Lila Pigott of Idealist Consulting walks through what a payment processor is, what to consider when choosing a processor and the differences between standalone and integrated payment processors. Lila joined the ranks of nonprofit technology consultants in 2012. After more than 15 years in nonprofit and mission-based organizations, she realized her true passion was helping the enthusiastic and unsupported or intimidated and reluctant overcome the organizational inertia often associated with adopting new technology. In her current role as a Solutions Analyst with Idealist Consulting, Lila works directly with nonprofit organizations and provides analysis, advice, and support to improve business processes and implement constituent relationship database solutions. A recording from PDXTech4Good, a free monthly gathering of nonprofits, techies and activists in Portland, Oregon. More information: PDXTech4Good.org

1. How to Evaluate
Payment Processors
Presented by:

2. Presenter:
Lila Pigott
Solutions Analyst
Q&A:
Lila Pigott and
Cat Monaghan

3. What is a Payment Processor?
A payment processor is a service that
processed credit card payments. Processing
includes verification of available funds and
anti-fraud measures.

4. Why Are We Talking About
Payment Processors?
• Most nonprofits use one
• Reevaluation may be required
based on changing organizational
needs

5. The Big Three
Questions to Ask When You’re Picking a
Payment Processor
• What do you want it to do?
• How much does it cost?
• How easy is it to use?

6. What Do You Want It To Do?
• Payment types
• Volume
• Integrated or unintegrated

7. What Do You Want It To Do?
Payment Types
• Donations
• Event Tickets
• Memberships
• Online Shopping Cart
• Peer to Peer Fundraising
• Recurring Payments

8. What do you want it to do?
Volume
• Low Volume: 90% of donations come in via
check. Five online donations per month.
• Increasing Volume: Online donations
increased from 50 to 75% of donation volume
over the past year. Processing time has
doubled for staff.

9. What do you want it to do?
Integrated or Unintegrated
• Integrated: Event ticket purchases made
through website are automatically reflected
on the contact record of the purchaser in
database.
• Unintegrated: Books purchased via Paypal
through website. Staff manually associate
purchase with contact record in database.

10. How Much Does it Cost?
• Transaction fees
• Per transaction flat rate
• Flat rate event fee
• Per month flat rate
• Contract fees

11. How Easy Is It To Use?
• The more it does, the more complex it is
• The ole’ time vs money conundrum
• It’s plug and play only up to a certain point
 Create new event pages
 Manage various donation funds
 Multiple campaign pages

12. Payment Types
• Donations – PayPal, FirstGiving, IATS Brickwork, Click & Pledge,
Linvio Payment Connect, Network for Good
• Event Tickets – PayPal, Eventbrite*, Click & Pledge*, Brown Paper
Tickets, Acteva*, RegOnline, Cvent
• Memberships – MemberNation*, Click & Pledge*
• Online Shopping Cart – PayPal, Google Shopping Cart, Click &
Pledge* connector, Nexternal, Square
• Peer to Peer Fundraising – FirstGiving, Razu, Fundly*, StayClassy,
CauseVox, Kimbia*
• Mobile Giving – Mobile Giving Foundation, MobileCause, mGive,
Click & Pledge*
• Additional Processors – Authorize.net,
*Has Salesforce integration or integration is in progress.

13. Solution Comparison
Selection limited to those than can integrate with Salesforce
Online
Payment Processors* Donations Events Memberships Peer to Peer Mobile Giving
Shopping Cart
ActevaRSVP v
Click&Pledge v v v* v v
Common Ground v v v
Cvent v
Eventbrite v
IATS Brickwork v
Linvio Events v
Linvio Payment
Connect
v
Nexternal v
RegOnline v
*Custom programming required

14. Questions?

15. info@idealistconsulting.com
800.889.8675
www.idealistconsulting.com