If you’re setting up a way to collect money online, you’ll quickly run into a fork in the road that isn’t obvious until it bites you: is this a payment, or is it a gift?
They feel the same — money moves from someone’s card to your account. But the systems, the rules, and even the legality can be different. Choosing the wrong tool leads to held funds, surprise account reviews, or fees that quietly eat your margin. Here’s how to think about it.
When you’re selling: use a payments platform
If you’re a business taking money in exchange for a product or service — a storefront, a service invoice, a subscription, a point-of-sale terminal — you want a real payments platform. We build on Finix for exactly this, because it does the whole job:
- Online checkout with cards plus digital wallets
- In-person (card-present) sales via a card reader
- ACH bank transfers — much lower fees for large or recurring payments
- Subscriptions and invoicing with automatic retries and reminders
We onboard you as a merchant, wire it into your site or app, and you’re accepting payments for one simple per-transaction rate — no weeks of paperwork. More on that here.
When you’re receiving gifts: use a giving platform
Churches and nonprofits are a different story. Tithes, offerings, and benevolence funds are donations, not sales — and that distinction matters more than most people realize. Some mainstream processors don’t permit benevolent or donation transactions at all, and a generic “Donate” button often means paying commerce-grade fees on charitable money.
For church and nonprofit giving we use FaithfullyGiving, a platform built specifically for ministry: recurring gifts, fund designation, giving statements, and a fee structure meant for donations rather than retail. It’s the right tool for the job.
The simple rule of thumb
Ask one question: am I selling something, or is someone giving?
- Selling → a commerce payments platform, built into your site, app, or register.
- Giving → a purpose-built giving platform like FaithfullyGiving.
Some organizations need both — a church bookstore (selling) alongside the offering plate (giving). That’s fine; you just use the right rail for each, and we’ll wire them up so it all feels seamless to your people.
Not sure which you need?
That’s a two-minute conversation. Tell us what you’re collecting money for and we’ll point you to the right setup — and handle building it either way.