Auto Processing Rules

You can auto process recurring gifts and pledge payments. Before you can use auto processing, you must have set up an account with a payment processor. Supported payment processors are Blackbaud Merchant Services, IATS, and Sage Payment Solutions. It is also important that your organization's time zone and auto process report email are up to date. You set these preferences in the Organization Preferences page. For more information, refer to Preferences.

Note: Auto processing is completed after midnight, based on your organization's time zone.

Several rules apply to auto processing, depending on the type of payment.

When you create a recurring gift schedule, under Schedule Information, select Auto for the Process Type.

  • The First Installment Date is the first date the installment amount is donated. This date cannot be in the past.

  • If you set the first installment date to today, you must confirm that you want the first auto processing to happen today.

  • After there is at least one recurring gift, you cannot update the Process Type, First Installment Date, or Frequency fields.

  • Stop dates for a recurring gift schedule cannot be in the past.

  • You cannot edit or delete a stop date in the past.

  • Gift type cannot be updated, although you can update information about the gift type at any time. For example, you can enter a new credit card or debit card when the original one expires.

Note: For more information about how to create, stop, or restart a recurring gift schedule, refer to Recurring Gifts.

When you create a pledge, under Pledge Information, select Auto for the Process Type.

  • You can switch the process type between manual and auto at any time.

    Note: If you change the process type from Auto to Manual, the existing auto process credit/debit card or EFT information is erased. If you change the process type from Manual to Auto, re-enter the credit/debit card or EFT information.

  • If the first installment date is today and the process type is automatic, you must still process the payment manually.

  • If you select automatic process type, you cannot change the gift type.

  • Pledges set to process automatically with a standard schedule are processed until the entire amount of the pledge is fulfilled. This process continues even if the donor is behind or ahead with their payments. In this case, the processing might continue past the original planned date until the full amount is fulfilled.

  • Pledges set to process automatically with a custom schedule are processed according to the custom schedule you create. The process ends when it reaches the end date in the custom schedule, even if the full amount has not been fulfilled. If the pledge is fulfilled early, the schedule stops processing early.

  • If you manually add a payment to schedule for an auto-processing pledge, the credit card or debit card or EFT information stored on the pledge schedule is not automatically included in a manual payment. To use the same credit card or debit card or EFT setup to process a manual payment, re-enter those payment details.