Introduction
Money Request is a simple way to collect a payment. It allows you to present your customers with a simplified one page check out process with or without an account login required. It provides the ability to collect form data and have unique emails tied directly to the request. There are two types of Money Requests, Payment and Donation. For ease of reading, we primarily will use the term donation in this article. Money Requests can be one-time, recurring with a fixed end date, or recurring with no end date.
Getting Started
There are some system level configurations related to this feature. Login to the administrative side of your Configio database, and search for "money". In the Payment Processing section, you can indicate whether the donor's email address and phone number are required. You can also indicate whether you want the donor to be able to add a note when donating.
Also, search for "donation made" to customize the "Donation made on behalf of text" that appears when making a donation.
Money Request Lists and Forms
You can use Lists to designate where the donation goes to, and you can use Forms to ask donors questions that are specific to that program.
Money Request Lists
The "Donor List" and the "Payment Requests" Lists allow you define where the money will go to, for example "Pool Fund", "Scholarship Fund", and "General Fund". When the donation is occurring, the donor can then select from this list. Go to Settings --> Assignments --> Lists and search for "donor". You will see "Donor List".
Click the "Edit List Items" button. You can then indicate where the funds will go to.
You can also do this for Payment Requests via the "Payment Requests" List.
Money Request Forms
You can create Money Request Forms that are specific to the Money Request List items. For example, if the donor select "Pool Fund", they could see a different Form then if they select "Scholarship Fund". Go to Settings --> Assignments --> Forms, and select "Donation Form" from the dropdown list of Form types. You will see a list of existing Donation Forms.
CLick "Add New Form" to create a new form. Input a Title, ensure that Visibility is "Updatable by Account", and choose the Type "Donation Form". Then, select which Donation List item, or Items, the Form is relevant to, and click the "Save" button.
Here, I have two Forms, one is for just the Pool Fund.
The other is also for the Building Fund.
If the donor selects that the money will go to the Building Fund, then they will see just one set of questions.
Or, if they choose the Pool Fund, then they will see both sets of questions.
Creating the Money Request
Once your lists are set up you can navigate to the Money Request at Settings > Money Request. You will see a list of existing Money Requests, and you can click the "Add New Request" button to create a new one.
Primary Fields
Money Requests are highly customizable. Here is a list of each primary field that you will see, and a description. Most of the fields can be left blank, which allows for greater flexibility for the end user.
- Title (Required): The Money Request's title. It is used in the Header of the page that the end user will see.
- Request Type (Required): Either Donation or Payment.
- Amount: Either a fixed amount, or if you leave it blank, then the end user will be able to enter the amount of their choosing.
- Quantity: The number of donations/payments that can be collected. For example, you may have a campaign looking for five donations of $100, and so you would enter "5". You can leave blank to allow for unlimited donation/payment opportunities.
- Expiration Date:This is when you will stop collecting new donations. For example, you may have a campaign that coincides with a special month, and so you would enter the last day of that month. If you leave it blank, the Money Request will not expire.
- Recurrence: Either "One Time Payment" or "Recurring Payment". You can also select "The user can decide to use one time or recurring", the end user will be able to select their preference.
- Start Date to be the 1st payment: If checked, then the end user will not be charged at checkout, and instead the first charge will be on the Start Date. If checked, then they will donate upon checkout.
- Allow No End Date: If checked, then the recurrence will run indefinitely. The Account will have to contact you to suspend it.
- Frequency (Required for Recurring): how often a recurring donation will occur. You can create a custom Schedule and use it here. You can select multiple Frequencies, and the end user can select a schedule that matches their preference.
Access Fields
You can add Custom Link Text, however this is currently only used on the Money Request List page on the Administrative side of your database. You can decide whether to send a Confirmation Email, and there is a link to build/modify the email message. You can indicate which Donor List or Payment Requests list item the Donation or Payment will go To, and you can jump to manage those lists. You can indicate whether you Require Login to donate or pay, or you can leave it un-checked to allow for guest payment/donation.
Accounting Fields
The Payment/Donations can be associated with GL Codes and Sub-Account codes (which are determined by you in your Lists) for easy sorting and assignment of funds. You can choose your Payment Gateway.
Description Field
You can also add a Description that will be displayed on the donation/payment page. Click to Save.
Promoting your Money Request
You can send an Email Campaign to distribution lists within your database to promote your Money Request.
You can also create Internal Custom Menu Link to add it to your Shopping Cart Menu.
The Donor's/Payer's Experience
The Donor/Payer will complete the Donation/Payment Request form, and then click to Make Donation.
One Time Donation/Payment
If your setup allows for a One Time Donation or Payment, then they will complete the form (by making selections and entering data) based on your setup. Below is a donation to a Gymnasium Fund, where the donor inputs their amount, chooses to make it a one-time donation, chooses the date on which that transaction will occur, inputs their contact and credit card information, and clicks the "Make Donation" button give.
Clicking the Make Donation button creates an Order, and the Order Confirmation screen is displayed. If you have selected to send a Donation Confirmation email message, it will be sent as well. 
Recurring Donation/Payment
Like with One Time Donations/Payments, then they will complete the form (by making selections and entering data) based on your setup. There are several different use case for recurring donation/payments.
Fixed End Date with Start Date in the Future -- Admin Setting "Start Date is 1st Payment" Unchecked
Below is the same donation to the Gymnasium Fund, however this time, the donor has chosen to make a Recurring Donation. They indicate that they want to donate $100 per month starting on November 1st, 2016 and ending on November 1st, 2017. This Money Request has "Start Date is 1st Payment", so there is an additional payment due at checkout.
Fixed End Date with Start Date in the Future -- Admin Setting "Start Date is 1st Payment" Checked
Below, everything is the same as above, expect the Admin set this Money Request to have the start date be the first payment. As you can see, there is no payment that is due today.
No End Date with Start Date in the Future -- Admin Setting "Start Date is 1st Payment" Checked
Below, everything is the same as above, expect the donor has not set an end date. There is no payment due today, and the donor will have to contact you to cancel the Order.
No End Date -- Best Practice
We suggest checking "Start Date is 1st Payment' if you are going to offer a donation opportunities with no end date. If not, then an additional payment will be made when the donor places the Order, which might be unexpected by them.