Integrating with Stripe for online card payments
In this article
About Stripe
Completing the Stripe Integration
Enabling local payment methods
Adding additional bank accounts
About Stripe
Stripe is an online card payment service provider that ChurchSuite uses to handle card payments for "pay" event tickets, online card donations, and online booking charge payments. Regardless of the cardholder's local currency, card payments are always processed in the local currency set for your ChurchSuite account. No card details are held within ChurchSuite.
A transaction fee is deducted at source by Stripe from each card payment processed, with the 'net of fees' amount deposited in your designated bank account. Stripe makes payouts to your designated bank account in batches and at a frequency set in your Stripe account settings. The Stripe Transfers report is designed to help you reconcile the payouts shown on your bank statement, providing a breakdown of gross payments, transaction fees, net payments, and the total payout transfer amount.
UK customers: For eligible UK-registered non-profit organisations, one-off and recurring card payments accepted through ChurchSuite via Stripe are subject to a 2.2% + 20p transaction fee for UK/European cards, and 3.9% +20p for non-UK/European cards. The transaction fee consists of two parts - a 1.2% + 20p transaction fee (or 2.9% + 20p for a non-European card) to Stripe and a 1% application fee to ChurchSuite. For more information click here. To enquire about your eligibility as a non-profit, email support+prioritygb@stripe.com requesting Stripe's non-profit pricing be applied to your account - you'll need to send the email from the email address linked to your Stripe account and cite your UK-registered charity name and number.
Organisations not registered with Stripe as a non-profit are subject to Stripe's standard pricing of 2.5% + 20p transaction fee for UK/European card payments, comprising 1.5% + 20p to Stripe and 1% ChurchSuite application fee.
North American customers: Eligible US & Canadian non-profit organisations can access a special charity rate of 2.9% + 30c (+1% for International cards). The transaction fee consists of two parts - a 2.2% + 30c transaction fee to Stripe and a 0.7% application fee to ChurchSuite. These fees are among the lowest of any card handler in the world! When you complete your Stripe integration you'll receive an email from ChurchSuite explaining how to claim these charity rates. To enquire about your eligibility as a non-profit, email nonprofit@stripe.com requesting Stripe's non-profit pricing be applied to your account - you'll need to send the email from the email address linked to your Stripe account, citing your non-profit organisation name and proof of IRS tax exemption.
For further information about transaction fees in other regions, refer to Stripe's website - remember to add the ChurchSuite application fee referred to above.
Fees are correct as of 17th April 2023
Apple Pay & Google Pay
As an alternative to entering card details, those making online payments for event tickets, donations and booking charges can choose to pay by Apple Pay and Google Pay when using a supported device/browser and where the cardholder has set up that payment method on their device. Those using Google Chrome will see a Google Pay option and those using Apple Safari will see an Apple Pay option.
Completing the Stripe Integration
Click on the Administrator menu in the top right-hand corner of ChurchSuite - you will need to be an Administrator to see this menu option. Click into the Integrations section and click on the Stripe integration in the list.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Integration. Note that you'll need some basic information about your organisation to create an account with Stripe. Click Continue to open the Stripe account opening form.
The Stripe account form opens. You can Connect to an existing account, and enter your account login details when prompted, or click Create a new account and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the account opening process.
When prompted, be sure to click Authorize access to this account at the bottom of the form so that ChurchSuite can connect to your Stripe account.
Need multiple signatures?
While the Stripe integration is used for funds being deposited into your bank account (e.g. from event ticket sale proceeds, donations or booking charges), Stripe requires a direct debit to be completed for your bank account to meet any refunds being processed by you (e.g. event ticket refunds). Since most church/charity/non-profit bank accounts require multiple signatories on the account, here's how to set up your Stripe account so that you receive a "multiple signature mandate"...
When you first open a new account with Stripe, select your Country and Your product sections.
Continuing down the page, specify your Type of business - select Nonprofit organization. Ignoring the slightly misleading 'company' terminology on Stripe's form, complete the form fully. For the Company number, enter your charity number, adding leading zeros to ensure the number is 8 digits. Non-profit organisations without a company number or charity number should enter eight zeros in the Company number field.
Continue down the form and complete the Your details section for the designated individual in your organisation who will be Stripe's account contact - typically this would be a treasurer, chair of trustees, finance contact, warden etc...
Use the Additional owners section to add each of your other authorised signatories...
And finally, answer the remaining questions and enter your organisation's bank details.
Please be aware that the consent wording at the bottom of the form will still read as follows...
Stripe will then correctly designate your account as a "non-profit". You can still proceed and complete the Stripe integration - at this stage, the account-opening process is inviting you to make a direct debit request. Complete the set-up process by clicking to Authorize access to this account (which will complete the linking between your Stripe account and ChurchSuite and activate your Stripe account).
Stripe will now work with you directly by providing you with a Direct Debit Form that has space for multiple signatories. To request a direct debit form, write to Stripe at support.stripe.com/email. They'll email you a direct debit mandate that includes their/your DD reference, which can then be completed, signed and returned to Stripe as per their instructions. They also recommend sending a copy of the mandate to your bank.
For further information see Stripe's support page on multi-signatory mandates.
Having set up your new Stripe account (or connected to an existing Stripe account), you are now returned back to the Stripe Integration page in ChurchSuite and are ready to receive card payments. You can return to the integration page at any time should you need to make changes - to Edit and update the account name or local payment methods (see next section), Delete an account or Reset the integration entirely.
Enabling local payment methods
Stripe is used for Card payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay. ChurchSuite's Stripe integration also supports a range of local payment methods - giropay, Przelewy24, Bancontact, iDeal, Sofort, and EPS - based on your ChurchSuite account Country and Currency. Use of these additional payment methods is subject to opt-in and may be subject to different transaction fees (explained below). Having completed the Stripe integration process explained earlier in this article, selecting Edit opens a pop-up through which the account Name can be changed...
The Edit pop-up also lists the available Payment methods based on your ChurchSuite account country and currency. In the following example - a UK ChurchSuite account - only the Card payment method (including Apple Pay and Google Pay) is supported...
...while this example is for a Netherlands ChurchSuite account. Tick as appropriate from the list of available Payment methods for your country and Save the changes.
Selected payment methods will now be available to those making one-off online donations and when paying for event tickets and booking charges.
Local payment methods - FAQs
Fees are correct as of 9th March 2023
Bancontact
Currencies: EUR only
Fees: Fixed fee of €0.35 + 1% ChurchSuite application fee
EPS
Currencies: EUR only
Fees: Fixed fee of €0.25 + 2.6% combined fee (Stripe 1.6% + ChurchSuite 1% application fee)
giropay
Currencies: EUR only
Fees: Fixed fee of €0.25 + 2.4% combined fee (Stripe 1.4% + ChurchSuite 1% application fee)
iDeal
Currencies: EUR only
Fees: Fixed fee of €0.29 + 1% ChurchSuite application fee
Przelewy24
Currencies: PLN only
Fees: Fixed fee of 1zł + 2.9% combined fee (Stripe 1.9% + ChurchSuite 1% application fee)
Sofort
Adding additional bank accounts
You can add additional accounts if you wish - perhaps if you have different bank accounts for donations to certain Giving module Funds or for booking charge payments for certain booking "Types" (e.g. external bookings, weddings).
Working within the Stripe integration, click Add account.
When prompted, follow the on-screen instructions to add the additional account - either connecting another pre-existing account from the list, creating a new account, or using the email address drop-down to Switch user to change to a different Stripe account entirely. In each case, be sure to select Authorise ChurchSuite to access this account, after which you are redirected back to the Stripe integration in ChurchSuite.
The additional account is added to the Accounts list. Further accounts can be added if you wish. The original Stripe account first added to the integration is the Default account and is used for online donations to All funds, online booking charge payments for All [booking] types and online ticket sales for events in All categories. However, you can change the Default Stripe account by selecting Set as default from the Action menu of one of the other accounts listed.
It's also possible to Edit a non-default account to assign payments for selected Giving Funds, Booking Types and Calendar [event] Categories so that future card payments are deposited as Stripe Transfer 'payouts' to a different account to your default account. On the Edit pop-up (shown below) select which Funds, Types and Categories are to be assigned to the Stripe account and click Save. Note also that you can change the Stripe account Name. All future card payments related to those funds/types/categories will now be paid out as Stripe Transfers to the bank account associated with that Stripe account.
Note: When reassigning funds/types/categories to a different Stripe account, or changing the Default account, any existing recurring donation subscriptions (and any card payments currently processing) will continue to be paid out to the original Stripe bank account that they were first set up on. A change of fund/type/category assignment or default Stripe account will only affect future card payments and new recurring donation subscriptions. If you wish for existing recurring card donation subscriptions to be directed to a different account you will need to ask the giver to cancel their existing pledge and set up a new one.
In the example below, card payments for the Building Project Fund are assigned to the second Stripe account. All other card payments for tickets for all event categories, bookings charges for all booking types and donations for all other funds are assigned to the Default Stripe account.
Stripe transaction limits
The only limit to the maximum amount you can receive by a card payment is a technical limit. The Amount value supports up to eight digits (e.g., a value of 99999999 for a USD charge of $999,999.99). See https://stripe.com/docs/currencies