#image_11 Today, most business verticals utilize some form of electronic payment services to transact business. In fact, the advent of online and mobile payment options served to open doors for several industries that had rarely taken in card-based payments before. Organizations that had historically operated on cash and check payments made huge strides forward toward accepting more card-based business with contemporary payment options. Nonprofits, trade associations and charities were part of this emerging group.

Whereas churches, charity groups and member-based nonprofit programs were extremely slow to adopt over-the-counter point-of-sale (POS) solutions, <a href="http://www.sage.com/us/sage-payment-solutions/sage-virtual-terminal">virtual terminal technology</a> did help many of them bridge over to acceptance of card-based contributions and membership fees. When online and mobile options hit the marketplace, these organizations made another big leap. 

The collection of dues, contributions and fundraising donations has now evolved so far it has essentially replaced the age-old nonprofit practice of using direct mail and leave behind contribution envelopes. Furthermore, attractive nonprofit pricing programs and the ease of self-service, anytime, anywhere payments have also led the nonprofit industry to be some of the most prolific payment processing customers. 

#h2 A new age of nonprofit possibility

As nonprofit opportunities continue to emerge, so do innovations within the payments industry. A surge of creative nonprofit payment solutions have been introduced and the nonprofit world now embraces elaborate web-based donor portals, social media fundraising campaigns and real-time mobile card swiping.

Sage was one of the first providers to focus attention on the nonprofit industry. In this spirit, the company developed and released a full suite of targeted merchant services tools that gave charities and 501c3 organizations an efficient way to increase contributions, promote membership and add value to the member/trade association partnership.

The <a href="http://www.sage.com/us/sage-payment-solutions/sage-mobile-payments">Sage Mobile Payments</a>  solution for nonprofits enables organizations to accept donations anytime and from anywhere using a secure and convenient mobile device for smartphones and tablets. This solution was most recently lauded by the <a href="http://www.sage.com/us/Sage-Advice/Articles/18369/2016/3/2/What-the-Girl-Scouts-increasing-cookie-sales-can-teach-you-about-business">Girl Scouts</a>  when nearly 30 Girl Scout councils and more than 3,800 troops across the U.S. used the technology to sell a record number of cookies.

“Many people don’t carry cash or checks, so accepting credit cards with Sage Mobile Payments allows our Girl Scouts to sell cookies to a lot more people,â€ said Alisha Moore, chief customer experience officer with <a href="http://www.gsle.org/?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=press_release&utm_term=girlscouts&utm_content=press_release&utm_campaign=corporate2016">Girl Scouts Louisiana East in New Orleans</a>. “Cookie sales for the troops in our council using Sage Mobile Payments increased by 13 percent, and the per-girl-average in those troops increased from 156 boxes to 177 boxes. Just as important, using Sage Mobile Payments exposes the girls to a growing technology and helps them learn about different sales tactics and multiple payments types.â€

The free Sage <a href="http://www.sage.com/us/sage-payment-solutions/sage-nonprofit-payments">“donate nowâ€</a>  virtual terminal gateway also provides nonprofits with a seamless and secure way to accept contributions. It allows nonprofit organizations to accept payments from anywhere including bookstores, auctions, fundraising events, or wherever their customers and supporters may be.

Likewise, the Sage Association Partner Program provides an enriching way to strengthen relationships between trade associations and their membership base. Through the program, Sage partners with the association to offer members access to compliant, secure and streamlined payment solutions as part of the member services package. Every member receives the benefits of the Sage promise, which includes easy on boarding, world class payment solutions and an extraordinary customer experience. All of which add value to the relationship.

#h2 Making a difference

While the <a href="http://www.sage.com/us/sage-payment-solutions/sage-nonprofit-payments">Sage nonprofit solutions</a>  provide best in class payment options for charity organizations and associations of all types and sizes, Sage also takes pride in being an active supporter of worldwide causes and organizational missions. “Just as Sage invests in making a difference through the Sage Foundation, Sage is active in supporting our local communities and organizations, like the Girl Scouts,â€ said Paul Bridgewater, CEO of Sage Payment Solutions, the payments division for Sage North America. 

Sage offers a comprehensive introduction to their nonprofit product suite for all prospective sales partners that are interested in learning more. If you would like to know more about how the Sage Mobile Payments or Sage Association Partner Program work, please contact a Sage representative directly at 1-800-652-2370 or visit us at: <a href="http://www.sagepayments.com">www.sagepayments.com</a>
