Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) enables you to collect regular donations or membership subscriptions directly from your constituents’ bank accounts. Donorfy supports multiple EFT methods, including Direct Debit and other bank-based collection services, and provides the data needed to manage instructions and payments through your own EFT software.
⚠️ Important:
You must have Admin rights to access EFT functions.
The EFT Process is a Professional-only feature. Essential subscribers, please contact us to find out more about upgrading.
EFT Overview
Donorfy contains all required information to support the end-to-end lifecycle of recurring payment collection. While Donorfy includes a built-in GoCardless integration for Direct Debit, you may prefer to use your own EFT provider or BACS Service User Number (SUN).
Using Donorfy’s EFT feature, you can generate files for lodging new instructions, upgrading existing ones, and collecting payments. Donorfy also manages constituent communications and Gift Aid integration.
EFT Features
Add, import, or lodge new collection instructions.
Use multiple EFT collection types simultaneously.
Apply upgrades to existing instructions.
Collect payments monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or annually.
Send communications by letter or email.
Collect as frequently as needed (daily, weekly, monthly, annually).
Manage failed transactions.
Post successful transactions to constituent Timelines.
Maintain gift aid integration and accurate record-keeping.
Set Up Your EFT Solution
Follow these steps to configure and begin using EFT in Donorfy.
Step 1: Set Up Your Collection Methods
Go to Settings, then open Collection Methods.
Create or update a method to reflect the EFT collection type you will use.
Associate a payment method and configure required settings.
Step 2: Add and Maintain Regular Payment Instructions (RPIs)
Add RPIs manually via the constituent Timeline or by importing them.
Update RPIs as part of your day-to-day management (e.g., upgrades, changes to frequency, amendments).
Step 3: Collect Payments Each Month
If you run multiple EFT collections per month, repeat these steps for each cycle.
Go to Financial, then click EFT.
Create an EFT batch for all payments due for collection within the month.
Download the generated EFT file and upload it to your EFT software or BACS submission tool.
Manage Collection Outcomes
Go to Financial, then open Batch Transactions.
Open your EFT batch and mark any transactions that were not collected.
Once all failed items are marked, post the batch.
Successfully collected payments are added to constituent Timelines automatically.
Step 4: Lodge New Direct Debit Instructions (If Required)
Some EFT collection types require lodging new instructions with supporters’ banks before payments can be collected.
Generate a lodging file using Donorfy’s EFT tools.
Upload this file through your EFT software to BACS.
Repeat this process as often as needed based on new sign-ups.