Knowledge Base

Currently, HiRaiser offers three ways to offer donors ACH (eCheck) as a payment option:

1. Automated ACH Payments – Authorize.net customers only. An ACH/eCheck button is displayed. The transaction is handled like a credit card donation, and the payment is processed by Authorize.net (a fee applies ~0.75%). Currently, only customers using Authorize.net as their payment gateway can access this feature. 

2. Manual ACH Submission. Only use this if you have the ability to initiate ACH pulls on your end through your online banking. An ACH/eCheck button is displayed. The form captures the account information to be processed manually later. The account details will appear in the notification email but will not be saved in the HiRaiser donation record. Do not use this option if you cannot complete the transaction on your own, as it could cause confusion.

3. ACH as a Pledge. No ACH/eCheck button is displayed. Bundle ACH together with your other Pledge (Bill Me) options, and include your bank account info in the donor thank you email for Pledges. Follow up to ensure payment like all pledges. 

Whether or not to use ACH depends on the audience, expected donation sizes, and the type of campaign. 

ACH is generally used for larger donations, on capital campaigns or other major gifts, where donors want to help the organization avoid credit card fees. On the other hand, some donors like to use their credit card in order to acquire points or other benefits.

ACH makes less sense on crowdfunding and P2P campaigns that capture smaller donations.