When you need to define the purpose of a payment, you should look under your relevant form. Under the section labelled Purposes, you can set one or more purposes for the payment.
A purpose can be fixed and hidden or visible in the form. Alternatively, you can allow the user to choose the purpose of their payment.
Want to learn more about this feature and what it can be used for? Read our introduction to Purposes.
1. Name Your Purpose(s)
Choose names that make sense both within your organisation and externally, enhancing the donor experience. Instead of using generic terms like "Donation," we recommend specific descriptions such as "Environmental Protection" This helps donors associate the payment with its intended purpose rather than just the act of paying.
Name in form:This is the name that appears in the form. If you do not want to show the purpose to the user (e.g., if the form is only for membership sign-ups), you can hide it in the field settings. Read the guide: How to configure fields in a form.
Personal agreement name: This is the name that appears for the user in services with ongoing charges. Often, the form name and the personal agreement name will be the same, but note that the latter often appears out of context. For example, in the form, the name might be "Membership" (as seen on the website), while the personal agreement name could be "Your OF Membership." Another example could be "Environmental Protection."
Personal agreement description: Additional text that appears with the payment in services like Direct Debit. Note that you can also customise the text that appears with subsequent Direct Debit charges under our Communication feature. Learn more about notifications for recurring charges here.
2. Accounting and Payment Rules
Another important aspect of the purpose is accounting and the rules associated with the payment.
Payment rules: Here, you specify the rules for the payment. Some purposes may allow for tax deductions, while others do not. By setting this under the purpose, you ensure all payments fall into the correct category, simplifying reporting to your local tax authority. Be meticulous when selecting this option.
- Payments are tax deductible: If you tick this box, it indicates that the payment is tax-deductible, which you can track via an export or in your CRM system. Donors will not see this unless it is included in the receipt.
- Payments are required in dunning: Tick this box if the payment is legally required. If checked, the agreement will automatically terminate after a period of inactivity.
Default amount: If there is a fixed amount that cannot be changed by the donor, you can set this under Default Amount. If you have more than one amount or if you want the donor to specify the amount, leave this field empty and define the options when setting up the form.
Accounting code: This is the internal reference for accounting. You can have different purposes with the same accounting code – for example, to distinguish between donations and memberships. However, you can also use more detailed codes to earmark funds for specific projects.
3. Linking Purpose with Subsequent Communication
Each purpose is closely linked to subsequent communication with the payer – including thank-you pages, confirmation emails, and SMS messages. While one communication can be used for multiple purposes, each purpose can only have one communication associated with it.
You can specify a landing page under Success landing page. The payer will be directed to this page once the payment is completed. If the receipt script is inserted on this page, the on-screen text from the chosen communication will be displayed. Learn more about setting up thank-you pages here.
Under Communication, you must select which communication is associated with this purpose. Ensure you attach a communication before publishing the form.As described above, multiple purposes on the same form allow you to differentiate messages, as each purpose has an associated communication. Find an introduction to Communications here.