GiveSignup is a PCI Level 1 Payment Facilitator that has helped more than 10,000 nonprofit organizations raise more than $1.4 Billion. By combining integrated payment processing with our free fundraising event technology, GiveSignup helps nonprofits market, manage, and grow their fundraising events to raise more money and engage supporters.

Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about getting started with accepting payments on GiveSignup.

Nonprofit Requirements

Can my 501c3 organization use GiveSignup?

GiveSignup allows 501c3 organizations that are organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. Section 501(c)(3) organizations are restricted in how much political and legislative (lobbying) activities they may conduct.

Requirements to be considered to use GiveSignup:

Qualified 501(c)(3) organization (IRS form showing non-profit status)
Current 990 filing
In good standing on state business search
Officer information and approval
Picture of check for bank account
Last 3 months of bank statements

Can my 501c4 organization use GiveSignup?

GiveSignup allows 501c4 organizations that are social welfare organizations. Civic leagues or organizations not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare, and local associations of employees, the membership of which is limited to the employees of a designated person(s) in a particular municipality, and the net earnings of which are devoted exclusively to charitable, educational or recreational purposes.

Requirements to be considered to use GiveSignup:

Qualified 501(c)(4) organization (IRS form showing non-profit status)
Current 990 filing
In good standing on state business search
Officer information and approval
Picture of check for bank account
Last 3 months of bank statements
Does not and has not advocated for or against a political candidate
Does not and has not raised money for political candidates, parties or organizations
Does not and has not lobbied for or raised money to influence controversial legislation or personal choices, inappropriate or illegal substances, guns or any other cause or idea that violates our code of conduct

Examples of types of organizations that could be approved: Civic clubs (Rotary, Lions etc.), volunteer fire departments

Examples of types of organizations that would not be approved: Political Organizations, PACS, Lobbyists etc.

Can my 501c6 organization use GiveSignup?

GiveSignup allows 501c6 organizations that are not organized for profit and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

Requirements to be considered to use GSU:

Qualified 501(c)(4) organization (IRS form showing non-profit status)
Current 990 filing
In good standing on state business search
Officer information and approval
Picture of check for bank account
Last 3 months of bank statements
Does not and has not advocated for or against a political candidate
Does not and has not raised money for political candidates, parties or organizations
Does not and has not lobbied for or raised money to influence controversial legislation or personal choices, inappropriate or illegal substances, guns or any other cause or idea that violates our code of conduct

Examples of types of organizations that could be approved: Chambers of Commerce, Real Estate Boards, Farm Bureaus, Garden Clubs

Examples of types of organizations that would not be approved: Lobbyists

Why does GiveSignup have requirements for nonprofits to use products?

GiveSignup is a PCI Level 1 payment processor, and we handle the credit and debit card processing for all of our customers. We are able to offer free features at such low processing fees because of our efficient and effective payment processing technology and underwriting processes. We keep our costs low by not incurring losses, and our underwriting process assures we onboard and process payments are set up to minimize risk.

My organization is not a nonprofit. Can I use GiveSignup?

Anyone can create events on the platform. We recommend setting up Registration through RunSignup.com and Ticket Events through TicketSignup.io if your organization is not a nonprofit. Only 501c3 organizations can create Donation Forms to accept standalone donations. All payment accounts created on our platform go through rigorous underwriting. Banking and credit card processing rules say that we need to collect information to verify the identity of business, charities, non-profits, sole proprietors and other legal entities that ask us to collect credit card transactions on their behalf (Know Your Customers (KYC) requirements). We also need to verify the identity of individuals who ask us to set up a payment account on behalf of a legal entity. This is analogous to setting up a bank account or a merchant account with another Payment Facilitator like PayPal, Square, or Stripe. Learn more here.

Why can I use registration and tickets but not GiveSignup Donation Forms?

All customers are able to use GiveSignup’s peer-to-peer fundraising event and ticket event platforms. Only qualified 501c3 nonprofit organizations can just accept donations with Donation Forms, as well as our retired Donation Website and Fundraising Campaign products. This enables GiveSignup to focus our development resources and support team on purpose-built solutions to help nonprofits raise more and engage their supporters, while reducing our business’s risk.

Payment Account Setup

Who from my organization should set up the payment account (CFO/treasurer, director, etc) or can I (volunteer/event organizer) just do it?

Only Officers can set up a payment account. For nonprofits, this is typically the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, executive director, CFO, and/or CEO. If you are not an officer, you can easily invite an officer to set up the payment account by choosing Other Options and sending an email invite.

Can I use the same account that I use for our nonprofit’s registration event on RunSignup? Do I need to create a payment account each time I set up a ticket event/peer-to-peer fundraising event/campaign?

Your organization can use the same payment account that you use for registration on RunSignup. You will be able to use the same payment account for all entities (events, donations, campaigns, Emails, websites, etc.) that you create on the platform.

If you are the owner of a payment account on RunSignup, you will see the option to link an Existing Payment Account.

If you are not the owner but have been a director of an entity on RunSignup, you will see the option to request to link a payment account. If you choose a payment account under this option, we will automatically send an email to the owner(s) of the payment account to link the payment account to the entity that you are setting up. This helps to save time while ensuring that only payment account owners can approve or reject which entities can accept payments with the payment account.

Why do I have to give information about myself if payments are going to a nonprofit organization?

Banking and credit card processing rules say that we need to verify the identity of individuals who ask us to set up payment accounts on behalf of a legal entity (Know Your Customer (KYC) rules). This is intended to prevent money laundering, tax avoidance, sellers not delivering goods and services purchased, and high credit card chargeback rates. This is analogous to setting up a new bank account or a merchant account with a payment facilitator like PayPal, Square, or Stripe. In either case they will verify your identity even if you are setting up a nonprofit account.

Why do I need to provide the Tax ID for my nonprofit?

GiveSignup asks for this information for two reasons. The first is that it helps us verify the legitimacy of a legal entity and ensure that it meets our platform requirements. It is one of the Know Your Customer (KYC) data elements that can be verified to determine if an entity has been properly registered and exists. This is important in our role as a Payment Facilitator to prevent money laundering, funding terrorist activities, and other fraud.

Secondly if we process $20,000 or more than 200 transactions on your behalf we are required to issue the legal entity we have verified a 1099-K at year-end. When we authorize your payment account we don’t know how much money we will collect on your behalf. It is easier and more efficient for us and for you to ask you for the Tax ID number up front when you set up the account rather than later in the year when you pass the 1099 threshold.

Why do you ask for the last 4 digits of my social security number, or in some cases, for my full social security number?

This is analogous to setting up a new bank account or a merchant account with a Payment Facilitator like PayPal, Square or Stripe. In either case, they will verify your identity if you are setting up either a personal or business account.

Can I test the platform? I’m not ready to set up my payment account right now.

Yes. You can test the platform by selecting Other Options, then Test Mode. Use Volunteer and Free Event Mode if you do not plan to process any registration, ticket, or donation transactions. Note that we do require a payment account to use GiveSignup’s free Email Marketing to ensure that it is not being used to send spam or inappropriate content. You will be able to add your payment account at any time.

My Payment Account says Pending Approval/Pending GiveSignup Approval. How do I get this approved immediately?

Your payment account is currently being reviewed by our Risk Team or possibly by the processing bank.

Please be patient as the review process may take a full business day (typically less than 24 hours). Should there be any issues, our Underwriting Risk Team will reach out to you. If you would like more information on the status of your pending payment account, please contact finance@runsignup.com.

Note: Your payment account will not be able to accept transactions until your Payment Account is approved by our Risk Team. To avoid any delays, we recommend you set up your Payment account information at least several days before you plan to open registration whenever possible.

I don’t know the person on the payment account we’ve been using/the person no longer works for the organization. What should I do?

We recommend that the original payment account owner give access to the new Officer upon leaving the organization.

If this is not feasible, the new person must set up a new payment account because the information from the previous payment account is outdated. This way, we ensure the information we collect is correct and up-to-date.

Getting Paid

How frequently will my organization be paid?

If you are receiving payments via direct deposit, funds will be paid on a weekly basis. You can also choose a monthly payment or hold payments until the end of your event or campaign. We transfer all settled funds (other than holdbacks) as soon as they are available from our credit card processing company. Following is an example of the flow of funds for weekly payments for Direct Deposit:

Collection Period —Payments collected and settled* on your behalf for weekly payment.
ACH Initiation Day — An ACH is initiated on Tuesday of each week for weekly payment to you. You should expect to receive funds in one or two days depending on your bank’s processing rules.
Transactions up to 6:00 PM ET on the last day of the collection period for Visa/Mastercard/Discover/Amex.*

If you are receiving payments via check, payments will be released any week your entity is owed at least $1,000 or when the oldest transaction is 90 days (other than holdbacks). There is a $10 fee per check issued. We issue a check for all settled funds (other than those you designate to be held in escrow for refunds) as soon as they are available from our credit card processing company. Following is an example of the flow of funds for weekly payments for Checks:

Collection Period — Payments collected and settled* on your behalf for weekly payment.
Payment Initiation Day – Checks are issued on Tuesday with a $10 fee.
Transactions up to 6:00 PM ET on the last day of the collection period for Visa/Mastercard/Discover/Amex. *

* Note: Weeks with banking holidays may delay the payment.

What is GiveSignup’s holdback policy?

Unlike other platforms like Eventbrite, GiveSignup pays out on a weekly basis to ensure organizations receive funds to produce your event. We have implemented policies that allow cash flow to your organization while upholding both our obligations and your obligations to credit card holders as a payment processor.

2.5% on all registrations and tickets until after the event. For example, if you collect $10,000, we hold $250 to cover risk of chargebacks.
0% on donations, memberships, and invoices

Following an event, we will pay out all funds per the schedule above unless there are more than 3 chargebacks or more than 0.1% of registrations with a chargeback (this applies to larger events, so a 10,000 person event would have to have over 10 chargebacks). If the event meets or exceeds that chargeback threshold, the 2.5% will be subject to a 21 day delay to ensure there are no additional chargebacks.

How will GiveSignup pay my nonprofit?

You will be able to choose whether you want to receive payments via direct deposit or check when you create your payment account. Note that there is a $10 fee per check issued. You can change how your organization is paid at any time by navigating to My Payment Accounts from your profile.

FAQ: How to Accept Payments on GiveSignup