Accept in-person donations with Tap to Donate

Complete these steps once before your first event. After that, open the app and log in to get started.

Check your email for an invitation. Click Accept invite and follow the sign-in steps. When you finish, a page appears with an Open the app button — your invitation is now accepted. Shortly after, you'll receive a second email with your auto-generated password. You need this password to log in to the app.

If your organization requires two-factor authentication (2FA), you'll need to set it up before you can proceed. Otherwise, enabling 2FA is optional.

To log in to your Fundraise Up account later, go to dashboard.fundraiseup.com. There you can edit your name and change your email or password.

Install the Fundraise Up app on the phone or tablet:

Requirements:

• Android phone: Android 13 or later, NFC-capable, with Google Play Services installed and screen lock enabled. The device must not be rooted.
• iPhone: iOS 16.4 or later, iPhone XS or newer. A device passcode and Apple ID sign-in are required.
• Tablet: an iPad that can install the app from the App Store, or an Android tablet running Android 13 or later with Google Play Services installed.
• Internet connection on the device.

A phone reads cards on its own and cannot use a card reader. A tablet reads cards through its own built-in NFC where it has one, and through an external Stripe card reader where it does not. An iPad always needs a reader. To connect one, see Run a Giving Station — the same steps apply in either mode.

Open the app — you'll see a welcome screen. The app will ask for permission to access your location. Allow it — location access is required to process payments. Tap Get started, then log in with the email and password from your invitation.

If the app prompts you to sign in with single sign-on (SSO), follow the prompts instead of using the password from your invitation. If you are not sure what to do, ask your administrator.

After you log in, you may see a screen headed Accept in-person donations directly from a phone with an Enable button. This means that your organization has not turned Tap to Donate on yet. Only an Organization Administrator can turn it on, so contact your administrator before the event.

Before you start collecting donations, open the app. You'll see the campaigns your administrator has given you access to. A campaign is a fundraising initiative your organization has set up — for example, a general fund, an annual drive, or an event. Ask your administrator which campaign to use if you're not sure.

You can search by campaign name or ID. Tap a campaign to open it.

To refresh the list — for example, if your administrator just granted you access to a new campaign — pull down on the screen.

If you don't see any campaigns, your administrator hasn't given you access yet. Contact them before you start.

You can pin campaigns to the top of your Active campaigns list so they're easy to find at an event. Pins are saved on your device only — they don't carry over to other devices or affect other team members. To pin a campaign, open it and tap the pin icon at the top of the screen. To unpin, tap the same icon again. If you pin more than one campaign, the most recently pinned appears first.

Use the menu at the bottom of the screen to move between the parts of the app you need at an event.

• Tap to Donate — the campaign list you collect donations from. This is where the app opens.
• Giving Station — the self-serve mode, where a tablet sits unattended and supporters give on their own. This option appears only on a tablet with a screen of about 8 inches or larger. For how to run it, see Run a Giving Station.
• Donations — the donations you have collected on this device.
• Settings — Onboarding guide, Privacy policy, and Terms of service, and where you log out.

Use the on-screen pad to enter the donation amount.

If the campaign has recurring plans enabled, a frequency selector appears. The supporter can choose to give one-time or set up a recurring donation. Available frequencies depend on the campaign settings and may include: daily, weekly, biweekly, every 4 weeks, monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually.

If the campaign has designations, one may be pre-selected. A designation indicates which fund or program the donation goes to — the available options are set by your organization. If the supporter has a preference, tap the designation to choose from the list. When in doubt, leave the pre-selected option as is.

Tap Continue.

Enter the supporter's first name, last name, email address, and phone number. If the supporter chose a recurring frequency, these details are required.

Depending on the campaign settings, this screen can also include:

• Donate anonymously — select it to keep the supporter's information out of public feeds.
• A checkbox for a supporter giving on behalf of an organization, with a field for the Organization name.
• Subscribe to receive updates — the marketing consent checkbox. Ask the supporter whether they want to hear from your organization.
• Supporter has agreed to Terms and Privacy Policy — when the campaign requires terms, the supporter must select this before you can continue. Tap Terms or Privacy Policy to open either document.

Depending on the campaign, the app can ask for more before payment: the supporter's mailing address on an Enter supporter address screen, and communication channels on a Contact preferences screen. Move through each with Continue, or tap Skip where it's optional.

For one-time donations, this step is optional — but let the supporter know that leaving their email means they'll receive access to their Donor Portal, where they can view their giving history and download receipts at any time. If they still prefer not to share, tap Skip. The donation is recorded as awaiting supporter details, and you can add them later from the Donations tab.

On the next screen, you'll see the total donation amount and a toggle labeled Cover transaction costs. Ask the supporter if they'd like to cover the transaction cost — if yes, enable the toggle. This adds the cost to their total so your organization receives the full intended amount. Let the supporter decide.

Tap Donate on Android or Tap to Donate on iPhone to proceed to payment.

The app activates the payment terminal. Show the screen to the supporter so they can see the donation amount.

• On Android: ask the supporter to tap the back of the device with their card, phone, or watch.
• On iPhone: ask the supporter to hold their card, phone, or watch near the top of the device.
• With a card reader: ask the supporter to tap their card, phone, or watch on the reader.

Hold the device steady until the payment goes through. For some transactions, the supporter's bank may require a PIN — if prompted, the app displays a PIN pad for the supporter to enter it.

If the payment is declined, ask the supporter to try a different card or payment method.

If the internet connection drops during a transaction, the card is not charged. Ask the supporter to tap again once the connection is restored.

A confirmation screen appears when the payment is successful. It shows the donation details and a QR code. After scanning it, the supporter can add their name and email and receive an email with a link to their Donor Portal, where they can view the donation and download the receipt. A donation left without an email stays anonymous. Tap Back to campaign to return to the number pad for the next donation.

If a supporter has questions about the campaign or the donation, tap About on the donation screen. This shows the campaign description.

From the About page, tap Legal info in the top right for answers to common questions — whether the donation is secure, whether it is tax-deductible, and how to cancel a recurring donation. Review it before the event so you can answer questions without leaving the donation flow.

To review the donations you've accepted, open the Donations tab at the bottom of the screen. The app groups them by day, with a total for each day, so you can keep track of how much you've collected.

You see only the donations you accepted — not donations taken by other members of your team.

To find a specific donation, filter the list by date, campaign, or supporter. Clear the filters to return to the full list.

Tap any donation to open its full details, including the amount, supporter, campaign, designation, payment method, and status. From there, you can show the receipt again or update the supporter's contact details. You cannot refund or cancel a completed donation from the app.

When a supporter gives but does not share their details, the donation still appears in the Donations tab, in an Awaiting supporter details block at the top of the screen. The block sits above the daily groups and shows the combined amount of these donations with a count, such as Awaiting 3 supporter details. This amount is separate from your daily totals.

The block shows the most recent donation first. Tap Show more to see the rest, and Show less to collapse it again. Each donation shows its amount, the time it was made, and the campaign, but no supporter name, because the details have not been added yet.

These donations have no supporter yet, so they do not appear when you filter by supporter. They do appear when you filter by date or campaign.

Tap a donation to open its details. The status reads Awaiting supporter details, and the fields that depend on the supporter or the completed donation stay empty until the donation is completed.

There are two ways to complete these donations:

• The supporter adds their own details. Tap Show receipt. There is no receipt yet, so the app displays a QR code that opens the supporter's Donor Portal. Ask the supporter to scan it with their phone camera to add their details and download their receipt.
• You add the details. Tap Edit personal information, enter the supporter's First name, Last name, Email address, and Phone number (optional), then tap Save.

After the details are added — by you or by the supporter — the donation moves into its daily group. If no one adds them within 4 hours, it still moves into its daily group, but as an anonymous donation, without a name or contact information.

Sometimes a supporter declines a receipt during the donation and asks for it later. You can show it again at any time.

Open the donation, then tap Show receipt. The app displays a QR code. Ask the supporter to scan it with their phone camera to open their receipt, where they can view and download it.

You can correct a supporter's details or add information they skipped during the donation, such as their phone number.

1. Open the donation, then tap Edit personal information.
2. Update the supporter's first name, last name, email, or phone number.
3. Tap Save.