Using the Online Donations Page
On This Page….
Accessing Our OnLine Donate Page
To access our Vanco On Line eGiving page, go to Atonements website at atonement-saugerties.org and click the golden ‘Donate’ button at the top of the page. You can do this using the internet on your desktop, laptop, tablet or smart phone.
Tile Matrix or Express View?
The default view for the Donate page is a matrix of ‘tiles’, each offering a different giving opportunity. The page layout will vary depending on the screen size of your device, but generally tiles are arranged in a row/column format. You can scroll up and down to view all the choices available. Select the tile that appeals to you by clicking the donate button for that tile.
While the default (Home) page view is the tile matrix, you can select the ‘express’ view by clicking its icon in the upper right of the page. (The icon resembles a miniature hamburger). Clicking the left icon (a 2×2 matrix of boxes) returns to the ‘tile’ view. The icon for the active view is highlighted. Switching views will end any dialog in process, but will not disturb donations in your basket
If you are familiar with the donation choices and want to enter your selection(s) more quickly. the ‘express’ view may be useful. When selected, this view immediately begins a donation dialog where the donation selection is made from a dropdown in the top box. This display is considered the Home page for the express view.
Entering a Donation From the Tile Matrix View
Clicking the donate button on any of the donation tiles brings up the ‘donate’ dialog for your selection. The related image and more information on the donation also appears. For flower or plant purchases, additional instructions are included.
Enter the amount you wish to donate and choose the donation frequency – ‘one time’ (the default) or ‘recurring’.
- For one time donations, you can choose to donate ‘Once, now’ (default) or ‘Once, on a future date’ from the dropdown. For the latter, use the calendar provided to choose a date.
- If you are making a recurring donation, choose the frequency from the dropdown (monthly is the default). Then use the calendar provided and select the start date and optional end date. If you do not enter an end date, donations will continue until you stop them (by logging in and canceling it).
- To be clear, a recurring donation causes the specified amount to be donated repeatedly at the frequency specified between the beginning and ending dates specified unless cancelled. Monthly donations repeat on the same day of the month. Weekly and biweekly donations repeat on the same day of the week.
If you have changed your mind and do not wish to continue with this donation, you can return to the Home page and make another selection. Clicking the ’View more…,’ or ’See all’ links (when displayed) or ’Atonement logo’ and/or the Home Icon in the page header can all serve to interrupt the current dialog and return to the Home page. You will exit the dialog and return to the display of the donation tiles.
When you are satisfied with your entry, press the ‘Add to Basket’ button. Your basket will be displayed showing this donation and any other donations you may have previously entered.
If you wish to make more donations, return to the Home page by clicking the Home icon or the Atonement logo in the page header and make another selection. If you are ready to finish and ‘check out’, press the ‘Continue to payment’ button. Continue reading with Notes On the Basket (below).
Entering a Donation From the Express View
The express view brings up a donation dialog where the top box to ‘Select Option’ is initially blank. Clicking the dropdown will display all available donation options from which you can select the one you want. That option then appears in the selection box followed by a short description.
Enter the amount you wish to donate and choose the donation frequency – ‘one time’ (the default) or ‘recurring’.
- For one time donations, you can choose to donate ‘Once, now’ (default) or ‘Once, on a future date’ from the dropdown. For the latter, use the calendar provided to choose a date.
- If you are making a recurring donation, choose the frequency from the dropdown (monthly is the default). Then use the calendar provided and select the start date and optional end date. If you do not enter an end date, donations will continue until you stop them (by logging in and canceling it).
- To be clear, a recurring donation causes the specified amount to be donated repeatedly at the frequency selected between the beginning and ending dates specified unless cancelled. Monthly donations repeat on the same day of the month. Weekly and biweekly donations repeat on the same day of the week.
When you are satisfied with your entry and are ready to ‘check out’, click the ‘continue’ button. Your current selection will be added to the basket and the payment dialog begins. The payment dialog displays the basket and asks for payment information.
If you are satisfied with your entry but want to make more selections, click ‘Add to Basket’ . Your selection will be added to the basket. The dialog boxes are then cleared allowing another entry.
You can’t restart the ‘express’ dialog by clicking the Atonement Logo or Home icon in the page header. Those have no effect. You will have to manually change your entries and/or selections. However, clicking the basket icon and then the Home icon in the header will clear all the current information entered and you can start fresh
About the Basket
- You can display the basket content almost anytime by clicking on the basket icon in the page header.
- Should the basket contain items you no longer want, click the ‘Remove’ link above that item to delete it.
- The basket can contain only one item for any single type of donation (tile). Should you need to change an item, you will have to remove it from the basket. Then reselect the item and complete the dialog with new information.
- Displaying the basket will interrupt a donation or payment dialog and you will have start that part over.
- If you are ready to ‘check out’, select the ’Continue to payment’ button below the list of items in the basket.
The Payment Dialog
After making all desired donation selections and adding them to the basket, donation processing continues with the payment dialog. The payment dialog displays the basket and spaces to enter your card/bank data and your contact information.
On entry, the basket information is shown on the right and card/bank and contact information space is to the left. At this point an option appears below the basket to increase your donation to help offset processing fees. By default, the switch is set to ‘off’ (omit offset), but you can choose to switch it on (Include offset). When the switch is on, the offset is listed next to each basket item and is included in the total. Offset for card transactions is 2.9% and 1.0% for ACH (bank account) transactions)..
(ED NOTE: The fee offset function described above is currently unavailable and is not displayed).
You can then choose to use a payment card (debit or credit) or bank transfer from your checking or savings to cover your donation. Assuming you have not saved a payment method, you will have to enter the information related to your choice as well as your contact information. All fields are required except the phone number. Any missing info will cause the offending box to be outlined in red. When complete you can click the ‘Continue to review’ button.
(ED NOTE: Due to a quirk in the ACH processing, transactions using a bank account may process a day earlier than scheduled. Donors should take this into account when choosing their donation date.).
Note that there is a checkbox under the bank info that allows the current payment method to be saved for later. In order to do that you must sign up and create a login to retain that information. The ‘Sign up’ and ‘Log In’ icons in the page header allow you to do this.
The Sign Up, Log In and Profile ICONS
To save payment information and monitor recurring donations, you need to create a profile. To do this, click the ‘Sign Up’ icon in the page header and enter your contact information Along with an ID and password. When complete, you can then use the ‘Log In’ icon (also in the page header) to access the profile you just created. While logged in, you can monitor/delete recurring transactions, view transaction history, monitor/delete payment methods and view/change your profile information. Use the menu at the left to access these items.
While logged in, the ‘Sign Up’ and ‘Log In’ icons in the header are replaced by a ‘Profile’ icon. Clicking that icon allows you to display your profile. Note that logging out during a transaction will cancel that transaction AND EMPTY THE BASKET. So if you have put a lot of effort into creating the content of your basket, you should complete your transaction before you LOG OUT.
Creating and Using Saved Payment Methods
Once you have created a profile and are logged in, you can save and utilize your payment method(s). This is a time saver as it can be inconvenient to have to enter credit card and bank information on every transaction.
To save a payment method (card or bank account), you must first be logged in. You then must complete a transaction using the prospective payment method. After entering your card or bank account data, be sure to check the box indicating the payment method is to be saved. As the transaction completes, the payment method is then saved. It then appears as ‘Visa ending in xxxx’ or ‘Checking ending in xxxx’ when subsequently displayed or used. Complete card/account information is never displayed
You can manage your payment methods by displaying your profile. You can click the ‘Profile’ icon in the page header. Then select ‘Payment Method’ from the menu on the left. Saved payment methods are listed. You can delete a method when necessary by clicking the ‘Remove’ option for the method. You cannot change a payment method at all. Instead it must be removed and replaced by completing another transaction using the corrected data with the save option selected, Similarly adding any new card requires completing another transaction with that method. Ditto for bank accounts.
To use a saved payment method, you again must be logged in. Complete the donation up to where payment is expected. At this point the basket is displayed as before, but instead of blank areas for payment information entries, the app offers a saved payment method. The offered method varies on what has been saved. You can accept the method presented or opt for a different method. You can switch to another bank account or another card if already saved. The app also allows entry of a new card or bank account not already saved, in which case you would have to enter the relevant data. Be sure to check the box if you want it saved too.
Transaction Review and Completion
Once you have completed entering the payment information, you can click the ‘Continue to Review’ button. If you are not satisfied with the displayed information, you can remove items from the basket or change payment methods by selecting those links. You can return to the home page for more entries or other reasons by clicking the Home icon or Atonement logo in the page header.
When you are satisfied with the information presented in the review, click the ‘Process’ or ‘Submit’ button to complete the transaction. This possibly (but not always includes Googles I AM NOT A ROBOT checkbox and the CAPTCHA picture quiz. If so, follow the on screen directions to get through this. If you have trouble with the pictures, you can try refreshing (circle with arrow). You could also click on their head phones icon to get an audio quiz instead. After completing this section, the transaction gets processed.
You will then get a ‘Thank You’ message and you can select the ‘See Other Opportunities’ button to return to the home screen. (There is no other option short of manually entering a new URL in the browser address bar). Later, you will receive a ‘thank you’ email with the details of your donation