Process ACH Payments through Blackbaud Merchant Services in The Raiser’s Edge

With Patch 11, Raiser’s Edge clients can now process Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments using Blackbaud Merchant Services. ACH transactions directly debit the checking or savings accounts of your donors who bank with U.S. financial institutions. This batch-based processing network is fast, secure, and less expensive for your organization than paper checks. It’s also easier for your constituents, since they only need to authorize recurring donations once, prior to the first transaction.

The Raiser’s Edge EFT module is not required to process ACH payments with Blackbaud Merchant Services*, although if you have the EFT module, it’s even easier to do.

Process ACH Payments with the EFT Module

Using The Raiser’s Edge EFT module, you can automatically generate the transmission files needed to authorize ACH payments. Follow these simple steps to create the file:

1. 
   
2. From the batch, select Create EFT Transmission Files from the Tools menu.
   
3. Select the new Merchant Account option.
   
4. Choose your Blackbaud Merchant Services account.
   
5. Click Create Now.
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blackbaud Merchant Services approves or rejects the payments in the transmission file. Any rejected ACH payments in the file will appear that way in the batch.

Authorize ACH Payments without the EFT Module

You can still authorize ACH payments even if you don’t have The Raiser’s Edge EFT module. To do that, you’ll need to first create the batch and then:

1. 
   
2. Select Authorize Direct Debit Transactions from the Tools menu.
   
3. Select your Blackbaud Merchant Services account.
   
4. Click Yes.
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All ACH transactions are processed as part of the batch. The funds are then disbursed with your credit card transactions. From the Blackbaud Merchant Services web portal, you can run the Disbursement Detail Report, which makes it easy for you to identify which ACH (and credit card) transactions are included in every bank deposit.

With ACH in The Raiser’s Edge, you can now use one integrated payment solution—Blackbaud Merchant Services—to process both credit card and ACH transactions. And you don’t have to worry about hidden fees as there are no setup fees, monthly fees, or other unexpected charges.

Learn more about ACH and other exciting new features—including automatic credit card updates and event payments that sync with your Raiser’s Edge database—by attending a webinar on November 18.

For more information on Blackbaud Merchant Services, email bbms@blackbaud.com.

*The EFT Module is still required to process ACH payments with iATS.