Giving questions
Fees, refunds, who sees giving, recurring gifts, cash and checks, and statements, answered briefly.
Does Trellis take a cut of each gift?
No. Trellis takes nothing from a gift. Stripe's processing fee comes off each one, and the church pays for the Giving part by the month. The Payments page in church settings lists Stripe's rates, and the Pricing page has Trellis's.
Where does the money go?
Straight to the church's own bank account, through the church's own Stripe account. Trellis never holds it. Payouts to the bank show on the Giving Overview. See Set up giving.
Can we lower Stripe's fees?
Stripe has a lower card rate for nonprofits, and the church asks Stripe for it. Once your account is connected, Church settings, Payments has a Lower card fees section with an email ready to copy and send.
Can givers cover the fee?
Yes, if you allow it. In Giving, Settings, tick Let givers cover the processing fee. Givers then see a box to add the fee to their gift. It's never ticked for them.
How can people give online?
On the church's giving page, by whichever ways your Stripe account takes, such as a card, a bank account, or Apple or Google Pay. Trellis records which one each gift used. Nobody needs a Trellis sign-in to give.
Is there a smallest or largest gift?
The giving page takes gifts of $1 or more. For a single gift over $50,000, it asks the giver to contact the church office.
How do we record cash and checks?
Count them as a batch under Giving, Offerings, or record one gift with Record a gift. See Gifts and funds.
How do we refund an online gift?
In the church's Stripe dashboard. An admin opens it from Church settings, Payments, Open Stripe dashboard. The refund shows up in Trellis on its own. A cash or check gift entered by mistake is fixed with Correct on the Gifts tab instead.
Does Trellis email a receipt for each gift?
Trellis doesn't send its own receipt for a gift. Stripe can email givers a receipt, depending on how your Stripe account is set up. Every gift goes on the giver's year-end statement.
Can we see giving by campus?
Yes, once you have two campuses. Pick a campus to see its gifts, or stay on All campuses for a By campus card that splits the year. A giver picks a campus on the give page; left blank, the gift goes to their home campus. See More than one campus.
Who can see what people give?
Admins and people with the Finance role. On a person's record, giving shows only to admins, the finance team and the person themselves. Group leaders and other staff don't see it.
Can people see their own giving?
Yes, if they sign in to Trellis. Your giving shows every gift the church has recorded from them, online or in the plate, with a statement for each year.
How does someone stop a recurring gift?
From Your giving, with Change or stop, if they sign in. Otherwise an admin cancels it in the Stripe dashboard. See Recurring gifts.
Can we delete a fund?
No, so its history is never lost. Edit the fund and set it to Inactive, history only. It leaves the giving page but keeps its gifts.
Do Registration fees count as giving?
No. A payment for a sign-up is kept with the sign-up, not as a gift, and doesn't go on a statement. When a bank payout holds both, the Giving Overview says how much was gifts and how much was sign-up fees.
Can we email all the statements at once?
Not yet. Print them or save each as a PDF. See Giving statements.
What happens if we disconnect Stripe?
Online gifts and paid sign-ups stop until another account is connected, and then gifts need The giving page is live ticked again. Everything already recorded stays. Recurring gifts keep running in Stripe, where an admin can manage them.
Still stuck? Ask Silas