Managing payments via donation kiosk
A donation kiosk is a physical terminal installed in your place of worship or meeting that allows congregants to make a quick donation by contactless bank card. The payments arrive automatically in Unisoft, but often require manual finalization to attach the donor and generate the tax receipt.
How the donation kiosk works
| Characteristic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Payment creation | Automatic upon successful transaction |
| Method | Bank card |
| Source | Donation kiosk |
| Platform | Per contract (often Stripe or PayGreen) |
| Bank fees | Yes — per platform |
| Donor | Anonymous by default — the kiosk does not systematically capture name/email |
| Tax receipt | Issued only if the donor is identified |
Why donation kiosk payments are often anonymous
The kiosk favors ease of use: a passing congregant brings their card close without a form. This is what makes it efficient, but also why 60 to 80% of kiosk donations arrive without details.
For micro-donations (5-20 €), it's rarely problematic — few donors request a receipt for these amounts. For more significant donations, finalization becomes necessary.
Finalize a donation kiosk payment
When a donor requests a receipt for a recent donation kiosk donation, you must attach their contact to the payment.
- 1
Find the payment
Payments list → Source = Donation kiosk filter + Date filter on the period + Amount filter matching. See Filter my payments.
- 2
Confirm with the donor
Check with them the exact amount and approximate date. If multiple payments match, ask for the last 4 digits of their card (visible in the payment details).
- 3
Open the payment and click Finalize
The detail panel displays the Finalize this payment button if the donor is still anonymous.
- 4
Select or create the contact
Type the name in the contact field. Create the contact if necessary (last name, first name, email).
- 5
Complete the billing details if applicable
Postal address mandatory for the tax receipt.
- 6
Check Issue a tax receipt
The receipt is generated and sent by email immediately.
- 7
Save
The payment is no longer anonymous. It now appears in the contact's history.
Deadline to finalize
| Delay | Possibility to finalize |
|---|---|
| The same day | Always possible |
| Within the month | Always possible |
| Within the fiscal year | Always possible (tax receipt on the current year) |
| Past fiscal year | Technically possible, but the tax receipt will be on the year of the initial payment — check the tax rules of your jurisdiction |
Track the kiosk collections
To pilot your kiosks:
- 1
Filter by Donation kiosk source
Payments module → Source = Donation kiosk filter.
- 2
Restrict to a period
Date filter on the week or month.
- 3
Read the statistics
The 4 KPIs immediately give: gross amount collected, net, number of donations, average basket. See Read the statistics.
- 4
Export for analysis
Export button → XLSX file to break down by day, hour, amount.
Best practices
| Practice | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Position the kiosk in a visible and busy place | Increases the collection volume |
| Provide a message "For a tax receipt, contact the secretariat" | Reduces poorly documented late requests |
| Check the kiosks in service every week | Quickly detects malfunctions |
| Communicate a dedicated email for kiosk receipt requests | Centralizes and facilitates finalization |
| Keep a register of usage time slots | Optimizes future placements |
Tap-to-Pay: mobile variant of the donation kiosk
Tap-to-Pay is a similar feature that transforms a Unisoft smartphone into a contactless payment terminal: a volunteer collects on the go (after a service, outdoor event, mobile collection).
| Difference | Donation kiosk | Tap-to-Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Support | Fixed physical terminal | Admin smartphone |
| Donor identified | Often anonymous | Often identified at entry |
| Mobility | No | Yes |
| Source displayed | Donation kiosk | Tap-to-Pay |
The finalization procedure is identical: if the donor was not identified at the time of the transaction, find the payment with the Source = Tap-to-Pay filter and finalize the same way.
Special cases
Donor requesting a receipt for an old donation kiosk donation
Check the fiscal year. If the declaration is still open, finalize without worry. Otherwise, explain the limit to the donor and propose to finalize for future donations.
Multiple donation kiosk payments from the same donor
If a regular donor uses the kiosk multiple times a month, finalize each payment individually, or ask them to switch to an identified online payment from your site (more practical for annual receipts).
Kiosk out of service
If you observe no kiosk payments for several days in a row, contact the payment platform support. Kiosks can lose connection or have a technical defect.
Refund of a donation kiosk payment
Possible via Stripe if the contracted platform is Stripe. See Refund a payment. If the donor is anonymous, it is impossible to notify them of the refund — communicate preventively in local signage.
Go further
- Understanding sources — the Donation kiosk source in detail
- Edit a payment — change the linked contact
- Tax receipts — issuance rules
- Filter my payments — isolate donation kiosk payments