Animal Rescue and Care (ARC) is a charity based in Richmond Upon Thames, England. It’s staffed entirely by volunteers and, as the name suggests, their mission is to rescue, foster and rehome animals in the local area. The volunteers work mainly with cats, rabbits and guinea pigs, but also with dogs and ‘small furries’ such as hamsters and chinchillas.

A.R.C. is run without any paid staff or premises; keeping costs to a minimum and relying on the support of their members, volunteers and generosity of members of the public. Every pound that is donated goes straight to helping animals in need. That’s why it was important for them to have a cost effective solution for accepting donations online through their WordPress-based website.

The low transaction fees with GoCardless mean more money can go where it’s needed – compared to credit cards and PayPal. The charity only pays 1% + 20p, capped at £4, to receive payments under £2,000.

Designing the form

It was simple to set up a suitable form using the Gravity Forms plug-in, and then link this to their bank account via GoCardless using WPdirectdebit. Visitors have a choice of whether to donate weekly, monthly or annually:

They can choose from the selected amounts, or enter their own amount.

Many donors are happy to cover the processing fees, given the option. Gravity Forms can calculate the amount and add it to the total.

It’s a good time to ask about Gift Aid – you can obtain consent on the same form.

It’s also an ideal opportunity to obtain marketing permission from donors.

Benefits to the charity

• An easy way to generate a recurring income, making it easier for the charity to budget for expenditure.
• Low fees compared with other payment methods, so more money goes where it’s needed.
• Notifications are sent whenever someone completes the donation form, and donors receive an instant ‘thank you’ acknowledgment.
• Marketing permissions and Gift Aid permissions can be obtained at the same time.
• Paperwork and postage is reduced, as the system is email-based.

Collecting from UK customers

GoCardless charges a fee of 1% + 20p per domestic transaction, capped at £4. For transactions of £2,000 or more, they charge an additional 0.3% fee on the portion of the transaction above the £2,000 threshold.  Charges are subject to VAT.

Example 1 – £10 transaction

• Payment amount: £10
• Transaction fee (1% + 20p): 30p

Example 2 – £1,000 transaction

• Payment amount: £1,000
• Transaction fee (capped): £4

Example 3 – £5,000 transaction

• Payment amount: £5,000
• Transaction fee (capped): £4
• High value transaction fee applied to portion above £2,000 threshold (0.3% x £3,000): £9
• Total fee: £13

At the time of writing, charities can claim a 25% reduction in charges.