When nonprofits include electronic bank transfers as a payment method, it benefits your donors, your organization and your mission.

Electronic bank transfers are done over the ACH Network, which is best known for Direct Deposit and used for depositing salaries and government benefits straight into bank accounts. It's also known for paying bills online. This trusted, secure payment method also is a great option for nonprofits to increase their donations and encourage ongoing electronic giving. Using electronic bank transfers, donors give to your organization directly from their checking or savings account, rather than using a check, cash or card.

Learn More: The ACH Network

• Lowering Processing Costs.  ACH is often less expensive to process than cards and checks, meaning more of each donation will go to the programs that donors care about and the overall mission. Ask your financial institution or platform provider for details.
• Making Receiving Donations a Snap.  Unlike cash or checks, ACH donations go directly into the organization’s bank or credit union account. There’s nothing to count or carry. ACH also uses bank-level encryption, protecting donors’ information rather than a check passing through multiple hands.
• Empowering Sustaining Donors.  With recurring payments that are easy to update, donors can set up and control the amount and cadence of their donations. Donors tend to make regular continuous donations when using ACH.
• Aligning with the Needs of Donors.  People are increasingly not carrying checks or cash, but they are familiar with electronic payments. Plus, it’s easy to sign up for ACH.

Our Nonprofit Toolkit has everything you need to get started with electronic bank transfers.

Getting Approval

• FAQs: Learn more about accepting electronic bank transfers 
• Public Radio Success Story: See how a radio station benefited from accepting recurring electronic bank transfers 
• Religious Organization Success Story: Learn how a religious organization saw donations increase after accepting electronic bank transfers 
• PowerPoint Template: Show the impact accepting electronic bank transfers can have 

Download Getting Approval

Getting Started

• Authorization Requirements: Learn what donor information you need when accepting electronic bank transfers
• Checklist: Straightforward steps to begin accepting electronic bank transfers 
• Enrollment Form (Physical Form): Template for in-person donation drives 
• Enrollment Form (Digital Template): Designed to help your organization accept electronic bank transfers on its website 

Download Getting Started

Getting Donors on Board

• Pledge Letter/Email: Inform your donors about the benefits of electronic bank transfers, including for recurring gifts 
• Phone Script: The information you need to accept electronic bank transfers over the phone 
• Social Media Messages: Let your donors know your organization accepts electronic bank transfers 

Download Getting Donors on Board

Download Full Toolkit

Additional assistance getting started with electronic bank transfers can be found using the ACH Quick Start, a tool for your nonprofit to learn how to pay or get paid electronically.

Sign up to receive occasional updates and information in a newsletter.

Articles, webinars, podcasts and more to help guide you through the benefits of and transition to electronic bank transfers. 

• The How and Why of the Nonprofit Toolkit: Hear from electronic payments experts on the recent overhaul of our Nonprofit Toolkit.  (Listen to the podcast online; no download.)
• Increasing Sustaining Donoros: Adding a new payment option (like electronic bank transfers) or more aggressively promoting an existing payment option can improve donor retention and increase sustaining donations by 3 -5% or more. (Free registration required to watch webinar.)
• Drive Customers to Electronic Payments: It’s hard to get customers to change payment behavior. We hear that all the time. In many instances, it’s the customer that chooses how to pay. And billers/suppliers, don’t want to inconvenience customers. While that seems like good business sense, you can influence customer payment behavior without causing any ill effects.