SEPA Direct Debit on Springly – Help Center

This article covers everything you need to know about this payment method:

How SEPA Direct Debit works
The benefits
What it means for your nonprofit
The cost of SEPA Direct Debit
Bonus: background info 😉

Payment by SEPA Direct Debit is available for collecting recurring donations and memberships on the Expert plan only.

How SEPA Direct Debit works

SEPA Direct Debit is a trust-based agreement between the payer and the organization collecting funds.

The payer provides their bank details (IBAN) and authorizes charges to their bank account.

Adyen, Springly's authorized payment partner, securely stores IBAN information.

As long as the mandate has not been revoked, it is used to collect payments at the frequency set in the recurring donation or auto-renewal membership campaign. A SEPA mandate does not expire unless it has gone unused for 36 months.

Please note: to set up a recurring payment, payers must create an account on your platform. This gives them access to their personal information (profile) and lets them cancel the payment at any time.

Benefits of this payment method

Efficiency

E-wallet verification is streamlined: if you have already completed it to collect online payments, that same verification also covers SEPA Direct Debit payments.

Transparency

A clear summary of all relevant information is sent to the payer.

Security

Everything takes place on Springly's payment page. Payers see a clear explanation letting them know they are transacting with a trusted third party.

Cost

Payment Fees are lower than those for card payments.

What it means for your nonprofit

Set it once, then you're done

Once your e-wallet is verified, all you need to do is configure your campaign — after that, everything runs on its own.

You only need to reach out to your donor or member once. They set up their recurring payment in under a minute: they enter their IBAN and confirm their direct debit mandate. After that, nothing more is required from them.

For donations, Tax Receipts are automatically sent to the donor after each payment.

Easy payment tracking and reliable cash flow

You have full visibility into past and upcoming donations and membership dues.

This gives you a clear picture of your cash flow at all times.

The cost of SEPA Direct Debit

Like online card payments, SEPA Direct Debit comes with a cost.

Your nonprofit can choose to absorb this cost (via Payment Fees) or share it with the payer (via a Tip).

Payment Fees are 0.5% + €0.20 per payment;
When a payer chooses to add a Tip, that tip covers the cost — meaning the payment is free for your nonprofit.

Bonus: background info

Since August 1, 2014, SEPA — which stands for "Single Euro Payments Area" — has created a unified payment zone across the European Union and several associated countries (EEA member states, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, and the United Kingdom).

SEPA Direct Debit replaced the various country-specific direct debit schemes that previously existed.