Year-End Payroll in South Africa: Checklist for December & January Runs
February 6, 2026Struggling to find the right way to accept donations online in South Africa? With fundraising platforms like Back a Buddy, GoGetFunding and M-Changa gaining popularity in South Africa, nonprofits face the challenge of offering seamless, secure donation options.
Boost your fundraising success this festive season with trusted, user-friendly payment methods that encourage more giving and recurring support. Discover how to optimise your donation process using proven payment solutions and grow your impact effortlessly by accepting donations online in South Africa today.
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Donor UX essentials
The main goals of a donor website are to build trust and offer a frictionless donation process. This means offering your potential donors a seamless user experience on your site. Here are the critical factors to focus on.
Refine your copy and write clear call to actions (CTAs)
The first thing a visitor to your site will see (if done right) is your heading. This sets the tone of your organisation and tells them what you do. So, this needs to be as clear as possible. Refining your NPO website's copy and writing clear CTAs are mission-critical for converting visitors into donors.
In South Africa's competitive fundraising landscape, optimised CTAs ensure every page drives revenue, maximises impact, and sustains long-term supporter loyalty. Instead of saying “donate now”, try wording like “donate R100, and you can help feed a child today”. This clearly explains where their money is going, uses emotional language, and centres on the “you” language.
Displaying your payment buttons prominently also allows first-time users to navigate your platform easily, removing any confusion.
Simplify the donation process with multiple payment options
The donation process should be seamless and easy. A complicated or slow transaction process can lead to "abandoned carts" or frustrated potential donors. We will discuss this point in more depth below.
Make it mobile-friendly and convenient
As of 2025, South Africa has recorded a staggering 124 million cellular mobile connections. This further substantiates the need for mobile-friendly sites in the current digital landscape.
This optimisation not only helps drive engagement, but also helps search engines prioritise responsive sites. This, in turn, allows you to potentially rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) and increase impressions.
Optimisation means:
- Scaling images, texts, headings, and buttons to fit on smaller screens compared to desktops
- Optimising site speed
- Decluttering and simplifying content
- Minimising pop-ups
Together, these practices create seamless, efficient access on any mobile device, enabling more supporters to be captured and retained.
Display security and trust badges
Donors need to feel confident that their information is safe. So, using a PCI-compliant payment processor with SSL encryption and fraud protection tools is a great way to do that. Displaying security and trust badges on your NPO website is also crucial, as it visibly assures visitors that their data is protected and transactions are secure.
These badges often include SSL certificates and endorsements from reputable organisations such as iZinga Verification Token, B-BBEE Certificates, and your PBO status. Thereby building immediate credibility and fostering donor confidence by signalling legitimacy and ethical standards. They protect both the nonprofit and its supporters from online fraud and hacking, reinforcing the organisation's commitment to data privacy and security.
Trust badges function as powerful social proof, enhancing brand reputation and encouraging repeat support by creating a secure, trustworthy online environment for donors and volunteers.
Enable recurring giving
By offering flexible and prominent recurring donation options (monthly, quarterly, annually), you secure a predictable, sustainable income stream that feels effortless for supporters. Make it simple for donors to pick the recurrence and tweak their subscriptions anytime; they'll appreciate the control and keep giving from the heart.
These loyal folks contribute far more overall through steady, small gifts, with an average of 8 years, unlike one-time donors, who last just 1.68 years. This rock-solid stability empowers smarter budgeting, nurtures deeper bonds, and supercharges your mission's reach and resilience.
Best payment options for NPOs besides EFTs
NPOs thrive with diverse payment options, which boost conversion rates, enhance donor convenience, and stabilise cash flow during peak seasons like December and January. Find the best way to accept online donations in South Africa with our range of payment alternatives.
1. Scan-to-pay donations
Scan-to-pay is precisely what it sounds like. Users simply scan a unique QR code, which directs them from your donation website to the payment portal. There are a few scan-to-pay services in South Africa, such as Snapscan, Zapper, and bank-branded services like Capitec Scan-to-pay.
Offering these services to your donors provides an easy, cashless payment method, reducing friction on your site and at checkout. Payments are also typically immediate, supporting real-time tracking.
Benefits:
- Immediate payment
- Contactless payment for increased security
- Popular with mobile users
- Simplifies payments at in-person events and online
2. Voucher donations
Payment vouchers have existed in South Africa for a few decades, allowing individuals without bank accounts to purchase goods, transfer money, and pay for services. So, offering this option to anyone who wants to donate to your NPO is a great way to broaden your base.
South Africa offers many voucher options, such as 1Voucher by Flash, EasyPay, Blu Voucher, Electrum Digital Vouchers, and OTT Voucher, to name a few.
Benefits:
- Increased convenience
- Allows donors without bank accounts to donate, thus broadening the sponsor pool
- Lower transaction costs for donors
- Increased security since it’s prepaid and non-reversible
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3. Card payments
Debit and credit card transactions remain the preferred method for online payments and donations nationwide. Through this model, contributors can set up monthly recurring payments to NPOs, making donations straightforward and predictable.
This payment method is also very safe thanks to built-in security protocols from banks such as PCI DSS, encryption, 3D Secure, tokenisation, and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
This gives you and your donors peace of mind, knowing that the funds are safe and secure, while stabilising NPO cash flow.
Benefits:
- Widely accepted
- Secure, as it uses encryption and authentication
- Makes setting recurring payments easier
4. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)
BNPL services like Payflex, PayJustNow, Mobicred, and Float allow users to purchase goods over a couple of weeks, paying off the total amount over time. Typically, these are interest-free instalments and don’t require traditional credit checks.
BNPL can boost your business or NPO by allowing donors who want to pay hefty amounts but can’t afford to do so right away to pay in instalments without financial strain. While the donor pays in instalments over four to six weeks, your NPO will receive the whole amount up front, making this a feasible service for consistent cash flow.
Benefits:
- Flexible payment terms increase the chances of receiving bigger donations
- Attracts younger donors who prefer spreading costs
- Higher conversion rates
- NPOs receive immediate payments in full
5. Digital wallets
Digital wallets are popular among Millennials and Gen Z, who use their phones to pay more often. This online app allows them to store their physical cards digitally, making contactless payments easier. These services include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
Offering this payment method for your NPO ensures accessibility and streamlines the payment process. This ease of access increases the likelihood of donations, as it only takes about 5 minutes to transact, boosting your conversion rates.
Benefits:
- Integrate smoothly with bank accounts
- Increases payment security with biometric authentication
- Reduces payment friction
Recurring payment options
These payment options allow your donors to give money automatically on a repeating schedule or subscription billing.
- Debit order collections: Give your donors the option to set up their donations as debit orders. This makes recurring donations a breeze for them and ensures you receive a steady flow of income each month.
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- Payment requests: Payment requests are best for donor follow-ups, allowing them to make payments using different methods, such as card, Instant EFT, and QR code.
- Digital wallets: These virtual wallets allow users to save recipient details for easy payments.
- Ozow: Through specific integrations, donors can make regular Instant EFT payments to your NPO.
- Subscription buttons: Donors can sign up for automatic billing through a payment button or link shared via email, SMS, WhatsApp, or social media.
NPO event and QR setups
Using QR codes at fundraising events can be a game-changer, allowing donors to support without fumbling through their wallets for cash or cards. Here’s how you can make the most of this service:
- Displaying your QR codes and offline options clearly so all donors, including those less tech-savvy, can contribute.
- Set up clear, eye-catching QR code signage near all donor touchpoints.
- Use digital payment buttons on event websites or apps for seamless access.
- Display your expectations clearly with CTAs, for example: "Scan to Donate Now" or "R50 feeds a child".
- Gamify the process by clearly displaying your goal.
Reporting and Thank-You flow
With Netcash’s WordPress donation plug-in, you can send an automated heartfelt thank-you email to your donors, create donation certificates, and look at payment reports in one place. Through this plug-in, you set up the process in minutes.
Here’s why our plug-in might be a good fit for your fundraising websites:
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- Easy setup: We offer a straightforward process that lets you install the plug-in and add the generated short code quickly.
- Customisable to match your brand: Match the background and button colours to your brand with a quick switch in the settings. We also allow you to customise form fields such as name, number, and email address.
- No extra fees: By activating the Netcash Payment Gateway service, you get access to our plug-ins and support from a dedicated account manager.
- Payment flexibility: We offer over 20 payment options that will accept your donations and settle them directly into your Netcash account.
- Easy tracking: Through our reporting dashboard, you can monitor your cash flow and payment verifications.
- Provide donor certificates: After each donation, our systems will generate a unique certificate for each donor as proof of payment.
Setting up our plug-in for your fundraising platforms in South Africa
The process is relatively easy to do and should take no longer than a few minutes. Here’s how to get started:
- Log in to your Netcash account.
- Set up the Netconnector service key to connect this service to your WordPress website.
- Download the .zip file and install the plugin.
- Configure the settings and enter your unique Pay Now Service Key.
- Set up and customise your form to match your brand identity.
- Accept the postback URLs to send payment updates.
- Set up an automated thank-you email to send after a donation has been made.
- Input your organisation's details, such as its name and registration number.
- Lastly, add the shortcode to your site.
Reporting
Yes, receiving donations is the main goal. But, keeping track of what donations are coming in is equally important for your NPO’s longevity. Our donation dashboard is a convenient place to see all of your donation details. From here you’ll be able to see:
- Donor names, contact details, and reference numbers
- Time and date the donation was made
- How much they’ve donated
- What their donation type is (recurring, once-off, etc.)
- Transaction status
- Total amount of donations received overall
- Successful, pending or declined contributions
Netcash offers a range of secure online payment gateways to make your fundraising process as seamless as possible.
Get in touch today to start accepting online charity payments.
FAQs about fundraising for NPOs in South Africa
Maximise crowdfunding in South Africa with Netcash
As the December and January season heats up, NPOs are blending crowdfunding platforms with seamless online donation options. This makes it easier for South Africans to donate money where it matters most.
Whether through Backabuddy or your own website, the right payment mix can turn one-time givers into loyal supporters. Don't leave potential donations on the table.
Contact Netcash today for personalised help with streamlining your online fundraising.
Need assistance in setting up our plug-in for your fundraising platform?
Contact us today for assistance.
Author:
Candice Sergeant
Product Manager
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Candice Sergeant is a digital dynamo at Netcash, where she’s on a mission to help South African businesses level up their online game. As an eCommerce Product Owner, she’s got her finger on the pulse of the latest trends and technologies, constantly seeking out ways to boost sales and streamline operations. With a knack for spotting opportunities and a passion for innovation, Candice is your go-to guide for taking your e-commerce business to the next level.