More Than 180 Boy Scout Units Use Sage Mobile Payments for Popcorn Fundraisers

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwired - Dec 17, 2013) - Sage North America today announced it is providing mobile payments capabilities for popcorn sales for numerous Boy Scout Councils. More than 180 Boy Scout Units -- groups of Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops -- are using Sage Mobile Payments, the Payment Card Industry (PCI)-compliant mobile payments product.

As one of the most popular Boy Scouts of America (BSA) fundraisers, the annual popcorn sale supports local units' Scouting throughout the year. Last year, over 70 percent of the fundraiser's proceeds stayed within local councils. Of that amount, one-third of a council's proceeds went directly to the units that sold popcorn to fund their local programs and activities.

Boy Scouts of Des Plaines Valley Council in La Grange, Ill., used Sage Mobile Payments for 13 weeks of the 14-week 2013 popcorn sale. "Prior to this year, very few troops and packs accepted credit cards," said Manuel Carrera, Jr., Des Plaines Valley Council district executive. "Overall council sales were higher this year, thanks to Sage Mobile Payments, and more people purchased at a lower price point. We received new customers who weren't necessarily looking to buy popcorn, as well as customers who would typically have a 'no cash' reason for not buying. I personally like how simple and easy Sage Mobile Payments made it to complete a transaction."

The popcorn sale aligns with one of the goals of Scouting: "to teach youth within the organization how to become self-reliant." Through the popcorn sale and other fundraising projects, the Boy Scouts organization has the opportunity to teach Scouts how they, along with the combined efforts of other Scouts, can help make the world a better place.

Boy Scouts of America Longhorn Council in Hurst, Texas, started using Sage Mobile Payments in mid-August and concluded their popcorn sales at the end of November 2013. "Last year, we used a mobile payments product from another vendor, and the product was fine, but the Sage customer support has been great," said Renee Horton, Longhorn Council development director. "The first stage of our council's popcorn sales was up 10 percent over last year."

Sage Mobile Payments comes bundled with a Sage merchant account and allows organizations like the Boy Scouts to cost effectively and securely process credit and debit card transactions on smartphones and tablets, across all major wireless carriers and with no down payment or deposit requirements. Sage Payments Solutions settles to Sage Mobile Payment customers' bank accounts within 48 hours of each transaction. Featuring signature capture capabilities and a tax and tip calculator, Sage Mobile Payments offers end-to-end encryption, so customers' credit card data remains safe with encryption at all stages of the transaction. Sage Mobile Payments customers can also retrieve a customer invoice from their mobile device and pay against that invoice for seamless and complete integration into their Sage accounting software.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is one of the nation's largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship and develops personal fitness. For more than a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The BSA believes -- and, through over a century of experience, knows -- that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society. For more information, visit: http://www.scouting.org/About.aspx

About The Sage Group plc
We provide small and medium-sized organizations with a range of easy-to-use, secure, and efficient business management software and services -- from accounting and payroll to enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and payments. Our customers receive continuous advice and support through our global network of local experts to help them solve their business problems, giving them the confidence to achieve their business ambitions. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and entered the FTSE 100 in 1999. Sage has over 6 million customers and more than 12,700 employees in 24 countries covering the UK & Ireland, mainland Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, Asia, and Brazil. For further information please visit: www.sage.com

For more information about Sage in North America, please visit the company website at NA.Sage.com. Follow Sage North America on Facebook, Facebook.com/Sage, and Twitter, Twitter.com/SageNAmerica.

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