Giving Settings and Pay Settings: Configure Your Church’s Payment Experience

Every church that accepts online donations or sells products through their giving platform needs to configure how payments work. Should donors see credit card or ACH (electronic check) first? Do you want to offer a “Cover the Fee” option so donors can absorb processing costs? What about Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal and Venmo? These decisions shape the donor experience and your church’s financial workflow.

Two Settings Hubs for Giving and Payments

OnlineGiving.org provides two complementary settings areas: Giving Settings and Pay Settings. Giving Settings (under the Giving section in the left navigation) controls donation-specific options: default payment types, convenience fees, gateway credentials, Cover the Fee pricing, and links to Express Donations and Custom Payment Links. Pay Settings (under the Payments section) manages e-commerce and product-related configuration such as sales tax, shipping, and other payment-related preferences. Together, they give you full control over how your church accepts money online.

Payment Methods and Defaults

Your donors can give via credit card, ACH (electronic check), and—when enabled—PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. The default payment type setting determines which option appears first when a donor visits your giving page. Many churches default to credit card for speed and familiarity; others prefer ACH to reduce processing fees. You can also restrict certain giving pages or custom forms to credit card only or ACH only, giving you flexibility for special campaigns or event registrations.

Convenience Fees and Cover the Fee

Processing fees from card networks and banks add up. The Cover the Fee feature lets donors optionally add a small amount to their gift to offset these costs. You configure the percentage and fixed fee for Visa/Mastercard/Discover, American Express, and electronic check. When enabled, donors see a checkbox: “I’d like to cover the processing fees.” Some churches prefer to absorb fees themselves; others pass them through. The choice is yours.

Recurring Giving and Wallet Payments

Recurring giving drives predictable ministry funding. Settings control the default frequency (one-time, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) and whether donors can save payment methods for future use. Apple Pay and Google Pay offer one-tap checkout for returning donors, while PayPal and Venmo appeal to donors who prefer wallet-based payments. Each option can be enabled or disabled based on your church’s needs and gateway configuration.

In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Giving Settings and Pay Settings features.

Giving Settings and Pay Settings User Guide

The Giving Settings page and the Pay Settings page are the central hubs for configuring how your church accepts donations and product payments. Giving Settings is under the Giving section of the left navigation; Pay Settings is under the Payments section. Both require the Donor Admin or Payments Admin role.

Key Takeaways

• Giving Settings: Configure payment methods (credit card, ACH), default amounts, gateway credentials, Cover the Fee, crypto rates, and links to Express Donations and Custom Payment Links.
• Pay Settings: Manage e-commerce-specific settings such as sales tax, shipping, and other payment-related preferences grouped by category.
• Default payment type: Choose whether donors see credit card or ACH first on the giving form.
• Cover the Fee: Enable optional donor-funded processing fee coverage with configurable rates for card, Amex, and ACH.
• Apple Pay / Google Pay: Configured via NMI CollectJS credentials in Merchant Gateway Settings for one-tap checkout.
• PayPal / Venmo: Onboard via the PayPal Admin page; settings control display order and checkout banner.

Table of Contents

1. Accessing Giving Settings and Pay Settings
   • Giving Settings Navigation
   • Pay Settings Navigation
2. Giving Settings Sections
   • General Settings
   • Cover the Fee
   • Crypto Billing Rates
   • Merchant Gateway Settings
   • Express & Custom Payment
   • Fund Settings
3. Pay Settings Sections
   • Pay Settings Overview
   • Editing Individual Pay Settings
4. Payment Methods and Defaults
   • Credit Card and ACH
   • Apple Pay and Google Pay
   • PayPal and Venmo
5. Recurring Options
6. Stripe Managed and Demo Accounts
7. Frequently Asked Questions

Accessing Giving Settings and Pay Settings

Both sections are available from the control panel left navigation. You must have the Donor Admin or Payments Admin role to access them.

Giving Settings Navigation

From the left navigation, expand the Giving section and click Giving Settings. The page displays a search bar and multiple sections: General Settings (grouped by category), Cover the Fee (if you have master admin access), Crypto Billing Rates, Merchant Gateway Settings, Express & Custom Payment, and Fund Settings.

Pay Settings Navigation

From the left navigation, expand the Payments section and click Pay Settings. The page displays a search bar and settings grouped by category (e.g., Sales Tax, Shipping). Each group contains individual settings that can be edited.

Giving Settings Sections

General Settings

General settings are grouped by category (e.g., Donation Form, Gift Preferences, Text Giving). Use the search bar at the top of the page to find a specific setting by keyword—as you type, sections that match will remain visible while others are hidden. Click the edit (pencil) icon next to any setting to change its value.

To edit a General Setting:

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Go to Giving → Giving Settings.
3. Use the search bar or scroll to locate the setting.
4. Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to the setting.
5. Update the value in the form (the field type varies: text, dropdown, number, HTML editor, etc.).
6. Click Save.

You will be redirected back to the Giving Settings list. A success message confirms the update. Common settings include:

• Default payment type: Choose credit card or electronic check for the default payment method shown to donors.
• Default frequency: One-time, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
• Default amounts: Preset gift amounts on the giving form.
• Cover the Fee language: Custom text for the “Cover the Fee” checkbox.
• Fund and sub-fund labels: Custom labels for fund selection.

Cover the Fee

The Cover the Fee section (visible to master admins only) lets you enable and configure processing fee coverage. When enabled, donors can optionally add a small amount to their gift to offset card and ACH processing costs. Configure:

• Enable Cover the Fee: Yes or No.
• Visa/MasterCard/Discover: Percentage and fixed fee (e.g., 2.9% + $0.30).
• American Express: Separate percentage and fixed fee (e.g., 3.5% + $0.30).
• Electronic Check: Percentage and fixed fee for ACH.

Click Apply Settings to save. Changes take effect immediately on the giving form.

Crypto Billing Rates

If your church accepts cryptocurrency donations, the Crypto Billing Rate Settings section (master admin only) lets you configure the percentage charged on liquidation value and fixed fee per transaction. Leave blank to disable.

Merchant Gateway Settings

The Merchant Gateway Settings section (master admin only) configures which payment gateway handles credit card and ACH transactions. Select:

• Credit Card Gateway: The gateway for card transactions (e.g., NMI, Stripe, PaymentSpring).
• ACH Gateway: The gateway for electronic check (optional; can be left blank if you only accept cards).

Below the gateway selection, configure credentials for each gateway:

• NMI Google Pay & Apple Pay: NMI CollectJS Public Key and NMI Apple Domain Association for Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• NMI Donations: Username and password for the primary donations NMI account.
• NMI Donations (Account 2) / NMI Payments (Accounts 1 & 2): Alternate gateway accounts for multi-gateway setups, with payment mode (CC & ACH or CC Only).
• PaymentSpring: Public and private keys.
• ACheck21 Micro: Username, password, and client ID for check scanning.

Click Apply Settings to save. You will be prompted to confirm with “UPDATE GATEWAY” before changes are applied.

Express & Custom Payment

This section provides links to:

• Generate Custom Payment Links: Create shareable links for specific donations or payment amounts.
• Express Donations Settings, Links & Forms: Configure express (quick) donation flows and forms.

Click the edit icon next to each to open the respective configuration page.

Fund Settings

The Fund Settings section links to Manage Funds, where you configure giving funds, sub-funds, default amounts, text giving keywords, and ChMS mappings.

Pay Settings Sections

Pay Settings Overview

Pay Settings displays settings grouped by category. Settings use the payments_ prefix and are used for e-commerce features such as:

• Sales Tax: Address, city, state, zip, country, phone, email, and name for tax calculation.
• Shipping: Shipping origin address, carrier options, and service levels (when using Shippo or similar).
• Other payment preferences: Domain-specific settings for product checkouts and payments.

Use the search bar to find settings by keyword. Click the edit icon next to any setting to change its value.

Editing Individual Pay Settings

To edit a Pay Setting:

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Go to Payments → Pay Settings.
3. Locate the setting in its group (use search if needed).
4. Click the Edit (pencil) icon.
5. Update the value in the form (text, number, HTML, etc., depending on the setting type).
6. Click Save.

You will be redirected back to the Pay Settings list. A success message confirms the update.

Payment Methods and Defaults

Credit Card and ACH

Credit card and ACH (electronic check) are enabled based on your gateway configuration. If you have both a credit card gateway and an ACH gateway configured, donors can choose either. The default payment type setting determines which option is selected by default when a donor first loads the giving form. Set it to creditcard or echeck in the General Settings section.

Individual giving pages and custom forms can override this with limit payment type options: “CC only,” “ACH only,” or both. Use this when running a campaign that requires a specific payment method.

Apple Pay and Google Pay

Apple Pay and Google Pay provide one-tap checkout for donors who have saved cards in their device wallets. To enable them, configure the NMI CollectJS Public Key and NMI Apple Domain Association in the Merchant Gateway Settings section (Giving Settings). These credentials are provided by your NMI account when you enable Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Once configured, donors on compatible devices will see Apple Pay or Google Pay buttons on the giving form. Wallet payments are processed through your existing credit card gateway.

PayPal and Venmo

PayPal and Venmo are configured separately from the main gateway. To enable them, go to the PayPal Admin page (under Giving or via the PayPal/Venmo menu item) and complete the onboarding flow. Once onboarded, PayPal and Venmo appear as payment options on the giving form.

Settings control display behavior: whether PayPal/Venmo appears above saved payment methods, and whether the “We Accept PayPal and Venmo” banner shows on checkout. These settings are typically managed by support or master admins; contact support@onlinegiving.org if you need assistance.

Recurring Options

Recurring giving is controlled by the default frequency setting and by whether donors can save payment methods. The default frequency (one-time, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) determines the initial selection when a donor loads the form. Donors can change it before completing their gift.

Saved payment methods allow donors to give again without re-entering card or bank details. Recurring schedules are managed in Recurring Schedules under the Giving section. For recurring donations to work, the donor must have a saved payment method and select a frequency other than one-time.

Stripe Managed and Demo Accounts

Stripe Managed Gateway

If your church uses Stripe Managed (Stripe Connect), you will see a Card Gateway Settings section with a link to manage your card gateway. Click the edit icon to open the gateway configuration page, where you can complete or update your Stripe onboarding.

Demo Account Restrictions

On demo accounts, Giving Settings and Pay Settings may be restricted for security. If you see a message that settings cannot be viewed or changed on the demo, contact support@onlinegiving.org to schedule a guided demo with a staff member.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Giving Settings and Pay Settings?

Giving Settings focuses on donation-related configuration: payment methods, gateway credentials, Cover the Fee, default amounts, and links to Express Donations and Custom Payment Links. Pay Settings focuses on e-commerce and product-related configuration such as sales tax, shipping, and other payment preferences used for product checkouts and store features.

What is the default payment type and where do I set it?

The default payment type determines whether donors see credit card or ACH (electronic check) selected first on the giving form. Set it in Giving Settings under the General Settings section. Look for the setting labeled “Default payment type” or similar, and choose credit card or electronic check.

How do I enable Apple Pay and Google Pay?

Apple Pay and Google Pay require NMI as your credit card gateway. In Giving Settings, under Merchant Gateway Settings (master admin only), configure the NMI CollectJS Public Key and NMI Apple Domain Association. Obtain these from your NMI account dashboard when you enable Apple Pay and Google Pay. Once configured, the buttons appear automatically on compatible devices.

What is Cover the Fee and how do I configure it?

Cover the Fee lets donors optionally add a small amount to their gift to offset processing fees. When enabled, donors see a checkbox: “I’d like to cover the processing fees.” Configure rates in Giving Settings under the Cover the Fee section (master admin only). You set separate percentage and fixed fee for Visa/Mastercard/Discover, American Express, and electronic check. Many churches use 2.9% + $0.30 for cards and a lower rate for ACH.

What is the difference between Cover the Fee and convenience fees?

Cover the Fee is donor-optional: donors choose whether to add the fee to their gift. Convenience fees (used on some custom forms and product checkouts) are automatically applied when a specific payment type is used. Both pass processing costs to the donor; Cover the Fee is voluntary, while convenience fees are mandatory when that payment type is selected.

What is the default frequency and when does it apply?

The default frequency is the initial selection on the giving form (one-time, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). Donors can change it before completing their gift. Set it in Giving Settings under the General Settings section. Use this to encourage recurring giving by defaulting to monthly, or keep it one-time for one-off campaigns.

Can I restrict a giving page to credit card only or ACH only?

Yes. Individual giving pages and custom forms support a “limit payment type” option. You can set a page to credit card only, ACH only, or allow both. Use this for campaigns that require a specific payment method, such as event registrations that must be paid by card.

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