Soapbox Engage Blog

If your nonprofit is fundraising these days, it's basically a requirement that you can accept and process online donations. There are so many payment processors to choose from--including Authorize.net, PayPal, Stripe, and many others! It can feel impossible to know which one is right for your nonprofit. To make matters worse, the details about each processing system can be confusing.

Don't worry, we're here to help to make sense of all of this.

We took a deep dive into the world of payment processors on your behalf. Lots of organizations are finding a lot of value in using Stripe as their payment gateway of choice, so we thought it would be a good idea to do the research and help you understand more about this credit card processing option.

Table of Contents

• Why should nonprofits should use a payment processor?
• Nonprofits must use a PCI-compliant payment service
• 6 reasons to consider Stripe for your nonprofit payment processor
• Soapbox Engage and Stripe: the power-couple of nonprofit fundraising

Why should nonprofits should use a payment processor?

The most basic reason nonprofits need an online payment processor (also known as a payment gateway) is to accept online donations. Did you know that more than 13% of all donations to small nonprofits came from online giving? To be honest, we think that's a fairly conservative estimate. If your organization does any online fundraising, say from email appeal emails and online campaigns, you really need to offer online giving options.

Which means, you guessed it, you'll need to collect and process credit cards online.

Whether you're collecting credit card donations, charging membership fees, selling event tickets, running an e-commerce store, or any other activity that requires money to change hands, you'll need a payment processor.

Nonprofits must use a PCI-compliant payment service

PCI is the abbreviation for the Payment Card Industry. PCI compliance is a security standard that ensures both you and your donors are safe during an online transaction. PCI-compliant payment processors keep sensitive data and information safe and prevent stolen credit card numbers and all sorts of nefarious activity.

Using a PCI-compliant payment processor, and associated services like our own Soapbox Engage apps, reassures your supporters that their sensitive information is safe throughout the donation process. Plus, these days, it's just a requirement for doing business in the modern era.

Since Stripe is a PCI-compliant payment processing system, and securely stores sensitive data on your behalf, you'll be in good hands and protected by their security services based on the highest standards in the credit card industry.

6 Reasons to Consider Stripe for Your Organization

We consider many factors when searching for the best all-around payment processors for nonprofits and fundraising professionals. While there are several reliable options on the market, here are the top reasons we believe Stripe is one of the best for the nonprofit community.

Discounts for nonprofits

Every payment processor charges a small (or moderate) fee for each transaction. Most processors charge a percentage of the total transaction amount.

Stripe's competitive, pay-as-you-go pricing structure costs about 2.9% + 30 cents per successful card charge. They don't charge any additional setup or monthly fees and volume discounts are available. Plus, you'll be able to process donations from all over the world! It's one of the few payment companies that can support multiple currencies. Stripe can process credit cards from over 110 countries.

While the specific discount for nonprofits aren't advertised on their website, Stripe does offer some perks to 501(c)3 organizations in the United States. We'd strongly recommend reaching out to their sales department to learn more about the significant discount for nonprofits.

Keep donors on your website

When donors are redirected to a third-party site while making a donation, you risk losing their attention or having them "abandon" the process out of fear that the site isn't secure. Payment processors that redirect donors to other pages can also be confusing for donors to navigate.

Stripe's integration with Soapbox Engage is designed to keep your supporters on your organization's website! This simplifies the giving process and keeps your donors engaged with your custom donation page. When you pair Stripe with the Soapbox Engage Donations app, your supporters will enjoy a custom, branded donation experience to reassure them they're in the right place, and they can give with confidence.

Mobile payment processing for e-commerce and event registration

Do you host events where you would like to accept payments on the go? Perhaps you'd like to sell tickets at your next gala or offer a "donate on the spot" option at a fundraiser. Stripe lets you go mobile and process payments from just about anywhere!

No refund fees and easy re-billing

Sure, a donor rarely requests a refund, but it does happen from time to time! Stripe doesn't charge you a refund fee if this ever happens to you.

Perhaps more applicable to nonprofits, Stripe lets you easily re-bill a donor without having to store their personal and credit card information! This is critical in the age of data breaches and online identity theft. By allowing Stripe to handle all the sensitive data, you're protecting your organization and your donors.

Subscription, coupon, and discount code options

Does your nonprofit have a monthly donation program? If not, you should…but we'll tackle that in a different conversation. Stripe gives you the ability to set up subscriptions and recurring payments so your donors can plan their monthly or quarterly gifts in advance!

And, next time you host an event for which you sell tickets with our Soapbox Engage Events app, you'll be able to offer discounts and coupon codes to your valued donors! Whether you're thinking early bird specials or discounts for your top supporters, the options are endless and convenient when integrating with Stripe!

Slick integration with Soapbox Engage and your website

Stripe is one of the easiest to set up and maintain on your organization's website from a web developer's perspective. It's easy to use and gives you full control to design a pleasant donation experience for your supporters.

Whether you're using Stripe on your main donation page, a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, an e-commerce store, or to sell event tickets, Soapbox Engage's apps integrate quickly and easily with Stripe for secure online payments.

If you're using Soapbox Engage and Stripe with either the Microsoft Fundraising and Engagement app or the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack, you'll find the ease of integration nice and simple.

Soapbox Engage and Stripe: The Power-Couple of Nonprofit Fundraising

With our Soapbox Engage apps, your nonprofit organization can harness the full power and simplicity of Stripe online payment processing without writing a single line of code! Accidental techies rejoice! Here are some practical applications for how your nonprofit can benefit from Soapbox Engage and Stripe's combined superpowers.

Use forms for seamless donations of all kinds

Thanks to Stripe and our online donation pages, you can accept one-time or recurring donations via engaging, custom forms. Plus, no more wasting time with double data-entry, as Soapbox Engage sends data directly from your website to both Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics!

Gather important information without storing sensitive data

We already mentioned that Stripe stores sensitive credit card information, so you don't have to worry about it. With Soapbox Engage's integration, data is securely handled and easily integrated into the credit card vaulting system within Stripe.

Sell paid event tickets

Paid event tickets can really be a development professional's worst nightmare without the right tools. Thanks to the Soapbox Engage Events app and Stripe, complicated spreadsheets and collecting cash at the door are relics of the past!

When you combine the Events app and Stripe, your organization can process event registrations and online payments in one easy transaction! Plus, the information is saved directly to your database, reducing the amount of time your staff dedicates to administrative tasks.

Is your nonprofit planning multiple events at once? No problem! Create custom event campaigns for each event and keep all the information neatly organized. Plus, there are loads of ticketing choices, including free and paid options.

Does your organization charge for camps, classes, educational programming, or other classes? Pair the Soapbox Engage Classes app with Stripe for a seamless online class registration and payment experience, too!

Stripe easily handles transactions for your nonprofit's e-commerce store

Whether you're selling swag, subscriptions, or services, many nonprofits diversify their revenue stream with an e-commerce store. No matter how many or few products you have in your store, Stripe is an easy, secure way to process order payments.

Thanks to the Soapbox Engage Shop app, you can create an unlimited number of product order forms so your team can spend more time on the mission and less time managing merch.

The bottom line is that Stripe has all the features a nonprofit could want in a payment processing system without a lot of hassle or extra fluff. It's reliable, easy to use, and offers competitive pricing (especially if you take advantage of any nonprofit discounts they're offering). We believe it's a fantastic choice for nonprofit organizations. When your organization pairs Stripe and Soapbox Engage, the opportunities and options are limited only by your imagination!

 

Are you looking for the next steps to improve your online giving options? Here are three more resources to help you as you build your online donation process.

• Accept Donations Online 8 Effective Tools for Nonprofits: Fortunately, it's easier than ever for nonprofits to accept donations online. Unfortunately, the most accessible online donation tools aren't always the best choice in the long run. This blog will walk you through how to choose the right online donation tools for your nonprofit organization.
• Easily Accept Stripe Online Payments with Soapbox Engage: Soapbox Engage allows you to create beautiful, custom, mobile-friendly donation pages that integrate with Stripe. And you won't need to write a single line of computer code to make it work! This blog offers helpful insight into how to integrate Stripe with your Soapbox Engage platforms.
• Increasing Your Donation Page Conversion Rate: 9 Smart Tips: Having a great donation page is both an art and a science. One way to boost your organization's fundraising is to increase your donation page's conversion rate and make the process easy and enjoyable for your supporters. This blog is packed with nine great tips about how you can improve your donation pages and get better results.