📌 Note: NationBuilder Payments rates differ per plan. For more information on plan types please see the add-ons page in your nation.
Table of content
Why should I use NationBuilder Payments?
Easy for your supporters to donate
Donation pages are optimized for desktop and mobile and have Apple Pay and Google Pay payment options
Supporters can decide how often they want to donate with one-time, recurring or both donation options on a single page
Donors have control over their own recurring payments through the supporter portal (plus, this reduces staff overhead!)
Easy for you to manage
Competitive rates (find yours here)
Additional fraud protection enabled by default
Credit cards on recurring payments are automatically updated, meaning you won’t need to ask donors to update their information when it expires
Keep it all in one place: track who's donating, and communicate with them effectively all without leaving the platform
What should I do about my existing recurring donations?
If you have existing recurring donations in your nation, we want you to continue collecting on these donations. Many NationBuilder customers use NationBuilder Payments as well as their existing processor simultaneously. By doing so, recurring payments post on a monthly basis and will continue to post to your nation until the payment expires.
How much does it cost to implement NationBuilder Payments?
NationBuilder Payments installation and setup is free. You do not need a merchant account with your bank to set up Payments. NationBuilder only charges you a per transaction charge in accordance with the rates listed in these tables. There are no hidden fees and no exceptions to the cost.
Is there a non-profit discount?
Yes! NationBuilder extends non-profit discounts to qualifying 501c3 organizations in the US and Canada (not yet available in other markets). You can request the non-profit discount directly from your NationBuilder payment processor settings after you’ve setup your account.
Do you need a merchant account to create a NationBuilder Payments account?
No, you do not need a merchant account to create a NationBuilder Payments account.
What do I need to setup the payment processor?
For initial setup, you need to have a mobile phone number for verification, your organization’s legal name and contact details, and finally, a debit card or a bank account (routing number/account number) to set up payouts. Setup can take as little as five minutes.
How do I get my money?
After the account is set up and verified, NationBuilder will send the first payout within 2 days of verification. From there, NationBuilder will payout any balance (minus the transaction fee) to the debit card or bank account on a daily basis.
Can I change my payout schedule?
Yes, you can change your payout schedule. Please contact NationBuilder Support directly through your in-app messenger with your desired payout schedule (daily, weekly on a specific day, or monthly on a specific date).
Is there a fee to refund donations?
There is no fee to refund a donation, but the processing fees from the original transaction will not be returned to the nation. For example, a $25 donation may have a processing fee of $1.28. If that donation is refunded, the donor will receive a full refund of $25, however the $1.28 fee will be subtracted from the nation's next payout.
Can I export my donations?
Yes, you can export your donations under Finances > More > Exports.
How do I migrate existing recurring donors to NationBuilder Payments?
Some customers eventually opt to migrate their donors to their NationBuilder Payments page. This process can be finessed by migrating the existing donation page to the new donation v2 page. Which means that donors will return to the same URL to renew their donations, but process their recurring donations on NationBuilder Payments.
In the event of credit card expiration or cancellation of the existing recurring donations, some customers opt to manually migrate donors to the new donation page by encouraging donors to start new recurring donations from the new NationBuilder Payments donation v2 page.
Can I get the same rate on the NationBuilder payment processor that I got through 3rd party Stripe?
No, our rates are different than what Stripe can offer directly.
Can I have two bank accounts associated with one payment processor?
No - you can only have one bank account per payment processor. If you need to set up multiple payment processors in one account, make sure to use distinct email addresses for both.
Can I get one export of all of my payouts data for the year?
Payouts data can only be pulled month by month.
How do I get a total of all fees for my payouts data from throughout the year?
You can combine all of your monthly payouts data together into one spreadsheet, sort it by the “fees” column, and then sum up the results.
One person used the same email address to submit several different donations on behalf of their family members. How do I parse out the information for my compliance reporting?
When you export your data, the “signup_full_name” field will include the original name submitted. All other data will have been overwritten by the last submission made under that email.
If you noticed this behavior within 7 days of the donations, contact support immediately to see what data can be retrieved.
I’m being given the option to set up my account as an “Individual” or “Company” account. Neither category fits my organization. What do I choose?
This selection affects how you will verify your account. If you have an EIN/BN, select “Company.” If you do not have either, you will need to select “Individual” and verify your account with your personal SSN/SIN.
I’ve entered my EIN/BN for verification but it keeps rejecting it. I’m positive it’s correct - why isn’t this working?
This is probably because the name you’ve provided for your account isn’t identical to what was given on your IRS form. This field is case sensitive, so your name may have to be entered in all caps.
I’m not getting my text verification code, what do I do?
If you have someone else on your team who can provide their phone number instead, please try to set up your account with theirs. Sometimes it takes awhile for the text to come through, so you may also just need to try a few times and wait a while.
Who do I contact if I need additional support?
NationBuilder’s world class support team is available to assist you 7 days a week via your in-app messenger or via email at [email protected].
Related resources
Create a donation page
Upgrade your theme for Donation (v2) pages
How payouts work with integrated payment processing