This month, TechSoup Canada will be taking a look at online donations and the processes involved. From the fundamentals of payment processing to online giving trends, we will cover everything your nonprofit needs to know about online giving.
New content will be posted through-out the month, so be sure to check back regularly!
Fundamentals of Online Donations
Payment Processing in Pictures
Accepting credit card payments is getting easier, but the system for processing those payments remains complex. It can be hard to understand how online payment processing works. To help you see the big picture, we've laid out a typical payment process in diagrams.
Fundraising 101: Why You Should Care about Merchant Accounts
Canadians are growing increasingly comfortable with donating online and the trend is only gaining momentum. If you want a piece of the fundraising pie, your nonprofit needs to be able to accept money online and offer as many donation options as possible. And it all starts with a merchant account.
A Few Good Methods For Processing Credit Cards
If your nonprofit needs to accept credit card payments, it’s never been easier to do so. Whether those payments include donations made over the phone, on-site registration fees at your next conference, or purchases at a booth, gift shop, or craft fair, there are a number of ways to accept credit cards as payment. Some require different types of hardware and software and relationships with banks.
A Few Good Online Payment Multitaskers
If you're looking to accept donations, register people for events, or sell items online, there are many applications out there to help you complete any one of these transactions. But what if you're looking to process more than one type of payment? What if your needs are a little out of the ordinary? Are there any software options that will support a variety of online transactions?
A Few Good Point of Sales
From museum stores to gift shops, organizations with retail storefronts need point of sales solutions that help process transactions, provide reporting, and manage inventory. What are the options when it comes to choosing a POS system?
Online Giving Tips for Your Nonprofit
Getting the Best Prices for Processing Credit Cards
Before you attempt to negotiate rates with a merchant account provider, be sure to familiarize yourself with the various types of transactions and the fees associated with them. Types of transactions include in-person transactions, mail order and telephone order (MOTO) transactions and Internet transactions.
CanadaHelps 101: A Simple Way to Get Online Donations
CanadaHelps is a registered charity with a goal to make giving simple. Their mission is to engage Canadians in the charitable sector, providing accessible and affordable online technology to both donors and charities to promote – and ultimately increase – charitable giving in Canada.
How to take Donations and Payments on Your Smartphone
Have you ever had to turn a donor away at an event because you could only accept cash or cheque? With mobile payment processing tools, you can accept donations and payments anywhere, at any time. Not sure what your options are? We've compiled tools and resources on mobile payments and explain some of the technologies out there.
Online Giving Trends
Direct Debit – A Cost-Effective Online Payment Option for Nonprofits
Many Canadians may be reducing or eliminating their use of credit cards as a result of lingering economic uncertainty. Or, given the option, consumers may choose to use another payment method such as direct debit from their bank account. This may be a more attractive option for the many Canadians who are looking to close the gap on their debt-to-income ratio
