Below you can see a "widget" belonging to a donation platform called Donorbox, which is an independent entity used by many non-profit organizations. Donorbox handles everything to do with structuring and recording each donation; and making this information accessible afterwards for each patron through its own website, donorbox.org.
Depending on the device and browser you are using, the number of screens involved, corresponding to the number of small circles in the blue header bar, varies. If you see 4 of them it usually means a screen titled Payment comes before one titled Information; in that case you will see an option to use a digital wallet, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal Checkout, Venmo, and Mercado Pago; if you opt to go that route the screen titled Information is simplified so that the need for you to type your personal information is eliminated. There is a More Options button enabling you to skip the digital wallet method.
The processing of each payment is handled by another entity, a payment processor called Stripe; which is also used by many nonprofit organizations and other kinds of entities. Although Donorbox and Stripe are completely separate, the combination of the two is frequently encountered. Both of them charge fees which are only transaction-based; which, for us, means Cantate does not get charged any fixed monthly fees. Should you opt to make a donation using bank transfer (ACH) rather than a payment card, another entity called Plaid, also widely used, is introduced seamlessly to handle the secure log-in to your bank. That selection is available in the blue header bar on a later screen titled Payment. The total of the fees is lower using bank transfer than using a payment card. By viewing both options on the later Payment screen it is possible to see the difference in fees, towards the bottom of the screen. That happens because the fees are named there in an option for you as the benefactor to cover them should you wish to.
Here on the first screen the first selection is the so-called frequency. Set by default to One-time, recurring settings of Weekly or Monthly can be selected instead. If you choose one of the recurring settings, a so-called donor account is created automatically; and information to complete setting up the account with Donorbox so you can access it is emailed to your email address - which will either be captured from your digital wallet or which you will be asked to enter on the Information screen, along with your name. The later Payment screen is where payment card information is entered or where you will be taken to Plaid's bank login interface. The transaction is initiated when you activate the green Donate button on the appropriate screen. Until that moment you can go back and forth between the screens without losing anything you typed in. Cantate does not handle or come in contact with payment card or bank account information. Cantate's website does not generate records of donations. Donorbox sends an acknowledgement email to you which includes a receipt; and the transaction will be identified on your card payment account or bank account as being a payment to Cantate. Where relevant the transaction is classified as a purchase.With a One-time donation there is an option to save your information, which you might want to pay attention to: if checked it means that Plaid and/or Donorbox will save it, depending on the payment method. Modifying or discontinuing recurring donations is handled not through these screens but directly through Donorbox. (It is easy to remove your Donorbox account completely, but paradoxically this requires first going through the steps needed to set it up properly.)
Thank you for your interest in becoming a donor to Cantate!