Faith Direct Post-Upgrade Client Checklist

Now that your upgrade is complete, here’s your step-by-step guide to get set up. Work through these in order to ensure your Giving form is accurate, visible to donors, and properly tied into your records.

💡 Need help? Contact the Managed Giving team at managed.giving@ministrybrands.com. They remain your dedicated Faith Direct Client Relations Managers. Even if an article lists another contact, always reach out to Managed Giving first.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Depending on your upgrade date, there may be up to two final disbursement/contribution exports to retrieve from Faith Direct. You will receive the normal emails when they are ready. Once you are past the date range where you might have any last gifts, you will be removed from those email notifications.

Important Update: Donor Refunds After Your Giving Upgrade

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Faith Direct will no longer be able to process refunds for any transactions made before your upgrade to ParishSOFT Giving is complete.

Originally, we expected to support refunding historical Faith Direct transactions. However, because Faith Direct and ParishSOFT Giving operate under different merchant accounts, we are unable to link the two systems — which makes processing refunds from Faith Direct no longer possible.

What this means for you:

  • 💳 Donations or event payments made through Faith Direct must be refunded directly by the parish or organization.
  • ✅ Donations processed through ParishSOFT Giving can be refunded within the system.

CLICK HERE to learn how to issue a refund in ParishSOFT Giving, or reach out to your Client Relations Manager with any questions. 

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we work to provide a seamless transition.

 

 

  1. Get Your Giving Form Link & Confirm Options

  • CLICK HERE to learn how to get your giving link and QR code!
  • Access your new Giving form and confirm funds displayed. [Update Funds Displayed – CLICK HERE]
  • All appeals now display with a donor-selected frequency. The “One Time” label means the gift can still be set as recurring. You may hide these funds or leave them visible.
  • Watch the Changing Fund Tax Status video [CLICK HERE] 
    • Updating tax statuses
  • Upload your new link to your church website.
  • Use the updated button images [FOUND HERE] on your site.
  • Update your bulletin with the new link/QR code.
  • Double-check your Giving Portal link:
    • Go to Settings (gear icon, top right) → Giving Portal Tile → scroll to the bottom for your new link.

 

Turn On the “Show My Giving” Button in Email Templates

This ensures donors can easily log in to manage their accounts.

  • Go to Settings → Email Templates tile
  • From the dropdown, select Recurring Gift
  • Check Show My Giving Button
  • Save

     

 

  1. Manage Your Data

  • Set up your Contribution Export in the Data Export tile. [Watch Video – CLICK HERE]
  • If you previously had exports enabled for Disbursements, you’ll need to turn them on again in ParishSOFT Giving. Settings will carry over, but you must run one report first to save them.
    Instructions here: [CLICK HERE]
  • Read through breaking down the Disbursement Report (new vs. Faith Direct). [CLICK HERE]

 

  1. Manage Your Donors

 

  1. Get to Know the New Platform

 

  1. Train Your Team

 

Campaigns & Pledges

  • All appeals have been converted to funds with no end dates.
  • Past campaign pledges are calculated on donor profiles.
  • Still want donors to pledge? You can set up a new pledge campaign in ParishSOFT Giving. [Instructions – CLICK HERE]
    • Note: Original Faith Direct pledges are not merged with new ParishSOFT pledges.

 

Family Suite Integration (Optional)

If you use ParishSOFT Family Suite, you can integrate so Giving data flows automatically.

  • Setup instructions: [CLICK HERE] and [CLICK HERE]
  • Watch the video: [CLICK HERE]
  • If you don’t enable integration, you can still export data manually via the Data Export article in Step 2.

 

Donor Experience

  • Donors log in with their existing Faith Direct email/password.
    • If login fails, they can reset their password.
    • Still stuck? Have them call Donor Support at 866-930-4774 (option 6)
  • Once logged in, donors see:
    • Blue circle (initials, top right) → account & gift management
    • Scheduled → edit existing gifts
    • Give Now → add new gifts
    • Payment Methods → manage stored methods
  • Weekly gifts are now processed as true weekly donations (one per Sunday, not all at once). Donors can adjust in their account or by calling Donor Support.
    • To cancel a gift, donors can click the trash can icon next to each recurring gift. This must be done for every recurring gift they wish to end.
    • Admins can also end a recurring gift by opening the donor record, selecting the Recurring Gifts tab, and clicking the three dots on the right to choose End Recurring Gift.

 

Additional Resources

  • Most Frequently Requested Help Articles – CLICK HERE

(Includes reporting differences between Faith Direct and ParishSOFT Giving.)

Updated