Credit Card Fees Explained

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. What is Tiered Pricing? Tiered pricing is the most common, though not generally considered… Read More »
Credit Card Security for Processing Electronic Payments

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)… Read More »
Are Nonprofits Required to be PCI Compliant?

All merchants (businesses or organizations) who accept, store or transmit credit card data are required to be PCI compliant. This requirement extends to nonprofit organizations, charities, 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… Read More »
Benefits of Point of Sale for Credit Card Processing

Point of Sale Systems: (also called POS systems) 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… Read More »
Credit Card Processing: The Three Basic Steps

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… Read More »
20 Merchant Services and Payment Processing Definitions

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… Read More »
Requirements to Apply for a Merchant Account

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… Read More »
What credit card processing is right for my business?

If you are a small business owner or nonprofit organization seeking to fundraise or process credit card 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 business… Read More »
Using a Merchant Account vs. PayPal

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… Read More »
Credit Card Refund Scam Targeting Nonprofits

Nonprofits Be Warned! Credit Card Refund Scam Targeting Online Donations 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 for all or a portion of a credit card donation to a… Read More »
Selecting a Non-Profit Merchant Services Provider

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… Read More »
Should my nonprofit use payment processing services?

Online 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 especially online. But these services can be complicated and costly. You may be wondering, does my non-profit really need to accept credit cards? What kind of credit… Read More »
The Importance of Mission Driven Fundraising

The most successful fundraising campaigns tie into the mission of an organization. This is sometimes called mission-driven fundraising since the organization’s mission is at the heart of its fundraising efforts. You can see this easily in the reverse when organizations select a nonprofit fundraising event that doesn’t align well with their mission. An example of… Read More »