Setting Up Stripe for Online Giving

Online giving lets your members donate from anywhere using a credit card or bank account. The platform uses Stripe to securely process all payments. This guide walks you through connecting your Stripe account and configuring donation categories.

Connecting Stripe

Stripe is a trusted payment processor used by millions of organizations worldwide. You will need a Stripe account to accept online donations. If you do not have one, you can create one during the setup process.

Navigate to Giving Setup

From your admin dashboard, go to the Giving section and click on Setup. This is where you configure your payment processing.

Click Get Started

Click the Get Started button. You will be redirected to Stripe's website to authorize the connection.

Complete the Stripe onboarding

If you already have a Stripe account, sign in and authorize the connection. If you are new to Stripe, you will be guided through creating an account. Stripe will ask for:

Your church's legal name and EIN (tax ID)
Bank account and routing numbers
Contact information for your organization

Verify the connection

After completing the Stripe onboarding, you will be redirected back to the setup page. The page shows two separate status indicators:

Accept Payments — confirms Stripe has enabled charges on your account.
Receive Payouts — confirms Stripe has enabled deposits to your bank account.

Both must show as enabled before your account is fully active. If either is still pending, click Complete Setup to return to Stripe and provide any outstanding information.

Note

Stripe charges standard processing fees on each transaction. The platform does not charge any additional fees on top of Stripe's rates. Your donations go directly to your Stripe account.

Setting Up Donation Categories

Donation categories (also called funds) let donors choose where their gift goes. Common categories include General Fund, Building Fund, Missions, and Benevolence.

Go to Giving Categories

From the Giving section, navigate to the Categories page.

Add a category

Click Add Category and fill in the form fields:

Name (required) — what donors see when choosing where to direct their gift (up to 100 characters).
Description (optional) — a short explanation of the fund shown to donors.
Goal Amount (optional) — a fundraising target for the category. When set, a progress bar appears on the category card showing how much has been raised toward the goal.
Color — a hex color used to style the progress bar for this category.

Set the default category

Toggle Set as Default Category on one category. When a donor gives without selecting a specific category, the donation is assigned to this default fund. The default category cannot be deleted.

Tip

Keep your category list focused and simple. Too many options can overwhelm donors. Most churches start with 3-5 categories: a general fund, missions, building, and one or two ministry-specific funds.

Sharing Your Giving Page

Once Stripe is connected and both capabilities are active, your giving page is automatically available on your church's public page. Visitors and members can access it to make one-time or recurring donations.

The giving page is mobile-friendly and supports credit cards, debit cards, and bank transfers (ACH). Donors can also set up recurring gifts on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly schedule.

From the Giving dashboard you can also generate a QR code for your giving page. Use it in bulletins, screens, or printed materials so people can reach your giving page instantly from their phone.

Warning

Make sure both Accept Payments and Receive Payouts are enabled before sharing your giving page with your congregation. If either capability is still pending in Stripe, donations will not be processed.