How to Charge a Donor in the Dashboard

Last updated: September 10, 2026

Sometimes a donor gives you their payment details over the phone, hands you a check at an event, or asks you to run a gift on a card you already have on file. The Virtual Terminal lets you charge or record that payment for them directly from the dashboard.

Before you start

  • You need dashboard access with permission to create payments.

  • The donor must already exist as a supporter record. If they don't, create the supporter first.

  • Only collect and enter card details when the donor has given you permission to do so.

Open the Virtual Terminal

  1. Go to Supporters and open the supporter you want to charge.

  2. In the top right of the supporter record, click the three dot menu.

  3. Select Charge a new payment.

The Create Payment page opens with the supporter's name, ID, email, and phone shown at the top so you can confirm you're on the right record.

Tip: if the gift was already given outside the platform, such as cash or a mailed check, you can choose Record an offline payment from the same menu instead.

Step 1: Enter the payment details

In the Virtual Terminal section at the top of the page, fill in:

  • Transaction Amount (required) — the amount to charge.

  • Fair Market Value — the value of any goods or services the donor received in exchange. Leave this at 0 for a fully tax deductible gift.

  • Type — defaults to Donation.

  • Primary designation — start typing to search for the fund or designation the gift should go to.

  • Frequency — defaults to One-Time. Choose a recurring frequency if the donor wants this to repeat.

  • Charge payment on — defaults to Immediately. Change this if you want to schedule the charge for a future date.

  • Created at — the date the gift was initiated, for your records. Adjust this if you're entering a gift that was given on an earlier date.

  • Anonymous — toggle on if the donor asked to keep the gift anonymous.

Step 2: Link any related records (optional)

In the Related section, you can attach the payment to a Campaign, Recurring plan, Checkout, Pledge plan, Fundraiser, P2P fundraiser, or Registration. Start typing in any field to search.

This is what keeps your campaign and pledge reporting accurate, so link the gift here if it belongs to a campaign or is paying down a pledge.

Step 3: Choose the payment method

Scroll to Billing information. Payment methods in WeGive are saved under a supporter login, so you'll confirm the login first, then pick the method.

Confirm the supporter login

Click the Supporter Login field. A window titled Select a login for the supporter record appears with the logins on file. Choose the correct login and click Confirm. If the donor has more than one login and you're not sure which to use, use the most recent one. You can also click Add New Login if none exist yet.

Once confirmed, the Login email and Login mobile fields fill in automatically.

Select the payment method

Click Select payment method. The Change the payment method window shows every method associated with that login, along with two ways to add a new one.

Charge a card already on file

Select the saved card, for example Visa ending in 1111, and click Confirm. If the expiry has changed, click Edit on that card to update it before charging.

Add a new payment method and save it

Click Add a new payment method. Choose the Card or Bank tab, enter the card number, name on card, CVV, postal code, and expiry, then click Save changes. The method is saved under the donor's login and can be reused for future gifts and recurring plans.

Use this option when the donor plans to give again or is setting up a recurring gift.

Use a card without saving

Click Use a card without saving, enter the card number, name on card, CVV, postal code, and expiry, then click Use card. The card is charged once and is not stored on the supporter's record.

Use this option for a one-time gift when the donor doesn't want their card kept on file.

Record a cash or check gift

Select Cash (Offline) or Check (Offline) and click Confirm. Nothing is processed through the payment processor; the gift is recorded against the donor so it appears in their giving history and your reporting.

Choosing an offline method changes the fields in the Billing information section, and the button in the top right changes from Charge to Publish.

Cash (Offline) asks for:

  • Tracking Number (required) — your internal reference for the cash gift, such as a receipt or deposit number.

  • Payment Date — when the gift was received.

Check (Offline) asks for:

  • Check Number (required) — the number printed on the check.

  • Payment Date — the date on the check or the date you received it.

  • Payment Status — defaults to Processing. Update it once the check clears.

  • Check image — optional. Click to upload or drag and drop a JPG of the check to keep an image on the record.

Finish the billing section

For card and bank payments:

  • Confirm the Billing name and Billing zip match what the donor gave you. A mismatch is a common cause of declined cards.

  • Toggle Cover the processing fees on if the donor agreed to cover fees on top of their gift.

Step 4: Add optional details

In the Other information section you can toggle on:

  • Add a gift tribute — enter who the tribute is for, the recipient's email address for the tribute card, and the tribute message. All three fields are required once the toggle is on.

  • Add a note — an internal note on the payment record for your team.

  • Supporter comments — anything the donor told you about the gift, recorded in their words.

In Fund allocations, click Add allocation to split the gift across multiple funds. Enter an amount and search for a designation on each row. The allocation amounts should add up to the transaction amount.

Step 5: Charge or publish the payment

Review the amount, designation, and payment method one more time, then click the button in the top right:

  • Charge — for a card or bank payment. The payment is processed right away, or on the date you scheduled.

  • Publish — for a cash or check gift. Nothing is processed; the gift is recorded on the donor's account.

To abandon the payment without saving it, click Discard.

Once complete, the payment appears on the supporter's Giving tab and their receipt is sent according to your receipting settings.

Troubleshooting

  • No payment methods appear. Payment methods are stored under a login. Confirm you selected the right supporter login, or add a new payment method under it.

  • The card is declined. Check the billing zip and expiry, then ask the donor to confirm the details. You can update a saved card with Edit in the payment method window.

  • The Charge or Publish button won't submit. Transaction Amount is required, turning on the gift tribute toggle makes all three tribute fields required, and offline payments require a Tracking Number (cash) or Check Number (check). Fill in anything marked with an asterisk.

  • The gift is going to the wrong fund. Set the Primary designation, or use Fund allocations if the gift needs to be split.

Still stuck? Reach out to the WeGive support team and we'll take a look with you.