RANCHO SANTA FE — The Rancho Santa Fe Association board of directors unanimously agreed that an online bill payment service and paperless billing was a good option to offer to its members. Leading the discussion on the item was the Association’s controller, Matthew Ditonto.
Ditonto described the service much like a PayPal account but they would team up with a company called BankServ that would partner with the Association’s accounting software.
“Literally, it is just a bank account that sits up there in the cloud on the Internet and you now have the opportunity to send us money via ACH or e-checks,” Ditonto said.
Members who choose to take part in this would set up an account using their banking information. Access to Association invoices would be available, he said, and a member can pay that invoice amount.
According to Ditonto, a member could be anywhere in the world and still have the ability to pay their bill online.
“We would get a report every day showing what money has been sent to our account. It shows the name, the member ID, and the amount of money,” he said, noting how this information could be uploaded into their accounting system.
Board member and treasurer, Janet Danola, was in favor of this new approach.
Ditonto said he would like to get as many members as possible interested in paperless billing. Currently, staff members are printing out invoices, stuffing envelopes and mailing them off. Offering paperless could also save time in house.
This was something that Ditonto wanted to roll out as soon as possible.
Communications manager for the Association, Christy Whalen, confirmed that an e-blast regarding the new paperless billing and online bill payment services could be sent as well as providing a FAQ on the website.
Board member Mike Licosati mentioned his preference in having an invoice e-mail alert being sent out to members instead of a direct invoice. He believed it was a preferred method and more secure.
Ditonto agreed with Licosati saying that an email alert for a member invoice would be a better method.
