Set Up Online Giving

This guide walks you through connecting Stripe, creating a public giving page, configuring funds, and testing the complete online giving flow. Once set up, your congregation can give online via credit card, debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Interac e-Transfer — with optional recurring donations.

Prerequisites

• A Stripe account (create one at stripe.com if you don't have one)
• SUPER_ADMIN or FINANCE_ADMIN role
• At least one Fund configured in Settings → Finance → Funds

Phase 1 — Connect Stripe

1. Navigate to Settings → Integrations
2. In the Stripe card, click “Connect Stripe”
3. You will be redirected to Stripe's OAuth flow — sign in and authorise SanctuaryOS
4. After authorisation, you are redirected back to Settings. The Stripe card now shows a green “Connected” status with your Stripe account ID

Phase 2 — Configure Funds

Funds determine which giving categories appear on your public giving page (e.g., General Fund, Missions, Building Fund).

1. Navigate to Settings → Finance → Funds
2. Ensure each fund you want available for online giving is marked Active
3. Set a Display Order to control how funds appear on the giving page (the most common fund should be first)
4. Optionally add a short Description that donors will see when selecting a fund

Phase 3 — Create a Giving Page

1. Navigate to Steward → Giving Pages
2. Click “New Giving Page”
3. Fill in the page details:
   • Page Name — e.g., “General Giving”
   • Slug — the URL path (e.g., general creates yourchurch.sanctuaryos.com/give/general)
   • Funds — select which funds to display on this page
   • Allow Recurring — enable weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly recurring donations
4. Click “Save” to create the page
5. Copy the public URL using the copy icon next to the page in the list

Phase 4 — Test the Giving Page

1. Open the public URL in an incognito/private browser window
2. Select a fund and enter a test amount
3. Complete the payment using Stripe's test card number 4242 4242 4242 4242 (any future expiry, any CVC)
4. Verify the transaction appears in Steward → Online Giving in the “Auto-Matched” or “Unmatched” queue
5. Assign the donor (if unmatched) and confirm the transaction

Phase 5 — Share with Your Congregation

1. Add the giving page link to your church website
2. Include it in weekly email communications
3. Generate a QR code from Steward → Giving Pages → QR Code for printed bulletins
4. Incoming online donations appear in Steward → Online Giving for review and matching

What's Next