Fundraising is a priority for just about every school, but no one ever said it was easy. In fact, from a donor perspective, one of the most common objections about giving is that it is “too hard.” From giving forms that aren’t mobile-friendly to confusing payment processes, busy alumni don’t have time to deal with technological complications—and if you expect them to give back, you need to make that process as easy and seamless as possible. 

We now have a solution that can change all that. Finalsite Payments makes it easy for donors to contribute anytime, anywhere using a mobile device; it also encourages giving from alumni and families in every part of the world thanks to its global capabilities. Keep reading to find out how you can gear up for a more successful giving season this year by accepting donations online using our new, advanced payment solution.

In this blog, we'll share the advantages of fundraising with Finalsite Payments.

Personalized Payment Experiences For Families & Alumni Around the Globe

Finalsite already has a way to customize your website’s user experience based on visitors’ location and language with the Personalization Element; now you can do the same with your online giving. Whether the donor is an alumni abroad, the family of a student from overseas, or parents who have recently relocated, Finalsite Payments delivers a checkout experience that’s familiar to everyone, everywhere. Donors will find it easier to give because:

• The checkout page appears in their own language, which increases the comfort level for giving.
   
• They can pay using a familiar payment method, thanks to a payments engine that accepts all major cards as well as 110 of the most commonly used payment methods from around the world, including PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, local bank transfers, and more.
   
• They can pay in their own currency; Finalsite Payments supports 100 local currencies around the globe.  

Making the payment experience easier and more comfortable helps make the most of your fundraising efforts—and translates into more donations for your school. 

Finalsite Payments Simplifies Online Transactions

Mobile-friendly Donation Payments

Want to get more donations? Go mobile. Online giving in the educational sector increased by 56 percent in 2016-2017 over the previous year, while mobile and tablet users accounted for 50 percent of website traffic across all nonprofit sectors. Finalsite Payments is mobile-optimized, which means it can help you capture donations from more of your mobile visitors better than other payment gateways can. 

• Families and alumni can respond directly to donation-related communications (newsletters, social media posts, etc.) on their mobile devices, where they’re most likely reading them. With Finalsite, the donation page is easily accessible and easy to navigate; it’s also tailored to mobile, with fewer form fields to complete.
   
• Finalsite Payments lets your donors pay with eWallets, a fast-growing payment method that makes checkout quick and easy. Apple Pay, Visa Checkout, Masterpass, Google Pay, and more were designed to make payments frictionless, which will help increase conversions. And if you’re hoping to get more recent graduates into the habit of donating early, eWallets can help: Consumers between the ages of 25 and 34 are the age group most commonly using eWallets; they’re also the group most likely to access your donation page via mobile. So any efforts you make to capture this demographic could add up to tens—or even hundreds—of thousands of dollars more in donations down the line.      

More Functionality With Less Hassle

Schools that implement Finalsite Payments will find that payments aren’t just easier for donors—they’re also easier for you. 

As Finalsite’s payment technology partner, BlueSnap’s All-in-one Payment Platform offers users both a gateway and merchant account combined. One vendor rather than multiples simplifies your administrative tasks and reduces the cost of your gateway connection. 

Finalsite Payments also simplifies reconciliation. All reporting is provided in the Finalsite Payments console, accessed via a single sign-on to the Finalsite Client Portal. Reports show every transaction marked with a unique invoice number and form name/description. That reduces the time it takes to reconcile, and makes the process easier to complete. 

Plus, the integration is specifically designed to work with the Finalsite platform, which means you can easily add a payment form anywhere on your site without extensive development work. Once you decide to switch, you can start accepting donations online in as little as a day.  

Interested in learning more about how your school could benefit from a switch to Finalsite Payments? Get in touch with the BlueSnap team—we’re happy to answer questions and help you take the necessary steps to switch.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Misasi is an Account Manager at BlueSnap. He works to help platforms and businesses increase their sales and reduce their costs with BlueSnap’s global payment platform.