For nonprofit organizations that host in-person fundraising events, integrating Stripe Terminal with Fundraise Up offers a seamless and secure way to take in-person payments while enhancing the donor experience.
This guide walks you through the advantages of using Stripe Terminal with Fundraise Up and how to set up the integration to maximize your fundraising impact.
What is Stripe Terminal and how do nonprofits use it?
Stripe Terminal is a powerful tool for nonprofit organizations to accept donations in person. It provides a secure and efficient way to collect donations using physical payment methods, ensuring smooth donor experiences during fundraising events or in-person campaigns.
The platform can cover a range of devices, including standalone smart terminals and portable card readers, ideal for retail-like setups, events, and on-the-go fundraising. These devices support multiple payment methods, including chip cards, contactless payments (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay), and magnetic stripe cards, making it easy for supporters to give.
Stripe Terminal + Fundraise Up’s benefits to in-person payments
Stripe Terminal makes the experience of taking payments easier, but Fundraise Up is a fundraising solution that improves the overall donor experience.
The integration between Stripe Terminal and Fundraise Up uses the REST API, which allows organizations to securely process payments collected through Stripe devices. In short, it ensures a seamless donor experience while maintaining industry-standard security.
There are many reasons why nonprofits choose to integrate Stripe Terminal with Fundraise Up. The integration offers:
- Next-level donor experience: Once a donation is made on-site, donors quickly receive confirmations, receipts, and access to the Donor Portal via Fundraise Up, ensuring a seamless experience. Plus, features like Upgrade Links gently encourage supporters to increase their recurring contributions, further increasing engagement. This top-notch donor experience fosters long-term relationships and increases donor retention.
- Comprehensive analytics: Fundraise Up's Insights Dashboard consolidates all donation data, including in-person transactions. This centralized view enables informed, data-driven decisions to optimize fundraising strategies.
- Streamlined donor data: Fundraise Up’s integrations and API make it easy to sync donation data with your CRM and other platforms, reducing administrative work.
- Robust security and compliance: With Fundraise Up’s adherence to industry-standard security practices and Stripe Terminal’s PCI-certified payment processing, donor data remains safeguarded at every step.
Steps to integrate Stripe Terminal with Fundraise Up
To start the integration process, you’ll need to be set up with Fundraise Up. If you don’t yet have a Fundraise Up account, contact our sales team to learn about the options that are right for your organization.
If you already have a Fundraise Up account, here are five easy steps to get started:
- Set up Stripe Terminal devices: Ensure your Stripe Terminal device is configured with your Stripe account and ready for in-person payment collection. This includes connecting the device to your system and ensuring that it’s compatible.
- Securely collect donor payment information: Set up the terminal to securely collect donor payment details through swiping, inserting, or tapping their card. Stripe uses SetupIntent technology* to save this information securely without processing an immediate charge.
- Generate a payment method ID: After collecting the donor’s payment details, the terminal generates a Payment Method ID, which is securely stored within Stripe’s system. Note: If you process payment information through a partner, ensure the partner is PCI-certified. If you handle this directly, you must also have a valid PCI certification to comply with industry security standards.
- Create a donation with Fundraise Up REST API: Use the REST API endpoint to process the donation. Include the Payment Method ID and all necessary details, such as the donation amount, supporter information, and campaign ID.
- Submit and confirm the donation: Complete the process by submitting the API request. The donation is securely processed and logged into your Fundraise Up account.
*Important note: Not all Stripe Terminal devices support SetupIntents without triggering a payment. You must specifically use Stripe Smart Terminals, which can collect supporter payment information and generate a Payment Method ID without immediately processing a charge.
More about Fundraise Up’s API + integrations
The Stripe Terminal integration with Fundraise Up allows nonprofits to engage donors with personalized follow-ups and real-time updates. It’s a streamlined approach that not only enhances the donor experience, but also provides fundraisers with clear analytics and insights.
Did you know? Fundraise Up's powerful, two-way API offers many different integrations to help nonprofits optimize the giving experience — both online and offline. Learn more about how it works.