Online Donations - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between "Pledge Online" and "Donate Online"? ANSWER>>

2. YWAMConnect: How do I set up online donations? ANSWER>>

3. What are the processing fees for online donations if I use EquipNet's Merchant Account? ANSWER>>

4. YWAMConnect: How long does it take for me to receive a donation made at my site? ANSWER>>

5. How do I know when a donation has been made at my website? ANSWER>>

6. How do I cancel a recurring donation? ANSWER>>

7. Is the Give Online page available on all the Cumulus9 networks? ANSWER>>

8. VAGOPnetwork: How do I set up E-Donations with my site? ANSWER>>

1. What is the difference between "Pledge Online" and "Donate Online"?

When you create a website on one of our networks, your site comes with a "Give Online" page.

During your free trial this page is set up for "Pledge Online".
If you have the "Give Online" service activated in your "Site Services" - the "Pledge Online" button will appear in the right hand column of your website.

With online pledges, no money is exchanged. A donor simply fills out a form online that is sent to you in an Email with their contact information and pledge amount. It is then up to you to contact that person to make sure that they know how to send the money to you.

However, if you start paying for your website you can activate "Donate Online". If you are a YWAM Connect site owner, please see question 2 for more information about activating online donations.
If you are NOT on the YWAM Connect network - please contact customerservice@cumulus9.com about setting up "Donate Online".

Once "Donate Online" is activated - the "Donate Online" button appear in the right hand column of your website.
Now when a donor comes to your website, they will be able to make donations to you via their credit card at your Give Online page. The donor's credit card is instantly processed and the money is sent to your organization's account.

top

2. YWAMConnect: How do I set up online donations?

Once you start paying for your YWAM Connect website you can activate Online Credit Card Donations through EquipNet.

In your Site Sign-Up/Billing Options area from your Site Toolbox, you must put in your YWAM Base information and your own Mission Account Number.

If your base does not have a mission account number system you may use your first and last name in the mission account field to designate where the funds go.

To stress this point again: The Mission Account number is provided to an individual YWAMer, by their YWAM Base. Cumulus9 and EquipNet are NOT involved in the process of assigning Missions Account Numbers to YWAMers. This is done at the Base level - through the Accountant at the YWAM Base.

If at all possible you should check with the accountant on your YWAM Base to set up a numbering system for the base. We would also like the Accountant on your base to contact EquipNet at customerservice@equipnet.org to set up the system of transfer of monies to the base for dispersal.

The way each Credit Card Donation reaches you is this: EquipNet will cut one check to your YWAM Base every two weeks for all of the donations that come in designated to people who are attached to your base.

An Excel spreadsheet report will then be furnished to the Accountant on the base to show them how to distribute the funds to the appropriate individuals. You will therefore receive a check from the Accountant at your YWAM Base for the donation that came via your website... it should reach you within about 3 weeks (at MOST).

Our system automatically Emails the donor with a confirmation Email, thanking them for the gift. This will count as a Tax Receipt. if they wish to claim the tax back. You will also receive an Email notification... and therefore you can send a personal thank you note to the donor.

Any questions about setting up your website should be sent to customerservice@cumulus9.com

Any questions about transferring money, tax receipts, and tracking donations should be sent to customerservice@equipnet.org

top

3. What are the processing fees for online donations if I use EquipNet's Merchant Account?

There are 3 seperate charges applied to EACH donation made at your website:

1) A flat 25 cents fee on every donation. This is a standard "credit card transaction" fee - that is charged by EquipNet's merchant account provider, Cardservice.

2) A 2.43% processing fee for the Cardservices merchant account. Again, EquipNet's merchant account provider charges a 2.43% processing fee on every donation.

3) A 3% processing fee that EquipNet charges. This is up to a maximum fee of $15 per donation. It is used to cover the cost of EquipNet generating the necessary reports and sending the checks to the Accountant at each YWAM Base.

EXAMPLE:

Someone makes a $50 donation to you at your site.

An Email confirmation is immediately sent to you and the donor automatically (the donor can use that Email as a Tax Deductable Receipt).

Within 3 weeks you should receive the donation as a check via the accountant at your YWAM Base.

The amount you see will be $47.04 - once the above charges have been applied to the donation.

top

4. YWAMConnect: How long does it take for me to receive a donation made at my site?

The way each Credit Card Donation reaches you is this: EquipNet will cut one check to your YWAM Base every two weeks for all of the donations that come in designated to people who are attached to your base.

An Excel spreadsheet report will then be furnished to the Accountant on the base to show them how to distribute the funds to the appropriate individuals. You will therefore receive a check from the Accountant at your YWAM Base for the donation that came via your website... it should reach you within about 3 weeks (at MOST).

top

5. How do I know when a donation has been made at my website?

You should automatically receive a donation (or pledge) confirmation Email, from Cumulus9.

You can also run a "Giving Report" for your site, by clicking the "Giving Report" link in the Toolbox. This will give you a complete break down of all the donations that have been made at your website.

top

6. How do I cancel a recurring donation?

1) Your donor needs to contact YOU (the site owner) in order to cancel a recurring donation. The donor can't actually cancel the recurring donation himself, he needs you to do it from within your website Toolbox. (This is so YOU know when a donation is cancelled).

2) You Sign In to your website Toolbox and click "Giving Reports" under "Reports" tab.

3) Do a search to display ALL your donations.

4) Find the recurring donation in the list of donations, and make a note of (or simply highlight and Copy 'CTRL-C') the WHOLE Transaction Number, for the recurring donation.

5) Now click "Create a new report"... This time, enter the Transaction Number into the search field, so the search ONLY brings up the recurring donation.

6) You should now see a detailed report about the recurring donation, with a button to let you CANCEL the recurring donation.

7) Click the button, and confirm that the recurring donation should be cancelled.

An Email will be sent to your Donor to confirm the cancellation.

Please note that recurring donation can only be deleted after first recurring donation happened.

top

7. Is the Give Online page available on all the Cumulus9 networks?

Certain website networks hosted by Cumulus9 do NOT have the Give Online page included in its sites.

For example, none of the sites on the VAGOPnetwork for the Republican Party of Virginia, have the Give Online page. If you have a website on the VAGOPnetwork and you want to receive E-Donations, please click here.

top

8. VAGOPnetwork: How do I set up E-Donations with my site?

If you are a member of the VAGOPnetwork, your e-donations funcitonality is available through Campaign Solutions, and is not managed via this tool.

In order to set up your online donations functionality, you need to download this document: Online Donations Setup

When finished, please email the completed document to Ryan O'Rourke

Online donations are collected and distributed through a special arrangement with Hokaday-Donatelli. If you have any questions or issues, you should contact them at 703-684-3435.

top