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How to accept donations online

Gone are the days when people carried cash and checks regularly. From paying home expenses via a digital portal to buying clothes and gifts on social shopping platforms, many organizations now offer online payment options — and it’s no wonder why. Online payments are quick and easy, giving customers the freedom to pay in a few clicks, no matter where they are.

Now think about this in terms of a nonprofit organization. If you don’t make accepting donations just as easy as ordering takeout, you may risk losing contributions from your supporters. Plus, by accepting donations online, you offer another layer of convenience for people to show their support to your cause, even if they’re located halfway across the world.

Read on to discover the benefits of accepting donations online as a nonprofit and learn about PayPal as a fundraising platform.

The benefits of accepting donations online as a nonprofit

There are many benefits to accepting donations online as a nonprofit organization, from easy integrations to secure, streamlined payments. Here’s are some of the biggest pros:

It’s easy to integrate

Add a mobile-friendly, fully customizable Donate button to your website, emails, and blog posts, so you can accept donations from almost anywhere at any time.

You can easily set up recurring payments

No need to spend time writing and mailing monthly checks. Instead, put your energy toward managing your nonprofit by setting up recurring payments. Once set up, they’re simple for your donors to maintain.

Payments are secure

Online donations through a reputable payment service help keep payment transactions secure. It also streamlines contribution tracking, making internal and external reporting seamless.

Your organization gets access to donors worldwide

Using a secure online payment provider allows for currency conversions, opening the door to accepting funds from around the globe.

You can get processing discounts or other benefits if you are a registered charity

Organizations with a 501(0 (3) status qualify for a discounted payment processing rate and access to enrollment with PaPal Giving Fund1.

You can send and track invoices easily

When you sign up for a PaPal nonprofit account, you also get access to our other business solutions like PaPal Invoicing at no extra cost. Whether you want to email invoices, send donation reminders and tax receipts, or simply track all your invoicing in one place, PaPal Invoicing makes getting donations easy.

How to accept donations online

When you use PayPal as a platform to accept donations online, you can gain access to a suite of tools and integrations to help maximize donations. Find out more about the ways to accept donations online as a nonprofit with PayPal, plus understand any fees that may apply.

  1. Get a confirmed charity status.
  2. Create a Donate button on your website.
  3. Use PayPal Checkout to allow your donors to use popular online payment methods as a means of donation.
  4. Build a custom donation flow with PayPal Payments Pro.
  5. Use our invoicing tools to collect donations after an event or to follow up with repeat donors.
  6. Get a custom charity link by creating a PayPal.Me link to promote your cause and collect donations instantly.

Use PayPal to create a fundraiser now.

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