In Slate, payments and gifts are related, but separate, objects:

• A payment is the actual processing of funds in Slate.

• A gift is a record of a donation or a planned donation.

Gifts in Slate

You can create a gift that is unaffiliated with the actual transfer of funds to an institution. For example, a gift can be recorded in Slate for $100,000, yet the funds might be sent directly from the donor's financial institution to the college or university's bank account.

A given payment (or transaction) can be associated with more than one gift. This one-to-many relationship enables a smooth donor experience.

A donor can designate gifts across multiple funds. They may wish to designate $100 to an annual fund and $50 to a restricted scholarship fund. These two gifts could be processed in a single transaction of $150 paid via ACH or credit card.

Payments in Slate

A payment refers to the actual processing of funds within Slate—the metaphorical (or literal) credit card swipe.

📖 Further reading: Process payments directly in Slate with Slate Payments

Slate sends system emails based on Slate Payment triggers. Many of these mailings can be customized. Some require configuration before they can be delivered.