Set up online giving

With online giving, anyone can give from your church’s Give page, signed in or not. They can give once or set up a gift that repeats, by card or bank account. Gifts go straight to your church’s own Stripe account and then to your church’s bank.

Hillfold never sees card numbers or bank details. Givers type those into Stripe’s own secure page.

Before you start

• Only the treasurer (or whatever your church calls the role) can do this. Nobody else sees the Giving page, not even the office.
• Have ready your church’s legal name, EIN, bank account details, and a contact person. Stripe asks for these.

Steps

1. Go to Administration → Giving.
2. Under Taking gifts online, choose Connect Stripe. Stripe’s own form opens.
3. Fill in Stripe’s form. When you finish, you come back to the Giving page.
4. Stripe checks the details, which usually takes a few minutes. When it’s done, the page says Stripe is connected. Gifts are closed until you open them.
5. Set up your Funds (see below).
6. Choose Open online giving. See the Give page shows it.

Close online giving stops gifts at any time.

Funds

Funds are what people can give to, like a general fund or missions. Every church starts with one.

• Type a name under New fund and choose Add fund.
• Pick the Main fund. It’s chosen first on the Give page and always stays open.
• Untick Open for giving to close a fund. A fund that has gifts can be closed but not removed, so reports stay complete.

Receipts and the Give page

• Start with “cover the fees” ticked decides whether the Give page offers to add a little to cover the fees. Givers can still untick it.
• A line for every receipt adds your own words to each emailed receipt.
• Tax wording on receipts and statements is printed on receipts and year-end statements.

Fees and payouts

Each gift has Stripe’s processing fee plus Hillfold’s 1%. Stripe pays gifts out to your church’s bank, usually two business days later. Your Stripe dashboard shows each payout.

If something goes wrong

• “Stripe’s form was started but isn’t finished yet.” Choose Finish connecting Stripe to carry on where you left off.
• “Stripe still needs … more details.” Choose Finish connecting Stripe and answer what Stripe asks.
• “Online giving isn’t set up for this church yet.” Online giving hasn’t been switched on for your church. Ask Hillfold to turn it on.
• The Give page says “Online giving isn’t open yet.” Choose Open online giving on the Giving page.

For gifts and statements, see /help/giving-records.