Stripe Verification Overview
To accept payments on Zeffy, your organization must complete a verification process with our payment processor, Stripe. This guide explains why verification is required and what you'll need based on your organization's location.
Why Verification Is Required
Zeffy uses Stripe Custom Connect to process payments, which makes Zeffy responsible for all payment activity on the platform. To comply with financial regulations and provide a secure payment platform, we must verify the identity of every organization and its representatives.
This verification prevents fraud, ensures funds are correctly distributed, and protects both your organization and your donors. All payment processors are required to collect this information under anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations.
What You'll Need to Provide
🇺🇸 US Organizations
Organization information: Your tax-exempt EIN, legal organization name, and address as registered with the IRS
Representative verification: A government-issued ID, selfie, and the last 4 digits of a Social Security Number (SSN) from an authorized representative
Bank account: Your organization's bank account details (personal bank accounts are not accepted)
Who can complete verification? Any legal representative of your organization—a board member, authorized signatory on your bank account, treasurer, or executive director.
🇨🇦 Canadian Organizations
Organization information: Your legal name, address, and CRA charity number (if you're a registered charity)
Board of directors and registration documents: We show you the board members listed in public records for you to confirm. You only upload an updated list if your board changed more than 12 months ago. If Stripe can't verify your organization's details, you may be asked to upload a proof of registration.
Representative verification: A government-issued ID and selfie from an authorized representative
Bank account: Your organization's bank account details (personal bank accounts are not accepted)
🇬🇧 UK Organisations
Organisation information: Your charity registration number (if registered) or non-profit details, legal organisation name, and address
Business registration documents: Proof of your organisation's registration and trustees/directors
Representative verification: A government-issued ID and selfie from an authorised representative
Bank account: Your organisation's bank account details (personal bank accounts are not accepted)
🇦🇺 AUS Organisations
Organisation information: Your legal name, your full address and Australian Business Number (ABN).
Business registration documents: You may be asked to share information about the executive members of your organisation
Representative verification: A government-issued ID and selfie from an authorised representative
Bank account: Your organisation's bank account details (personal bank accounts are not accepted)
🇮🇪 Irish Organizations
Organization information: Your charity registration number, legal organisation name, and address
Business registration documents: You may be asked to share information about the executive members of your organisation
Representative verification: A government-issued ID and selfie from an authorised representative.
Bank account: Your organization's bank account details (personal bank accounts are not accepted)
All organizations are asked to provide a website for verification purposes. If your organization does not have a website, you can provide a public (not private) social media page instead, or create an organization landing page with your mission statement and campaigns listed.
Step-by-Step Guides
Choose the guide that matches your organization's location:
Complete Your US Stripe Verification
Full walkthrough for US nonprofits, including EIN verification and troubleshooting common issues.
Complete Your Canadian Stripe Verification
Full walkthrough for Canadian nonprofits and charities, including business registration and directorship requirements.
Complete Your UK Stripe Verification
Full walkthrough for UK nonprofits and charities, including charity registration and trustee verification.
Complete Your AUS Stripe Verification
Full walkthrough for AUS not-for-profit and charitable organisations, including ABN registration and business executive verification.
Complete your IR Verification
Full walkthrough for IR not-for-profits, including charity number registration and business executive verification.
How to Know Your Verification Is Complete
Your verification is complete when the yellow banner no longer appears in your Zeffy account. We also send you an email confirming it, and your account can then process payments and receive payouts.
No banner, but your account isn't marked verified yet: if you've already submitted everything, Stripe is still reviewing it (usually within 24-72 hours). You don't need to do anything else.
An email says information is missing or payouts are paused, but nothing is outstanding: the email was likely sent while your account was still under review. If no yellow banner asks you for anything, nothing more is needed, and paused payouts resume once your account is fully verified.
Verification is complete, but payouts haven't started: make sure a bank account is connected. Click your name in the bottom left, then Settings > Bank account, and enter your organization's bank details. Payouts start once it's connected.
Related Articles
ID Verification Guide — Tips for successfully uploading your ID and selfie
Connecting an Existing Stripe Account — Learn about Zeffy's custom Stripe integration
Data Security
Your personal information and documents are stored securely in Stripe's database. Stripe is a global leader in payment processing and adheres to the highest industry standards for payment and data security, including PCI DSS compliance. Zeffy does not store sensitive verification data on our own servers.
For more information about how Stripe protects your data, refer to Stripe's Privacy Policy.