ACH transactions are electronic payments that debit the donor's bank account directly. Some donors prefer this option to paying with a credit card or check.
Before you proceed, please be aware that ACH (Automated Clearing House) transactions are unique because they never decline, even when they aren't successful. They can take up to 14 days to clear the various banks that process them. The best practice when providing this option to donors is to regularly monitor to ensure the transfer attempts were cleared by your bank.
Here is how you can enable this option in GivingFuel - this process takes 2-3 business days.
Start by upgrading to the PRO or ENTERPRISE package.
This option is not available on Starter. You can upgrade your plan anytime under Plans & Billing.
ACH is not available with Webconnex Payments just yet. You will need either Cornerstone (NMI) or Authorize.net to be able to process ACH.
To add the ACH Payment Method to your account click on your Payment Processors in your Account Settings.
Click Add a Payment Processor
Select the ACH Payment Method and select the desired ACH Payment Provider.
Fill out the required information and click Save.
Once you've added an ACH Payment Processor, you will need to add that Payment Method to your Giving Page.
Edit your Giving Page
Under Settings, click "Payment Methods"
Click "Add Payment Method"
Select your ACH Payment Provider and click Save.
Go back to your Page Builder
Edit the Payment Method in the Billing Section of your Giving Page
Enable to accept ACH donations
Then publish your page and you're ready to start accepting ACH donations.
Note: You will not see this option enabled in preview mode, only on the live page.
FAQs
Will I be charged extra fees to use this payment option?
You can contact support with the chat bubble in the bottom, right corner of your account to ensure the custom gateway fee of 1% is waived.
The NMI ACH standard cost is 1% and $0.30 cents with no minimum and a ($25.00 reject cost).
The current default ACH rate for Authorize.net is 0.75%, no transaction fee, $10.00 monthly Min, $25.00 Chargeback Fee and $3.00 return fee.
Can I enable this option in any other product?
This option is only available in GivingFuel.
Why does the set up take so long?
It takes a few days to complete set up and verification for a Cornerstone gateway. If you already have Cornerstone or Authorize.net, the set up will be much faster.
Is this option available for international donors?
ACH donations will only work for US based donors because of a limitation with the RTE numbers.