When it comes to raising funds online, nonprofits would want to make sure their systems for receiving and processing donations are up to mark. There are several third-party services out there, and some have special considerations for nonprofits that make receiving donations and raising funds easier for them.
PayPal is one of the services that offer such considerations; it is also one of the best platforms any organization would want to use for their fundraising, because of its guarantee of security as well as the ease with which donations can be made, whether they are one-time donations or recurring ones.
Recurring donations are the future of fundraising, with sustainability for nonprofits ensured by effective recurring donation programs, and PayPal has taken this into consideration.
Let’s look at how to set up recurring donations on PayPal.
Setting up Donations on PayPal
To set up recurring donations, you would first need a nonprofit PayPal account. While setting up an account and receiving the code for the donate button is possible even with a personal account, setting up a PayPal account specifically for the nonprofit can bring a number of added benefits.
When setting up the account, you will have to choose the option to start a business account. Furthermore, you will have to choose from the drop-down menu of different organization types and select the nonprofit organization option.
Once done, you will have to enter information about your organization, such as your contact information and some details about the organization’s operations. To set up a business account, you also have to enter your tax ID and Social Security number.
Once you have set up your PayPal account, you can get the code for a donation button that can be embedded into the page easily, and this button is also easily customized to suit the organization. This donation button will lead to the payment page where donors can choose to make donations one-time or recurring, by selecting the provided option.
PayPal also uses subscription integration, which allows users to make repeat payments – in this case, recurring donations – by subscribing to a fixed payment plan that allows PayPal to charge the fixed amount on repeat intervals. This can be done through the donors’ PayPal accounts or through cards as well.
Other Ways to Set It Up
You can also choose to set up an account on Givingloop instead, where the benefits of PayPal are all available without the need for a PayPal account itself. You will not have to set up or manage the account, but can instead choose to set up an account with Givingloop, where all donations made will be made through PayPal, but the amount your organization raises will be delivered directly into your bank account.
Ashraf Samhouri
Sally Nasr