How To Use Venmo For Nonprofits

Create a PayPal Business account for your organization if you don’t already have one. PayPal may ask for information such as your organization’s legal name, Employer Identification Number, website, bank account, and account-owner details.

You’ll also need to confirm your organization’s charity status through PayPal before creating a Venmo charity profile.

Read our guide to PayPal for nonprofits for a detailed breakdown of how to create a PayPal Business account specifically for nonprofit organizations.

Log in to PayPal, open the App Center, and search for “Venmo charity profiles.”

Select the app and click “Get Started.” PayPal will transfer your organization’s verified charity information to Venmo.

Create a new Venmo account by verifying a phone number, entering an email address, and creating a password.

You can also connect an existing personal Venmo account, provided it does not already have a business profile and the account-owner information matches your PayPal account.

Your personal and charity profiles will have separate balances but can be managed under the same Venmo login.

Add your charity’s username, category, description, and profile images. Some legal and tax information will be transferred automatically from PayPal.

Preview your profile, make any necessary changes, and click “Publish.”

After publishing, you can manage your charity profile through the Venmo mobile app.

Choose a specific fundraising goal, deadline, and use for the money. Clearly explain how much you hope to raise and how donations will support your organization’s mission.

For example, an animal rescue might raise money for one animal’s medical care or for ongoing facility expenses.

You can share your Venmo charity profile online or display its QR code at an in-person event.

Venmo works well for:

• Social media and email campaigns
• Donation drives
• Giving challenges
• Free events that request optional donations
• Emergency or time-sensitive fundraising

Venmo is less suitable for campaigns that require ticketing, recurring donations, detailed donor forms, or advanced campaign management.

Create a short campaign page, email, social media post, or flyer that explains:

• What you are raising money for
• How much you need
• When the campaign ends
• How donors can contribute

Include your Venmo donation link or QR code prominently so supporters can donate quickly.

Promote your campaign regularly and update supporters on how much you have raised, how close you are to your goal, and how donations are being used.

At the end of the campaign, thank your donors and review which messages and promotional channels generated the most support. You can use what you learn to improve future fundraisers.

Square is best for nonprofits that accept both online and in-person donations. It offers affordable card readers, donation links, recurring donations, eCommerce tools, and a free POS system.

Choose Square if you want a simple platform for accepting donations at events, permanent locations, and online.

Dharma provides dedicated merchant accounts with discounted interchange-plus pricing for registered nonprofits. It supports online, in-person, and recurring donations without requiring a long-term contract.

Choose Dharma if your organization processes enough donations to benefit from a traditional merchant account and interchange-plus pricing.

Helcim offers interchange-plus processing, payment links, invoicing, a virtual terminal, and POS tools without a monthly account fee. Its volume-based discounts can make it especially appealing to growing nonprofits.

Choose Helcim if you want flexible online and in-person payment tools with transparent processing rates.

PayPal supports one-time and recurring donations, customizable donation buttons, and payments from donors in numerous international markets. Because PayPal owns Venmo, eligible organizations can also offer both payment options.

Choose PayPal if you need recurring donations, broader international reach, or more fundraising tools than Venmo provides.

Stripe offers customizable checkout forms, recurring payments, international payment support, and integrations with many nonprofit fundraising platforms. Eligible organizations that primarily process tax-deductible donations may also qualify for discounted nonprofit pricing.

Choose Stripe if your nonprofit needs a highly customizable donation experience or wants to connect payments with other fundraising software.