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Frequently Asked Questions

Common queries regarding migrating recurring plans to Givetly.

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General Questions

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Is migration an automatic process?

No, the migration requires actions from the organization including providing recurring plan data, contacting legacy processors, and specifying a stop processing date.

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How much does a migration to Givetly cost?

Givetly offers the migration service for free. Your current donation platform vendor may charge a fee to transfer payment tokens to Stripe.

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What are the prerequisites for a migration?

To successfully complete a migration, the following conditions must be met:

• Organization onboarding: The organization must be fully onboarded with Givetly and exclusively use our fundraising software on its website. This ensures that new recurring plans won’t populate in legacy systems during the migration process.
• Vendor platform considerations: Some vendor platforms may impose restrictions or fees for transferring payment tokens. A list of such processors can be found here.
• Payment method and currency considerations: Note that certain payment methods or currencies may not be migrated to Givetly.

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How long does a migration take?

Typically, a migration is completed within 4-6 weeks, depending on various factors such as the size and complexity of the migration, the validity of data, communication timeline, and compliance from the existing platform vendor to transfer payment tokens to Stripe.

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Can we initiate the payment token transfer ourselves, without notifying Givetly?

We strongly advise against this to avoid errors like transferring payment tokens to an incorrect Stripe account, or generating duplicates in your Stripe account. Always contact us first to ensure a smooth migration process.

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How can the migration process be expedited?

To expedite the migration process, ensure that all recurring plan data is accurately formatted, with correct values and matching unique identifiers. Consistent communication with us for any clarifications will also facilitate a smoother process.

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Will any recurring plan installments get skipped during the migration?

No. Givetly processes any installments due during the migration period once migration is complete. Any issues with payment methods discovered during migration will be reported, along with corresponding Stripe decline codes.

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Does Givetly have access to sensitive payment information during or after a migration?

No. As a merchant processor, Givetly does not have access to credit card details or other sensitive payment information. All such data is managed by Stripe.

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How can I ensure the supporters will not be double-charged?

Ensure the last donation date, time, and timezone are correct in the recurring plans sheet, the plans are matched with their relevant Stripe customers or PayPal agreements, and the stop processing date and timezone are accurate.

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What is the gap between the stop processing date and the creation date in your system?

This gap usually ranges from a few hours to one business day.

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What happens to plans that were supposed to be charged between the stop processing date and creation date?

They will be charged at the time they were created in our system, with subsequent installments falling on their specified dates as per the recurring plans sheet.

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What date and time is recommended to schedule a stop processing date?

To minimize lag, schedule the stop processing date between Monday and Wednesday. Migrations on Friday (and partly on Thursday) will be processed on Monday.

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What actions can be taken if migrated recurring plans have been charged inaccurately?

Although rare due to our thorough data validation, supporters will receive refunds for any inaccuracies. Problematic migrated plans will be removed until resolved, and a new migration date will be scheduled.

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Can we conduct a test migration with a limited number of recurring plans?

Yes, we can perform a test migration for any type of migration.

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After migration, do subscription dates stay the same?

Yes, subscription dates remain the same.

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Supporters

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Are supporters impacted by the migration?

No, supporters will experience a seamless transition with no required action.

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What emails will recurring supporters receive through Givetly?

Recurring supporters will receive the following emails:

• Installment Receipt: Sent when a recurring plan is successfully charged, including a PDF receipt and a link to the transaction in the Donor Portal.
• Installment Failed: Sent when a recurring plan fails to charge, including a link to update payment details.

Supporters do not receive a confirmation email post-migration to avoid confusion.

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When do migrated recurring supporters get access to the Donor Portal?

Access is granted upon migration completion.

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Should our organization notify supporters about the migration?

It’s not recommended as it may cause confusion and lead to cancellations. However, informing supporters about the ability to manage their plans through our Donor Portal could aid retention.

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Can migrated recurring plans automatically have transaction fees covered by supporters?

No, supporters can only cover fees through the Donor Portal post-migration.

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How can supporters cover transaction fees for their recurring donations?

Supporters can cover the fees through the Donor Portal after the recurring plans have been migrated.

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Migration Data

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What installment intervals (frequencies) are supported?

Givetly can migrate recurring plans billed on the following intervals:

• Daily
• Weekly
• Biweekly
• Every 4 weeks
• Monthly
• Bimonthly
• Quarterly
• Semiannually
• Annually

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If a timezone is missing for the last donation time in the recurring plans sheet, what timezone will be applied?

The timezone specified in your Givetly account will be applied.

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What is the difference between a regular and anonymous donation?

For anonymous donations, supporter information remains visible to the organization but is not used publicly.

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Why is specifying an email address important in the recurring plan sheet?

An email address ensures accurate matching of recurring plans with Stripe customers or PayPal agreements and allows supporters to access the Donor Portal to manage their donations.

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What should be considered when filling in the Givetly account, campaign, and designation in a recurring plans sheet?

Ensure a valid account ID is specified, the campaign is available for the account, and the designation is accessible for the campaign. Provide the ID rather than the name for each field.

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Why is the recurring plans sheet necessary if payment tokens already exist in the Givetly Stripe account?

The recurring plans sheet provides necessary details that may be missing from Stripe and PayPal extractions. This includes donation frequency, amount, last donation date and time, and unique identifiers for recurring plans.

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Why is it essential to consult a migration specialist before filling in custom fields?

Consultation confirms that the custom fields are properly set up within your Givetly account.

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Does “Last Donation Date” in the template sheet represent the first or most recent date of a recurring donation?

It represents the most recent donation date.

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Migration Scope

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What currencies can be migrated?

Givetly can migrate any currency supported by Stripe.

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Are there any types of payment methods that can’t be migrated?

Yes. Certain payment methods cannot be migrated, such as Pre-authorized debit in Canada.

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Can I migrate recurring plans that use BECS Direct Debit?

Yes, but your organization must notify supporters of the platform change 14 days prior to the first installment charge via Stripe’s BECS Direct Debit Request Service Agreement.

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Can I migrate recurring plans that use PayPal?

Possibly. Givetly can migrate subscriptions created in PayPal using a billing agreement but not those without one.

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Is it possible to migrate recurring plans from multiple processors to Givetly?

Yes, by creating multiple migration requests and processing them concurrently.

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Are there any limitations on the number of recurring plans that can be migrated?

No, but larger migrations are recommended to be divided into smaller batches.

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My payment processor doesn’t support encrypting payment data with Stripe’s PGP key. Can Givetly handle this?

No, Givetly cannot process sensitive payment information as a third party.

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Miscellaneous

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When migrating ACH payment methods, which type of representation should I select?

Select “Payment Methods” as the Stripe ACH representations. If unsure about mandates, choose “I’m not sure” and clarify with Stripe later.