Payment Setup Best Practices
A well-configured payment profile saves time, prevents issues, and ensures a smooth experience for both your organization and your customers. Follow these practical tips to get the most out of your FeatsClub payment setup.
Set Up Before You Need It
Connect your Stripe account and complete verification before you create your first paid event, membership, or donation campaign. Stripe verification can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few business days, depending on what information Stripe needs.
If you wait until the day of your event to set up payments, you risk delays that could prevent you from collecting revenue when you need it.
Set up your payment profile as one of your first steps when creating your FeatsClub organization. Even if you do not plan to charge for events right away, having an Active payment profile ready means you can launch paid offerings at any time without delay.
Keep Your Stripe Account Information Current
Your Stripe account contains important details that affect payouts, tax reporting, and legal compliance. Review and update these periodically:
- Bank account details -- Make sure payouts are going to the correct account, especially after changing banks
- Business address -- Keep this current for tax and regulatory purposes
- Contact email -- Stripe sends important notifications (verification requests, payout issues, disputes) to this address
- Tax information -- Ensure your EIN or SSN is correct for accurate 1099 reporting
You can update all of these directly in your Stripe dashboard under Settings.
Choose Your Fee Strategy Wisely
How you handle processing fees affects both your revenue and your customer experience. Here are recommendations by item type:
Events
Recommendation: Absorb fees.
Event pricing is typically a round number ($25, $50, $100) that customers see upfront. Adding fees at checkout can feel unexpected and reduce conversions. Build the fees into your ticket price so customers pay a clean, predictable amount.
| Approach | Ticket Price | Customer Pays | You Receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absorb fees | $50.00 | $50.00 | ~$46.65 |
| Pass fees | $50.00 | ~$53.35 | $50.00 |
If you need to receive exactly $50, set your price at $54 and absorb the fees -- the customer experience is still cleaner than showing fees at checkout.
Donations
Recommendation: Pass fees to donors.
Passing fees to donors is a widely accepted practice in the nonprofit and fundraising world. Most donors expect it and are willing to cover a small fee so that 100% of their intended donation reaches the organization. Platforms consistently report that the majority of donors opt in when given the choice.
Memberships
Recommendation: Absorb fees for cleaner recurring pricing.
For memberships with recurring payments, absorbing fees keeps the monthly or annual price consistent and easy to understand. Customers signing up for a $30/month membership expect to pay $30/month -- not $30 plus variable fees.
You can set the fee handling option independently for each event, membership, or donation campaign. You are not locked into one approach for everything.
Monitor Your Stripe Dashboard Regularly
Make it a habit to check your Stripe dashboard periodically -- at least once a week if you are actively collecting payments. Here is what to look for:
| Check | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Payouts | Confirm funds are arriving in your bank account on schedule |
| Disputes | Respond to any chargebacks promptly -- you typically have 7-21 days to respond |
| Failed payments | Identify trends (expired cards, insufficient funds) and follow up if needed |
| Account alerts | Stripe may request updated information or flag compliance issues |
Ignoring disputes can result in automatic losses. If a customer files a chargeback, Stripe gives you a limited window to respond with evidence. Check for disputes at least weekly.
Download Tax Documents at Year End
If your Stripe account meets the IRS reporting threshold, Stripe generates a 1099-K form at the end of each tax year. You can download this from your Stripe dashboard under Settings > Documents.
Keep these documents for your organization's tax records. Even if your organization is tax-exempt, you may still need to report payment processing activity.
Use One Account for Simplicity
If your organization has multiple programs or departments, consider using a single Stripe account for all of them unless you have a specific reason to separate them (such as different legal entities or separate bank accounts).
Benefits of using one account:
- Simpler management -- One dashboard to monitor, one set of payouts to track
- Consolidated reporting -- All revenue in one place for accounting and tax purposes
- Easier reconciliation -- Match payments to bank deposits without juggling multiple accounts
If you do need multiple accounts, FeatsClub supports connecting several profiles. See Viewing Your Profiles for details.
Test Before Your First Big Event
Before launching your first major paid event or membership program, run a small test to make sure everything works:
- Create a test event with a low ticket price (for example, $1.00).
- Purchase a ticket yourself using a real payment method.
- Verify the transaction appears in your Stripe dashboard.
- Check that the payout is scheduled and your bank details are correct.
- Delete or close the test event after confirming everything works.
This simple test catches configuration issues before they affect real customers and gives you confidence that payments are flowing correctly.
If you have a colleague or team member, ask them to make the test purchase. This confirms the full customer experience, including the checkout flow, confirmation email, and receipt.
Keep Your Profile Active Year-Round
There is no cost to maintaining an active payment profile. You are not charged monthly fees for having a Stripe account connected to FeatsClub -- fees are only charged when transactions occur.
Even if your organization has an off-season (for example, a summer sports league that runs May through August), keep your payment profile active. This way you are ready to accept payments as soon as your next season starts, without needing to reconnect or re-verify.
Plan for Payout Timing
Remember that there is a delay between when a customer pays and when the funds arrive in your bank account:
| Stage | Timing |
|---|---|
| Customer pays | Immediate |
| Funds in Stripe balance | Within minutes |
| Stripe initiates payout | Next Monday |
| Funds arrive in bank | 1-2 business days after Monday |
For new accounts, the first payout may take 7-14 days due to Stripe's verification period.
If you have expenses that need to be paid immediately after an event (venue fees, vendor payments), plan for this delay. Do not assume funds will be available the day after your event.
Summary Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure your payment setup is optimized:
- Payment profile connected and showing Active status
- Bank account details verified and current in Stripe
- Default profile set (if multiple profiles exist)
- Fee strategy chosen for each item type (absorb vs. pass)
- Test transaction completed successfully
- Stripe dashboard bookmarked for regular monitoring
- Tax information up to date in Stripe account settings
- Contact email current for Stripe notifications
What's Next?
You have covered the full Payment Setup documentation. Return to the Payment Setup overview for a refresher, or explore other sections of the FeatsClub help center to learn about creating events, memberships, and donation campaigns.