If your school or organization is starting an online fundraising campaign, you may be wondering about the benefits of using our merchant accounts vs. DoJiggy Payments. What are the benefits and fees associated with both of these options? How do you choose which is the better option for your organization? What if you already have a PayPal account - should you just use that?
Need payment processing for your fundraising event, but not interested in a full merchant account and monthly fees? Tired of using PayPal and dealing with PayPal Pending orders? Need payment processing for your fundraising event, but not interested in a full merchant account and monthly fees? Tired of using PayPal and dealing with PayPal Pending orders?
The reality of today's global economy is that accepting credit cards are a necessary part of business and the nonprofit community. The idea of figuring out how to process credit cards can appear to be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Accepting credit card payments, and processing them, is easier than ever thanks to technology, mobile accessibility and integration with fundraising and donation websites.
With credit card processing for nonprofits, a very important factor to keep in mind is ensuring that the donor trust and confidence that you have worked so hard to gain, and keep, is upheld if they should chose to give via credit card. Ensuring that credit card processing is safe, reliable and accessible for everyone is an important step in ensuring that donors are comfortable to support your mission and you receive the funds in a timely manner.
Ronald McDonald House Charities is holding their 11th annual fundraising event on April 18. Runnin for the House is a 5 k run - 1 mile walk with an early morning warm up with Ronald McDonald. The competitive 5K competition starts at 8:AM and the non-competitive walk at 8:10. Using DoJiggy's crowdfunding software, they have over 100 participants spreading the word to their friends and families, and taking online donations.
All US based merchants (businesses or organizations) who accept, store or transmit credit card data are required to be PCI compliant. This required standard has been put in place to ensure the safety and security of your constituent's personal and financial data.
A key requirement of this standard is to complete an annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) attesting your organization's compliance. The SAQ will ask a series of Yes/No questions based on the PCI Data Security Standards that apply to your organization or business type.
Every day, people around the world are affected by charities and non-profits in some way, shape, or form. Community based programs, shelters for animals, schools, arts and entertainment programs – these are just a few ways that people benefit from charity organizations. Each year, more and more people realize the positive impact these organizations have on their lives and on our planet. They choose to open up their hearts and their pocket books and decide to give-back.
This is especially true during the holiday season, when people are in the frame of mind to give.
Charities and non-profit organizations work all year long helping to make the world a better place. From feeding the homeless, to helping protect endangered species, these organizations give of their time, energy, and resources every day. But there’s one day in particular that unifies all of these non-profits and charities together: Giving Tuesday. (#GivingTuesday)
Giving Tuesday falls on Dec. 2, 2014 (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving). This is the one day a year dedicated to celebrating generosity and to give. Families, schools, companies, charities, and people around the world come together to find ways to give back to their communities and to their planet. Needless to say, this is a very important day for all types of non-profit organizations and charities. It’s the perfect time to communicate your cause and get your friends, family, co-workers, and others involved by hosting a non-profit fundraising campaign.
If you are signing up for a merchant account, one of your primary considerations is going to be understanding credit card processing fees and pricing structures. There are two main fee classifications for merchant accounts: Tiered Pricing & Interchange Plus Pricing.
Many non-profit organizations and companies process payments, donations, and sales transactions via a merchant services account. If credit card processing is part of your business practice, than your business must be PCI Compliant. This means your business follows certain credit card security requirements set forth by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Program.
All merchants (businesses or organizations) who accept, store or transmit credit card data are required to be PCI compliant and this includes non-profit organizations, schools and churches. Even if your organization processes a very small volume of credit card sales or donations, you are required to maintain PCI security standards to protect your constituent data.
The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard is a worldwide standard for payment card (credit and debit cards) and consumer financial data protection. It incorporates the requirements of the Visa USA Cardholder Information Security Program (CISP) and the Visa International Account Information Security (AIS) program, the MasterCard International Site Data Protection (SDP) program, as well as the security requirements of American Express DSS, DiscoverCard DISC and the Japan Credit Bureau (JCB).
Point of Sale System (also called POS system) is the place where a retail transaction is completed. This is the point in which a customer makes a payment to a merchant in exchange for goods or services, usually done at “checkout” or at the register. The retailer (or merchant) calculates the amount owed by the customer and provides options for the customer to make payment: i.e. cash, check, debit or credit card. If a debit or credit card is selected, a POS terminal (or credit card terminal) is used for swiping the card and processing the transaction, and issuing a receipt.
There are many benefits of using a point of sale system for processing payments. Below we discuss a few!
If your nonprofit is interested in processing payments and donations with debit or credit cards, you’re probably looking into establishing a merchant account. While it is also possible to accept credit cards via PayPal or with 3rd party providers that write you a check for money donated to your organization, having your own merchant account will provide your non-profit organization with the most flexibility and functionality, at the lowest price possible. And although there are lots of options for merchant services providers, there’s also a lot of information to learn. As you are weighing your options, you’re going to want to have a basic understanding of how the payment processing system works.
New to the payment processing world? There is a lot to learn if you hope to get the best payment processing rates for your organization. It can be a complex industry to break into and lots of new terms will be used by industry professionals when introducing their services.
We have compiled this list of 20 of the most commonly used definitions for nonprofits new to payment processing and the merchant services industry. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it will provide some direction for getting started in the merchant services industry.
If your nonprofit intends to process any payments by credit or debit card (whether that’s collecting donations, taking payments for fundraising events, selling products/services, etc.) you’ll want to set up a merchant account for safe and secure credit card processing.
You’d probably assume that getting a merchant account is easy. After all, the merchant services company you select does make money every time you process a transaction, so they should be happy to have your business. But keep in mind that they are also taking on risk, so they do have to do their due-diligence before approving your application.
If you are a small business or nonprofit organization processing payments, you’re probably thinking about how you can accept credit and debit card payments (if you haven’t started already). Since almost everyone these days expects to be able to pay with plastic, it is definitely to your benefit to set up a merchant account that allows you to accept credit and debit cards. And if so, you are probably wondering what credit card processing is right for your business.
The first thing you’ll want to do is think about HOW you intend to collect payments. What does your business do? Do you intend to collect payments in-person, online or on-the-go?
If your organization is starting an online fundraising campaign, you may be wondering about the benefits of using a merchant account vs. PayPal. What are the fees associated with both of these options? Which is right for your organization?
Both of these options have their advantages, so your choice will depend on your organization’s needs and budget.
There is currently a scam targeting nonprofits or any organization or individual processing credit card donations online. The scam involves a request from a donor (who is actually a fraud) requesting a refund fro all or a portion of a credit card donation to a different card than what was originally used. If you receive a request similar to this, you should flag it as suspicious and do NOT process the requested refund without further investigation.
If your nonprofit intends on handling any kind of online financial transaction: online donations, selling tickets to fundraising events, selling sponsorship opportunities, etc. you are going to want to find a merchant services provider so you can offer credit card processing. After all, almost every exchange of money these days happens via debit or credit card, and if you only offer traditional forms of payment (check or cash) you are likely going to miss out on a huge opportunity for additional revenue.
Payment processing is commonly used by schools, churches and all types of nonprofit organizations today. Most nonprofits accept credit cards in their offices, at special events, and online. But these services can be complicated and costly. You may be wondering, does my non-profit really need to accept credit cards?
