Managing Stripe Recurring Subscriptions

Recurring Subscriptions allow donors to establish ongoing donations via an Online Giving Form instead of giving separately each time. When using Stripe for payments, the platform oversees the subscription and schedules the payments, while DonorDock generates gift records for every payment processed.

You can continue managing recurring Gifts after the original subscription is created. Donors can access their payment information through the Donor Portal, while organization staff can use the connected Stripe account to update, pause, or cancel a subscription when needed.

How Recurring Stripe Gifts Work

When a donor selects a recurring frequency on an Online Giving Form and completes payment through Stripe, Stripe creates a subscription using the frequency and amount the donor selected. Supported Stripe frequencies include Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annually, and Annually, depending on the options enabled on the Giving Page.

The initial Gift is recorded when the donor makes the first transaction. As Stripe handles subsequent payments for the subscription, more Gift records are automatically generated in DonorDock and linked to the donor's Contact record.

Recurring Gifts also continue to use the Giving Page information associated with the original subscription. For example, the automatic Thank You or Receipt template saved on the Giving Page can continue to send as future recurring Gifts are created.

Stripe Donor Portal

Organizations using Stripe have access to a Stripe Donor Portal, which allows donors to securely view and manage their recurring payment information in Stripe.

A donor logs into the portal with the email linked to their recurring donations. Stripe then sends a confirmation code to that email to verify their identity before approving access.

Once verified, the donor can view and edit their recurring payment information as needed. This gives donors a self-service option when payment information changes.

The link to the Donor Portal is available at the bottom of DonorDock Giving Pages, where it says: Already a donor? Manage your recurring donations.

You may also copy and share your organization's Donor Portal URL directly with donors via the steps below:

1. Navigate to "Online Giving" in DonorDock via the main navigation menu

2. Locate the Stripe information in the Online Giving settings on the left

3. Copy the URL listed for the "Donor Portal"

4. Share that link with the donor as needed

Manage a Recurring Subscription in Stripe

Organization staff can also manage recurring subscriptions directly from the connected Stripe account. This can be useful when a donor contacts the organization and asks for assistance changing, pausing, or canceling their recurring Gift.

To locate a subscription in Stripe:

1. Log in to your organization's Stripe account at dashboard.stripe.com

2. Navigate to "Billing" and select "Subscriptions"

3. Locate and click on the subscription you want to manage

Available options in Stripe can include updating, pausing, or canceling the subscription.

Changes made to the subscription affect future payments processed by Stripe. Gifts that have already been created in DonorDock remain part of the donor's Gift history and are not removed.

Pause a Recurring Subscription

Stripe may allow a subscription to be paused when the donor wants to temporarily stop future payments without fully canceling the subscription.

Pausing is managed directly in Stripe. While the subscription is paused, future recurring payments will follow the behavior configured in Stripe, and DonorDock will not create new Gift records unless Stripe processes a payment.

If you later resume the subscription, successfully processed payments can begin creating Gifts in DonorDock again.

Cancel a Recurring Subscription

Canceling a recurring subscription stops future scheduled payments according to the cancellation settings selected in Stripe.

To cancel a subscription, find it in Stripe and select the cancellation option from the available actions. Stripe may also offer choices for when the cancellation will take effect, depending on the subscription’s settings.

Refund a Stripe Payment

Canceling a recurring subscription prevents future payments, but it does not refund a payment that has already been processed. If an individual Stripe charge also needs to be refunded, the refund is handled separately in Stripe.

1. Locate the payment in the Stripe payments area.

2. Open the payment or use the available actions menu.

3. Select "Refund Payment".

4. Enter the amount to refund. Stripe will default to the full payment amount, but you may enter a partial amount as needed.

5. Select the reason for the refund and add any required notes.

6. Confirm the refund.

Update Subscription Metadata in Stripe

For existing recurring subscriptions, you can update the Stripe subscription metadata to modify how future Gifts are tracked when created in DonorDock. This is helpful if a recurring subscription needs to be updated to a different Giving Page, Campaign, Appeal, or Fund without canceling and recreating the subscription.

1. Log in to your organization’s Stripe account at dashboard.stripe.com

2. Navigate to "Billing" > "Subscriptions"

3. Open the subscription you want to update

4. Locate the "Metadata" section on the subscription

   • Usually located on the right side of the subscription details as you scroll down

5. Click the pen icon to edit the existing metadata.

6. Update an existing metadata value or add a new metadata field using the appropriate DonorDock ID for the Giving Page, Campaign, Appeal, or Fund

7. Save the metadata changes in Stripe

In many cases, updating only the "GivingPageId" is enough. If that Giving Page already has a Campaign, Appeal, and Fund saved under its Tracking settings in DonorDock, those settings can also be applied when future recurring Gifts are created.

Disconnecting Stripe Does Not Cancel Existing Subscriptions

Disconnecting Stripe from DonorDock does not automatically cancel recurring subscriptions that already exist in Stripe.

Those subscriptions may continue processing according to their existing schedule in Stripe. However, while Stripe is disconnected from DonorDock, the resulting payments will no longer sync into DonorDock as new Gift records.

PayPal Recurring Gifts

PayPal recurring Gifts are managed differently from Stripe subscriptions. DonorDock does not manage or update the PayPal subscription itself. Instead, PayPal sends recurring payment information back to DonorDock through Instant Payment Notifications, or IPN, so the resulting Gift can be created and recorded in DonorDock.

If a donor needs to update their payment method, change subscription details, or cancel a PayPal recurring Gift, they will need to log in to their own PayPal account and manage the subscription there. These changes are not made through the DonorDock Donor Portal.

Because DonorDock relies on PayPal’s IPN messages to receive recurring payment information, IPN must remain enabled in the organization’s PayPal account for future recurring Gifts to continue syncing into DonorDock.