When to use it
Set this up once, early, so every dues notice you send carries a "pay now" link. Stripe is the recommended path: payments land in your council's bank account and reconcile automatically, with no manual entry. PayPal is a lighter-weight backup that still requires you to log each payment by hand.
Step by step
- In the sidebar, open Settings → Online Payments. The page leads with the Cost Calculator showing what online payments cost versus checks.
- Review the two provider cards. Stripe is marked "Recommended" (full automated tracking and reconciliation); PayPal is marked "Manual."
- To connect Stripe, click Connect with Stripe. You'll be redirected to Stripe to either link an existing account or create a new one — have your council's business info and bank account ready (~10 minutes). On completion you return to this page and see a green "Connected to Stripe" confirmation.
- If Stripe reports that charges aren't enabled yet, click Continue onboarding → to finish Stripe's setup before members can pay.
- To use PayPal instead, click Set up PayPal, follow the numbered instructions to create a Donate Button and copy its URL, paste it into PayPal Donation URL, then click Save PayPal URL.
- Once a provider is live, members see a pay link in their notice emails. Review activity at Dues → Payments.
Tips & gotchas
- Only the Financial Secretary or Treasurer can change payment settings; others see a read-only notice.
- Stripe payments auto-reconcile. PayPal does not send real-time confirmation — you must verify each payment against your PayPal dashboard and log it manually.
- You can switch providers later using the "Switch to PayPal/Stripe instead" links, but only one is active at a time.
- After connecting, the Cost Calculator flips to show your online-adoption percentage and the time you're saving.
Related
- See also cost-calculator
- See also check-scan