Recurring and Installment Gifts

DonorPoint supports two distinct models for donors who want to give over time: recurring (subscription) gifts and installment pledges.

Recurring Gifts

A recurring gift is an open-ended commitment where a donor’s payment method is automatically charged on a defined schedule (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.) until they cancel.

Setting Up Recurring Giving on a Form

1. Open the donation form in admin.
2. Go to the Payment tab.
3. Add or edit a credit card payment method.
4. In the Recurrence settings, enable recurring giving and define the available frequency options (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.).
5. Save.

When a donor selects the recurring option at checkout, DonorPoint stores a payment token (not the card number) and schedules future charges automatically.

Recurring Record (RDI)

Each recurring schedule creates a Recurring Donation Instance (RDI) record that tracks:

• Status (ACTIVE, DECLINED, SUSPENDED, COMPLETED)
• Payment method
• Amount and frequency
• Next payment date
• Complete payment history (all charges against this schedule)

Managing Recurring Gifts

From a contact’s record, open the Recurring Donations tab to see all their active and inactive schedules. From each record you can:

• View payment history
• Change the status (suspend, reactivate, cancel)
• Send an update request email asking the donor to update their payment method

To change the payment method on a recurring schedule, use the Update Form link — this directs the donor to a secure page where they can enter new card details without staff handling their card number.

Recurring Autoresponders

The following autoresponders fire on recurring donation events:

• FundReceipt — sent after each successful recurring charge
• FundFailure — sent when a recurring charge fails
• FundUpdate — the update request email sent when staff click “Send Update Request”
• FundReminder — reminder email sent before the next charge date

Configure these in Autoresponders.

Installment Pledges

An installment pledge is a fixed commitment to give a total amount over a defined number of payments. Unlike recurring gifts, installment pledges have a defined end point and are linked to a specific campaign year.

Common uses: A donor pledges $1,200 to be paid $100/month for 12 months.

Setting Up Installment Pledges

Installment pledges are configured on the payment method:

1. Use a BillMe or Payroll payment method.
2. Set the Recurrence options to define the installment schedule.
3. The total pledge amount is entered by the donor; the system calculates the per-period amount.

Pledge vs. Received Transactions

• The original transaction is recorded as a PLEDGE — it reflects the total commitment but no money collected.
• Each installment payment is recorded as a separate PAYMENT transaction linked to the pledge.
• Reports and dashboards show both the pledge amount and the paid-to-date amount.

Differences: Recurring vs. Installment

Donor Self-Service

Donors can view and manage their recurring donations through the Donor Portal. The Recurring tab shows all active schedules with status, next payment date, and payment history.

See Donor and Volunteer Portal for the donor-facing experience.