Donation Processing With PayPal (Legacy)
Rob Wu avatar
Written by Rob Wu
Updated over a week ago

PayPal Quick Overview (Detailed View Below)

  • Account Requirements: Verified PayPal account

  • Currencies Supported: USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, GBP, DKK, EUR, CHF, MXN, HKD, NOK, SGD, SEK. See below for more info.

  • Donor Experience: Donors get redirected to PayPal to complete their donation.

  • Donor Credit Card Statement: Your organization name

  • Fund Disbursement: 3 to 5 business days to your bank account. Must initiate transfer from PayPal.

  • Credit Card Processor Fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction *PayPal discount rate for verified 501c3: 2.2% + $0.30.

  • Venmo Processor Fees: Venmo has NO processing fees for sending money using a debit card, bank balance or Venmo balance (vs the standard 2.2% + $0.30/donation with Stripe or PayPal) and has a 3% fee for any credit card transactions.

What transactions are supported by PayPal?

With PayPal, you can run one-time donations and event ticketing.

Currently, PayPal DOES NOT support:

If you'd like to accept recurring and pledge donations, or fundraiser registration fees, consider using Stripe as your payment processor.

What are PayPal’s fees?

PayPal’s rate varies based on your location and account type. PayPal’s USA standard rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Please check your PayPal account for the exact rate.

Fees are only applied when you accept a donation and you are never charged a setup or monthly fee for using PayPal. CauseVox fees are automatically taken out by PayPal and you will see this as a line item on every donation in PayPal.

PayPal offers discounted transaction fees for nonprofits with 501 (c)(3) status:

  • More than $100,000 in monthly volume: 1.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

  • Less than $100,000 in monthly volume: 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction.

Venmo payment is available for one-time donations on any campaign that uses PayPal for donation processing, and it allows donors to pay via their Venmo app.

Note: Venmo payments are only available for US donors.

Venmo has NO processing fees for sending money using a debit card, bank balance or Venmo balance (vs the standard 2.2% + $0.30/donation with Stripe or PayPal) and has a 3% fee for any credit card transactions.

What are PayPal’s features?

  • Receive donations into your PayPal account immediately as it occurs.

  • The name of your nonprofit is displayed on the donor’s credit card statement with “PP” (for PayPal) appended. For example, it will display as “PP Nonprofit Name”. CauseVox is not displayed.

  • Donors with PayPal accounts can donate without entering in their credit card information.

  • You only need a verified PayPal account to take donations. You don’t need to be a nonprofit.

  • Donors have more options and can pay with their PayPal account, credit/debit card or Venmo.

What currencies are supported through PayPal?

USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, GBP, DKK, EUR, CHF, MXN, HKD, NOK, SGD, SEK. More currencies available upon request. Please check PayPal for all currencies that can be processed.

How do I transfer funds from PayPal to my bank account?

Donations through PayPal are automatically deposited into your PayPal account immediately after it occurs. You can manually transfer funds from PayPal into your bank account by logging into www.paypal.com.

This process typically takes 3-5 business days to settle in your bank account.

What is the PayPal donation process like for donors?

The following steps illustrate the PayPal donation process for donors:

Donors select the Donate button on your CauseVox fundraising site.

Step 2: Once the button is clicked, a secure pop-up box appears for them to enter in their name donation amount. After information has been entered, donors select Next to proceed.

Step 2: On the next page, the donor enters their name and email address and are given the option to pay with PayPal, credit/debit card or Venmo.

Step 3: Once they select the PayPal button, they can either enter their email and password to login to their PayPal account, or select Pay with Debit or Credit Card.

Once in PayPal, donors can pay with their PayPal balance, an existing or new credit card, PayPal's installments or PayPal credit.

If they choose not to login, but to pay with debit or credit card, they will have to reenter some of the information entered on the CauseVox form like name, postal address, and email address. Then they can create an account, or continue as a guest to process the payment.

Step 5: Select Pay Now to process the donation.

Once the donation is processed, the donor is redirected back to your CauseVox campaign site. A transaction receipt from PayPal is sent to them as well as a donation receipt from CauseVox.

How to set up PayPal to accept donations?

Here are the steps you will need to follow:

Step 1: If you do not have a PayPal account, sign up here: www.paypal.com.

Step 2: Complete setup of your PayPal account so it is a verified PayPal account. You can check to see if you are verified by logging into your PayPal account. See below.

Step 3: The primary currency that you set up in PayPal must also match the currency that you select in CauseVox. Check this by following these steps:

i. Login to your PayPal account
 ii. Go to “My business setup”
 iii. Go to “Manage my money”
 iv. Click on “Manage currencies” to check your primary currency in PayPal

How to connect your PayPal account to CauseVox?

Step 1: Under Campaigns, select the Settings (gear icon) of the campaign you would like to edit.

Step 2: Select Payment Processing on the left navigation.

Step 3: Scroll down to the PayPal section and select Connect PayPal Account.

Step 4: You will be prompted to login to your PayPal account. Enter your email and password and Continue.

Step 5: When you successfully login you will see this confirmation screen.

Step 6: You will see that PayPal is "connected and approved" in your CauseVox settings.

Additional Notes

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