Successful non-profit organizations all have one thing in common: they need to make it as easy as possible for their supporters to donate funds.  Today credit card processing for non-profit organizations is easier than ever before, thanks to the power of the internet and a rapidly growing industry that provides numerous merchant account and credit card services.

One of the best ways that you can facilitate donations is to let your donors use credit cards.  The transactions are simple and quick, and often let the donors earn bonuses, such as points on airline mileage programs or cash-back percentage programs.  Credit card processing for non-profit organization also carries many benefits for the recipient organizations.  Compared to checks, credit card payments let you receive funds much more quickly, without the inconvenience and fees associated with bounced checks, since available funds are confirmed at the moment of the transaction.  In addition, many non-profit organizations are able to increase their donation levels by offering recurring billing to their donors, receiving authorization to make a set credit card payment on the same date each month.

Credit card processing for non-profit organizations can be done in many ways.  Your choice should depend on the size of your organization and the volume of donations that you receive.  First, you’ll need a merchant account, which is where credit card payments will be deposited.  You may choose to apply for a merchant account directly from a bank, or to work through a third-party provider like PayPal or a similar website.

Second, you’ll need to pick a way to accept payments.  If your donors come into your office and make transactions in a face-to-face environment, then you may wish to purchase or lease equipment so that you can swipe their credit cards on-site.  (Buying equipment upfront is preferable to leasing when viewing from a cost perspective.)  If, instead, your donors often call in, you’ll want to have the option of accepting their credit cards over the phone.  A service like Dial Pay lets you use a touch-tone telephone to enter the card number and expiration date, and thereby get instant confirmation of whether funds are available.  A virtual terminal works the same way, but uses a website instead of a telephone.

If your non-profit organization has an easy-to-navigate, useable website, you should consider accepting credit card donations online.  This requires a little more work initially, but probably provides the most convenience to your donors.  You will need to put a shopping cart on your website to let your clients decide how much they would like to donate and to which programs, if applicable.  The shopping cart also gives them options to process their payment, entering payment information and personal identification.  (Alternatively, you may decide to just use a standard order page without a shopping cart if only one or a modest number of donation options are needed.)  Finally, you may want to set up a program that integrates the data being entered on the website with your existing donor database, so that you can keep track of donations without having to re-enter information.

Credit card processing for non-profit organizations is an excellent way to ensure the continued growth of your organization, because it secures a more stable, sustainable source of funding.

          ____________________________________________________________________________

To learn more about our merchant account services, please visit us at http://www.intelli-collect.com. 

If you’re a savvy marketer, you’ll know that no business stands still, especially in today’s technology driven market.  No matter what your product or service is, staying on top of all that’s happening around you is of paramount importance for your success.  Yet it’s often easier said than done, especially if you’re on the go all the time, which is why a wireless credit card merchant account is such a good idea.

Not only will this allow you to keep track of your sales and profits, you can also do this from pretty much wherever you are at the time.  You can even give the portable unit to someone to go out and collect payments for you, if need be.  The good news is that it's a pretty straightforward process to set one up as well.  As long as you have an existing merchant account, getting a wireless credit card merchant account is the next logical step.  So how do you set it up, and how does it work?

First of all, you need to have a relevant merchant account.  If you don’t already have one, you can easily and quickly set one up – simply choose the provider you wish to use, and once you’re approved, you can then arrange to have a wireless credit card merchant account.  This works exactly the same way that applying for a standard merchant account does – you still need to pass a credit check.  Once you’ve done this, however, you can move on to the next stage.

This is where you choose exactly what model you wish to use for your wireless credit card merchant account.  If you’ve ever had to pay import to accept a package from FedEx or similar, then you’ll know what to expect when it comes to the basic appearance of the unit.  If it’s going to be used outside a lot, then it would make more sense to have a smaller and more lightweight unit.  You can also buy machines that can be plugged into an electrical terminal indoors. If you really wish to be organized, then make sure you get a unit that will not only process payments, but print off receipts as well.

One thing you will need to keep in mind at all times is the cost factor.  Sure, it allows you more autonomy if you have a wireless credit card merchant account, yet if it’s at the cost of eating away at your profits, it may not be as worthwhile as you thought.  So be sure to factor in all your other costs, such as your monthly merchant accounts; any wireless access costs; and whether there are maintenance costs involved or not.  Remember, profit is what you’re looking for, and with a unit costing anywhere up to several hundred dollars, you need to keep this in mind when adding up the costs.

I am often asked to recommend wireless units.  Two to investigate include the Nurit 8000 and the Way Systems MTT 1510.  Both are durable, small, compact, and process transactions quickly.  The Nurit 8000 has a built-in thermal printer, obviating the need for ribbon or ink.  The Way Systems MTT 1510 offers a separate thermal printing unit.  Both the Nurit and the Way Systems offer GPRS coverage -- the best coverage available today.

Regardless of which machine that you opt to buy, it is best to purchase outright instead of leasing.  The long-term costs of leasing may prove problematic over time and the overall outlay of money will be much greater than any one-time payment.

And that’s it – you’re all set to benefit from the extra profits that having a wireless credit card merchant account can bring to your business.  All you need do now is monitor how successful it is, and change accordingly – that way, you can keep up-to-date with the latest technological advances, as well as give your customers exactly what they want when it comes to paying their bills.

          _____________________________________________________________

There will come a time, if you’re serious about making money with Internet marketing, that you will need to decide what kind of payment system to have in place on your website. Do you go for a merchant account, or a third party provider?  After all, this is one of the most important factors that is essential you get right, if you want to succeed.

Although they may look similar at a glance, if you look closer you will see they are very different.  Yes, they both offer you the facility to take payments for your products, and make the overall experience easier for both you and your customers.  Yet it’s not good enough for them just to make your life easier.

You also want to make sure that whatever one you’re using isn’t that expensive to run that it’s eating into your profits too much.  That’s why it’s always good to know the differences between a merchant account such as IntelliCollect, and third party providers like PayPal or Clickbank.

For example, an average merchant account will usually have a minimum start-up fee of $100, which can rise to as much as $250 depending on the provider.  On top of this, you can then expect to pay around $25 per month for that company’s service, followed by a charge to receive statements regarding your account, which is usually $5 and up.  You will also be billed per sale, anything from 2% - 4% for online sales.

However, a third party provider such as PayPal won’t charge you to set up an account with them, regardless whether it’s a business account or not.  The likes of Clickbank will charge you to set up a business account, although at $49.95 it’s certainly a lot less than what it would cost you to set up a similarly themed merchant account.  Although there is no monthly fee, you will be charged more interest per transaction – currently 7%, compared to a merchant account’s 4% maximum.

Looking at these options, you’d be forgiven for thinking that when it comes to merchant accounts vs. third party providers, the most sensible option would be to go for the third party provider.  It’s less expensive, and there are no annoying monthly fees either.  But looks can often be deceptive.

If you look behind the front screen third party providers, you’ll probably find that they don’t have the option to advise the customer of any shipping costs.  This might not sound a lot, but imagine how the customer would feel if they suddenly went to checkout and saw an extra $20 on their bill – not very happy, obviously.  A merchant account will give you this option.

Additionally, you can combine your merchant account with a shopping gateway, to make the whole process even more streamlined.  This will then allow you to simplify the shopping experience for the customer, which will result in longer visits to your site and more sales.  With just these two extras alone, not to mention the ability to track customer purchases via their credit card, you can see why there’s no real competition between a merchant account vs. a third party provider – the extra cost is worth the short term hit for the long term gain anytime.

Other drawbacks inherent with third party processing include the following:

-         The third party provider’s name (not your business name) will appear on customers’ statements.  This can lead to chargebacks if customers do not recognize the transaction.

-         Lower credit card processing limits are offered as opposed to the limits granted by merchant account providers.  This can impose restrictions as your business grows.

-         A greater frequency of frozen accounts where merchants are unable to access their funds.  This can occur when chargebacks take place or when transactions need to be investigated for authenticity.

-         The “look” of a website may not be as professional as third party processors compel your customers to use their secure certificate and gateway.

Again, while third party processors may offer initial value for a new online business owner, their inherent limitations can adversely impact a merchant who plans to grow his/her business.  Moreoever, even for a new entrepreneur, there are affordable merchant account providers whose fees can compete with any third processing provider.  (I can think of one such promient merchant account provider.  Please visit: http://www.intelli-collect.com.)  

          _____________________________________________________________________________

If you have an online presence that includes the ability for visitors to buy services or products from you, then you probably have the facilities in place to accept credit card payments.  Or, if you’re someone who is about to start out in business online, you may be wondering what the best option is for you.

There are many options available, and one of these is using a third party credit card processing provider.  The reason for this is that they bypass the need for a dedicated merchant account and integrated payment gateway that, although extremely beneficial, can often disinterest people due to the potential cost of setting one up.  (Of course, there are affordable merchant account providers.)  So what is a third party credit card processing provider, and is it right for you?

The Differences

Although similar in that both enable you to take payments from your customers, a third party credit card processing provider differs from a dedicated merchant account in several ways.  The biggest difference is that a third party processor does not necessitate the business owner to apply directly with a processing bank and go through an underwriting process.  Indeed, the merchant is using – sharing, if you will – the third party processor’s bank.

Because the merchant is sharing another entity’s bank, he/she does not even have to have a registered business.  In contrast, a merchant account requires all merchants to have registered businesses to conform to the stipulations set forth by major credit card associations, such as Visa and MasterCard.

In addition, whereas a dedicated merchant account will take your customer’s payment at the point of purchase (i.e., your website), a third party one (such as PayPal, Clickbank and others) requires them to go to their website, complete the transaction, and then come back to your website.

The Benefits

If you are new to online marketing or business, and you’re just setting up, then there’s no doubt that a third party credit card processing provider can be a viable option.  Since it is a third party who deals with all your transactions on your behalf, you don’t have to worry about admin details or worry about a secure server – the third party credit card processing provider will take care of all this for you.

Moreover, in the absence of a thorough underwriting evaluation, merchants whose credit score is questionable and/or whose names appear on a Terminated Merchant File (TMF) for violating a previous merchant account agreement, can secure credit card processing capability through a third party processor provider.  Even merchants who operate high-risk businesses can accept credit cards through a third party.      

You can usually set up an account for free, or minimal cost, and again this is particularly attractive to smaller businesses, or sole traders who are just starting out.  And with it being relatively straightforward to set up, you can usually have a third party credit card processing provider, accepting payments for you, fairly quickly.

The Disadvantages

Although there are certainly some advantages to opening and using a third party credit card processing account for your online business, in the long run they really are no comparison to a dedicated merchant account.

This is underscored by the fact that almost anyone can open up a third party account, whereas a merchant account is more specific.  This offers any company with a dedicated merchant account a far better standing in the eyes of an educated customer, making your business look more credible as opposed to being someone else who leaves their financial details in the hands of someone else.

Other problems include the fact that a customer has to leave your website to complete the transaction which can also compromise your site’s appearance; the name of the third party processor appears on your customers’ credit card statements, increasing the chances of chargebacks where a customer disputes a charge; there is a greater likelihood of your account being frozen, especially if customers initiate chargebacks;  and you don’t have the security of being protected should something happen to your third party provider.

Furthermore, as merchants weigh cost comparisons between a third party processor and merchant account provider, please note that as business volume increases, the higher discount percentage charged by a third party must be factored into the equation, even if monthly charges are waived.  Any initial savings gained by choosing a third party processor when a business owner first accepts credit cards (some merchant account providers are actually initially cheaper, too) may be lost in the long-term as processing volume inevitably goes up.       

At the end of the day, the choice is certainly yours. While you may save money with a third party credit card processing provider at the start, the other costs (financial and otherwise) involved will soon make it seem a less attractive proposition. 

          _____________________________________________________________

To learn more about our merchant account services, please visit us at http://www.intelli-collect.com.