New: Venmo is generally available in Luminate Online for Blackbaud Checkout in the US

We’re happy to announce that Venmo, one of our most-requested payment options, is now generally available to Luminate Online customers using Blackbaud Checkout in the United States.In Blackbaud Checkout, Venmo offers:

• Standard OneRATE (2.8% + $0.26) for Venmo transactions
• Funds disbursement by PayPal to your organization’s PayPal Business account
• Support for one-time gifts in US dollars

What do I need to do?


If you've already integrated your PayPal business account with Blackbaud Merchant Services and use PayPal in Blackbaud Checkout with Luminate Online, Venmo automatically displays as a payment option to United States donors who have Venmo installed on their mobile phone or tablet.


Otherwise, you'll need the following requirements to offer Venmo to donors in the United States:

1. Blackbaud Merchant Services account
2. PayPal Commerce Platform merchant account
3. Integration of your PayPal business account within your Blackbaud Merchant Services portal
4. Blackbaud Checkout with Luminate Online

1. To get Blackbaud Merchant Services (BBMS), speak to your account representative, or complete the steps outlined in, "How to set up or register for a Blackbaud Merchant Services (BBMS) account" Knowledgebase Article 55321.


2. To get a PayPal Commerce Platform merchant account, see PayPal Platforms and Marketplaces.


3. To integrate your PayPal business account within your Blackbaud Merchant Service portal, see PayPal Commerce Platform in the Blackbaud Merchant Services documentation.


4. To offer Blackbaud Checkout as a donation form with Luminate Online, you can either:

• Use an S-Tag on a PageBuilder page to offer a Blackbaud Checkout form
• Use a code snippet with a Donate button to launch Blackbaud Checkout on any page in any domain

How do I see Venmo transactions?

Blackbaud Merchant Services now captures Venmo payments as a "Venmo" transaction, so you can either log into your Blackbaud Merchant Services portal or use your PayPal merchant account dashboard to identify "Venmo" transactions. A future release of Luminate Online will distinguish Venmo transactions. Currently, Luminate Online displays PayPal and Venmo transactions as "PayPal."

More Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t use Blackbaud Checkout?

Currently, Venmo is only offered as a payment method within the Blackbaud Checkout feature.

Can donors select recurring gifts with Venmo?

No. Venmo supports one-time giving. For recurring gifts, donors can select a credit card payment method.

Can I use Venmo in Canada or the UK?

No, Venmo as a payment method is only available in the United States.