Using Plaid for ACH Donations

Plaid streamlines ACH (eCheck) donations by securely connecting donors' bank accounts to iDonate. This integration eliminates manual bank account entry, reduces errors, and provides instant verification creating a faster, more secure donation experience.

How It Works

1. User Authorization: Donors securely log in to their bank through the iDonate giving form. This one-time authorization grants Plaid permission to access their account information through bank-level encryption.
2. Plaid Integration: iDonate connects to the donor's bank via Plaid's API, which supports thousands of financial institutions across the United States.
3. Bank Verification: Plaid automatically verifies three critical elements:
   1. Authentication: Confirms valid bank account credentials.
   2. Identity: Validates the donor's personal information.
   3. Balance: Ensures sufficient funds are available for the donation.
4. Transaction Initiation: Once the bank account is verified, iDonate can initiate the eCheck transaction using Plaid. 
5. Data Transfer: Plaid securely transmits the donor's verified information to iDonate, including full name, mailing address, email address, and payment method details.
   
   1. Note, if a bank doesn't provide an email address, the system automatically assigns nodonoremail@idonate.com as a placeholder.

Donor Experience

When a donor chooses to give via eCheck with Plaid enabled, they'll complete the following steps:

1. Select eCheck: When the donor selects eCheck, the giving form automatically removes personal information fields since this data will be captured directly from their bank during the Plaid verification process.
2. Accept Plaid terms: After clicking the Give button, a Plaid popup window appears prompting the donor to review and accept Plaid's terms of service.
3. Choose their bank: The donor uses the search function to find their banking institution from Plaid's network of thousands of supported financial institutions.
4. Securely login: The donor is redirected to their bank's secure login page within the popup window, where they enter their online banking credentials directly with their financial institution.
5. Confirm data sharing: After successful authentication, the donor reviews and accepts what specific information will be shared with Plaid and iDonate (name, address, email, and account details).
6. Account Linking: A success message displays confirming the bank account has been securely connected to complete the donation.
7. Donation completion: The donor clicks Continue and is redirected to iDonate's standard donation confirmation page.

What Happens When Things Go Wrong

1. Unsupported Bank: The donor will see a message explaining their bank isn't available in Plaid's network, and they'll be directed back to the giving form to choose a different payment method.
2. Connection Errors: Problems like invalid login credentials, insufficient funds, or technical connectivity issues will trigger an error message instructing the donor to try again or select an alternative payment method.
3. Exiting Early: Attempting to close the Plaid popup before completing the donation will display a confirmation prompt to prevent accidental cancellation of their gift.