Payment Snapshot: Your Church’s Payment Health at a Glance
Event registrations, merchandise sales, camp fees, tuition payments, and ministry-related purchases—these non-donation transactions represent a significant part of many churches’ financial activity. Understanding how your congregation engages with these payments isn’t just about tracking revenue. It’s about spotting trends, identifying at-risk payers, and making data-driven decisions that support your ministry.
Why Payment Health Matters
The Payment Snapshot report gives you a comprehensive dashboard of your church’s non-donation payment activity. Unlike the Generosity Snapshot, which focuses on tithes and offerings, the Payment Snapshot tracks event tickets, product sales, fees, and other transactional payments. Whether you’re preparing for a board meeting, conducting an annual review, or simply want to understand how your congregation engages with paid events and products, this report brings everything together in one place.
Church leaders often need quick answers: How did last month’s VBS registration compare to last year? Are more people paying by card or bank account? How many first-time payers did we attract this quarter? The Payment Snapshot answers these questions with clear metrics, year-over-year comparisons, and an AI-powered executive summary that distills the data into plain language. No spreadsheets required.
Real Scenarios, Real Decisions
Picture this: It’s the end of the month and your finance committee is preparing for the board meeting. You need to report on event revenue, product sales, and fee coverage. The Payment Snapshot’s At a Glance section gives you immediate totals for the current period, last week, last month, and year-to-date. The Period Comparison Table shows how you stack up against one and two years ago. The Payer Lifecycle section reveals who’s new, who’s returning, and who may have drifted away—so you can spot patterns before they become problems.
Or imagine annual planning for next year’s camp registration. The This Time Last Year section provides a natural-language comparison: “This time last year, you had received $X from Y payers. This year, you’re at $A from B payers—Z% ahead in payments and W% ahead in participation.” That context helps you set realistic goals and celebrate wins.
Four Period Modes for Every Need
The Payment Snapshot supports four period modes: Current, Last Week, Last Month, and Annual Review (the prior calendar year). Each mode serves a different purpose. Current shows year-to-date activity with weekly and monthly comparisons. Last Week is ideal for weekly staff reviews. Last Month helps with monthly finance reports. Annual Review gives you a complete picture of the prior year for strategic planning and annual reports. Use the period switcher in the page header to toggle between modes without leaving the page.
In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Payment Snapshot feature and walk you through every section, control, and export option.
Payment Snapshot User Guide:
The Payment Snapshot is a comprehensive payment health dashboard available from the Payment Reports hub. It displays a numeric health score, AI executive summary, at-a-glance metrics, period comparison table, payer lifecycle analysis, payment method breakdown, fee coverage adoption, payment patterns (one-time vs recurring), and a contextual “This Time Last Year” comparison. The report supports printing, PDF export, executive summary PDF, and scheduled email delivery.
Key Takeaways
- Health Score: A 0–100 score with status labels (thriving, strong, healthy, building, developing, starting) and factor-level insights.
- AI Executive Summary: Factual narrative summary of payment data; expandable/collapsible with View Full Analysis toggle.
- Period Modes: Current, Last Week, Last Month, and Annual Review (prior year) for flexible time analysis.
- Payer Lifecycle: First-time, returning, lapsed, upgraded, and new recurring payers with links to filtered user lists.
- Export & Email: Print, Save as PDF, Executive Summary PDF, and scheduled weekly/monthly/annual email reports.
Table of Contents
- Accessing the Payment Snapshot
- Period Modes (Current, Last Week, Last Month, Annual Review)
- Health Score
- AI Executive Summary
- At a Glance
- Period Comparison Table
- Payer Lifecycle
- Payment Methods Breakdown
- Fee Coverage
- Payment Patterns
- This Time Last Year
- Exporting (Print, PDF, Executive Summary PDF)
- Email Scheduling
- Multi-Campus Behavior
- Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
Accessing the Payment Snapshot
To open the Payment Snapshot:
- Log in to the control panel.
- Click “Payment Reports” in the left navigation menu (under the Payments section).
- On the Payment Reports hub, locate the Payment Snapshot card.
- Click “Current Snapshot” or use one of the quick links: Current, Last Week, Last Month, or Annual Review (prior calendar year).
You can also reach the Payment Snapshot from the Payments list page. Use the Snapshot dropdown and select Current Snapshot, Last Week, or Annual Review. Each option opens the snapshot in a new tab with the correct period pre-selected.
Period Modes (Current, Last Week, Last Month, Annual Review)
The period switcher appears in the page header as four buttons: Current, Last Week, Last Month, and Annual Review (displayed as the prior year, e.g., 2024). The active period is highlighted. Click any button to switch views without leaving the page.
Current shows year-to-date activity. The At a Glance section displays This Week, This Month, and Year to Date cards, plus a trend comparison to the prior period. Use this for ongoing oversight.
Last Week focuses on the previous calendar week (Monday through Sunday). Ideal for weekly staff meetings and quick pulse checks.
Last Month focuses on the prior calendar month. Use this for monthly finance reports and board packet preparation.
Annual Review (labeled with the prior year, e.g., 2024) shows the full prior calendar year. Use this for annual reports, strategic planning, and year-over-year comparisons.
Health Score
The Health Score section appears at the top of the report. It provides a high-level assessment of your payment activity health.
What the Health Score Measures
The health score is a numeric value from 0 to 100, displayed in a prominent badge. Below it, a status label indicates your current tier: Thriving, Strong, Healthy, Building, Developing, or Starting. Each status corresponds to a score range and reflects how established your payment activity is.
A data maturity metric shows how many months of payment data the system has used to calculate the score. For new churches or organizations with limited payment history, the score may show “Establishing Baseline” with an Early Wins badge highlighting positive factors.
The score is built from several factors, each displayed with a label, score, maximum possible points, and percentage value. Typical factors include year-over-year growth, average payment trends, recurring payment strength, and active payer retention. Each factor includes an insight sentence explaining what the data shows. A pastoral encouragement message appears below the factors, offering context and next steps.
Status Levels and Data Maturity
Status levels range from Thriving (highest) to Starting (for new or limited data). Churches with fewer than six months of data may see Starting with an “Establishing Baseline” message and Early Wins badges instead of a full numeric score. As data accumulates, the score and factors become more detailed.
AI Executive Summary
Below the Health Score, the AI Executive Summary & Strategic Insights panel provides an AI-generated narrative summary of your payment data. The AI analyzes only the data visible in the report tables and metrics—it never invents numbers. The summary is factual and neutral, designed for leadership review.
What the AI Analyzes
The AI summary typically covers: Payment Summary (a brief overview of totals and year-over-year comparison), Period Overview (primary period activity and comparison periods), Payer Activity (unique payers, first-time vs returning, average transaction amount), Payment Methods (breakdown by card, ACH, etc., with percentages), and Year-Over-Year Comparison (factual comparison to the same period last year). The summary is cached per domain, date, and period for performance.
A disclaimer at the bottom of the panel states: “AI can make mistakes, so double-check important findings.” Use the summary as a starting point for discussion, not as a substitute for reviewing the underlying data.
Expanding and Collapsing the Analysis
When the AI summary is longer than the visible area, a View Full Analysis button appears. Click it to expand the content and see the full narrative. The button label changes to Collapse Analysis when expanded. Click again to collapse. This keeps the page compact while allowing full access when needed.
At a Glance
The At a Glance section displays summary cards for the primary period and related periods. Each card shows a label (e.g., This Week, This Month, Year to Date), total amount, transaction count, unique givers (payers), and date range. A trend card shows change percentage, comparison text (e.g., “vs prior period”), and an icon indicating direction: up (green), down (red), or neutral.
Period Cards and Trend Indicators
The exact cards depend on the selected period mode. For Current, you typically see This Week, This Month, Year to Date, and a trend comparison. For Last Week or Last Month, the cards reflect that focus period. Trend icons help you quickly spot whether activity is up, down, or flat compared to the prior period.
Period Comparison Table
The Period Comparison Table presents key metrics in a table format. Columns include the metric name plus dynamic period columns (e.g., Current Period, Prior Period, Year to Date). Rows include Total Amount, Transaction Count, Average Amount, Unique Givers, vs 1 Year Ago (amount change and one-year-ago amount), and vs 2 Years Ago (amount change and two-years-ago amount) when historical data exists.
Metrics and Year-Over-Year Comparison
The table adapts to the selected period mode. On desktop, it displays as a table. On mobile, it stacks into cards for easier reading. Use this section for board-ready numbers and year-over-year trend analysis.
Payer Lifecycle
The Payer Lifecycle (or Payer Activity) section breaks down who is paying and how they relate to your payment history. Each row represents a category with a count, year-over-year change (when data exists), and a description.
Each Category Explained
First-Time Payers: New payers who made their first payment in the selected period. The description explains they are new payers who made their first payment this year, last week, last month, or last year (depending on period mode).
Returning Payers: Payers who paid before and paid again in the selected period. These are repeat engagers.
Lapsed Payers: Payers who paid in the comparison period (e.g., last year YTD) but have not paid in the current period. For donation-focused care, a link to the at-risk care list may appear when applicable. For payments, the row links to a filtered Users list showing lapsed payers.
Upgraded Payers: Payers who paid more than their historical average. These are people increasing their engagement.
New Recurring: Payers who started a recurring payment schedule in the selected period. This indicates commitment to ongoing payments (e.g., recurring event fees or product subscriptions).
Links to Users and Care List
Each category row is clickable. Clicking opens the Users page with filters applied (lifecycle type, date range, tax-deductible = No for payments). For Lapsed payers in a donations context, a “See your full care list” link may appear, directing you to the Stewardship Pastoral Care report. On mobile, the table displays as stacked cards with the same links.
Payment Methods Breakdown
The Payment Methods section shows how payers completed their transactions. A table lists each method with Method (icon and label), Amount, Count, % of Total, and Distribution (a progress bar).
Card, ACH, Check, Cash, and PayPal
Rows include Card (credit/debit card), ACH (bank account), Check (paper check), Cash, and PayPal. Only methods with activity appear. A Total row sums the amounts and counts. Each method row (except Total) is a link. Clicking opens the Payments list filtered by that payment type and the report’s date range. On mobile, the table displays as stacked cards.
Fee Coverage
The Fee Coverage section appears when your organization has enabled “Cover the Fee” and at least one transaction has elected to cover processing fees. It shows adoption metrics for the year-to-date period.
Cover the Fee Adoption Metrics
Three metrics are displayed: Giver Adoption % (or Payers Covering Fees)—the percentage of unique payers who have covered fees; Transaction Adoption %—the percentage of transactions that included fee coverage; and Total Fees Covered—the total dollar amount of fees covered by payers in the period. A giver adoption progress bar visually represents the adoption rate. If no fee coverage data exists, this section is hidden.
Payment Patterns
The Payment Patterns section breaks down one-time vs recurring payments and, for recurring, the frequency distribution.
One-Time vs Recurring Overview
An overview card shows One-Time and Recurring with amount, count, and percentage of total. A progress bar visually splits the mix. One-Time is a link to the Payments list filtered by one-time transactions. Recurring shows the total recurring amount and count.
Recurring Frequency Breakdown
A separate card lists recurring frequencies: Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, Bimonthly (Twice Monthly, 1st & 15th), Quarterly, and Yearly. Each frequency with activity shows an icon, label, amount, count, and a link to the filtered Payments list. Frequencies with zero activity are omitted. If no recurring transactions exist in the period, the message “No recurring transactions in this period” appears.
This Time Last Year
When historical data exists, the This Time Last Year section provides a natural-language comparison. It adapts to the period mode: for Last Week, it compares last week to the same week last year; for Last Month, the prior month to the same month last year; for Current or Annual, it compares year-to-date or full year.
Contextual Comparison
The text reads something like: “This time last year, you had received $X from Y payers. This year, you’re at $A from B payers—Z% ahead (or behind, or on pace) in payments and W% ahead (or behind, or on pace) in participation.” Sentiment is indicated with color: green for ahead, red for behind, gray for on pace. If no historical data exists, this section is hidden.
Exporting (Print, PDF, Executive Summary PDF)
The page header includes four export actions:
Print: Opens the browser’s print dialog. Use this to print the full report or save to PDF via the browser’s “Save as PDF” option. The print view hides non-essential UI elements.
Save as PDF: Downloads the full report content (all sections) as a PDF file. The filename includes the report type and date (e.g., payment-snapshot-2025-03-18.pdf).
Executive Summary PDF: Downloads only the AI Executive Summary panel as a PDF. Use this when you need a compact, shareable summary for leadership without the full report.
Email: Opens the email settings modal (see Email Scheduling below).
Email Scheduling
Click the Email button to open the Send Report & Email Notifications modal. The modal has two main sections: Send Report Now and Scheduled Email Settings.
Send Report Now
In the Send Report Now section, enter one or more email addresses in the textarea (comma-separated or one per line). Click Send Report Now to immediately send the current Payment Snapshot report to those addresses. The report sent matches the period you’re viewing (Current, Last Week, Last Month, or Annual). Feedback appears next to the button indicating success or error.
Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Schedules
The Scheduled Email Settings section shows two admin panels: Donor Admins and Payments Admins. Each lists the email addresses of users with that role. A Manage link goes to the Users admin page to add or edit admins.
Three frequency cards follow: Weekly Report, Monthly Report, and Annual Report. Each has an enable toggle (Switchery) and, when enabled, radio options for who receives the report: Donor Admins, Donor Admins + Payments Admins (Both), or Payments Admins. You can also disable a frequency entirely.
Weekly Report sends every Monday morning, covering the previous week’s payment activity. Monthly Report sends at the start of each month, covering the previous month. Annual Report sends in January, covering the previous year. Descriptions appear under each card. Changes save automatically when you toggle or select a radio option. A Close button dismisses the modal.
Multi-Campus Behavior
The Payment Snapshot aggregates all non-donation payment activity across your organization. It includes payments from all campuses and all payment sources (events, products, fees, etc.). There is no campus filter on the Payment Snapshot itself—it is designed as an organization-wide overview. For campus-specific donation analysis, use the Generosity Snapshot with the Campus or Fund scope from the Reports hub.
Tips
- Bookmark your favorite period: The URL includes the period parameter (e.g., ?period=last_week). Bookmark it for quick access.
- Use Executive Summary PDF for board packets: The AI summary is concise and factual. Download it as a standalone PDF for inclusion in board materials.
- Drill down from any metric: Payment Methods, Payment Patterns, and Payer Lifecycle rows link to filtered lists. Use these to investigate specific segments.
- Schedule weekly emails for staff: Enable the Weekly Report and choose Payments Admins (or Both) so your team gets a Monday morning digest without logging in.
- Compare periods before meetings: Switch between Last Week, Last Month, and Annual Review to prepare different views for different audiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Payment Snapshot and the Generosity Snapshot?
The Payment Snapshot tracks non-donation transactions: event registrations, product sales, fees, tuition, and similar payments. The Generosity Snapshot tracks tax-deductible donations (tithes, offerings, gifts to funds). Use the Payment Snapshot for event and product revenue; use the Generosity Snapshot for giving and stewardship analysis.
Why does my Health Score show “Establishing Baseline”?
This appears when your organization has limited payment history (typically fewer than six months). The system needs enough data to calculate a full numeric score. Early Wins badges highlight positive factors. As you accumulate data, the full score and factors will appear.
Can I filter the Payment Snapshot by campus or product?
The Payment Snapshot does not have a campus or product filter. It shows organization-wide payment activity. For product-specific analysis, use the Product Sales Report from the Payment Reports hub, which supports filters by collection, product, campus, and more.
How often is the AI Executive Summary updated?
The AI summary is generated on demand when you view the report and is cached per domain, date, and period. If you change the period or return on a different day, a new summary may be generated. The summary reflects only the data visible in the report at the time of generation.
Who receives scheduled Payment Snapshot emails?
You choose: Donor Admins only, Payments Admins only, or both (Donor Admins + Payments Admins). The modal shows the current email addresses for each group. Use the Manage link to add or remove users with these roles. If no admins exist, no emails are sent until you add users.
Why doesn’t the Fee Coverage section appear?
The Fee Coverage section only appears when your organization has enabled the “Cover the Fee” option and at least one transaction in the period has elected to cover processing fees. If both conditions are not met, the section is hidden.
Can I export the Payer Lifecycle data to Excel?
The Payer Lifecycle section links to the Users page with filters applied. From the Users page, you can export the filtered list. The Payment Snapshot itself does not have a direct Excel export for the lifecycle table; use the linked Users view for that.
What does “Lapsed Payers” mean for payments?
Lapsed Payers are people who made a payment (event, product, fee) in the comparison period (e.g., last year YTD) but have not made any payment in the current period. They may have attended an event last year but not this year, or purchased a product last year but not recently. The row links to a filtered Users list so you can review and optionally reach out.