Stripe Connect

This page complements the Connect Stripe quick-start. Here we go into the why of the Connect model and operational details.

The model: connected account per church

Ministrium uses Stripe Connect Standard: each church (tenant) has its own Stripe account, connected to the Ministrium platform. This means:

Funds go directly to the church’s account (Ministrium never touches the money).
The legal identity of the beneficiary is the church, not Ministrium.
Payouts are configured by each church (bank, frequency, currency).
Stripe validates the account with KYC (beneficiary’s legal documents).

Why Connect and not marketplace

Model	Who gets the money	Who issues the receipt	Compliance
Marketplace (Express)	Platform → splits	Platform	Platform takes PCI and AML
Connect Standard	Church direct	Church	Church is responsible

For 501(c)(3) churches, the church issues the receipt, not Ministrium. So Standard is the right model.

Fees

Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 USD per card transaction (standard). For 501(c)(3) non-profits, Stripe offers 2.2% + $0.30 on request — Ministrium helps process this.

Ministrium adds no platform fee (unlike many competitors who charge 1-2% extra). The SaaS plan is the only monetization.

Webhooks

Stripe notifies Ministrium of events via webhook. Endpoint config is automatic on account connect. Subscribed events:

payment_intent.succeeded → marks donation completed
payment_intent.payment_failed → logs failure and notifies
charge.refunded → reverses donation, corrective receipt
payout.paid → records payout in ledger
payout.failed → alerts finance_admin
account.updated → refreshes capabilities (e.g. if it loses charges_enabled)
customer.subscription.deleted → recurring canceled

If the webhook fails, Stripe retries for up to 3 days with exponential backoff. Ministrium has an idempotent endpoint.

Webhook signing secret

Secret is at Donations → Settings → Webhook. Only org_admin sees it. If for some reason the webhook stops arriving, rotate the secret and update in Stripe Dashboard.

Multiple Stripe accounts (advanced multi-campus)

By default, a church has one Stripe account, with donations routed to the correct fund via metadata. Churches with legally separate campuses can have one Stripe account per campus:


La Roca Church (org)
├─ Downtown  → Stripe acct_AAA
├─ North     → Stripe acct_BBB
└─ Online    → Stripe acct_CCC

Available only on Business+. Requires legal validation (campus bylaws as a separate entity).

Supported payment methods

Cards: Visa, MC, Amex, Discover (all regions).
ACH (US): $0.80 USD per transaction, no %.
SEPA (EU): €0.35.
OXXO (Mexico): local fee.
Apple Pay / Google Pay: included at no extra cost.
Link (Stripe): no extra cost.

ACH is dramatically cheaper for large recurring gifts — encourage your big donors to use it.

Reversals and disputes

If a donor disputes a donation with their bank (chargeback):

Stripe notifies → Ministrium marks donation disputed.
The church has 7 days to submit evidence (church letter, receipt screenshot, prior communications).
Ministrium has a pre-filled template downloadable as PDF.
If the church wins, donation reverts to completed. If they lose, it stays disputed and refunded, and the tax receipt is invalidated.

Balance and payouts


Available balance:   \$3,247.10  (payout T+2)
Pending balance:     \$1,840.50  (txns still clearing)
Next payout:         \$3,247.10 → BofA xxxx-1234, tomorrow 09:00

Daily payouts by default. Switchable to weekly or manual in Stripe Dashboard.