Switching donation platform without losing donors, Gift Aid or regular gifts

Most charities that stay on a platform they have outgrown aren't staying for the features. They are worried about losing donor history, breaking regular gifts or having the donate button go dark. Those risks are real, and all of them can be planned for.

What to take with you

• Donors: names, contact details and giving history, with the platform's donor IDs so you can match records later.
• Gift Aid declarations: each with its date, what it covers and the address it was made with. HMRC expects you to keep Gift Aid records for six years after the end of the accounting period they relate to (HMRC Chapter 3, section 3.30), and that includes records made on the old platform.
• Consent records: who agreed to hear from you, how and when. Don't assume consent carries over just because the email address does.
• Regular giving schedules: amount, frequency, next payment date and appeal.
• Appeal and fund codes: so restricted money stays restricted in the new system.

Regular gifts by card

Card details can't be exported to a spreadsheet, and you wouldn't want them to be. If the new system uses a different payment processor, the saved cards have to move from one processor to the other securely. Stripe, for example, runs data migrations where your old processor transfers the card data directly: the old processor can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, and Stripe typically imports within 10 business days of receiving the data (Stripe data migrations). During the transition you can keep charging existing donors on the old processor while new donors start on the new one.

The alternative is asking regular donors to set up their gift again. Some will; some won't. If you go that way, plan the message carefully and give it time.

Direct Debits work differently from card payments. Talk to your bank or Direct Debit provider early about what moving them involves.

The links you've already given out

Old donation URLs live in email footers, printed QR codes, social posts and other people's websites. List them before you switch, and redirect each one to its new page on the day, so nobody lands on an error.

A switch plan that avoids a gap

1. Export everything above and check the totals against the old platform's reports.
2. Import into the new system and reconcile: donor counts, giving totals and Gift Aid declarations should match.
3. Run a test Gift Aid claim from the new system before the old one is switched off.
4. Move regular gifts, and watch the first month's payments closely.
5. Switch the donate buttons and redirects on one day, and keep the old account open until the first month has settled.