It's not uncommon for organizations that use Novi AMS to see an increase in the amount they pay in credit card processing fees. However, these organizations are generally happy to pay those fees, knowing that they are receiving significant efficiencies and process improvements for both their staff as well as their members.
Offline Payments Don't Show Up on the P&L
When an organization's systems are primarily offline, the vast majority of transactions are invoices. Those invoices tend to be paid via check, and there generally are not bank fees associated with receiving those checks.
Conversely, online transactions are generally settled in the form of credit card payments which can carry a hard cost of just under 3%. Those fees tend to be mapped to a specific expense account and can quickly become a target for an active treasurer or accountant.
Not Accepting Credit Cards Carries Its Own Cost
The challenge with math surrounding offline payments is that the costs of inefficiency don't always make it to the P&L Statement.
These costs could include:
Higher accounts receivable (A/R)
More time following up on A/R
Greater chance for bad debt write-offs
Fewer online signups (more phone calls to your staff)
Not Accepting Credit Cards Can Limit Revenue
Another hidden cost of limiting your members ability to pay online with credit cards is buried on the revenue side of your P&L. Most marketing experts would agree that removing obstacles is key to maximizing sales.
One of our association partners has shared that their organization has been able to increase education class attendance by almost 100% now that they're on Novi AMS. The Association Executive says that "it's just easier" for his members to register for classes on this system. Imagine if members couldn't register and pay online with their credit cards. Would the signup process still feel "just easier"?
The Benefits of Accepting Credit Card Payments
Ultimately, we believe that the benefits of accepting credit card payments outweigh the transaction fees charged by QuickBooks Payments or other processing providers. Here are just a few of the tangible benefits:
Better member experience
Better staff experience
Lower A/R
Less bad debt written off
Less friction for members to register for events, donate to fundraising drives, or purchase Ecommerce items
Less accounting staff time
Fewer phone calls to staff
Fewer checks that need to be manually processed
Better financial controls
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While Novi does not offer functionality to pass along
mandatory credit card fees, there is a feature available
to request an optional donation to cover the fees.