via an address bus 536, data bus 533, and a control bus 530. Specifically, upon detection by the contribution or gift reader 1340 that a contribution or gift is being made, the contribution or gift reader circuitry 1333 interrupts the processing circuitry 903. The circuitry 903 responds to the interrupt by reading the buffered contribution or gift information. Circuitry 903 then immediately records and stores the contribution or gift information in storage 302. The reading and immediate recording of contributions and gifts is accomplished for successive or consecutive contributions or gifts. In one embodiment, circuitry 903 also adds the new contribution or gift information to a running total of contribution or gift information stored in the storage 302. Terminal 120 or peripheral 120 can also have the same type of configuration as that described for as electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 above.

A variety of links and associated circuitry are used in the present invention. By way of example, the link 140 is a serial link and associated circuitry in one embodiment, an RS-232 link and associated circuitry in another embodiment, modem circuitry in communication with the circuitry 990 in yet another embodiment, an RF or infra-red link and associated circuitry, or combination thereof.

A variety of additions, not shown, can be added to the embodiment of the processing circuitry 903 illustrated in FIG. 1a. By way of example, a currency reader and associated circuitry, a keyboard and associated circuitry, a touch sensitive screen and associated circuitry, a bar code reader and associated circuitry, an optical character recognition reader and associated circuitry, an electronic signature line and associated circuitry, a fingerprint scanner and associated circuitry, a card reader 307 and associated circuitry 309, a coin reader and associated currency, and a bill dispenser and associated currency, and combinations thereof can be added.

The fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 drives a printer in one embodiment to produce a hard copy of a report representing data or information sent to terminal 120 via the communication circuitry 990 located in an electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. In another embodiment, optional service routine S1200 (FIG. 1b), runs on processing circuitry 903 located in electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Processing circuitry 903 communicates successive contributor or gift giver and contribution or gift information to communication circuitry 990 which drives a printer to print out data via a wired link, for example, an RS-232 cable. Similarly, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 can use a serial link to drive a printer directly via communication circuitry 990.

Display circuitry 842 includes a buffer and LED drive circuitry which processing circuitry 903 can write information into in one embodiment. Display circuitry 842 responds to data written into the buffer by displaying that information via a control bus 530.

Contribution reader 1340 (FIG. 1a) and associated circuitry 1333 optionally includes a credit card processor, a debit card processor, a currency validator, a currency discriminator, a currency acceptor, a coin discriminator, a coin validator, a bar code scanner, or a combination thereof.

Moreover, power source 1437 is a battery power source in one embodiment, and can be a portable rechargeable power source in another embodiment. Preferably, the battery is a rechargeable power source, and is located on the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 so as to be easily accessible during replacement or recharging thereof. The power source 1437 can include a hardwired power supply. The present invention also contemplates use of a light responsive energy source such as a photo-cell. In such an embodiment, not shown, the battery life of electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 can be enhanced in that energy is obtained from sources of light such as the sun or indoor lighting. The light responsive energy source can be used to supplement the power source 1437. In a variant, software routines on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 assist in conserving electrical energy from power source 1437 by deactivating the circuitry or portions thereof, e.g. the display, of electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Circuitry of electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is reactivated once there is card information detected by reader 307 and associated circuitry, or combination thereof. In yet a further variant, a back-up power source is provided to power source 1437. In yet a further variant, contribution or gift transaction data is semi-permanently stored for future off-loading in data storage 302 in the event there is a loss of power from power source 1437.

FIG. 1b is a flow chart illustrating the functionality of an optional contribution communication servicing software and associated hardware of an exemplary fund-raising terminal of the present invention. Optional contribution or gift communication circuitry servicing routine S1200 is a set of software programs which run on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Routine S1200 is entered when a communication is received by communication circuitry 990 in one embodiment. Upon entering this routine (S1202), communication circuitry 990 enters a retrieve the communication routine S1203 to retrieve the communication. The communication consists of a request for successive contribution or gift information in one embodiment. By way of example, the request includes a request for a cash contribution or gift entry, an envelope contribution or gift entry, a bar code data entry, a card entry, a contribution or gift entry, or combinations thereof. The request can include a request for a fingerprint entry, a contribution or gift entry, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, the communication is a request to download. The circuitry 990 then tests to determine if this is a request to download by executing routine S1207. If "yes," then a test to determine if the data storage is empty using routine S1209 is conducted. If "yes," an end of data message using routine S1212 is sent, and routine S1200 is concluded (S1213).

If there was a "no" in response to routine S1207, routine S1215 is executed. Routine S1215 transmits a please resend request to download message, and then ends (S1227) routine S1200. The request to download can include a security code or other security information. Furthermore, the circuitry 990 may test to see if the proper security code is present within the request to download before downloading any information.

If there was a "no" in response to routine S1209, routine S1217 is executed to obtain the contribution or gift entry. The contribution or gift entry can come from the cash contribution or gift acceptor 320, the envelope contribution or gift acceptor, card contribution or gift processor 160,240, or coin contribution or gift acceptor 1100, or storage 302. Routine S1219 to send the contribution or gift entry is entered. Routine S1219 loops around to routine S1209 until there is no more data to be communicated. Routine S1200 is entered when there is communication between electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 and fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 in one embodiment. In an alternate embodiment, routine S1200 is entered when there is communication between electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 and a printer. Provision can be made in another embodiment, routine S1200 is entered when there is communication with a card account processor, e.g. a third party card processor, a bank, VISA, and the like.

In an embodiment, a plurality of successive contribution or gift data sets, comprising card information from an information bearing card and associated numerical contribution or gift amount information, are immediately recorded on terminal 100 or peripheral 100 and grouped together. The grouped information is then transmitted to a card account processor. The card account processor authorizes a sub-group of contribution or gift data for further processing. The authorized and unauthorized contribution or gift data sets can be transmitted to a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120, a fund-raising organization or gift recipient's database, or combination thereof, for exclusion of the authorized contribution or gift data sets. The unauthorized contribution or gift data sets can be deleted if desired at a card account processor. The unauthorized contribution or gift data sets are excluded from the group, and the authorized contribution or gift data, e.g. card information and contribution or gift amount information, are re-transmitted to the card account processor. Means responsive to information sent via a transferring means enters a debit representative of the contribution or gift amount information to an account of the contributor or gift giver. Means responsive to information sent via the transferring means enters a credit representative of the contribution or gift amount information to an account of a fund-raising organization or recipient of the contribution or gift. The contribution or gift data set is further processed and a record of the contribution or gift for substantiating a contribution or gift is forwarded to a contributor, gift giver, fund-raiser, recipient of a contribution.

FIG. 1c is a flow chart illustrating the functionality of an optional tallier servicing routine S480 and associated hardware of an embodiment of an fund-raising terminal of the present invention. Routine S480 is entered (S481) in order to tally a plurality of successive contributions and gifts, which can be stored in the data storage 302 along with associated contributor or gift giver information. An entry is read from storage 302 via routine S183. The entry is then tested to determine if the entry is a contribution or gift to be tallied by a routine S485. Contributions and gifts that are tallied can include cash contributions and gifts 143, envelope contributions and gifts 600, credit card 145, and debit card 150 contributions and gifts. If a yes is given in response to the routine S485, then the entry is added to a register by routine S495. In one embodiment, routine S495 contains subroutines that pigeon hole a cash contribution 145 entry into one register, an envelope 600 contribution entry into another register, a credit card 145 contribution entry into yet another register, and a debit card 150 contribution entry into yet another register. Each respective register has a particular type of entry added, or a combination thereof, and then routine S487 is executed in one embodiment.

It is possible that there is only one register to which each type of entry is added, then routine S487 is executed. Routine S487 tests to determine if the data storage is empty or if the last data entry has been read. If yes, routine S480 ends (S489). If "no," there is a loop back and routine S483 reads the next entry. If "no" is the answer to routine S485, routine S491 tests to see if the data storage is empty. If "yes," routine S480 is concluded (S497). If "no," routine S493 reads the next entry in data storage 302 and loops back to routine S485.

FIG. 1d is a flow chart illustrating the functionality of optional software and associated hardware for executing a contribution or gift session. For example, optional routine S1500 can be entered (S1501) whenever a contribution or gift, or contributor or gift giver information, is detected by contribution or gift reader 1340 (FIG. 1a) by any other addition, e.g. keyboard 107 or a touch sensitive screen, or combinations thereof. Routine S1502 waits until an entry is detected by a reader or addition. Routine S1503 reads the entry. Routine S1505 adds the entry to session information. Routine S1507 tests to determine if the session information contains a contribution or gift amount. Exemplary contribution or gift amounts are a cash contribution or gift 143 entry indicating the denomination of a bill, keyboard 107 entry indicating a contribution or gift amount, a bar code 630 (FIG. 2) entry indicating a contribution or gift amount, a coded envelope entry indicating a contribution or gift amount, a coded card entry indicating a contribution or gift amount, or a combination thereof. If no, routine S1511 requests a contribution or gift amount and S1511 loops around to Routine S1502. In a variant, routine S1511 displays a message for a time out period. Routine S1511 can involve a single screen or multiple screen display depending on the type of entry device used. If the test of routine S1507 results in a "yes," routine S1509 is executed. Routine S1509 determines if the session information contains contributor or gift giver information. By way of example contributor or gift giver information includes a contributor or gift giver bar code 620 (FIG. 2), a code associated with a contributor or gift giver entered via keyboard 107, contributor or gift giver information on a coded envelope, contributor or gift giver information on a card, a fingerprint of a contributor or gift giver, or a combination thereof. If no, routine S1513 requests contributor or gift giver information and loops back to routine S1502. If "yes;" Routine S1519 is executed and determines if the session information contains both contributor or gift giver and contribution or gift information. If "yes," routine S1515 associates the contributor or gift giver and contribution or gift information. In another variant, Routine S1535 stores the associated contributor or gift giver and contribution or gift information. In another variant, optional tallier service routine S480 is executed. Routine S1521 clears the session information. Routine S1500 ends (S1517). If the result of routine S1519 is "no," routine S1539 requests contribution or gift amount and contributor or gift giver information and loops back to before Routine S1502. Again, this routine may involve single or multiple screens depending on the input device.

In another variant, the routine on terminal 100 or peripheral 100, immediately records information read from information bearing cards correlated to numerical contribution or gift amounts for successive contributions or gifts made by a plurality of successive contributors or gift givers without need for input of other information. The correlation of the numerical amount of an order inducing the making of a monetary gift or contribution is made automatically with successive contributor information bearing card information in one variant. In anther variant there is a correlation of variable contribution or gift numerical contributions amounts with successive contributor or gift giver card information, and optionally a pre-programmed fixed numerical contribution or gift amount of an order inducing the making of a contribution or gift with successive contributor or gift giver card information.

Provision can be made for optional service routine S480 to communicate information regarding the total amount of cash contributions and gifts 143 gathered via communication link 140, preferably an RF (radio frequency) communication link or an infra-red communication link, to the fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 for further processing as will be discussed below.

Where a keyboard (FIG. 4) is used, keyboard circuitry 109 scans keyboard 107 to determine if a key has been activated. Keyboard 107 refers to both keypad 890 and entry key 920, or combination thereof. Key board 107 might include a cancel key, and keys with other alpha-numeric text. The keyboard 107 can have a key that represents a specific denomination amount, e.g. five dollars ($5) or ten dollars ($10). Demonination amounts will be of an order for inducing the making of a monetary contribution or gift. Processing circuitry 903 interfaces with keyboard 107 and associated circuitry 109 via an address bus 536, data bus 533, and control bus 530. Once a key has been activated on the keyboard 107, that key information is moved into a buffer and interrupts the processing circuitry 903 to communicate that the key is ready. Circuitry 903 responds to the interrupt by reading the buffered keyboard information. Circuitry 903 then stores the keyboard information in a storage 302 if necessary. The keyboard information can consist of a contribution or gift amount, an account number of a contributor or gift giver, an authorization code, and the like. Key board inputs of successive contributions or gifts are made on terminal 100 or peripheral 100.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 with an envelope contribution acceptor 380. A contributor or gift giver feeds an envelope 600 containing a cash contribution into a slot 381 of the envelope contribution acceptor 380. As used in relation to this embodiment the term "cash contribution" also includes a contribution by check. The envelope contribution acceptor 380 takes in the envelope 600 containing a cash currency contribution. This can be accomplished by pulling in envelope 600 containing a cash contribution in by a transport mechanism such as that commonly used in vending machines, and as previously described. Alternatively, a contributor or gift giver may manually insert the envelope 600 containing a cash contribution through slot 381.

A contribution or gift associator allows a contributor or gift giver's or gift giver's account to be properly credited for the contribution or gift. For example, the present invention contemplates that a contribution or gift associator for associating an envelope containing a cash contribution or gift with an account of a contributor or gift giver may take on several forms, including but not limited to a bar code, e.g. 620 on the envelope, and bar code reader 640 and associated circuitry, an optical character recognition reader and associated circuitry, or a combination thereof. The present invention further contemplates that a reader that reads a coded envelope can be provided.

The envelope 600 containing a cash contribution or gift can have thereon a contributor or gift giver bar code 620 that is associated with information about a contributor or gift giver's account. The envelope 600 containing a cash contribution or gift may also contain a bar code representing a cash denomination 630, and/or a collection bar code 635. A collection bar code 635 is used to designate the specific collection to which a contribution or gift is made if there are multiple collections during a religious service. The contributor or gift giver bar code 620 can be associated with the contributor's or gift giver's account.

The fund-raising organization may choose to give a contributor or gift giver an envelope containing only a contributor or gift giver bar code 620 imprinted on the envelope 600. The present invention contemplates that the contributor or gift giver can then add an adhesive label containing a bar code representing a cash denomination 630 to envelope 600. Moreover, on the occasion of a special gathering of contributions and gifts, a contributor or gift giver can add an adhesive label containing a collection bar code 635 which can be affixed onto envelope 600. Other information can be associated with a bar code which can be affixed on an envelope 600.

If bar codes are used on an envelope 600, a bar code reader 640 reads the contributor or gift giver bar code 620, and communicates information to bar code reader circuitry 648 where it is stored. A bar code reader 640 reads information from a collection bar code 635 and a bar code associated with a cash denomination 630. A bar code reader 640 and bar code reader circuitry 648 communicate this information to the fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 via communication circuitry 990 and communication link 140 or to processor 903 for processing, e.g. via service routine S480. The fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal or peripheral 120 can communicate this information via a communication link 1030 to a central database where a plurality of contributions and gifts can be processed from individual fund-raising organizations. Numerous bar code readers are commercially available from vendors. A bar code reader can be an ordinary pen-type bar code reader. Since the construction and operation of types of bar code readers are well known, a detailed description is omitted.

Although the exemplary described embodiment incorporates a pen type bar code reader, the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 can incorporate any type of data gathering device equipped with a bar code reader.

FIGS. 3 and 5 are perspective views of embodiments of a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 with a card processor. A card processor can be a credit card processor 160 and a debit card processor 240, e.g. processor 160/240. The present invention contemplates that electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 might only contain a credit card processor 160. Alternatively, the present invention also contemplates that a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 can only contain a debit card processor 240. A variant embodiment can provide a credit card processor 160 and a debit card processor 240 can be located on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 at different physical positions thereon.

Electronic contributions or gifts management peripheral 100 does not include a card processor 160/240. Rather, it is appreciated that electronic contributions or gifts management peripheral is lighter in weight and less costly to manufacture than electronic contributions and gifts management terminal 100 due to decreased circuitry contained therein. In one variant, it is further appreciated that peripheral 100 consists essentially of a card reader 307, data storage 302, a program storage, circuitry 903, a communication port for off-loading information from the peripheral, a self-contained source of electrical power; and, a software routine for immediately recording, capturing, and/or seizing successive inputs of contributor or gift giver card information, a software routine for immediately recording, capturing, and/or seizing successive inputs of contributor or gift giver card information correlated to a pre-programmed contribution or gift numerical amount, a software routine for immediately recording, capturing, and/or seizing, successive inputs of contributor or gift giver card information correlated to variable contribution or gift numerical amount information, or combination thereof. Optionally, a display and keys are added thereto.

A card processor 160/240 includes a card slot. A contributor or gift giver swipes, enters, or passes a credit card 145 through the card slot or port of a credit card processor 160. Alternatively, a contributor or gift giver swipes, enters, or inserts a debit card 150 through a card slot of a debit card processor 240.

In a preferred embodiment, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 has both a credit card processor 160 and a debit card processor 240 utilizing a single processor that discriminates between the type of contribution or gift made. An exemplary credit and debit card processor 160/240 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,077.

The card processor 160/240 communicates with key pad 890 on the face of a hand-held electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100. Upon receiving the communication that a card contribution is to be given, the key pad 890 reveals a key associated with a cash denomination. By way of example, the key associated with a cash denomination can appear to disclose a one, five, ten or twenty dollar symbol as described below. The contributor or gift giver presses the key associated with a cash denomination that is the preferred amount of his contribution, and presses entry key 920.

In a variant of terminal 100 or peripheral 100, a cardholder contributor or gift giver passes through or inserts his information bearing card 145/150 on card reader 307 for reading thereof. Information regarding the type of card read is detected, e.g. a determination is made whether a premium card has been read such as a "GOLD CARD" versus some other type of card ("A CLASSIC CARD or VISA BUSINESS CARD"), or whether other indicia regarding a contributor or gift giver's or gift giver's credit worthiness, credit limits, or affluence are present. It will be appreciated that cardholders with high credit limits or bearing a premium card such as a gold card can be more affluent individuals tending to contribute larger contribution or gift amounts. If a premium card is detected or if other information indicative of the cardholder's credit worthiness or affluence is detected, recommended contribution or gift amounts appear on key pad 890. These recommended contribution or gift amounts can be larger recommended contribution or gift amounts. By way of example, when contributor or gift giver.sub.A passes his information bearing credit card that is a VISA.RTM. GOLD Card through card reader 307. The information indicative of the type of card that contributor or gift giver.sub.A 's card is, is processed via software routines and a single or a plurality of recommended contribution or gift amount keys appear on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100's touch screen interface, e.g. $100, $150, $500. In a variant, when contributor or gift giver.sub.B passes his information bearing credit card that is a VISA.RTM. CLASSIC Card through card reader 307. The information indicative of the type of card that contributor or gift giver.sub.B 's card is processed via software routines and a single or a plurality of recommended contribution or gift amount keys appear on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100's touch screen interface, e.g. $10, $15, $20. It will be seen that the cumulative amount of a group of respective contribution or gift transactions that are received from a group of cardholder contributor or gift givers or gift givers in a single fund-raising event will be maximized utilizing this apparatus and method.

Successive made credit card contributions or gifts made on terminal 100 or peripheral 100 do not require an authorization, or verification of authorization by signature or numeric code. This is due to the unique nature of a contribution or gift in that it is a one way giving. If a contribution or gift does not ultimately get consummated, the recipient of the gift or contribution has no risk of loss that would normally be associated with a two way exchange. Consequently, the present invention contemplates that successive contributors or gift givers will simply need to swipe or insert their respective information bearing cards 145/150 through, or into, the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, as required, and enter the amount of their contributions or gifts by pressing keys associated with a cash denomination of an order induing the making of a contribution in making their contributions or gifts on the key pad 890. The first contributor or gift giver passes electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to a subsequent contributor or gift giver who repeats the contribution or gift step by depressing a key as to the amount given by him. The same steps are optionally performed by a plurality of contributor or gift givers or gift givers each choosing his or her monetary amount to be given. The card information and contribution or gift information is then post processed. Post processing includes transmitting the card information and contribution or gift information to a card account processor to request a verification or authorization, for crediting and debiting of the appropriate accounts, or combination thereof. The present invention contemplates that a contributor or gift giver will have pre-authorized the fund-raising organization to collect a contribution or gift amount. Pre-authorization can include an agreement with the organization that a contributor or gift giver authorizes the contribution or gift of a given amount once a certain action takes place, i.e. the contributor or gift giver swipes card 145/150 through electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. The pre-authorized contribution or gift amount and the contributors' or gift givers' card information are correlated, and forwarded to a card account processor for post-processing.

By way of further example, a contributor or gift giver 1 (FIG. 13) enters into an arrangement with a fund-raising organization or gift recipient. The arrangement is that fund-raising organization or gift recipient will associate a preferred contribution or gift amount with the contributor's or gift giver's card information each time the contributor or gift giver enters his respective card information into electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. It will be appreciated that this method allows for contributor or gift giver 1 to simply enter his card information in the terminal to make a contribution or gift. Less time is spent by the contributor or gift giver 1 focusing on the financial aspects of the transaction. That is, there is an automatic correlation with a predesignated contribution or gift numerical contribution amount with a respective contributor's or gift giver's card information on entered on terminal 100 or peripheral 100.

In the case of a debit card 150 contribution or gift via a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, the contributor or gift giver can authorize the fund-raising organization or gift recipient to use a secret identification number associated with his debit card account in order to allow the organization to automatically obtain the contribution or gift without seeking subsequent authorization from the contributor or gift giver. Alternatively, the contributor or gift giver may enter his personal identification number (PIN) into electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, terminal 120, or combination thereof, and electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, 120, or combination thereof, stores the PIN in an encrypted form for later processing. In this scenario, the contributor or gift giver need only perform the action of swiping or inserting, as required, card 150 through processor 160/240 on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to make a contribution or gift. The secret identification number is associated or correlated with the card information, contribution or gift amount information, or combination thereof, and forwarded to a card account processor for post processing. In this scenario post processing includes obtaining appropriate authorizations, and crediting and debiting the contributor or gift giver's account and the fund-raising organizations account, or combination thereof, as required.

The present invention also makes provision that a contributor or gift giver need not disclose a contributor's or gift giver's card 145/150 account authorization code to the fund-raising organization or gift recipient for security reasons but still may wish to make a card 145/150 contribution or gift. In this case, the present invention contemplates that the fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal 120 or peripheral 120, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, or combination thereof, has an input 307 that allows for entry of the contributor's or gift giver's card 145/150 account authorization code so that it is encrypted and only decipherable and usable by the fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal 120 or peripheral 120, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, a card account processor, or combination thereof, for processing the card 145/150 contribution or gift. An advantage of this feature is added security for the contributor or gift giver. The present invention also contemplates using a touch sensitive screen, not shown, to input, a contributor or gift giver's name, credit card and/or debit account information, the collection for which the contribution or gift is made if there are multiple collections, and the like.

A plurality of successive associated card 145,150 contributions and gifts is immediately recorded and stored in data storage 302. A set of software routines associates or correlates successive contributors' or gift givers' card account information with respective contribution or gift amounts. The contributor or gift giver has made a number of card contributions and gifts within a specified time period which are immediately recorded, stored and tallied by a set of software routines. Optional small contribution or gift service routine downloads a plurality of a contributor's or gift giver's card contributions and gifts once a card contribution or gift amount threshold is reached.

The electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 can adopt pen-based input or touch sensitive screen input. A pen and screen provide a contributor or gift giver a substitute for key pad 890. By way of example, a contributor or gift giver may use a pen to write in the amount of contribution or gift or other alpha-numeric text on a screen, not shown. Alternatively, a symbolic key associated with a cash denomination might appear on a screen. The contributor or gift giver then uses a finger to touch the symbolic key associated with a cash denomination and designates the contribution or gift amount. If a contributor's or gift giver's signature is required, a pen can also be used with a screen as an electronic signature line. The contributor's or gift giver's signature entered on a screen can be collected, stored, and/or transmitted by card processor 160/240 along with contribution or gift information to a third party card processor via a communication link 1030. Alternatively, this information might be sent to fund-raiser's or gift recipient's terminal 120 or peripheral 120 via a communication link 140 for further processing, storage, and/or transmittal via communication link 1030.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 with a card reader 307. In a variant, a container 440 supports a credit card processor 160, a debit card processor 240, or combination thereof. The present invention contemplates that both a credit card processor 160 and a debit card processor 240 can be located on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 at different physical locations.

A contributor or gift giver can drop a cash contribution or gift 143 or an envelope 600 containing a cash contribution or gift into a container 440. Container 440 has an open area 441 on its top surface of a side surface. Area 441 is of a size for receiving a cash contribution or gift 143 or envelope 600. The cash contribution or gift 143 or envelope 600 containing a cash currency contribution or gift might then be processed using manual post processed cash oblation. Alternatively, a contributor or gift giver can make a contribution or gift using credit card 145 or a debit card 150 as previously described.

The present invention contemplates that container 440 may be constructed from any material suitable to collect cash contributions and gifts or envelope contributions and gifts. Preferably, container 440 is constructed from a woven material, or a metal. Container 440 is of a size and weight permitting a contributor or gift giver pass it and the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to another contributor or gift giver.

Container 440 can comprise an envelope box 9737 with a locking cash drawer 9740 or a deposit box 9739 (FIG. 9). The envelope box 9737 and deposit box 9739 have a slot 102 disposed thereon for the deposit of cash 143 and envelope contributions and gifts 600 and an inner storage volume 9741. Deposit box 9739 can have the addition of an opening baffle 1405 for security, a locked cabinet door 9740 for access said cash contributions and gifts, and a removable bag 10 for retaining a cash contribution or gift 143 (not shown). In one embodiment, envelope box 9737 and deposit box 9739 comprise docking station 1999, an electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, or combination thereof. Optionally, envelope box 9737 and deposit box 9739 comprise a lock means for lockably securing electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 thereto. The combination of envelope box and electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, and/or deposit box and electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 are optionally on an a fund-raising terminal network.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a fund-raising terminal of the present invention, a card reader 307 and related circuitry 303 addition, and a key board 107 and related circuitry 109 addition. In this embodiment, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 acts as a stand alone unit for accepting card 145, 150, cash 143, envelope 600 contributions and gifts, or combinations thereof. For example, in FIG. 3 communication link can be a wireless communication link. Terminal 100 or peripheral 100 immediately records successive contributions or gifts made thereon. Further, in one embodiment, data storage 302 stores in the range of 10 to 1000+ contributions or gifts, including card information and associated contribution or gift information, the particular storage requirements being dictated by the number of contributor or gift givers or gift givers expected to use electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Preferably, data storage can store approximately 200 transactions.

The present invention also contemplates that in other embodiments swiping a credit card 145 or debit card 150 might not be required. As used herein, the term "swiping" or "passing" refers to any method for communicating information on an information bearing card to a card reader 307. The invention has the features enumerated above in FIG. 1, with the addition of a receipt generator 820 at electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. By way of example as with programmable IC cards. A contributor or gift maker can pre-program his or her information bearing card to off-load a pre-determined contribution or gift from his or her respective card onto terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Again, it is understood that the making of contributions or gifts by a plurality of successive contributors or gift givers is greatly accelerated where IC cards are used. Here the successive contributors or gift givers simply insert the IC card into a communication port on terminal 100 or peripheral 100. The IC card off-loads a contribution or gift from itself onto the terminal 100 or peripheral 100. The terminal 100 or peripheral 100 immediately records the off-loaded contributions or gifts from a plurality of successive contributors. There is no need for the entry of a contribution or gift numerical amount onto terminal 100 or peripheral 100 as the IC card has been pre-programmed with a numerical contribution or gift amount.

In yet a further variant the IC card is pre-programmed to recognize terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Hence, IC card recognizes terminal 100 or peripheral 100, and then automatically off-loads a pre-programmed contribution or gift from the IC card onto terminal 100 or peripheral 100. The present invention also provides an improved IC (Integrated circuit or smart) card in which an improvement comprises a pre-programmed contribution or gift thereon.

A contributor or gift giver may wish to obtain a receipt 830 directly after he has made a contribution or gift. After entering his contribution or gift, a cash contribution or gift 143, display 840 displays a message asking the contributor or gift giver if he wishes a receipt for his contribution or gift. The contributor or gift giver presses a key representing yes on keypad 890. Receipt generator 820 prints receipt 830 for the contributor or gift giver. The receipt contains information stored initially in the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, e.g. the contributor's or gift giver's name, the amount of the contribution or gift, the date of the contribution or gift, and/or the collection for which the contribution or gift was given. Preferably, the generation of the receipt(s) is made remote from terminal 100 or peripheral 100 so as not to decelerate the making of sequential contributions on terminal 100 or peripheral 100.

As shown in FIGS. 8, 8a, and 8b, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is used to induce, facilitate, and solicit successive monetary contributions or gifts made by a plurality of contributors or gift givers. The contribution or gift is made by an information bearing card, e.g. such as a credit card 145, or debit card 150. A method comprises the steps of prompting a cardholder contributor or gift giver to pass his information bearing card, e.g. through a card reader 307; prompting a contributor or gift giver to manually enter information representative of a contribution or gift amount; and, optionally prompting the contributor or gift giver to verify information representative of a contribution or gift amount. Verification may include a prompt to press a key representative of a "YES," "NO," "ENTEL," or other type of key(s). Prompting is accomplished by visually displaying an alpha-numeric message on display 840. Optionally prompting may be accomplished by providing alpha-numeric text disposed on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, offering station 7000, or combination thereof. Further optional visual prompts may include a prompt appearing on a display 840 requesting additional identification information of a contributor or gift giver, e.g. the address of an contributor or gift giver, a prompt requesting a special intention, or combination thereof. Further an optional message prompt may include the following text portions: "SLIDE CARD THROUGH CARD READER 1400," "ENTER CONTRIBUTION OF GIFT AMOUNT 1401," "PRESS YES 1402," "ENTER OFFERING AMOUNT," "ENTER CONTRIBUTION OR GIFT," a variation on the themes of the text, or combination thereof. In a variant, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 audibly prompts a contributor or gift giver to make a contribution or gift by way of an information bearing card.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portable electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, a docking station 1999 for portable electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, and a container 440 for gathering cash and envelope contributions and gifts.

Docking station 1999 allows for a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to be docked or received therein. Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is disposed in the docking station 1999 to allow information from an information bearing card and/or contribution or gift amount information to be transmitted via docking station 1999 to, by way of example, terminal 120 (via communication link 140), to a card account processor 1031 directly via communication link 140 (FIG. 4), to another electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, or a combination thereof. It is possible to have a plurality of docking stations 1999 networked on a fund-raising or gift giving terminal network.

Docking station 1999 can also be used to communicatively dispose a card reader 307, related circuitry 303 (FIG. 4), means for entering a contribution or gift amount, means for automatically storing successive contribution or gift amount information, means for automatically storing successive card information from an information bearing card, means for transmitting data sets comprised of successive contribution information from terminal 100 or peripheral 100, or combination thereof, to a container 440 (FIGS. 5 and 8) for collecting cash contributions and gifts, envelope contribution or gifts and gifts, or combination thereof. Moreover, a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 or docking station 1999 may also be located on the interior or exterior of a building and/or a permanently mounted to an envelope collection box (FIG. 8). In such an embodiment, docking station 1999 provides a means for energizing electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Optionally, docking station 1999 has a port 7778 for recharging a power supply on electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. Port 7778 is optionally used for communicatively attaching electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to a fund-raising terminal network, where the fund-raising terminal network facilitates that transmittal of contribution or gift information and card information to a card account processor.

In another embodiment docking station 1999 includes a slide in mounting unit (not pictured) onto which electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is connected to container 440 (FIG. 5) or offering station 7000 (FIG. 6). In an embodiment, Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 slides into docking station 1999 (FIGS. 5 or 6), and plugs into the docking station 1999, e.g. into port 7778 (FIG. 6). In an alternate embodiment, docking station 1999, and/or electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 contain a base mount (not shown). The base mount includes a plate on the bottom or side of electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. The plate is offset from the bottom of electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. The plate allows electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to slide into docking station 1999. A plurality of docking stations 1999 are removably connected to allow for a plurality of terminals 100 or peripherals 100 to be carried thereon, and to allow for ease of transportation. Further a single docking station 1999 optionally has a plurality of bays thereon in which terminals 100, peripherals 100, or combinations thereof rest, down load information, and/or recharge.

In a variant, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is permanently mounted in a docking station 1999. Optionally, docking station 1999 has a surface 7058 (FIG. 5) or surface 7050 (FIG. 6) on which a portable card processor 160/240 rests without an electrical connection. Terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is taken from the docking station 1999 surface 7050, 7058 after a plurality of successive contributions or gifts are made thereon, e.g. 10 to 1000% and linked to a card account processor database 1031 via communication link 140. In one embodiment, docking station 1999 can be integrally molded into the body of container 440. the docking station 1999 comprises an optional indentation of a size and shape to retain electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 on a surface 7058, container 440, or a combination thereof. The electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, and docking station 1999 contain complementary electrical connectors (not shown), the connection of which provides sufficient connection to provide a communication link to transmit data or information. Numerous communication links discussed above can also be used to provide connections to move data.

In various embodiments, docking station 1999, terminal 120, electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, card account processor 1031, or a combination thereof, are on the same network. Downloading information from the devices on the network is directed to a terminal 120 in one embodiment, to a modem in another embodiment, or to a card account processor database in yet another embodiment. Docking station 1999 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is constructed of plastic, metal, wood, or any other material appropriate to create a surface on which a Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 can rest. Docking station 1999 is fastened to the side of container 440 via a fastening means (not pictured). By way of example, a fastening means includes adhesive, rivets, snaps, velcro, screws, or combination thereof.

Optional hook and loop fastener 7002 comes into contact with a sister hook and loop fastener (not pictured) disposed on the underside of electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to releaseably connect electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to docking station 1999 (FIGS. 5 and 6), surface 7058 (FIG. 5), or surface 7050 (FIG. 6).

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an fund-raising contribution or gift station 7000 comprising electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100, optional docking station 1999, optional container 7001 for collecting cash and envelope contributions and gifts, and an optional means for lockably securing an electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 to docking station 1999, or surface 7050.

Fund-raising contribution or gift station 7000 has a surface 7050. The fund-raising contribution or gift station has optional aperture 7003 through which light source 7052 radiates light. Lens 7004 is interposed between the aperture 7003 and source 7052. Lens 7004 has alpha-numeric text disposed thereon in one embodiment, e.g. the name of a fund-raising organization. Electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 rests on surface 7050 removably attached with a hook and loop fastener as described in FIG. 5 or lockably disposed in docking station 1999 by way of a locking mechanism 7011. Pins 7013 retract or enter apertures 7012 in response to locking mechanism 7011 being locked or unlocked. A variety of locking mechanisms and assemblies for lockably securing electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 are known in the art. The present invention contemplates that electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is optionally lockably disposed on the surface 7050. These locking assemblies may be used when electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 is secured to the container 440 (FIG. 5), an envelope collection container (FIG. 8) or combination thereof. Mechanical and electronic locking assemblies are used to lockably secure electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. These may include a lock and key combinations, padlocks, and the like. Port 7778 is used with a complimentary port on a fund-raising contribution or gift station 100, a communication link 140, or combination thereof, to energize electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100 via the optional power supply 7776.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a face of a electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. A card reader 307 for reading card information from an information bearing card, and display 840 are disposed on the electronic contributions or gifts management terminal 100 or peripheral 100. A manually activated means for entering contribution or gift monetary amount information comprises, a key representative of a fixed contribution or gift amount 900, e.g. a key representative of ten dollars, a key representative of a single digit integer 901, a confirmation key 904, a negation key 905, or combination thereof. Key 904 may represent a "yes" key. Key 905 may represent a "no" key. It will be understood that key 900 allows for a contributor or gift giver to make a monetary contribution or gift amount rapidly