We’re excited to make giving and event registrations easier than ever. Here are a few statistics about the power of PayPal and Venmo as payment types:
- They are widely used. Nine out of 10 U.S. consumers use PayPal.
- PayPal and Venmo use trends younger, but it's not exclusive to young people. More than 30% of gifts made by Boomers on GiveCampus in 2023 were made using a digital wallet
- Some schools see up to 70% of donors opting for PayPal or Venmo!
Setting up your PayPal Managed Account
Our integration with PayPal is via Managed Account: You’ll create up a new PayPal account managed by GiveCampus on your school's behalf. This account processes both PayPal and Venmo payments.
Your new account is separate from and will not conflict with any other PayPal or Venmo accounts you may have. We do not have a way of using or connecting an existing PayPal account. The new managed account number is kept secret from donors so that the only way they can give is after completing the required fields on your gift form or event registration.
To set up your account, follow these steps:
Your new account is separate from and will not conflict with any other PayPal or Venmo accounts you may have. We do not have a way of using or connecting an existing PayPal account. The new managed account number is kept secret from donors so that the only way they can give is after completing the required fields on your gift form or event registration.
To set up your account, follow these steps:
- Log in to GiveCampus using your administrator account
- Navigate to Online Giving > School-Level Settings > PayPal
- Click Start Onboarding
- Enter the required information
- (If needed) Provide additional documentation
- Await final approval (this is typically done in the same day)
- (If needed) Authorize PayPal for deposits to your bank account
- Ask your Business or Finance office to contact your bank and approve the below for PayPal and Venmo deposits: PAYPALUSWD
Tips for a smooth account setup:
- Make sure all info is accurate—it helps with faster verification.
- Use physical addresses (no P.O. boxes) for the school and the authorized representative.
- PayPal requires an authorized rep’s home address for verification (with ID like a driver’s license). Authorized representative information is a PayPal requirement as part of the federal "Know Your Customer" compliance. This is only used during initial verification. If reverification is needed at a later date, GiveCampus will inform you.
Displaying PayPal & Venmo Options
Once your onboarding is approved, PayPal and Venmo will automatically appear as payment options on your forms and event registrations. No additional steps are needed. This can be done even when forms, campaigns, and events are already live.
GiveCampus strives to show every payment option accessible on the donor/registrant's device. Digital wallets, including Venmo and PayPal, may only display when using the device's native browser (ex: Safari for Apple, Chrome for Android). This is something that’s common with mobile wallets across the board and on all devices (not specific to GiveCampus).
We love this example from Villanova and how they explain how to navigate the payment options! Another approach keeps it short and sweet: "Mobile wallets will be available based on the device and browser you use!"
PayPal currently supports only one-time gifts. Those options will disappear when a donor selects recurring giving.
GiveCampus strives to show every payment option accessible on the donor/registrant's device. Digital wallets, including Venmo and PayPal, may only display when using the device's native browser (ex: Safari for Apple, Chrome for Android). This is something that’s common with mobile wallets across the board and on all devices (not specific to GiveCampus).
We love this example from Villanova and how they explain how to navigate the payment options! Another approach keeps it short and sweet: "Mobile wallets will be available based on the device and browser you use!"
PayPal currently supports only one-time gifts. Those options will disappear when a donor selects recurring giving.
Understanding Reporting & Deposits
- PayPal and Venmo donations will show up in the same donation reports as other gifts but will be marked with a Card Type of PayPal or Venmo.
- PayPal gifts immediately move to a Paid state when the transaction processes.
- PayPal only functions on a daily deposit schedule. If you have a weekly or monthly deposit schedule for Stripe, you will still receive daily deposits from PayPal, when there are applicable gifts. Funds are transferred automatically without need to log into a separate portal.
- PayPal and Venmo gifts will always come in a separate deposit from gifts processed via Stripe (just as bank gifts come in a different deposit). Each deposit will have its own deposit report within the GC Administrator Dashboard. We make note of which payment processor the deposit is related to by denoting whether it is a Stripe or a PayPal deposit.
- PayPal deposits may be received by your bank prior to the deposit report generating. Typically these deposit report are generated at 12pm est.
- Administrators signed up to receive deposit report notifications will receive those whenever the report is generated, not when the deposit hits your bank account.