PayPal and Venmo Options in Luminate Online and TeamRaiser

PayPal and Venmo are great options for donors to send gifts directly. To get started, you need a PayPal Business account if you don’t already have one.

September 2022 Update: Venmo in Blackbaud Checkout is now generally available! After PayPal is configured, Venmo automatically displays as a payment option in Blackbaud Checkout.

To offer PayPal and Venmo as donation payment methods through Luminate Online, you can choose from a couple of setup options:

  • Engage Blackbaud Services to configure PayPal on your behalf for all standard Luminate Online donation forms and other API-based donation areas (described below)

    --AND/OR--

  • Configure PayPal yourself as a Blackbaud Merchant Services (BBMS) administrator, then use Blackbaud Checkout with Luminate Online to take PayPal and Venmo donations (Or, Blackbaud Services can do this for you.)

Tip: Blackbaud Checkout is not just for mobile phones! It's a great option for all screen sizes, including desktops.

Prior to November 2021, PayPal was only available with Luminate Online through a custom Blackbaud Services engagement. Although you can still leverage the Blackbaud Services offering, you can also now offer it in Blackbaud Checkout donation forms. The offerings are separate with key differences to consider.

  • PayPal set up by your Blackbaud Merchant Services (BBMS) administrator for a Blackbaud Checkout donation form supports one-time giving

  • PayPal set up by Blackbaud Services for standard Luminate Online donation form (and other API-based processing areas) supports both one-time and recurring giving (and one-time giving in Blackbaud Checkout)

Tip: New to Blackbaud Merchant Services? Check out Blackbaud Merchant Services for New Users.

A standard Luminate Online donation form is set up under Fundraising > Donation Management > Online Giving. See Donation Forms.

A Blackbaud Checkout donation form is a responsive Blackbaud donation form that is also used in other Blackbaud products. Although it is offered with Luminate Online, it is not specific to Luminate Online.

To enable Blackbaud Checkout in Luminate Online, you can either:

Blackbaud Services will work with you to set up your merchant account for PayPal. A JavaScript customization will update your Luminate Online donation forms to include PayPal.

Blackbaud Services can also surface PayPal wherever the API method is supported, including TeamRaiser, eCards, Tributes, premiums, and Honor/Memorial options. They can also set up the Blackbaud Checkout option for you.

This implementation can support both one-time and recurring gifts.

Your Blackbaud Merchant Services (BBMS) administrator will log into your BBMS Web Portal to configure your payment gateway to support PayPal. No configuration is needed in Luminate Online.

After configuration, your Blackbaud Checkout forms will include PayPal and Venmo as a payment option.

This implementation can support one-time gifts.

Luminate Online administrators who log into their Blackbaud Merchant Services (BBMS) portal will see a PayPal integration setup tile. The tile walks through the process to either integrate with an existing PayPal Business account or set up and integrate a new PayPal Business account.

To use PayPal and Venmo for one-time gifts on a Blackbaud Checkout form, complete configuration as described in Knowledgebase article 196074. Both PayPal and Venmo options display after PayPal is configured.

Adding PayPal to Blackbaud Checkout does not change any pre-existing implementations on your donation form made by Blackbaud Services.

The payment structure for standard Luminate Online donation forms and Blackbaud Checkout may vary.

Generally, for Blackbaud Checkout, the BBMS OneRate applies. There are no PayPal fees.

The implementation by Blackbaud Services connects PayPal directly to your Luminate Online standard donation forms and TeamRaiser registration forms, so there are no transaction fees.

Apple Pay is only available in Blackbaud Checkout.