Your association’s giving form lets you make a one-time gift, start a monthly gift, or pledge a total amount to pay over time. You can give whether or not you’re signed in to the Portal.
Prerequisites
- You do not need to sign in to give. If you are signed in, the form uses the contact details linked to your account.
Make a Gift or Pledge
The Portal’s regular giving options are one-time gifts and monthly gifts. If your association offers quarterly giving, you’ll find it through Make a Pledge instead of as a third regular giving option. Staff can also set up and process quarterly giving in the Console.
- Open your association’s giving page.
- If the page offers more than one way to give, choose Give One Time, Give Monthly, or Make a Pledge.
- Choose one of the suggested amounts, or select Other and enter your own amount.
- For a monthly gift, set an end date at least one month in the future, or leave it blank to give indefinitely. For a pledge, choose the payment timing your association offers.
- Choose where your gift should go. See Choose Where a Gift Goes on a Giving Form to learn how this works, including how to split your gift across up to five funds.
- If you are not signed in, enter your contact details.
- Choose your payment method: a card, or an electronic check if your association accepts one. Online giving never offers cash as a payment method. If offered, you can also check the box to cover the transaction fee so your full gift amount reaches the organization.
- Select Process Gift or Process Pledge.
Result
The form shows Processing while your payment is submitted, then shows a success message thanking you when it is complete.
Do I Have to Sign In?
No. You can give while signed in, using the contact details already on file, or you can give without signing in by entering your name and email address. This also applies to monthly gifts, so you do not need to sign in to start one. Because the form requires an email address either way, Rhythm creates a contact record for you and links your monthly gift to that record, even if you never sign in.
Warning
You must be signed in to save a payment method for later. If you give without signing in, you can still complete the donation, but you cannot check the box to save your card or other payment method because there is no signed-in account to store it against.
Tip
If you want to manage a recurring gift later, such as updating your card or canceling the gift, consider creating a Portal account. You can also keep your receipt emails, since they give you a way to identify yourself to the organization later.
You do not need a saved payment method, or to be signed in, to start a monthly gift or pledge. Saving a card or bank account for next time is separate from starting a recurring gift, and the option only appears after you sign in. If you give without signing in, you will not see a checkbox to securely save your payment method, even when the organization allows saved payment methods for signed-in members.
Splitting Your Gift Across Funds
If your association allows it, you can direct portions of one gift to up to five funds beyond the main fund you chose. Each fund in your split must be different from the main fund and from every other split. The form will not let you submit the gift if two entries use the same fund, or if your split amounts add up to more than your total gift.
Covering the Transaction Fee
If your association’s checkout settings ask, you’ll see a checkbox that lets you cover the card processing fee yourself. When you choose this option, the full amount you intended reaches the organization instead of having the fee deducted from it. This option is not offered on pledges.
If It Fails
- "Please select a payment method" or a similar message appears. Choose a card or electronic check before submitting.
- You can't submit because of a fund or split error. Make sure each split fund is different from the others and from the main fund, and check that the split amounts do not add up to more than your total gift.
- Your card is declined. Double-check your card details and try again, or use a different card.
- You're told you've made too many attempts. If you are giving without signing in, the same email address can only make a limited number of payment attempts in a short time. Wait a while before trying again.
- A monthly gift's end date is refused. The end date must be at least one month in the future. Leave it blank if you want the gift to continue indefinitely.
If these steps do not fix the issue, contact the organization for help completing your gift or pledge.