An easy, low-cost way to get your donations deposited directly into your bank account!

501(c)(3) or fiscally sponsored organizations:
You may use the DemocracyInAction merchant account for your donations. This option means that a check will be sent to you once per month, after we subtract credit card transaction fees. But how would you like to use a low-cost solution that deposits the donations right into your bank account? Meet PayPal Website Payment Pro!

All other organizations:
You are required to use your own merchant account in order to receive donations processed with the DIA fundraising tools. If you don't need a recurring donation option, there's now a low-cost solution. Meet PayPal Website Payment Pro!!

Background
Until now, using the DemocracyInAction fundraising tools with your own merchant account meant that you had to sign up for two additional services: A gateway processor account such as Payflow Pro or Authorize.net, as well as a Merchant Service account with your bank or a company such as Merchant e-Solutions.

But DemocracyInAction is happy to announce that its fundraising tools now work with PayPal Website Payment Pro!

What Does This Mean?
Because this option provides the functions of both a Gateway Processor and a Merchant Service account, this means that you no longer have to pay two additional vendors for these services, with fees that can be expensive (in the hundreds of dollars). The only account you have to sign up for outside of DIA is PayPal's Website Payment Pro option.

And, now your supporters can see your organization's name on their credit card statements instead of "DemocracyInAction". The one downside is that this product doesn't offer a recurring donation option.

What Are the Costs?
PayPal's Website Payment Pro costs $20/month, plus 2.2%-2.9% + $0.30/transaction. This is probably comparable, for most organizations, to the transaction fees DIA charges for use of its merchant account.

How Do I Start?
First, you'll need to sign up for a PayPal account:

You can start the sign-up process for a PayPal Website Payment Pro Account here (click on “Sign Up Now”).

You'll need to complete “Step 1 – Sign Up for a Business Account”, and “Step 2 – Verify Your Information”. It takes a few days to complete this process, since Step 2 involves PayPal making small deposits into your bank account and asking you to confirm them.
You'll also need to complete the first parts of “Step 3 – Set up your payment solution” by submitting your business information, accepting the billing agreement and requesting API credentials. But you don't need to complete the “Implement Website Payment Pro” step since we've already done the integrating for you!

Once My PayPal Account Has Been Confirmed, What Do I Do?
This is a two-step process:

(1) Enter your PayPal account information into your DIA Headquarters:
You need to create a “Merchant Account” in your DIA HQ so that donations go directly into your PayPal account! All you have to do is:
(a) Login to your DIA Headquarters.
(b) Go to the “Donations” tab and choose “Merchant Accounts” on the left. Click “New”.
(c) Give the account a name, and choose the “PayPal Website Payment Pro” Account Type from the drop-down list.
(d) To enter the Account Username, you'll need to login to PayPal and click on “Profile”. Then click on “API Access” and then on “View or Remove Credentials”. Copy the API username that appears on the page that comes up, and paste it into this field. Keep this window open.
(e) To enter the Account Password, copy the API Password from the window you opened in
(f)To enter the Account Signature, copy the API Signature from the window you opened in
(g) Choose “PayPal Live” from the drop-down list in the Server field.
(h) If you are using PayPal, ignore the AmEx, Discover and eCheck options.
(i) Click “Save” and your account is now in the system!

(2) Point your donation pages towards the Merchant Account you just created:

Your Merchant Account is now configured, but you need to point your donation page(s) to it. If you already have donation pages in the system, or if you are creating a new page, you'll need to:
(a) Open your donation page in the “edit” mode.
(b) Scroll to the bottom of the page – the very last field is called “Merchant Account”.
(c) Choose your merchant account from the drop-down box.
(d) Save your changes and repeat for all donation pages.
(e) Don't forget to test your donation page(s) before sending your donors to them!

How Do the Donations Get Deposited Into My Bank Account?
PayPal will deposit your donations (after transaction fees have been subtracted, of course) into your bank account any time you ask it to. All you have to do is login to PayPal, click on “My Account”, then click on “Withdraw” and choose “Transfer Funds to Your Bank Account”. You can deposit funds any time as long as the amount to be transferred is at least $10.00. (Using the DemocracyInAction account means you wait until we cut a check at the end of each month.)

What If I Have Questions?
Give us a ring at 202-558-2808 or drop us a line at: support@democracyinaction.org!