Setting up an effective mobile giving program for your nonprofit may seem intimidating or mysterious, but we make it easy for you. When you have a chance, take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page. It's a great place to start if you have questions. In the meantime, here are some common questions we get from customers.
How to Get a Donation Link from PayPal
Since most of our customers use PayPal as their donation processor, this is a very common question. Here are step by step instructions on how to set up a PayPal URL for donations. In short, we make it simple for you when you sign up. All we need is the PayPal email address linked to your nonprofit's PayPal account, and we build the link and mobile-friendly donation checkout page for you.
Does PayPal Offer the Ability to Accept Recurring Donations?
Related to the first question, many customers want to be able to offer both one-time and recurring donations. Up until recently, PayPal only allowed one-time donations on mobile. But now PayPal has rolled out a recurring donations feature even for mobile checkout.
How Do I Set Up My Nonprofit's PayPal Account?
Of course, to get any of this to work, your nonprofit needs to activate a nonprofit PayPal account. There are many benefits to doing this, including the fact that PayPal gives nonprofits a lower transaction fee. If you need to set up a PayPal account for your nonprofit organization, you can find out how to do this here.
The normal business transaction fee for PayPal is 2.9% +$0.30 for each transaction. For nonprofits, it's 2.5% + $0.30 per transaction. We've even seen some nonprofits get 2.2%. Inquire at PayPal to get the best rate for your type of organization.
How Does the Fundraising Progress Meter Work?
We now offer you the ability to display a fundraising thermometer during your events. This can increase the anticipation and excitement at your event. It also provides a kind of social peer pressure or groupthink that can help you raise more funds. Here's how donation progress meter works:
You give us the name of your event and the fundraising goal
We build a thermometer that has your goal at the top
We embed this thermometer on a web page on our site dedicated to your nonprofit, like this.
You can then display this page to your audience during your event by using a digital TV or A/V projector. (We do not supply A/V equipment)
As donations come in, you will need get notifications via email. The thermometer's green "mercury" will not rise automatically. You need to refresh your screen to see the mercury rise to its new levels.
Can I Send a Text Blast to Phone Numbers I've Collected?
The short answer to this question is: Yes, if ... There are some things you need to do to be in compliance with text message laws and regulations. Basically, you must get written consent prior to sending any text message with marketing content to people in your database. Read about text message compliance to make sure you follow the laws.
Do My Donors Have to Pay Me with PayPal?
Even if you use PayPal to process donations, it doesn't mean your donors must have a PayPal account to make a donation. PayPal offers your donors the ability to donate by debit or credit card (and in some cases, via ACH bank transfer). So you can rest assured you won't be limiting your donors based on payment preference.
Does Network for Good Have a Text to Give Option?
At this time, it does not appear that Network for Good offers a text to give option. NFG seems to be focused more on creating website portals to accept donations.
How Do I Change My Text Reply Message (Finding Message Location)?
If you need to find your message location, or you would like to change your text message reply, you simply need to email customer support and we'll take it from there.