Blackbaud Merchant and Payment Services

Nonprofit Credit Card Processing FAQs

Still have questions? Review our FAQs for additional information.

Blackbaud Merchant Services Basics

Disbursements

Reporting

Security

Recurring Gifts

Updating Credit Card Data

Digital Wallets

Blackbaud Merchant Services Basics

Will Blackbaud Merchant Services work with my Blackbaud solutions?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services is ready to use with our award-winning, PCI-compliant software solutions including Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, Raiser’s Edge, Blackbaud NetCommunity, Blackbaud CRM, Blackbaud eTapestry, and Blackbaud Online Express. Our seamless integration enables you to maximize your Blackbaud investment, so you’ll eliminate double entry and gain extensive time savings with streamlined bank reconciliation.

Which cards can I accept with Blackbaud Merchant Services?

Blackbaud Merchant Services processes Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express® and Maestro cards for accounts disbursing in British pounds and euros.

Does Blackbaud Merchant Services process debit cards?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services will process debit cards that do not require a PIN.

Can I set up multiple Blackbaud Merchant Services accounts?

Yes. You may set up as many Blackbaud Merchant Services accounts as you need at no charge and for no monthly service fee.

Do I need to keep my current merchant accounts with Visa, MasterCard and American Express?

It’s not necessary. When you use Blackbaud Merchant Services, Blackbaud is your single point of contact for your Blackbaud software, gateway, merchant accounts, and PCI compliance. That means that when you have a question, you have just one company to call.

Can I keep my relationship with my local bank?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services deposits funds into your bank(s) of choice.

Can Blackbaud Merchant Services save my staff time on credit card processing?

Yes. In most cases, Blackbaud Merchant Services saves clients considerable time on reconciliation of credit card transactions with their bank statements because payments are grouped and disbursed together. Each donation is listed on your disbursement report, eliminating the guesswork of which payments or donations correspond to which bank deposit. Many nonprofits also eliminate wasteful double entry, allowing them to spend more time on their organization’s mission.

What currencies does Blackbaud Merchant Services process?

With Blackbaud Merchant Services, you can accept online payments from anywhere around the world. Blackbaud Merchant Services supports disbursements in British pounds (GBP), Euros (EUR), Canadian dollars (CAD), U.S. dollars (USD), and Australian dollars (AUD) and organisations located in the following countries: United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Canada, United States, and Australia. Your nonprofit must have a legal entity/corporation and local bank account in the country of origin. For example, to disburse funds in GBP, the bank account must be domiciled in the UK. To disburse funds in EUR, the bank account must be domiciled in the European country of origin; to disburse funds in CAD, the bank account must be domiciled in Canada, to disburse funds in USD, the bank account must be domiciled within the 50 United States; and to disburse funds in AUD, the bank account must be domiciled in Australia.

In addition, if a U.S. constituent makes a donation to a U.K. charity using an U.S.-issued credit card, the constituent will be charged the equivalent in U.S. dollars and, in some cases, a small currency conversion fee may be charged by the issuer. The U.K. charity, however, will have funds deposited to their U.K. bank account in GBP and will not pay any cross-border fees or other currency conversion charges when using Blackbaud Merchant Services. For additional questions about Blackbaud Merchant Services, chat with Payment Services Support.

Disbursements

When will I receive my funds from Blackbaud?

Blackbaud Merchant Services provides four-time-per-month disbursements.

Reporting

What type of reporting is available?

You will have unlimited 24/7 access to a secure, online portal where you can see your transactions in real time, perform reconciliations, and run or export batch, detail, or custom reports. You will be able to save time reconciling your bank statements with detailed disbursement reports that show you which transactions were included in each deposit.

Security

Is it safe to use Blackbaud Merchant Services?

Absolutely. Blackbaud has been processing payments since 2000, and has helped nonprofits raise billions of dollars for their causes. Our Blackbaud Vault encrypts sensitive information and keeps your constituents secure by removing the risks associated with storing credit card information.

What fraud-prevention features are available in Blackbaud Merchant Services?

All Blackbaud Merchant Services clients benefit from standard fraud prevention as well as proactive fraud monitoring by our in-house Compliance team. For additional protection, Blackbaud Merchant Services provides an added layer of fraud management to help specifically with online (card-not-present) transactions. Click here to learn more or download the data sheet.

Recurring Gifts

Can I process recurring gifts with Blackbaud Merchant Services?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services can process single transactions and recurring gifts. If your organization has a sustained giving program, you can take advantage of our Credit Card Updater service. This service makes it possible to automatically update Visa, MasterCard, and American Express data for credit cards from participating card-issuing banks. Currently, this service is available as part of an Early Adopter Program to European organizations using Blackbaud CRM and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT/Raiser’s Edge.

Updating Credit Card Data

How can Blackbaud Merchant Services help me keep credit card data, such as expiration dates, current?

Blackbaud Merchant Services provides Credit Card Updater, a value-added service that helps ensure credit card data is accurate. Blackbaud partners with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to deliver this premium service. When your organization subscribes, credit card data for your sustaining gifts is analyzed each month to identify expired or out-of-date credit card information. Credit Card Updater provides new card numbers and expiration dates when available. Currently, this service is available as part of an Early Adopter Program to European organizations using Blackbaud CRM and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT/Raiser’s Edge.

Is there an additional charge for Credit Card Updater?

Yes. There is a nominal cost of £0.30 per update (or £30 minimum per month). You will not be charged if no cards are updated. This cost is easily offset by the financial loss of not collecting a recurring gift due to expired card information. In addition, by using Credit Card Updater, you won’t risk losing the gift by contacting the donor about the expired card. This will also free up staff time that might otherwise be spent on outreach to constituents whose cards have expired.

How do I sign up for Credit Card Updater?

To subscribe to Credit Card Updater, please contact your Blackbaud Account or Customer Success Manager.

Digital Wallets

Does Blackbaud Merchant Services provide support for Apple Pay, Masterpass, and Visa Checkout?

Yes. Organizations processing with Blackbaud Merchant Services can accept one-time credit card donations using Apple Pay in Blackbaud eTapestry (eCommerce and non-embedded DIY pages, GBP, EUR, CAD, and USD), Blackbaud Online Express (donation forms with support coming for event/membership forms, GBP, EUR, CAD, and USD), Blackbaud Internet Solutions (Service Pack 19, GBP, EUR, CAD, and USD), and Blackbaud NetCommunity (Service Pack 5, GBP, EUR, CAD, and USD). In addition, Masterpass and Visa Checkout are supported for one-time credit card transactions in Blackbaud eTapestry (GBP, EUR, CAD, and USD), Blackbaud Online Express donation forms (GBP, EUR, CAD, and USD), Blackbaud Internet Solutions with Service Pack 19 (GBP, EUR, CAD, and USD), and Blackbaud NetCommunity with Service Pack 5 (GBP, EUR, CAD, and USD). Blackbaud will continue to expand its digital wallet integration to other software solutions.