This article explains how to configure auto-pay notifications and manage failed payment alerts for recurring pledges or memberships. You'll learn how to turn on automatic notifications, customize messages sent to patrons when payments fail, and understand how promoters are notified if a payment issue occurs.

This article will guide you through:

  • Turning on auto-pay notifications

  • Setting up payment failure notifications

  • Understanding what happens when a payment is declined

  • How promoters are notified of failures

This feature is intended for promoters using recurring pledges or memberships. For full setup instructions on recurring payments, please see: Recurring Payments for Pledges and Memberships
Enabling auto-pay notifications:

To notify patrons when their saved card is charged for a recurring membership or donation:

  1. Go to Setup > CRM > Auto Pay Settings

  2. Toggle the "Enable Auto Pay Notifications" switch ON

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Once enabled, patrons will automatically receive a confirmation email when their card is successfully charged.

Note: Patrons must have a saved card on file for this to work.

Setting up payment failure notifications:

You can configure up to three failed payment notifications, which are sent once per week if the payment fails.

Notification schedule:

  • Week 1: First failed attempt → Sends First Notification

  • Week 2: Second failed attempt → Sends Second Notification

  • Week 3: Third failed attempt → Sends Third Notification

After the third failed attempt, the auto-payment is automatically canceled.

Additional notes:

  • Each email can be customized and supports placeholders (such as patron name or amount).

  • Be sure to click "Save" after making any changes.

What happens when an auto-payment is declined:

  • The system will attempt to process the payment up to 3 times (once per week).

  • The same card is used for all 3 attempts.

Error codes:

  • Error 1 = 1st failed attempt

  • Error 2 = 2nd failed attempt

  • Error 3 = 3rd failed attempt


If a card fails:

  • You cannot retry the card manually for 24 hours.

  • After 24 hours, you can retry manually, or the system will automatically retry in one week.

After the 3rd failure:

  • The third failed notification is sent to the patron.

  • The auto-payment is closed automatically.

You may wish to include a simple diagram or image here to illustrate the process.

Do promoters get notified of failed payments?

Yes. The system sends alerts to the promoter based on the following order of priority:

  1. Email addresses listed under

    Setup > More > Alerts and Notifications > Subscription or Donation Alerts

  2. If not present, the system uses the Support Email field from Setup > Profile > Promoter Info

  3. If that is also blank, it notifies Primary Contact 1 under

    Setup > Profile > Promoter Info

This ensures that someone on your team is always notified when a patron’s payment fails.