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Documentation

Payment Methods

Configure how your organization accepts adoption payments and donations

In this guide

Key sections from this documentation page.

Available MethodsStripeSquare

Use Settings > Payment Methods to connect checkout providers and save the offline or external methods your organization accepts. Administrators can configure methods. When an account owner has saved at least one method, the page also provides Manage & Order controls.

Available Methods

The page groups methods by how supporters pay:

  • Traditional: Cash is always available for in-person records. Add Check when your organization accepts checks and wants to show instructions.
  • Integrated: Stripe and Square use provider-hosted checkout and report successful payments back to PawPlacer.
  • Digital wallets: PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle open the provider or show the details needed to pay.
  • Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and Ethereum show the saved public wallet address and an estimated converted amount when pricing is available.

Never enter a private key, recovery phrase, or banking password in an external-method field.

Stripe

Choose Configure Stripe to complete Stripe Connect onboarding. Once Stripe reports that charges and payouts are available, the card shows Connected. If onboarding is incomplete, open the configuration flow again to supply the remaining information.

Stripe supports:

  • Public adoption checkout, including an optional donation
  • One-time and recurring general donations where public donation actions are available
  • Public wishlist funding

Stripe Checkout collects card details; PawPlacer does not store them. A successful Stripe webhook updates the related PawPlacer payment or donation automatically.

Square

Choose Configure Square, authorize PawPlacer, and select the Square location used for checkout. Square currently supports public adoption checkout, including an optional donation. The adoption is completed after Square reports a successful hosted checkout.

Use Square's dashboard for provider transaction and refund management.

External and Offline Methods

For PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, checks, and cryptocurrency:

  1. Select the method.
  2. Enter the requested handle, email, public wallet address, or instructions.
  3. Save it and verify the displayed value.

When a public donation begins through a saved external method, PawPlacer creates a pending donation and provides a reference. Staff confirm the transaction with the provider, then reconcile it in PawPlacer. These methods do not verify receipt automatically.

Manage & Order

Account owners can use Manage & Order after at least one method is saved:

  • Drag methods into the order supporters should see
  • Mark one saved method as preferred
  • Add instructions that appear with the method

Administrators can add, edit, connect, disconnect, or remove methods. The owner-only ordering controls appear separately.

Status and Troubleshooting

Integrated provider cards distinguish Not connected, incomplete onboarding, Connected, and restricted/error states. If checkout is unavailable:

  1. Open the provider card and finish any requested onboarding.
  2. Confirm charges are enabled for Stripe or the Square connection is active.
  3. Check that the intended external method is saved with a valid value.
  4. Run a small test before publishing payment instructions broadly.

Related

  • Stripe Connect
  • Donation Amounts
  • Adoption Fees
  • Recording Donations

Keep reading

Move through the documentation in order.

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