[Greater-Baltimore] Exciting News! Pay Your Chapter Dues and more with Zelle! 🎉

[Danielsen, Chris]

Dear federation family:

We’ve got some fantastic news to share—making payments to our chapter just got easier! You can now pay your chapter dues, participate in chapter fundraisers,  help with our PAC payment, and make other payments using Zelle. 🎉
We know you have questions, so let’s dive into the details to explain what this means for you:
Q: What is Zelle?
A: Zelle is a fast, safe, and easy way to send money directly from your bank account to ours. Think of it as a no-hassle way to transfer funds without cash, checks, or card fees!
Q: How do I use Zelle to pay the chapter?
A: Just send your payment via your banking app to greaterbaltimore at nfbmd.org<mailto:greaterbaltimore at nfbmd.org>. Be sure to include your name and the purpose of the payment (e.g., "Annual Dues" or “Candy Purchase”) in the memo section so we can accurately categorize the income.
Q: Why should I use Zelle to pay dues instead of the NFBMD dues portal?
A: Great question! Using Zelle means no extra fees. When you use the dues portal, you’re charged an additional $1 convenience fee to cover the cut that the payment processor takes. Zelle does not take a cut of the payments it processes. Why pay more when you don’t have to? Plus, the money comes straight to us, and the affiliate doesn’t have to transfer it from its account to ours.
Q: Is Zelle secure?
A: Absolutely! Zelle is backed by major banks, and your transactions are protected. Plus, payments go directly to our chapter’s account, so no intermediary is involved.
Q: Does this mean we’re going cashless?
A: No; you are still welcome to pay in cash or use the dues portal if you are unable to use Zelle. We are adding this payment method solely for everyone’s convenience. After all, how many times have we all forgotten to bring cash to the meeting? This payment method will also make for easier record-keeping. All that said, if you’re not comfortable paying this way or your financial institution does not make it available to you, cash is still welcome, and our treasurer is excellent at keeping accurate records.
Q: I’m ready to pay. What’s next?
A: Open your banking app, find the “Send Money with Zelle” or similar option, and enter greaterbaltimore at nfbmd.org<mailto:greaterbaltimore at nfbmd.org> as the recipient. (You may want to add us to your list of Zelle recipients, so that you won’t have to type our email address every time.)

A few important notes:

  1.  When you find our account, the app will tell you that it is registered to “Leah.” This is of course Leah Mattern, our treasurer, so there is no cause for concern; you have the right account as long as you entered greaterbaltimore at nfbmd.org<mailto:greaterbaltimore at nfbmd.org>.
  2.  It is CRITICAL that you enter the purpose of the payment in the “for” or “memo” or “message” field. This helps us correctly track and categorize your payment.
  3.  We cannot accept Zelle payments as door prize donations or for the chapter fifty-fifty raffle.
  4.  The stand-alone Zelle app will soon become unavailable, and not all banks or credit unions offer transfers via Zelle. However, the service is growing in popularity, and it is estimated that some 2200 financial institutions do offer Zelle transfers. Contact your individual bank or credit union for details.

Thank you for supporting the Greater Baltimore Chapter and making our financial transactions smoother and more efficient. If you have any questions about using Zelle, feel free to reach out to either President Danielsen or Treasurer Mattern.
Let’s make this year our best yet!

Warmly,

Chris Danielsen, Chapter President
Leah Mattern, Chapter Treasurer



Christopher S. Danielsen, J.D.
Editor
The Braille Monitor
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314, Ext. 2330 | cdanielsen at nfb.org<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>
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