Verify your account to receive payouts
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.
Where to go next
Start with the step-by-step guide for your organization's country:
Verify a US account: full walkthrough for US nonprofits, including EIN verification.
Verify a Canadian account: full walkthrough for Canadian nonprofits and charities, including business registration and directors.
Verify a UK account: full walkthrough for UK nonprofits and charities, including charity registration and trustees.
Verify an Irish account: full walkthrough for Irish nonprofits, including charity number and executive members.
Verify an Australian account: full walkthrough for Australian not-for-profits, including ABN and executive members.
Verify a German account: full walkthrough for German nonprofits, including the registration number for your legal form.
For questions and specific situations:
Stripe verification FAQ: what Stripe is, how long verification takes, and what happens during a review.
Why we ask for your personal information: why we need an ID, a selfie and, in the US, an SSN.
ID verification: requirements and troubleshooting: tips when your ID or selfie isn't accepted.
Change the legal representative on your verification: when the person who verified the account leaves or changes role.
Connect an existing Stripe account: why your existing Stripe account stays separate and what to do instead.
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
๐บ๐ธ 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.
๐จ๐ฆ 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)
๐ฌ๐ง 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)
๐ฆ๐บ 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)
๐ฎ๐ช 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 your Zeffy landing page with your mission statement and campaigns listed.
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.
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.