Donations: Your Church’s Giving Command Center

Monday morning. Your finance team gathers to review Sunday’s offerings. You need to see which gifts came in via credit card, which via text message, and which were dropped in the offering plate and entered through Quick Entry. You need to export the approved donations to your church management system before the end of the day. And somewhere in that list, a donor called asking about a specific gift they made last week—you need to find it fast.

One Place for Every Gift

OnlineGiving.org’s Donations feature is the most comprehensive donation management tool in the platform. Whether your congregation gives through the web, mobile app, kiosk, text message, Facebook Messenger, or the offering plate, every gift flows into one searchable, filterable list. You can view donation details in a clean invoice-style modal, print or email receipts, split a single cash or check donation across multiple funds, and export to over 20 church management system (ChMS) formats—from Fellowship One and Ministry Platform to ACS Realm, ChurchTrac, and Raiser’s Edge.

The Donations list isn’t just a table of transactions. It’s a powerful analytics and reporting engine. Summary cards at the top show totals for Approved, Declined, and Refunded donations based on your current filters. When you apply a date range, an optional Activity Heatmap appears, showing where your givers are located geographically. A Donation Growth Report tracks year-over-year trends. And if you use a ChMS integration, you can filter by “Pending” or “Recorded” status and batch-trigger sync for donations that haven’t yet been sent to your system.

From Search to Export in Minutes

Search and filtering are where Donations truly shines. Over 20 filter options let you narrow results by date, donor name, transaction ID, amount, fund, sub-fund, gift type (one-time, recurring, etc.), payment type (credit card, eCheck, cash, paper check, PayPal, non-cash assets), gift source (Web, Kiosk, Text Message, Mobile App, Campus offering plate), charge status (Approved, Pending, Declined, Refunded, Bank Rejected, Cancelled, Error), and more. You can filter by ChMS sync status for each integration you use. You can find donations with optional descriptions, or those where the donor chose to cover the processing fee. Pledge and campaign filters let you see gifts tied to specific stewardship campaigns.

Once your list is filtered, the Export dropdown offers generic CSV formats (full, shortened, or generic) plus dedicated exports for your ChMS. Each export respects your current filters—so if you’ve narrowed to last Sunday’s approved donations, that’s exactly what gets exported. For churches using auto-sync integrations like Ministry Platform, Rock RMS, or Breeze, donations can flow to your ChMS automatically. When sync hasn’t completed, a blue alert appears with a “Batch Submit Now” button to retry.

Crypto, Assets, and Beyond

Donations also supports cryptocurrency and non-cash asset gifts. Crypto donations (when enabled) appear in the main list and can be viewed via a dedicated crypto invoice. Non-cash asset donations—stocks, vehicles, real estate, and similar—have their own Asset Donations view with asset-specific columns (asset name, type, quantity). Crypto Billing invoices track liquidation and fees for crypto exchange donations. For Quick Entry and Check Scanning transactions, you can split a single donation across multiple funds or merge split allocations back into one. And when you need to verify a donor’s location for compliance, the KYC Map shows the transaction on a map based on the donor’s address.

In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Donations feature.

Donations User Guide:

The Donations feature is your central hub for viewing, searching, filtering, exporting, and analyzing every donation and payment received through OnlineGiving.org. It supports credit card, eCheck, paper check, cash, PayPal, cryptocurrency, and non-cash asset gifts from all giving channels: web, mobile app, kiosk, text message, Facebook Messenger, and campus offering plate. The feature includes a Growth Report for year-over-year trends, an Activity Heatmap for geographic visualization, 20+ ChMS export formats, ChMS auto-sync with batch retry, split transactions for Quick Entry and Check Scanning, and refund capabilities for approved payments.

Key Takeaways

• Unified List: All donations appear in one searchable, sortable table with summary cards for Approved, Declined, and Refunded totals.
• 20+ Filters: Narrow by date, donor, amount, fund, payment type, gift source, charge status, ChMS sync status, pledge, campaign, and more.
• Donation Detail (Invoice): Click any row to open a full invoice modal with donor info, fund allocation, payment details, and actions (refund, resend email, edit status, split/merge).
• 20+ Export Formats: Generic CSV plus dedicated exports for Fellowship One, Ministry Platform, Rock RMS, Breeze, CCB, PCO, ACS Realm, ChurchTrac, Raiser’s Edge, and many others.
• ChMS Auto-Sync: Integrations sync approved donations automatically; use Filters to find Pending donations and Batch Submit to retry.

Table of Contents

1. Overview
   • Accessing Donations
   • Summary Cards and Metrics
2. Viewing the Donations List
   • Table Columns
   • Sorting and Pagination
3. Searching and Filtering
   • Search Fields in the Table
   • Filter Dropdown Options
   • Removing Filters
4. Viewing a Donation Detail (Invoice)
   • Invoice Actions (Refund, Resend Email, Edit Status)
   • Printing an Invoice
5. Donation Growth
6. Activity Heatmap
7. Exporting Donations
   • Generic CSV Exports
   • ChMS-Specific Exports
8. ChMS Auto-Sync
   • Pending vs. Recorded
   • Batch Submit to Retry Sync
9. Crypto Donations
10. Asset Donations
11. KYC Map
12. Split Transactions
13. Refunding a Donation
14. Tips and Best Practices
15. Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

Accessing Donations

To open the Donations list:

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Click “Donations” in the left navigation menu (under Giving).
3. The Donations list loads with default filters: tax-deductible donations, non-zero amounts, and pending non-cash assets hidden.

From the Donations page header, you can access the Growth Report, Snapshot (current, last week, annual), Virtual Terminal, View Payouts (when using Stripe), Report, and Filters dropdown.

Summary Cards and Metrics

At the top of the Donations panel, three summary cards show totals for Approved, Declined, and Refunded donations based on your current filters. Each card displays the dollar total and count. When you have a date range applied and fewer than 200,000 results, an optional Activity Heatmap and Donation Forecast Chart may appear. Use the “Show Chart” checkbox to toggle the chart, and “Expand” / “Collapse” to resize the metrics section.

Viewing the Donations List

Table Columns

The Donations table includes columns for:

• Date: Payment date (formatted per your domain timezone).
• TXN#: Gateway transaction ID.
• Amount: Donation amount. For split transactions, the group total appears in brackets.
• Name: Donor first and last name.
• Fund: Primary fund.
• Sub Fund: Sub-fund when applicable.
• Frequency: Gift type (one-time, recurring, etc.).
• Status: Charge status (Approved, Pending, Declined, Refunded, Bank Rejected, Cancelled, Error).

On mobile, columns collapse into a compact row with date, amount, name, fund, sub-fund, frequency, and status.

Sorting and Pagination

Click any column header to sort by that column. The default sort is payment date descending. Use the Results Per Page dropdown (10, 20, 50, 100) to change page size. Pagination appears at the bottom; the total count is shown on the right.

Searching and Filtering

Search Fields in the Table

The second row of the table contains search inputs. You can type directly into:

• Date: Use the date range picker to filter by payment date.
• TXN#: Gateway transaction ID.
• Amount: Donation amount.
• Name: Donor name (searches first and last).
• Fund: Fund name.
• Sub Fund: Sub-fund name.
• Frequency: Gift type.
• Status: Charge status.

Press Enter or click elsewhere to apply. Additional hidden fields (e.g., user_id, form_id, subscription_id, batch_group_id, pledge_id, campaign_id, household_id) are passed when navigating from related pages (e.g., user profile, batch group, pledge).

Filter Dropdown Options

The Filters dropdown provides one-click filters for:

• Gift Source: Web, Kiosk, Text Message, Mobile App, Facebook Messenger, Campus (Offering Plate).
• Cover the Fee: Donations where the donor covered the processing fee.
• Payment Type: Credit Card, eCheck (ACH), Paper Check, Cash, Non-Cash Asset, PayPal/Venmo.
• Wallet: Apple Pay, Google Pay.
• Gift Type: One-time, Recurring, and other configured gift types.
• ChMS Status: Pending or Recorded for each enabled integration (MP, F1, Rock RMS, Breeze, CCB, PCO, OCS, Aplos, Aegis, Kindful, TouchPoint, DP Consulting, ICON, SalesForce).
• Webhook Pending: Donations with pending webhook delivery.
• Optional Description Included: Donations with a gift description.
• Charge Status: Approved, Declined, Pending, Error, Refunded, Bank Rejected, Cancelled.

Selecting a filter applies it immediately and reloads the list.

Removing Filters

Active filters appear as removable chips below the summary cards. Click the X on a chip to remove that filter. The list refreshes automatically.

Viewing a Donation Detail (Invoice)

Click any row in the Donations table to open the donation detail in a modal. The invoice shows:

• Transaction ID and payment date.
• Donor name, email, address, organization (if provided).
• Fund and sub-fund allocation.
• Amount, payment type, charge status.
• Gateway transaction ID and response message.
• Gift description, gift type, and gift source.
• ChMS sync status (when integration is enabled).

For Quick Entry and Check Scanning transactions, a Split Transaction section may appear, allowing you to split a single donation across multiple funds or adjust existing allocations.

Invoice Actions (Refund, Resend Email, Edit Status)

From the invoice header:

• Refund: For approved payments with refund support, click Refund to process a gateway refund.
• Resend Email: Resend the donation receipt email to the donor.
• Edit Status: Use the dropdown to mark as Refunded, Bank Rejected, or Cancelled when appropriate.
• Print: Open a print-friendly version in a new tab.

The donor name is a dropdown with quick links to view all donations, view user profile, sign in as user, edit user, view recurring schedules, view payment methods, and more.

Printing an Invoice

Click Print in the invoice header to open a print-optimized page. Use your browser’s print dialog to save as PDF or send to a printer.

Donation Growth

Click Growth Report in the Donations header to open the Growth Report. This report shows:

• Growth Summary: Year-over-year growth for donation volume and transaction count (full year and YTD).
• Growth Chart: Bar chart of total transactions or total volume by month.
• Monthly Growth Breakdown: Table with volume, count, average, and growth percentages by month and year.
• Yearly Transaction Geolocation Heatmaps: Maps showing where donations originated for each year.

An optional Projected Growth section appears when growth data is available and the project option is enabled. An AI-powered Executive Summary provides strategic insights. Use Print or Executive Summary PDF to export.

Activity Heatmap

When you apply a date range filter and the result set is within limits, an Activity Heatmap may appear above the table. The heatmap shows donation activity by geographic location (based on donor address data). Warmer colors indicate higher concentration of donations. Use the heatmap to visualize where your congregation is giving from.

The heatmap is also available from the Growth Report for each year. For non-cash asset donations, a separate heatmap view filters by asset type.

Exporting Donations

Generic CSV Exports

Click the Export Results dropdown to choose an export format. Generic options include:

• Export CSV Spreadsheet: Full export with all transaction fields plus donor address, state, zip, and campus fund.
• Export CSV Spreadsheet (Shortened): Condensed set of fields (user ID, name, amount, address, fund, sub-fund, description, status, payment type, gateway ID, date, cover rate).
• Export CSV Spreadsheet (Generic): Generic format with envelope ID, name, email, amount, group amount, date, fund, sub-fund, gift type, description, payment type, gateway fee, status, gift source, form ID, form submission ID, cover rate.

All exports respect your current filters. The file downloads immediately with a timestamped filename.

ChMS-Specific Exports

The export dropdown also includes dedicated formats for:

• Microsoft Dynamics
• SalesForce
• ACS Technologies Realm
• ACS Technologies (legacy)
• Bank One Format (requires date filter; limits to single date)
• Shelby Bank One Format
• Shelby Next
• Community Church Builder (CCB)
• Church Windows
• Power Church
• Servant Keeper
• MicahTek (tab-delimited)
• Raiser’s Edge
• ParishSOFT Offering (prompts for Organization ID)
• One Church Software
• ChurchTrac
• ShepherdsStaff
• Fellowship One GO

Each format is tailored to the ChMS’s expected column structure. Use the filter that matches your ChMS (e.g., Approved only) before exporting.

ChMS Auto-Sync

Pending vs. Recorded

When your church uses a ChMS integration (Ministry Platform, Rock RMS, Breeze, CCB, Fellowship One, PCO, OCS, Aplos, Aegis, Kindful, TouchPoint, DP Consulting, ICON, SalesForce), approved donations are typically synced automatically. Use the Filters dropdown to filter by [ChMS] Pending Transaction or [ChMS] Recorded Transaction. Pending means the donation has not yet been recorded in the ChMS; Recorded means it has.

Batch Submit to Retry Sync

When you filter by Pending and results exist, a blue alert appears: “Looks like there are transactions pending [ChMS] recording. Would you like to batch trigger these for [ChMS] recording again?” Click Yes - Batch Submit Now to retry. The system queues the donations for sync. Allow a few minutes for processing. If donations remain pending after retry, check for invalid ChMS IDs (e.g., MP User ID, CCB Individual ID) and submit individually if needed.

Crypto Donations

When cryptocurrency donations are enabled for your church, crypto gifts appear in the Donations list. They can be filtered by payment type and viewed via a dedicated crypto invoice. The Crypto Donations section in the navigation (when enabled) redirects to the Asset Donations view filtered for cryptocurrency. Use Crypto Billing to view and manage crypto exchange invoices (liquidation and fees). For detailed crypto setup and usage, see the Crypto Donations article.

Asset Donations

Non-cash asset donations (stocks, vehicles, real estate, etc.) have a dedicated view under Donations > Non-Cash Asset Donations. The asset list includes columns for asset name, asset type, and quantity, in addition to the standard donation fields. The same filtering, export, and ChMS sync features apply. For full documentation, see the Asset Donations article.

KYC Map

For compliance and verification, the KYC Map displays a single donation’s donor location on a map based on the donor’s address. This is typically accessed from the donation detail when address data is available. It helps verify that a donation originated from an expected geographic area.

Split Transactions

Quick Entry and Check Scanning transactions can be split across multiple funds. When viewing such a donation in the invoice modal, a Split Transaction or Adjust Fund Allocations section appears. You can:

• Split: Add allocation rows to distribute the total amount across multiple funds and sub-funds.
• Adjust: Change fund, sub-fund, or amount for each allocation. The allocation total must match the group amount.
• Merge: Remove extra allocations and merge back into a single transaction.

If your church uses a ChMS integration, an acknowledgment checkbox appears: “I understand that if this transaction has been recorded in an external ChMS, it is my responsibility to update the ChMS to reflect these changes.” Check it before saving when the donation has already been synced.

Refunding a Donation

For approved donations that support gateway refunds, click Refund in the invoice header to process a refund through the payment processor. For donations that cannot be refunded via the gateway (e.g., cash, check), use Edit Status > Mark as Refunded to update the record. Use Mark as Bank Rejected when a bank rejects an eCheck or ACH. Use Mark as Cancelled when a transaction should be voided.

Tips and Best Practices

• Use date filters: Most reports and exports work best with a date range. The Growth Report and Report require a date or financial batch.
• Export after filtering: Always apply the filters you need (e.g., Approved, date range, fund) before exporting. The export uses the current filter set.
• Bank One: The Bank One export requires a single-date filter. Narrow to one day before exporting.
• ParishSOFT: You’ll be prompted for an Organization ID when exporting ParishSOFT format.
• ChMS sync: If donations stay Pending after batch submit, check for invalid ChMS IDs. Some integrations require donor records to exist in the ChMS first.
• Split transactions: When splitting, ensure the allocation total equals the group amount. The Save button enables only when the totals match.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I export donations to my church management system?

Use the Export Results dropdown and select the format that matches your ChMS (e.g., Ministry Platform, Rock RMS, ACS Realm). Apply your desired filters (typically Approved and a date range) before exporting. The file downloads as a CSV. Import it into your ChMS using that system’s import process. If you use an auto-sync integration, donations may already be flowing automatically; use the Pending filter to find any that haven’t synced yet.

Why are some donations still pending ChMS sync?

Donations can remain Pending if the sync failed (e.g., invalid ChMS ID, network issue) or if the donor doesn’t exist in the ChMS. Filter by Pending and click Batch Submit Now to retry. If they still don’t sync, check individual donations for invalid MP User ID, CCB Individual ID, or similar. Contact support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000 if you need help troubleshooting.

Can I accept cryptocurrency donations?

Yes, when crypto is enabled for your church. Crypto donations appear in the Donations list and can be filtered by payment type. The Crypto Donations section in the nav links to the asset view filtered for cryptocurrency. Crypto Billing tracks liquidation and fees. See the Crypto Donations article for setup and integration details.

How do I refund a donation?

For credit card and eCheck donations that support gateway refunds, click Refund in the invoice header. The refund is processed through the payment processor. For cash, check, or other non-refundable types, use Edit Status > Mark as Refunded to update the record. Use Mark as Bank Rejected for rejected ACH/eCheck payments.

What do the charge statuses mean?

Approved means the payment was successful. Pending means it’s still processing (e.g., eCheck awaiting bank clearance). Declined means the card or bank rejected the payment. Refunded means the donation was refunded. Bank Rejected applies when an ACH/eCheck is rejected by the bank. Cancelled means the transaction was voided. Error indicates a processing failure. Use the Filters dropdown to filter by any status.

What is the Activity Heatmap?

The Activity Heatmap shows where your donations are coming from geographically, based on donor address data. It appears when you have a date range filter and the result set is within limits. Warmer colors indicate higher concentration. Use it to visualize your congregation’s geographic spread. The heatmap is also available in the Growth Report for each year.

How do I split a donation across multiple funds?

Split is available for Quick Entry and Check Scanning transactions, not for online card or eCheck payments. Open the donation in the invoice modal. If it’s splittable, you’ll see a Split Transaction or Adjust Fund Allocations section. Click to expand, add allocation rows, assign fund and sub-fund to each, and enter amounts. The total must equal the group amount. Click Save. If the donation was already synced to a ChMS, check the acknowledgment and update the ChMS manually if needed.

Need help setting up or troubleshooting? Contact us at support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000. OnlineGiving.org offers courtesy setup assistance for new churches.