A
secure web site form - This is the form on your web site
that collects the information required by the bank to process
a credit card transaction. You'll want to have a professional,
who knows and understands HTML coding and CGI scripts, develop
and integrate this form into your organization's web site.
Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL)
-The web page where your form sits needs to have a Secure Sockets
Layer, which is the encryption method used protect the information
submitted on the form as it is sent from your web site to the
bank.
Digital
Certificate
- You must also have a digital certificate, which certifies
to the bank that the message is coming from where it claims
to be coming from.
Internet Merchant Account - This
is not the same type of merchant account you use to process
credit cards off-line. To process credit cards transactions
online you must have an Internet Merchant Account, which is
a bank account that accepts the funds from the credit card provider's
bank into your bank account.
Payment
Processing Software
- This software is what takes the place of the "swiping
machine" that you would use to process off-line transactions
(just like almost every store where you would present a credit
card for payment). It is the link between you and the bank;
and this software is generally sold as a package with the
Internet Merchant Account.
There are other things that are important to know about when
considering setting up online donations processing. Here are
just a few:
Number
of Clicks
- According to a recent study by Vividence on abandoned shopping
carts, 41% of those surveyed indicated that the "checkout
process is too long" as the reason they did not complete
their purchase. The same goes for online donations. The more
"clicks" it takes to complete the donation, the
more chances there are for the donor to bow out. Read
the study for more on shopping cart abandonment:
Keep
it Short and Simple
- Using the Internet to make a donation should be easier for
your donors-not more difficult-otherwise, why would they do
it? Don't ask for unnecessary information and don't have them
fill out and scroll long pages for information. Make sure
the donor knows where she is in the process and how much more
there is to complete. If possible, collect all the information
you need on one page, process it and thank them on the next.
Credit
Card Fees
- Plan on paying an additional fee to the credit card company
for each transaction. This is above and beyond the cost to
set up an Internet merchant account and payment processing.
The charges usually range from 2.5% - 3.5% depending on the
types of credit cards you plan to accept.
For
more information on the costs associated with accepting credit
cards online or off-line this article has some interesting information:
"What You'll Pay to Process Credit Cards Online",
By Priscilla Huff, Contributing Author, Workz.com, published
Dec. 5, 2000. |
