Our goal is to make you feel comfortable when working with us. Below are a few of our frequently asked questions regarding our e-commerce services. If you have other questions that are not listed below, please contact us.


What types of fundraising campaigns can be created with your service?

You can use 4aGoodCause to accept online payment for many purposes. This includes online donations, event registration and ticketing, membership sales or even product sales. In additon you can launch peer-to-peer or crowdfunding campaigns to enable supporters to fundraise on your behalf.

Can the nonprofit create a campaign that reflects its brand? If yes, what is the process and is there a charge?

Our step-by-step campaign builder allows you to customize our fundraising system to match the needs of your nonprofit. In addition to matching your brand, you can customize other elements such as the form fields and automatic e-mail receipts. There is no additional charge for this customization.

Are payment pages usable on all computers, tablets and mobile devices?

Yes. You need to meet your donors wherever they are. Online. Smartphones. Tablets. Collecting payments using our responsive designed payment forms is easy.

Is my payment page and account information safe and secure?

Yes, security is our first priority. Your donors will be safe as they make transactions and your data will be kept secure as it is stored on our servers. Not only is our service secure but we go out of our way to communicate that security to your donors. This communication boosts your conversion rate.

Security features of 4aGoodCause include:

  • Strict adherence to best practices in e-commerce security
  • SSL encryption of all data with Thawte security certificates ($249/year value)
  • Weekly vulnerability scanning audits of our servers by AlertSite ($25/month value)
  • Certified PCI security compliance from McAfee ($319/year value)
  • Use of AlertSite SafeSite Seal to communicate the security of your site
  • Card security code verification to prevent fraud
  • Address verification to prevent fraud
  • We do not store usable credit cards on our servers

What is your donor privacy policy? Will donor information be shared with anyone apart from the nonprofit to whom the contribution is designated?

4aGoodCause will not sell, trade, rent or otherwise share donor personal information with any organization outside of the nonprofit to which the contribution is designated. View our privacy policy.

Can I accept recurring donations and payments?

Yes. Many of our good causes use our pages to accept recurring monthly donations. Recurring transactions are automated and managed through the Automated Recurring Billing (ARB) service available from our payment gateway partner, Authorize.net. We only support recurring payments for merchants using the Authorize.net gateway.

Do you provide utilities that let nonprofits check on the total donations made/received over a certain period?

Yes. Nonprofits receive a reporting site that allows them to view all donor data collected through the site. They may also download this data into Excel or CSV. In addition, nonprofits can use this web site to manage aspects of their online forms.

Credit Card Processing

What is a merchant account and why do we need one?

A merchant account is an account at an Acquiring Bank and is used to fund you for your credit card transactions. You need a merchant account in order to accept and process credit card transactions, have those funds deposited directly into your bank account and have your organization’s name on the donor’s credit card statement. In order to use 4aGoodCause, you’ll need to set up an Internet merchant account as well as a payment gateway with one of the providers we support.

What is a payment gateway and why do we need one?

A payment gateway is a service that allows accepting credit cards over the Internet. A payment gateway does for a website what a swipe terminal does for a physical store like a Wal-Mart: it encrypts the credit card data and sends it out securely over the payment network. Your 4aGoodCause page will communicate with the payment gateway to process credit cards online.

Does 4aGoodCause sell merchant accounts and payment gateways?

Yes, for those that do not have these accounts or want new ones with better rates, we partner with Dharma Merchant Services and Authorize.net to provide these services.

Can we use our existing merchant account or payment gateway provider with the 4aGoodCause service?

While we believe our merchant account partner offers the best rates and service available if you want to use our service with your own merchant account provider we can typically still work with you. Contact us for compatibility and pricing details.

How, and how often, will a nonprofit receive the contributions received through your service?

Since the nonprofit is processing the online payments through their own Internet merchant account, donations are deposited directly into their existing bank account. Typically, You’ll receive deposits directly into your checking account for your daily totals 2 business days after the transactions are taken.

How does all this compare to retail commerce?

Many nonprofits are confused by e-commerce and how it works. Let’s compare what we provide to a retail store in a mall. Think of what 4aGoodCause provides, with its payment pages, as the layout of the store, the racks, the security guard, the customer service person, all the elements that help facilitate the sale. Think of the payment gateway as the cash register. It virtually swipes your card. Think of the merchant account as the bank truck that rolls up each night and moves the money from your cash register to your bank account. It is your credit account to accept credit cards online.


What does it cost a nonprofit to sign on?

4aGoodCause costs $49/month and $0.49 per transaction. Our pricing page also lists out costs for the required merchant account and payment gateway needed for our platform should you not already have them.

What is "Interchange"?

For every credit/debit card that exists, there is a pre-set associated rate that the merchant service provider pays to the issuing bank. This rate is known as the Interchange rate. Interchange-plus or cost-plus pricing works by adding a constant, flat margin on top of the interchange rate. It’s widely considered the fairest model in the industry.

How does Interchange-plus pricing save me money?

There are many card types that are much less expensive to accept, especially for nonprofits. For example, certain debit cards can be processed at interchange rates of less than 0.5%. Those savings are passed through to your nonprofit. Nonprofits that switch to Interchange-plus pricing regularly save 10-40% on their credit card processing, sometimes more.

Do you require a minimum time commitment?

No. Our contract is month-to-month. You also benefit from fantastic terms from our merchant account partner. Dharma Merchant Services has no early termination fees, no annual fees, no monthly minimums, no application fees, and no added PCI compliance fees.

Have questions? Get in touch. We'd love to chat.