Overview

Slate is able to process recurring payments on monthly, quarterly, biannual, and annual bases. These recurring payments contain the gift information allowing gifts (with the initiating gift details) to be created and processed on the same schedule.

When a recurring payment is initially created, Slate will create a placeholder gift in an upcoming state. Once the first payment processes, this placeholder gift will switch to no longer be upcoming and the gift(s) will be created. 

Once a recurring payment is made, the placeholder for that payment is updated to no longer be upcoming. Slate copies the gift entry and creates a new placeholder gift (which will be upcoming) for the next scheduled payment. 

This process continues either in perpetuity or until the recurring payments end. While creating the initial payment, users can configure the recurring payments to end after certain time intervals.

Should a donor set up recurring payments via a credit card - and the physical card expires - their recurring payments will still continue to process. Slate Payments, working with Stripe, work directly with card networks to allow these types of payments to continue to be processed without interruption.

Connecting Gifts to Payments

Slate will automatically associate all gifts created on a form to the payment activity on the form. If a recurring payment is configured on the form, Slate will create a placeholder gift (or gifts, if many gifts are a part of the form) in an Upcoming status. Other than this Upcoming status, the gift will be exactly as it was originally configured on the form. When an ACH charge begins processing, the gift will move out of Upcoming and into the Pending status. Once the payment is processed, the gift moves out of the Pending status and is displayed in the Received status category. 

If the recurring payment start date is the same as the gift date, this process occurs almost instantly, with the gift being created right when the payment is processed. If the first payment date for the recurring payment is scheduled to start at a point in the future, the placeholder gift will be in the Upcoming status  from the time the form is submitted until the time the payment is made.

The next upcoming gift will always display in the Upcoming section of the Gifts tab. As the next payment is processed, this gift moves from Upcoming to Received, and the next upcoming placeholder gift is created.

Updating Payment Information

Should future payment details or gift information need to be updated, changes should be made by selecting the appropriate payment within the recurring payments sub-tab within the giving tab. 

Within the payment details popup, any gifts associated with the payment will be visible. To make modifications to the future versions of these gifts:

1. Within the Giving tab of the person record you're interested in, select Recurring Payments from the right-hand navigation.

2. Select the recurring payment you wish to edit. The Recurring Payment Details popup appears.

3. Select Edit.

   

4. Make any changes necessary to the recurring payment, including the payment amount, frequency, credit card expiration date, and number of payments. You may also change the next billing date by selecting Change Date and choosing from the calendar.

   

5. Select Save.

Changes made to the gift details (such as fund, type, or soft credits) will not apply retroactively to previous gifts. Rather, these changes will become apparent when the next payment is processed and a new gift(s) is created. The updated gift, will, however, appear as a pending gift until the next payment is processed. 

Modify Gifts Associated with Recurring Payments

To update a gift associated with a recurring payment:

1. Within the Giving tab of the person record you're interested in, select Recurring Payments from the right-hand navigation.

2. Select the recurring payment you wish to edit. The Recurring Payment Details popup appears.

3. From the Associated Gifts section, select the gift you'd like to edit.

   

4. Make any necessary changes to the details of the gift.

5. Select Save.

Updating a gift by this method updates the existing upcoming gift that was created—that is, it does not appear as a pending gift. Alternatively, changes to the upcoming gift can be made directly by editing the gift directly on the Gifts tab.

Credit Card Expiration

While credit card expiration dates may be updated, expired credit cards will continue to auto-renew and be processed even if the expiration date has expired. 

Since 2015, Stripe has worked directly with card networks to ensure cards will continue to work even if a physical card is replaced by a bank. This process only stays working as long as the credit/debit card account stays open.