How it works
From a linked card to a monthly gift, in three real steps.
No hidden middle step, no percentage skimmed off the top. Here's exactly what happens, in order.
Link a card through Plaid
Donors connect a debit or credit card using Plaid, the same read-only bank connection technology most finance apps use. PocketCache never sees or stores a full card number, and the connection can't move money on its own.
Everyday purchases round up
A $6.40 coffee run rounds up to $7.00. A $23.10 grocery trip rounds up to $24.00. The 60 cents and 90 cents in spare change accumulate automatically, all month, with nothing for the donor to remember to do.
The amount locks on the 1st
At the end of the month, the round-up total locks in. Donors get an email with the exact amount, and a ten-day window to review it, adjust it, cap it, or skip that month entirely before anything is charged.
One monthly charge, straight to your nonprofit
On the 11th, a single charge runs, and it goes directly to your nonprofit. PocketCache is never in the middle of the money. There is no PocketCache-held balance, ever.
The math behind the minimum
Why round-ups wait for a $5 minimum.
Every card charge costs real processing fees, a flat 2.9% + $0.30 to the card processor. On a small charge, that fee eats a big share of the gift. So PocketCache lets round-ups build up instead of charging every tiny amount right away.
| Charge amount | Fee | Percent lost |
|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | $0.36 | 18% |
| $5.00 | $0.445 | 8.9% |
| $15.00 | $0.735 | 4.9% |
Card processing runs 2.9% + $0.30 per charge. The smaller the charge, the bigger the bite, so PocketCache waits until round-ups clear $5 before charging.
If a donor's round-ups haven't reached $5 by the end of a month, the balance rolls forward to the next month instead of charging early. Either way, a settle-up runs at least once every three months, so a balance never lingers indefinitely.
Built on trust
The money never touches us.
Donations flow from the donor's card, through secure payment processing by Stripe, straight to your nonprofit's bank. PocketCache is the software in between, and nothing more.
Your nonprofit is the merchant of record and issues the receipts
A flat donor fee only, never a percentage of a donation
Card connection is read-only through Plaid, always
Disconnect anytime. No lock-in, no exit fee, for donors or nonprofits
Ready to see it for your nonprofit?
Setup is self-serve and takes about ten minutes.