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Frequently Asked Questions

 

What does my 4aGoodCause payment page include?

A 4aGoodCause payment page is a set of customized, secure online forms that help you take a payment online. Each "page" is a secure, user-friendly checkout process for a single payment type. For example, you might have one payment page that is for online donations, one for membership payment and one for event registration. Unless noted otherwise, each of our e-commerce modules counts as one payment page. Each page is hosted on our server and links from your organization's web site.

A 4aGoodCause payment page includes...

  • Secure web site hosted with 4aGoodCause
  • Real-time credit card processing
  • Acceptance of all major credit cards
  • Your organization's name on the donor's credit card
  • Automatic e-mail alerts and thank you messages sent to the donor and nonprofit
  • Web pages customized to reflect the look of your Web site with your logo, branding and navigation
  • A secure, password-protected reporting site where you can access your donor information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Web-based management of key elements of your payment form
  • Online donor/member/customer databases
  • Data downloads into Excel
  • Virtual terminal to process offline payments
  • and much, much more...

What types of organizations can use your service?

We built 4aGoodCause for organizations of all sizes seeking to accept online payments for worthy causes. Examples include churches, nonprofits, associations, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, political parties, political action committees and political candidates.

What types of payment pages are available from your service?

You can use 4aGoodCause to accept online payment for almost any purpose. This includes, but is not limited to, online donations, membership sales, event registration, workshop registration, course registration, conference registration or even product sales. View examples of customized pages we've built in the past.

Can the nonprofit create a payment page that mirrors the look of its own Web site? If yes, what is the process and is there a charge?

Yes. That is part of our standard set up process that includes customizing our fundraising system to match the needs of each nonprofit. In addition to matching the look and feel of the site, we can customize other elements such as the form fields and automatic e-mail receipts. Many other providers will simply brand your pages with a logo or banner. We can typically match your site exactly and offer more customization than any other provider. There is no additional charge for this customization other than our regular set up fee.

Is my payment page and account information safe and secure?

Yes, security is our first priority. You donors will be safe as they make transactions and your data will be kept secure as it is stored on our servers. Not only is our service secure but we go out of our way to communicate that security to your donors. This communication boosts your conversion rate.

Security features of 4aGoodCause include...

  • Strict adherence to best practices in e-commerce security
  • SSL encryption of all data with Thawte security certificates ($249/year value)
  • Weekly vulnerability scanning audits of our servers by AlertSite ($25/month value)
  • Certified PCI security compliance from McAfee ($319/year value)
  • Use of AlertSite SafeSite Seal to communicate the security of your site
  • Card security code verification to prevent fraud
  • Address verification to prevent fraud
  • We do not store usable credit cards on our servers

What is your donor privacy policy? Will donor information be shared with anyone apart from the nonprofit to whom the contribution is designated?

4aGoodCause will not sell, trade, rent or otherwise share donor personal information with any organization outside of the nonprofit to which the contribution is designated. View our privacy policy.

What is a merchant account and why do we need one?

A merchant account is an account at an Acquiring Bank and is used to fund you for your credit card transactions. You need a merchant account in order to accept and process credit card transactions, have those funds deposited directly into your bank account and have your organization's name on the donor's credit card statement. In order to use 4aGoodCause, you'll need to set up an internet merchant account as well as a payment gateway with one of the providers we support.

What is a payment gateway and why do we need one?

A payment gateway is a service that allows accepting credit cards over the Internet. A payment gateway does for a website what a swipe terminal does for a physical store like a Wal-Mart: it encrypts the credit card data and sends it out securely over the payment network. Your 4aGoodCause page will communicate with the payment gateway to process credit cards online.

Does 4aGoodCause sell merchant accounts and payment gateways?

Yes, for those that do not have these accounts or want a new ones with better rates, we partner with Dharma Merchant Services and Authorize.net to provide these services.

Can we use our existing merchant account or payment gateway provider with the 4aGoodCause service?

While we believe our merchant account partner offers the best rates and service available, if you want to use our service but want to use your own merchant account provider we can typically still work with you. Your provider must give you a true "Internet" merchant account that can accept transactions online and that account must be able to connect to a payment gateway we support. There are many types of merchant accounts. You may be using a standard "over the phone" or "swipe machine" account currently. You may need to talk with your provider about additional support on that account for online transactions.

What payment gateways do you support?

We can connect our service to many different payment gateways. Authorize.net is our preferred gateway but other gateways we are currently supporting include Paypal PayFlow Pro, ArgoFire, Sage Payments, LinkPoint, USA Epay, YourPay, and Chase Orbital. Contact us to see if we can support your gateway.

Can I accept recurring donations and payments?

Yes. Many of our good causes use our pages to accept recurring monthly donations. Recurring transactions are automated and managed through the Automated Recurring Billing(ARB) service available from our payment gateway partner, Authorize.net. This optional service is $10/month. We only support recurring payments for merchants using the Authorize.net gateway.

What percentage of contributions, if any, does your service retain? Does this include fees for credit card processing?

Zero. Unlike other providers, we do not hold out a percentage of contributions. All donations are run through merchant accounts owned and controlled by the nonprofit. The merchant account provider, not 4aGoodCause, charges credit card fees.

Can I use 4agoodCause if my nonprofit is based outside the United States?

Yes, we support many payment gateway platforms that process foreign currency transactions. If your organization has an account with a provider we support we can probably work with your organization.

How - and how often - will a nonprofit receive the contributions received through your service?

Since the nonprofit is processing the online payments through their own Internet merchant account, donations are deposited directly into their existing bank account. Typically, You'll receive deposits directly into your checking account for your daily totals 2 business days after the transactions are taken.

Do you provide utilities that let nonprofits check on the total donations made/received over a certain period?

Yes. Nonprofits receive a reporting site that allows them to view all donor data collected through the site. They may also download this data into Excel. In addition, nonprofits can use this web site to manage aspects of their online forms.

Who are some of your clients?

See our client list for a sampling of who is using 4aGoodCause.

What does it cost a nonprofit to sign on?

Cost depends on how many payment pages you will need from us. See our pricing page for current pricing. Contact us about special discounts for schools, school foundations and other organizations supporting public education.

Do you require that nonprofits make an exclusive commitment? Do you require a minimum time commitment?

No. Our contract is month-to-month. Also, your set up fee will be refunded if you are not completely satisfied 30 days from sign of contract.

When did your service start operations?

We have been in business since April 1998 and started our 4aGoodCause online payment service in January 2001.

Do you have offerings beyond payment processing? If so, what?

Yes. 4aGoodCause offers a wide-array of customized web and e-commerce services for nonprofits and other good causes. These services provide the means for nonprofits to use the Internet to become more efficient, better connect with constituents and generate more revenue. More info on our services.

Have more questions?

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