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

ACH is better known as Direct Deposit or Direct Payment and is used for depositing salaries and government benefits straight into bank accounts and for paying bills online. This trusted, secure payment method also is a great option for nonprofits to increase their donations and encourage ongoing giving. Using ACH, donors give to your organization directly from their checking or savings account, rather than using a check, cash or card.

By making donations with ACH, nonprofits and their donors reap multiple benefits by:

• 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.

Key operational benefits from ACH for nonprofits:

• Organizational Efficiencies. By bringing ACH into your organization, you can automate your accounts payables by making electronic payments to your vendors and service providers, which can create better cash flow management, along with easier reconciliation and reporting.
• Payment Information Security. Your Direct Payment transactions are safe: Unlike a paper check, which passes through many hands, account numbers remain confidential.
• Save Costs. Eliminate manual check preparation and record-keeping and save on everything from postage and mailing supplies to staff time.
• Process Payroll Quickly. You can process payroll as quickly as the same day – reconciling errors in a flash and ensuring accurate pay for your employees. 
• Support Employee Financial Health. With convenient Split Deposit, employees can direct a fixed amount or percentage of their pay into a savings or investment account to help build toward their goals.

Our Nonprofit Toolkit has everything you need to get started with ACH Payments.

Getting Approval

• FAQs – Learn more about accepting Direct Payments 
  > Download
• Public Radio Success Story – See how a radio station benefited from accepting recurring Direct Payments 
  > Download
• Religious Organization Success Story – Learn how a religious organization saw donations increase after accepting Direct Payments 
  > Download
• PowerPoint Template  – Show the impact accepting Direct Payments can have 
  > Download

Getting Started

• Authorization Requirements – Learn what donor information you need when accepting Direct Payment
  > Download
• Checklist – Straightforward steps to begin accepting Direct Payments 
  > Download
• Enrollment Form (Physical Form) – Template for in-person donation drives 
  > Download
• Enrollment Form (Digital Template) – Designed to help your organization accept Direct Donation on its website 
  > Download

Getting Donors on Board

• Pledge Letter/Email – Inform your donors about the benefits of Direct Payment, including for recurring gifts 
  > Download
• Phone Script – The information you need to accept Direct Payments over the phone 
  > Download
• Social Media Messages – Let your donors know your organization accepts Direct Payments 
  > Download
• Messaging – Download all three of the getting donors on board documents
  > Download

Download Full Toolkit

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

On occasion, we will publish updates and information in a newsletter – sign up below. Additionally, follow #ACHGiving to stay up to date on how ACH can help your nonprofit. 

Learn more about how adding ACH Payments can improve donor retention and increase sustaining donations by 3-5% or more. Our speakers share how ACH can have a greater impact on your bottom line.

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.

Read How