End-of-Year Giving Payment Systems Checklist

As the year-end giving season approaches, it’s a good idea to make sure your payment systems are fully optimized to handle a surge in donations. Follow the step-by-step guide below to prepare your systems for peak giving days. You’ll be well-equipped to provide a seamless donation experience for your supporters and maximize your organization’s impact.

1. Offset transaction fees.

Activate Complete Cover™ in your Blackbaud Integrated Payments™ settings.

With Complete Cover™, Blackbaud covers all processing fees, so your organization receives 100% of each gift. Donors may choose to contribute toward processing costs, but Blackbaud covers the fees regardless of their choice.

2. Optimize for mobile payments.

Confirm Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, PayPal, digital wallet, and major credit cards are
enabled and working smoothly on all devices and donation forms.

Consider using Blackbaud MobilePay Terminal™ for in-person events and order your devices.

3. Verify database integration.

Confirm real-time data flow between your payment system and your CRM.

Blackbaud Integrated Payments™ users: integration is already active—no manual setup required!

4. Test donation form integration.

Test all payment integrations for accuracy and reliability. Confirm forms are secure and PCI-
compliant.

Blackbaud Integrated Payments™ users: Blackbaud is validated as a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider and Payment Gateway, using encryption and fraud mitigation to protect every transaction.

5. Update messaging on donation forms.

Update donation forms with clear, mission-driven, time-sensitive language (e.g., “Help us reach our goal by midnight!”).

Use visual cues like countdown timers or goal meters to motivate donors and highlight campaign progress.

Remove unnecessary fields and off-page links that could distract donors or reduce form
completion rates.

6. Prepare your team and set alerts.

Prepare staff for payment system monitoring and troubleshooting.

Set up automated alerts for payment issues or unusual activity.

Confirm roles and permissions for payment processing and reconciliation.

7. Conduct final payment processing checks.

Complete end-to-end transaction testing.Ensure live monitoring dashboards are configured and accessible to all relevant staff.

Document your incident response plan and share escalation steps for payment system support.

8. Plan for day-of monitoring.

On key giving days, track payment system performance and transaction volume. Follow your organization’s documented steps for additional support if needed.