Bank On It! Canadian Direct Debit is Coming to Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT ®

Tanya Fitzgerald

Direct debit is coming to Canadian organizations, giving donors the flexibility to choose their preferred payment method.Canadian direct debit is coming Raiser’s Edge NXT, giving your organization an additional way to accept donations. It offers donors a trusted, card-free option to give, while helping you lower processing fees and reduce transaction costs. Plus, it streamlines recurring gifts with an automated, seamless experience.



When will direct debit be available for all Canadian organizations?

We’ve been rolling out Canadian Direct Debit in waves and expect it to be available to all Canadian customers the first week of August.



What is direct debit?

Direct debit allows your organization to securely draw donations straight from a donor’s bank account, with their permission. It’s a reliable, cost-efficient solution that resonates with donors, especially for sustaining meaningful, recurring contributions.



Direct Debit on Blackbaud Donation Forms

Direct debit is seamlessly built into Blackbaud Donation Forms through Blackbaud Integrated Payments, without adding extra setup.



For both Standard and Optimized Donation Forms, navigate to the Payment and Fees tab in your donation form designer and check the box to activate direct debit capabilities.







A pre-authorized debit (PAD) agreement is required, and we’ve streamlined that process. Blackbaud Merchant Services (BBMS) automatically generates and emails the agreement to donors when they set up their donation.



The Donor Experience

The donor will enter their donation amount and contact information. When selecting a payment method, they can choose direct debit and securely share their banking information. If the donor sets up a recurring or pledge gift, the steps are the same; they will select the recurring or pledge option on the donation form.







They are presented with a mandatory PAD agreement that notifies them they are authorizing your organization to withdraw funds directly from their bank account.







They will accept the agreement by continuing, and an active link to the PAD agreement will appear on the thank-you screen. The donor will automatically receive two emails: one including the PAD agreement, outlining the details of their authorization, and a second email confirming their donation to your organization.







Fee Cover Option

Direct debit supports donor cover. Donors can easily choose to cover processing fees up front, ensuring your organization receives 100% of their contribution. Canadian direct debit is incompatible with Blackbaud Complete Cover. If a donor chooses direct debit on a Complete Cover-enabled form, they will instead see the option for donor cover.







Adding a Gift in Raiser’s Edge NXT Web View

When you add a gift in Raiser’s Edge NXT web view, the PAD agreement link won’t be sent to the donor automatically. To maintain transparency and ensure compliance, you’ll need to share the PAD agreement link, created by BBMS, with the donor yourself. This step confirms their authorization and keeps everything aligned with pre-authorized debit requirements. We’re actively working on automating this process, so in the future, the PAD agreement will be sent automatically whenever a gift is manually added.



Viewing PAD Agreements

One-time gift: Navigate to the constituent record and select the relevant gift. You can view the current PAD agreement under payment information.



Recurring/Pledge Gift: Navigate to the constituent record and select the relevant gift. You can view the current PAD agreement under the recurring/pledge record. Use the previous PAD agreements tab to review past agreements.



Managing Direct Debit Gifts

Edit a recurring gift in web view: When you need to adjust a recurring gift, you have the flexibility to change the gift amount, payment date or banking information. A new PAD agreement will be automatically generated and emailed, ensuring transparency and accuracy. This updated agreement is securely saved to the gift record, while previous versions remain accessible for reference.







Donor Portal

Donors can take control of their recurring gifts directly through their donor portal. They can easily update the payment date, amount, or bank details, and a new PAD agreement will automatically be sent to them for review and approval. Their previous agreement(s) will stay securely stored on their recurring gift record.







Payment Reminders

Payment reminders allow you to set automated emails to remind donors of upcoming direct debits. This best practice keeps donors informed about upcoming debits, ensuring transparency and reducing surprises. If a reminder isn’t successfully delivered, it’s flagged under Needs Attention as a payment reminder failure.



Adding direct debit isn’t just a new payment option, it’s a way to simplify giving for your donors. When giving feels easy and meaningful, you’re building stronger connections to drive your mission forward.



Blackbaud University: Learn more about Raiser's Edge NXT Canadian Direct Debit.