Subscription Management

 

 

How to Manage Subscriptions

• Administrators:
  • Head to your fundraising dashboard >> 
  • Manage Gifts >>
  • Recurring Subscriptions
    • Click into the Donation ID OR Click 'Actions' > Modify
• Sending Donors Links to Modify:
  • Head to your fundraising dashboard >> 
  • Manage Gifts >> 
  • Recurring Subscriptions
    • Click 'Actions' > Send Donor Link to Modify

Editing Subscription Details

Click 'Edit Subscription Details' to modify subscription information.
Donors and administrators can:

• Update Next Payment Date:
  • Changing the next payment date to a future date will reduce the total gift commitment if the Final Payment date remains the same.
  • To maintain the total gift commitment, update the Final Payment Date as well.
• Edit Frequency:
  • Change from Monthly to Yearly.
• Edit Installment Amount:
  • Increase or decrease the installment amount.
• Edit Final Payment Date or Update to Indefinite:
  • Ending a recurring gift early reduces the total commitment.
  • Extending a gift increases the total commitment.
  • Set a gift to be time-bound or indefinite with no end date.

Change the installment amount (step-by-step)

This guide explains how administrators and donors update the installment amount on an active subscription, along with key edge cases to consider.

Edit a pledge's total and term (pledge-specific flow)

Pledges have a different edit experience than regular recurring gifts. On the Recurring Gift Management page (v2 UI), the edit control for pledges is labeled Increase Pledged Amount. This option is available to administrators only; donors cannot edit pledge values directly. Use this control to update a pledge's overall commitment or remaining term.

FAQ — How to restore a pledge's installment count after it was shortened

Q: A pledge now shows fewer installments than originally set up, and the subscription ended earlier than expected. How did that happen, and how can an administrator fix it?

A: Only administrators can edit a pledge's Number of Installments and Total Pledge Amount. If the installment count was reduced—whether due to a failed charge requiring reauthorization or from a previous edit—an administrator can restore the original term using the Increase Pledged Amount control.

Details

• The pledge edit panel displays Total Pledge Amount, Number of Installments, and a read-only Each remaining payment preview. These are accessible only to administrators.
• If the Number of Installments was reduced, the pledge will end after the new, lower total number of payments.
• The Number of Installments field requires a positive whole number greater than the number of payments already made. If this condition is not met, the error "Number of installments must be greater than the number of payments already made." appears.

Steps to restore the original term

1. Go to Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions on your fundraising dashboard.
2. Open the affected subscription by clicking its Donation ID or selecting Actions > Modify.
3. Click Increase Pledged Amount to open the pledge edit panel.
4. Set Number of Installments to the correct total and verify that Total Pledge Amount is correct.
5. Confirm the Each remaining payment preview reflects the intended per-installment amount.
6. Click Submit to save your changes. The subscription will resume with the restored installment count and recalculated per-payment amounts.

Additional notes

• You cannot set the Number of Installments to a value less than or equal to the number of payments already processed.
• All changes appear in Fundraising Dashboard > Reporting > Recurring (filter by modification date/time).

Editable fields

• Total Pledge Amount: The donor's total commitment. A hint below the field reads: "The donor's total commitment. Changing the number of installments recalculates each payment and keeps this total the same."
• Number of Installments: The total number of payments for the pledge. Enter a positive whole number greater than the number of payments already made.
• Next Payment date: Functions the same as for regular recurring gifts.

Read-only field

• Each remaining payment: A live preview that recalculates as values are entered. It shows the per-payment amount derived from (Total Pledge Amount – amount already paid) ÷ (Number of Installments – payments already made). If inputs are invalid (for example, a Total Pledge Amount less than or equal to the amount already paid, or an invalid installment count), the preview shows a dash (—).

Behavior and validations

• Changing only the Number of Installments maintains the total pledge amount while recomputing the per-payment value for the remaining installments.
• Changing the Total Pledge Amount recalculates the per-payment amount from the new total.

Validation messages

• "Number of installments must be a positive whole number"
• "Number of installments must be greater than the number of payments already made"
• "Total pledge amount must be greater than the amount already paid"
• "This pledge has no remaining installments to edit" (if the pledge is fully paid with no remaining installments)

Who this applies to

• Pledges on the Recurring Gift Management page (v2 UI): Administrators use the Increase Pledged Amount control and the pledge-specific form described above.
• Regular recurring gifts (non-pledges): Continue using the Increase Installment Amount control, with a form that allows editing of Installment Amount, Frequency, and Subscription End Date.

Navigation for administrators

From your fundraising dashboard, go to Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions, then click the Donation ID for the pledge or select Actions > Modify.

Saving changes

After submitting the pledge edit, the subscription updates the total commitment, installment count, recomputed per-payment amount for remaining installments, and the Next Payment date.

Notes and edge cases

• The per-payment preview is read-only to prevent accidental changes to the donor's total commitment.
• The preview displays a dash (—) until valid values are entered, allowing you to correct inputs before saving.

For administrators

1. From your fundraising dashboard, go to Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions.
2. Click the Donation ID for the desired subscription (or open Actions > Modify).
3. Depending on your subscription management page version:
   • Original UI: Click Update Installment Amount to expand the form. Update the Installment Amount field and click Save Changes.
   • Newer UI (Recurring Gift Management page): Click Edit Recurring Gift Details (or Increase Installment Amount) to open the panel. Update the Installment Amount field. You may also update Next Payment, Frequency, and Subscription End Date here. Then click Submit.

For donors

1. Provide the donor with a modification link using Actions > Send Donor Link to Modify or have them visit their Recurring Gift Management page if signed in.
2. The donor clicks Edit Recurring Gift Details and updates the Installment Amount field.
3. After clicking Submit, the change applies to future installments.

Using "Update Total Gift" (admin only, original UI)

For time-bound subscriptions (those with a Subscription End Date), administrators also have an Update Total Gift button. Use this option when you need to adjust the overall gift commitment rather than just the per-installment amount. This button does not appear for subscriptions without an end date or on the newer Recurring Gift Management page.

Key edge cases

Pending Bank Authorization: If a subscription is pending bank authorization (for example, a new ACH/bank-transfer payment awaiting approval), the installment amount field is disabled and displays: "Subscription is currently pending bank authorization. No amount modifications can be made until subscription has been authorized." Wait until authorization is complete before editing.

Donor-covered Payment Processing Fees: If the original subscription included donor-covered processing fees, changing the installment amount will remove that coverage for future installments. A warning appears in the edit form: "Editing the installment amount will undo donor coverage of payment processing fees for future installments." Ensure the donor understands this before saving.

Incentive-tied Subscriptions: For subscriptions linked to an incentive, donors cannot modify the installment amount—the edit controls are hidden. Only administrators can make changes in these cases.

Ended or Canceled Subscriptions: Edits cannot be made to subscriptions that have ended or been canceled. Verify the subscription status is Active before proceeding.

Audit and reporting

• All installment amount changes are tracked in Fundraising Dashboard > Reporting > Recurring (filter by modification date/time).
• To allow the donor to edit the amount, use the modification link from Actions > Send Donor Link to Modify.

Skip one upcoming payment without canceling the subscription

You cannot cancel a single installment without canceling the entire subscription. To skip one charge while keeping the subscription active, update the Next Payment field to a later date.

When to use this:

• A donor wants to skip one billing cycle but continue the subscription.
• A donor has already pre-paid and you want to delay the next charge.

Admin flow: Defer the next charge

1. Go to your fundraising dashboard > Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions.
2. Click the Donation ID for the desired subscription (or go to Actions > Modify).
3. Click Edit Subscription Details.
4. In the Next Payment field, enter the new future date (for example, move a monthly gift from the 14th to the following month's 14th).
5. Save your changes.

After saving:

• A confirmation email is sent to the donor and an admin notification is issued.
• The subscription remains Active and resumes its original cadence after the deferred date.

Important considerations:

• You cannot cancel only one installment; the Next Payment field is the approved method for skipping a charge.
• For time-bound subscriptions, deferring the next payment without extending the Subscription End Date reduces the total number of installments. Update the Subscription End Date if you want to maintain the original installment count.
• For subscriptions without an end date, only the Next Payment date needs to be updated.

Audit and reporting:

All updates to subscriptions, including next payment changes, appear in the Recurring report under Fundraising Dashboard > Reporting > Recurring, using the modification date/time.

Tip:

You can also send the donor a modification link (via Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions > Actions > Send Donor Link to Modify) so they can update their scheduled payment directly.

 

Editing Payment Details

Click to 'Edit Payment Details' 

• Donors can update their current payment information, add a new card, or new bank account information. 
• Note: The most common source of failed recurring payments is an incorrect billing zip code. Donors can now easily update their billing zip to continue their recurring payments. 

Canceling

Donors can now easily cancel recurring gifts on their own, in addition to school administrators having the ability to cancel. 

• FAQ: Why is GiveCampus now allowing donors to cancel their own recurring gifts? 
  We believe that transparency and ease of use is critical. Have you ever tried to cancel a subscription service and were required to jump through hoops to talk to a person to finally cancel? It's frustrating and doesn't make you likely to engage that service again. We allow them to cancel, but encourage them to modify their recurring gift instead. 
  
  

Donor Information

• Donors can update their own basic biographical information, like name, address, and affiliation.
• Spouse information and Donation Details are only editable by school administrators.

 

Paid & Future Installments

• Donors and School Administrators can view paid and upcoming installments. 
• Donors and School Administrators can resend installment receipts
• Only School Administrators can edit installments and download PDF copies of installment receipts.

 

Reporting

Easily get reports of all recurring gifts that have been updated during a certain time period in order to update that subscription information in your CRM.

FAQ — I see a recurring gift on a deposit but can’t find the donor in my constituent records

Answer: Recurring subscriptions are managed under Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions in your fundraising dashboard—not in the School Dashboard constituent records. A donor may have an active recurring subscription even without a corresponding constituent record in your data.

Where to look:

Open Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions from your fundraising dashboard.

How to search on the Recurring Subscriptions page:

• The page includes a search box. At the school level, the placeholder reads: Search by ID, Name, or Email (case sensitive). At the campaign level, it reads: Search by ID, state (case sensitive), donor name, email, or designation.
• The search matches the subscription ID, donor name, and email on the gift record. Use the donor’s name or email from your deposit report to find the subscription if no constituent record appears.

After locating the subscription:

You can review installments, modify the subscription, send a management link, or resend receipts. Use Actions > Send Donor Link to Modify to allow the donor to update their payment details, or Actions > Modify for admin-side updates.

Why this matters:

Subscriptions can exist independently of imported constituent records. When deposit alerts or bank reconciliations show donors not found in the School Dashboard, search under Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions by the donor’s name or email to access all related admin tools.

 

• Visit fundraising dashboard > Reporting > Recurring
  • Use date/time of modification
  • View all recurring subscriptions that have been modified with their latest subscription information
• Leverage the Recurring Subscription API

 

 

 

Important: Changing the designation clears donor‑covered processing fee tracking

When you update a subscription's designation (the fund the gift is credited to) and save the change, GiveCampus stops tracking donor-covered processing fees on that subscription—even if the installment amount remains unchanged.

Key points:

• The warning "Editing the installment amount will undo donor coverage of payment processing fees for future installments" appears only when you modify the installment amount. No similar warning is shown when only the designation is updated.
• If the subscription's installment amount is inadvertently changed along with the designation (for example, if the form pre-populates a base amount instead of the full gross total), the next charge will reflect that lower amount. For instance, if a subscription was initially set up with a gift amount that included a donor-covered fee, but the change sets the installment amount to the base gift amount, future charges will omit the fee.
• To fix the installment amount after a designation change, open Edit Subscription Details (or Edit Recurring Gift Details in the newer UI) and update the Installment Amount to the full intended charge. The processing fee will then be incorporated into this amount, as it is no longer tracked separately.

Admin workflow:

1. From your fundraising dashboard, go to Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions.
2. Click the Donation ID (or use Actions > Modify) to open the subscription.
3. Use Edit Subscription Details (or Edit Recurring Gift Details) to update the installment amount, and update the fund using the Designation(s) section and its Save Designation(s) button.

Audit and reporting:

All updates, including designation and installment amount changes, are recorded in the Recurring report under Fundraising Dashboard > Reporting > Recurring (filter by modification date/time).

Why this matters:

Changing only the designation is common. If the donor originally covered processing fees, verify the installment amount after a designation change and adjust it to include the fee if necessary.

Changing a recurring gift's designation (fund)

You can update the fund a recurring subscription credits without canceling the subscription.

Who can make this change:

• Administrators: Update designations from the subscription detail page in the legacy UI or on the v2 Recurring Gift Management page.
• Donors: Update designations from the v2 Recurring Gift Management page if they have access to an active subscription.

How to update the designation:

1. From Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions, open the subscription (click the Donation ID or use Actions > Modify).
2. On the subscription detail page, locate the Designation(s) section.
3. Select the new designation(s) you want to credit the subscription to.
4. Click Save Designation(s) to apply the change.

Notes:

• The Save Designation(s) button records only designation updates. It is separate from the Update Recurring Gift (or Edit Recurring Gift Details) button used to change installment amount, frequency, or end date.
• All designation updates are logged in Fundraising Dashboard > Reporting > Recurring (filter by modification date/time).

What if the subscription's fund ID changed after it was created?

If the fund ID was updated at the school level after the subscription was initiated, the subscription will retain the original fund ID. Use the steps above to update the subscription to the current fund.

Impact on processing and donor-covered fees:

• Changing the designation does not affect the subscription’s schedule or installments.
• Changing a designation clears donor-covered processing fee tracking on that subscription. After the update, review the installment amount and, if necessary, use Edit Subscription Details to adjust the charge so that it includes any donor-covered fee.

FAQ — Understanding subscription cancellation states and how to tell what happened

Q: A subscription shows as canceled (or ended) with no failure message. Does that mean the donor canceled it?

Not necessarily. These statuses work as follows:

• canceled – The subscription was deliberately stopped before completing all installments. This occurs when a donor or administrator cancels it. The record includes a cancellation note identifying who initiated the cancellation and does not include a payment-processor failure message.
• ended – The subscription completed all scheduled installments. No failure message is shown because no payment failed.
• recurring_failed – The subscription stopped due to a payment processing error (for example, a declined card, an expired card, insufficient funds, or a bank authorization failure). In this case, the failure message field contains the error returned by the payment processor.

A subscription marked as canceled or ended without a failure message means it was stopped intentionally or completed normally.

---

Q: How can I tell whether a subscription stopped because of a payment failure or due to a deliberate cancellation?

Review the subscription record:

1. Go to Manage Gifts > Recurring Subscriptions from your fundraising dashboard and locate the subscription. Use the search box if needed.
2. Click the subscription's Donation ID to open its detail page.
3. Check the following fields:
   • State: Indicates if the subscription is canceled, ended, or recurring_failed.
   • Failure message: If this field contains text, a payment failure occurred; if it is blank, no payment failure happened.
   • Cancellation note: Shows whether a donor or an administrator initiated the cancellation.

---

Q: How do email templates determine which cancellation reason to display?

The platform provides two distinct merge tokens:

• $RECURRING_CANCEL_REASON$ – For voluntary cancellations; it contains the cancellation note.
• $RECURRING_FAILURE_REASON$ – For payment failures; it contains the payment processor's error message.

These tokens let your email templates display the correct message based on the subscription's outcome.

---

Q: Who exactly canceled the subscription — the donor, an admin, or the system?

Check the cancellation note on the subscription detail page. It indicates whether the cancellation was initiated by the donor or an administrator. The audit history on the detail page will also show a timestamped record of the change.

---

Q: Where should I look if I need to run reports on cancellations and failures in bulk?

Go to Fundraising Dashboard > Reporting > Recurring. Use the Recurring report to filter by modification date/time and export the latest subscription information, including status changes and modification details.