Accept bitcoin on your nonprofit's website

1Why accept bitcoin

Some supporters hold bitcoin and would rather give it directly than sell it first. Accepting it on your site gives them that option, and payments arrive without a card processor in the middle.

There are trade-offs to discuss before you start:

• Price changes. The value of a gift in your local currency can move between the day it arrives and the day you spend or convert it.
• Responsibility. If you hold the keys, your organization is responsible for keeping them safe. There is no bank to call.
• Finality. Bitcoin payments can't be charged back. That protects you from chargeback fraud, but it also means mistakes can only be fixed with a new payment.
• Extra bookkeeping. Each gift needs to be recorded and valued. Plan who does that work.

2Decide who holds the keys

This is the most important decision. Whoever controls the private keys controls the funds.

A useful first question for your board: do we want to hold bitcoin, or receive it and convert it? If you'll convert right away, a provider that converts automatically may be simpler. If you'll hold it, self-custody with several signers is worth the setup effort.

3Choose how donors pay

Many payment processors — self-hosted or hosted — support both. Offering both covers most donors.

4One address per gift

Bitcoin transactions are public. If you post one address on your page, anyone can see every gift sent to it and follow where the money goes next. A fresh address — or Lightning invoice — for each donation:

• protects the privacy of your donors and your organization;
• makes it easy to match each payment to a donor and a receipt;
• avoids confusion when two people send the same amount.

Payment processors and modern wallets create new addresses automatically. If you must print a fixed QR code — on a poster, for example — understand that every gift to it is publicly linked.

5Security and governance

• Use several signers for the treasury. A multisignature wallet — for example, two of three keys held by different officers — means no single person can move funds, and no single lost key is fatal.
• Separate receiving from holding. Let donations arrive in a receiving wallet, then move them on a schedule to the treasury wallet kept offline.
• Write it down. A short policy should say who holds which key, where backups are kept, and what happens when someone leaves the organization.
• Practise recovery. Restore the wallet from backups on a schedule, before you need to.
• Keep phrases off computers. Never store recovery phrases in email, shared documents, chat, or cloud notes.
• Verify changes out of band. Confirm any request to change a payout address or wallet setting by phone or in person.

6Accounting and receipts

Agree on these points with your accountant before the first gift arrives:

• how to value a gift — usually the amount in BTC and its value in local currency at the time it was received;
• what a valid donation receipt must include where you operate;
• whether, when, and how you will convert to local currency, and who approves it;
• where you keep transaction IDs, so each record can be traced on the blockchain.

Before launch, write down two names: your accountant, and the person who owns this policy (often the treasurer).

7Your donation page

Donors are more comfortable when the page says exactly what will happen. Copy this text and replace everything in square brackets.

Donate with Bitcoin

[ORGANIZATION NAME] accepts donations in bitcoin (BTC).

How it works
1. Choose an amount and select "Donate with Bitcoin".
2. Scan the QR code with your Bitcoin wallet, or copy the address
   or Lightning invoice.
3. Once the payment arrives, we will [SEND A RECEIPT BY EMAIL /
   SHOW A CONFIRMATION ON SCREEN].

Good to know
- Only send bitcoin (BTC). Other coins sent here may be lost.
- Each donation gets its own address or invoice. Please don't
  reuse an old one.
- Bitcoin payments can't be reversed. If you made a mistake,
  contact us at [CONTACT EMAIL].
- [TAX RECEIPT INFORMATION FOR YOUR COUNTRY]

Thank you for supporting [CAUSE OR PROGRAM].

8Launch checklist

Tick items as you go. Your progress is saved in this browser only.

• The board or decision-makers approved accepting bitcoin, in writing.
• Our accountant confirmed how to record, value, and receipt gifts.
• We chose self-custody or a custodial provider, and wrote down why.
• We decided who can approve spending, and how many signers are needed.
• Wallets or accounts are set up, and backups are stored safely offline.
• We restored the wallet from backups with a small test amount.
• We chose payment methods: on-chain, Lightning, or both.
• Every donor gets a fresh address or invoice.
• The donation page explains how it works, in plain language.
• We wrote a receipt and refund process.
• We sent a small test donation from start to finish.
• A date is set to review access and backups again.

9Common questions