How do I add PayPal and Venmo as payment options for my donors?
- Your donors can pay by either PayPal or Venmo on GiveSmart Fundraise payment forms once you sync your GiveSmart Fundraise account with your PayPal Business Account. To do so, go into your Account Settings, select Integrations, and click the button to add PayPal / Venmo. You will need the login credentials for your PayPal Business Account. For more on the setup process, click here.
I was on the previous PayPal-only integration. Do I still need to go through the setup process?
- Yes, to add Venmo as a payment option you will need to upgrade your integration. Details in the setup process are here.
My nonprofit organization does not have a Venmo account. Can I still add Venmo as a payment option?
- Yes! Through our integration with PayPal, your donor will use their Venmo account to send funds to your PayPal Business Account. Your organization does not need a Venmo account to receive funds through our payment forms.
Can my donors set up recurring gifts with PayPal or Venmo?
- Yes! During the setup process, recurring gifts are automatically included in the integration. Donors can select whichever frequencies you wish to set on the forms, whether weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually, and then can pay by PayPal or Venmo. Subsequent gifts will be automatically processed through the same account they used on their initial gift. Recurring gifts can be cancelled either within GiveSmart Fundraise, by selecting Existing Reporting and then Recurring Donations, or your PayPal Business Account.
I was on the previous PayPal-only integration. What will happen to my recurring donors?
- Your existing recurring donations will continue to be processed on the previous integration. All new transactions and new recurring donations will be processed on the new integration with both PayPal and Venmo as payment options.
How can I refund a PayPal or Venmo transaction?
- Refunds can be done from within GiveSmart Fundraise or your PayPal Business Account. To refund a donation, select Existing Reporting and then Search Transactions. You can then use filters to search for the specific transaction. On the search results page, click the three dots under the Actions column on the right and select Void or Refund.
What is the processing fee for PayPal and Venmo transactions?
- All transactions using PayPal or Venmo through our forms will see a processing fee of 3.5% applied by PayPal. Forms can be configured to allow donors the option to increase their gift to cover the processing fee. For more on configuring your forms with this option, click here.
When do I receive funds from PayPal and Venmo transactions?
- For transactions using funds from a donor's PayPal or Venmo account, you will typically see funds arrive in your PayPal Business Account within a few hours.
- For transactions using a credit card or bank account linked to a donor's PayPal or Venmo account, you will typically see funds arrive in your PayPal Business Account on the same day or next business day.
- Please note that your PayPal Business Account is going to display donor names based on their PayPal or Venmo account name. GiveSmart Fundraise reporting will display donor names based on what the donors input as their First Name and Last Name on the donation form.
Why is the Venmo button not appearing on my donation form?
- Venmo is a US-based mobile app. International donors will not be able to use the Venmo app to make their donation. However, they will still see the PayPal button, as well as any other payment options you have made available on the form, such as credit/debit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- In some cases, viewing a form that is embedded on a website when using an iPhones may result in the Venmo button not displaying. PayPal will still be available. This is a known bug that PayPal is actively working to address.
- In some cases, viewing a form in a private or incognito browser window using an iPhone may result in the Venmo button not displaying. PayPal will still be available. This is a known bug that PayPal is actively working to address.
I accidentally connected the wrong PayPal Business Account. Can I disconnect it and try again?
- Yes, please reach out to our Support team and we will reset the integration so that you can go through the setup process again. If any transactions have occurred while connected to the wrong PayPal Business Account, we will set the integration to an inactive state for new transactions but will need to maintain it for the previous transactions in the event of any refunds or recurring gifts.