Understanding payment sources
The source of a payment indicates through which channel it arrived in Unisoft. It is a dimension distinct from the method (check, card…) and the platform (Stripe, PayGreen…). It is crucial for understanding what Unisoft does automatically, what you need to complete by hand, and who can delete the payment.
The five sources
| Source | Origin | Bank fees | Donor identified? | Admin deletion? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Public website, donation form | Yes | Yes (form) | No |
| Manual | Admin entry in the backoffice | No | Yes (admin chooses) | Yes |
| Donation kiosk | Physical donation kiosk | Yes | To be finalized | No |
| Tap-to-Pay | Admin smartphone in donor presence | Yes | To be finalized | No |
| Software | Automatic import (bank reconciliation) | Per channel | Per context | Per context |
Details of each source
Online
The donor pays from your public Unisoft site — donation form, campaign page, pledge link, registration page.
| Characteristic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creation | Automatic upon confirmation of the platform webhook (Stripe, PayGreen, GoCardless, PayPal…) |
| Donor | Always identified — the donation form requires name + email |
| Tax receipt | Automatically generated if all conditions are met |
| Thank-you email | Automatically sent to the donor |
| Bank fees | Yes — calculated according to the platform |
| Manual deletion | Impossible — an online payment can only be refunded (via Stripe) |
| Typical use case | One-time donation from the site, payment of a pledge via link, paid event registration |
Manual
An administrator manually enters the payment in the backoffice — check received by mail, cash collected at service, bank transfer received outside the platform.
| Characteristic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creation | Add a payment or Add a multi-reason payment action from the list |
| Donor | Chosen by the admin (existing or new contact) |
| Tax receipt | Generated on demand or automatically according to settings |
| Thank-you email | Optional (checkbox in the entry form) |
| Bank fees | None — the money doesn't go through any platform |
| Manual deletion | Possible — this is the only deletable source, to correct an incorrect entry |
| Typical use case | Check, cash, transfer received outside the platform, in-kind donation |
Donation kiosk
Payment made on a physical donation kiosk installed in your community (synagogue, cultural center). The donor taps their card and validates.
| Characteristic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creation | Automatic upon successful transaction on the kiosk |
| Donor | Anonymous by default — the donor is not required to enter their details on the kiosk |
| Tax receipt | Not generated until the donor is identified — you must finalize the payment |
| Bank fees | Yes — according to the platform contracted for the kiosk |
| Manual deletion | No — refund only |
| Typical use case | Quick donation at the entrance of a place of worship, passing micro-donation |
→ See Payment via donation kiosk for the complete finalization procedure.
Tap-to-Pay
Contactless payment via an administrator's smartphone — the donor brings their card close to the volunteer's phone, who collects donations on the go (after a service, at an outdoor event).
| Characteristic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creation | Automatic from the mobile admin app |
| Donor | To enter on the phone during the collection (recommended) or to finalize afterwards |
| Tax receipt | Possible if the donor is identified at entry or in finalization |
| Bank fees | Yes — according to the platform (often Stripe) |
| Manual deletion | No — refund only |
| Typical use case | Collection at a one-time event, mobile collection |
Software
Payment created by an internal automation in Unisoft — typically via the bank reconciliation module which detects a received transfer and proposes to record it as a payment.
| Characteristic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creation | Triggered by another module (reconciliation, migration, integration) |
| Donor | Pre-filled if the automation identified the contact, otherwise to complete |
| Tax receipt | According to automation settings |
| Bank fees | Per origin channel (usually none for a transfer) |
| Manual deletion | Per context — audit before deletion |
| Typical use case | Transfer recognized by bank reconciliation, import of a historical accounting file |
Behavior summary table
| Behavior | Online | Manual | Kiosk | Tap-to-Pay | Software |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic bank fees | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Variable |
| Complete donor at creation | Yes | Yes | No | Variable | Variable |
| Automatic tax receipt | Yes | Per settings | After finalization | Per context | Per settings |
| Admin deletion | No | Yes | No | No | Variable |
| Refund via Stripe | Yes (if Stripe) | No | Yes (if Stripe) | Yes (if Stripe) | Per channel |
| Visible in bank reconciliation | Yes | Per booklet | Yes | Yes | Auto-created by |
Filter by source
To analyze what passes through each channel:
- 1
Open the filters
Payments list → Filters button.
- 2
Check the source
Source filter → choose one or more values.
- 3
Compare the KPIs
The statistics at the top of the page immediately give the volume and amount per channel.
See Filter my payments and Read the statistics.
Why distinguish the source
Understanding the source of a payment helps you:
- Evaluate the effectiveness of each collection channel (online vs kiosk vs in-person)
- Identify payments to finalize (anonymous kiosk without donor)
- Know what you can still modify or delete
- Anticipate the presence or absence of bank fees
- Target a communication campaign by acquisition channel
Go further
- Understanding a payment — the five dimensions
- Payment via donation kiosk — finalizing anonymous donations
- Filter my payments — filter by source