Payment methods
Donations can be given through several different payment methods and tracked in Giving. When donors give a physical donation, it is tracked as a cash or check donation in Giving. When donors give online, their payment method information is saved in their profiles.
Supported payment methods
The table shows how people can donate and how the payment methods are entered into Giving.
Payment method | Processing method |
|---|---|
Cash | Counted and entered in batches |
Check | Counted and entered in batches |
Credit or debit card | Online donation or manual entry |
Apple Pay | Online donations |
Google Pay | Online donations via Church Center Web (not supported in the mobile app) |
ACH bank transfer | Online donation or manual entry |
Text message | |
External payment source | Tracked with batches |
Payment method details
Expand the section for more information about supported payment methods.
Cash donations in donation envelopes usually identify the donor and fund designation. Loose cash can be counted as an anonymous gift and designated to a general fund.
Cash donations are counted in batches.
Card donations can be initiated by the donors themselves, privately and securely, from your donation form. When these donations are received, they are immediately added to the dashboard.
If a donor requests an administrator to add a card donation, you can manually process that donation from the donor's profile.
Canadian Customers: While all major credit cards are supported for Canadian organizations, only a limited number of debit cards will work. Visa Debit is supported, but Interac ATM cards or cards without a 3 or 4-digit CVC code are not.
Digital wallets are a quick and easy way for donors to donate. Both Apple Pay and Google Pay are available on the embedded donation form, when using express giving, and Church Center web. Only Apple Pay is available on the Church Center mobile app.
United States and Australian donors can donate using bank transfers. This is a cost-efficient way to give because the processing fees are lower.
United States donors must verify their bank account credentials in Church Center. If a donor requests an administrator to initiate a donation with a saved bank account, an administrator can manually process that donation from the donor's profile.
Donors can give through text message using Text2Give by connecting their donor profile and preferred payment method to their phone number.
Important
Text2Give is only available in the United States.
Donations made using an external donation platform (like PushPay, PayPal, Fellowship 1, Tithe.ly, etc.) aren't initiated through Giving. Still, they can be tracked using payment sources in batches or imported using the Giving API.
See the Giving product integrations article for more information about integrations supported for Planning Center Giving.
View and add payment methods
Payment methods can be added and viewed by the donor on Church Center or by administrators in Giving.
Donor profile in Church Center
When donating online, donors can enter their payment method information and save it to their profile.
If they've saved a payment method in the past, they can log in to manage their previous payment methods from the Payment methods tab of the Profile and settings page. Donors also complete ACH bank verification here.
Donor profile in Giving
In Giving, the Pay methods tab in a donor's profile shows the credit cards, debit cards, or bank accounts that donors have saved to their profile. All payment methods except ACH can be added to a donor's profile by an administrator. Administrators can delete payment methods, but they cannot modify them.
Tip
Handling payment methods subjects your organization to PCI compliance and your donors to a greater risk of fraud. To avoid these issues, encourage donors to add payment information to their profile instead of giving account numbers and card details to an administrator.
To add a new payment method:
Select Add Credit/Debit card.
Enter the card details.
Select Save to add the card.
To delete a saved payment method, select the 🗑️ delete icon.
Important
A donor's profile must include an email address before a payment method is added. This ensures the donor can be contacted in the case of a problem.
ACH payment methods must be added and verified by the donor in Church Center. If an ACH bank verification is in progress, the status will show on the Pay methods tab.