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How-to guides
How to set up online giving for the first time
Connect a payment processor, turn on your giving page, and share a link your congregation can use this week.
Step-by-step guideAbout 20 minutes
Before you begin
- Admin or Owner access
- A Square, Stripe, or Vanco account (or willingness to create one)
- Your church bank details ready for the processor
What you are setting up
Online giving needs two pieces: (1) a payment processor (Square, Stripe, or Vanco) that moves money to your church, and (2) a giving page in ChurchRaise where people choose an amount and fund.
Step-by-step
Open Settings
Click Settings in the left sidebar (gear icon at the bottom of the menu on some screens).
Go to Payments
Open the Payments or Payment Processors section. You will see options for Square, Stripe, and Vanco.
Connect your processor
Click Connect next to the processor your church uses. Sign in to Square/Stripe/Vanco when prompted and approve the connection. This is secure — ChurchRaise never sees your bank password.
Open My Giving Page
In the left menu, go to Giving (or Campaigns) → My Giving Page. This is the page donors will see.
Turn on funds
Make sure at least one fund is visible (General, Building, Missions, etc.). Add funds if needed so givers can choose where money goes.
Copy your giving link
Copy the public link or QR code. Paste it on your website, bulletin, slides, and Church Hub.
Make a test gift
Use your own card for a $1 test gift. Confirm it appears under Giving → Transactions. Refund the test if your processor allows.
Tips
- Put the same giving link everywhere — bulletin, website footer, Church Hub — so people always know where to go.
- If you are not ready for recurring gifts, you can still accept one-time donations.
- Year-end statements come from Giving → Statements after you have transaction history.
Watch out
- Do not share your Square/Stripe login with volunteers — only connect through Settings.
- Test mode vs live mode: make sure you are connected in live mode before announcing giving to the church.
If something goes wrong
Connect button fails
Try a different browser, disable popup blockers, and make sure you are logged into the correct Square/Stripe account.
Gifts succeed but do not show in ChurchRaise
Check that the processor connection is still active under Settings → Payments. Reconnect if needed.
Donors see an error at checkout
Confirm live mode is on and your processor account is fully verified (bank account linked).
Related articles
Also available in-app at /help/giving when you're signed in.