CHAPTER 1
2
An Overview of EFT Processing
When you receive gifts donated by direct debit or credit card, you can use an
electronic funds transfer to process the transactions. Electronic funds transfer is a
general banking system by which transactions, such as deposits or bill payments,
are made electronically from a donor’s bank account or credit card to your bank
account. Perhaps the most valuable donors to your organisation are the ones who
donate on a regular basis – your regular supporters. With Electronic Funds
Transfer, you can enable your donors to regularly contribute electronically to your
organisation by direct debit from their bank accounts or by credit card. With
Electronic Funds Transfer, you benefit from reduced paperwork and postage
costs.
When you use Electronic Funds Transfer, additional features are available in
Batch so you can easily process your gifts with The Raiser’s Edge.
•In Batch, with the Automatically Generate Transactions/Payments menu
option, you automatically generate payments and gift records for selected
recurring gifts or pledges that require electronic processing through direct debit
or credit card. You automatically generate these electronic payments through a
gift batch. The program creates a payment entry for each eligible recurring gift
transaction or pledge instalment due within the gift batch you use.
•In Batch, with the Create EFT Transmission Files menu option, you create
direct debit transmission files to send to your organisation’s bank.
•In Batch, with the Create EFT Transmission Files menu option, you create
credit card transmission files to process. To authorise and process credit cards
in The Raiser’s Edge, you can use IATS/Ticketmaster or another third-party
service provider.
•In Batch, you can track the acceptance or rejection code for transactions in a
gift batch.
•In Batch, you can commit the gift batch.
Now that you have a general understanding of what Electronic Funds Transfer
can do, the rest of this document provides an overview of the electronic
processing for credit cards and direct debits.
Prepare for IATS/Ticketmaster
To authorise and process credit cards in The Raiser’s Edge, you can use IATS,
owned by Ticketmaster. In Batch, you can create credit card transmission files to
send to IATS/Ticketmaster for authorisation and processing. To create credit card
transmission files in Batch, select Tools, Create EFT Transmission Files from
the menu bar of a gift batch.
To process your credit card gifts, you do not need to install additional software.
You simply set up an account with IATS/Ticketmaster, set a few options in
Configuration, and begin to create credit card transmission files in Batch.
Before you begin to process credit cards, follow these tips to help you get started
with IATS/Ticketmaster.
Internet access is required. The IATS/Ticketmaster website works best with
Microsoft Internet Explorer. A modem or Internet access speed of 28.8 baud or
better is recommended.