Connect PayPal and configure your payment processor

This guide shows you how to add PayPal as a way for your members to check out — alongside Stripe, or on its own. MapleGather takes no platform fee on any payment you process through PayPal.

Who can do this: Admins with the billing:configure-processor permission (typically the primary admin or a Finance sub-role).

Before you start

You need a PayPal Business account. If you don’t have one, you can create one for free while you connect.
You need admin access in MapleGather. If the Payment processor menu item is missing, ask your org’s primary admin to grant you the billing configuration permission.
You can add PayPal whether or not Stripe is already connected. If both are connected, you can also choose which one members check out with by default — see Choose which processor members check out with.

Steps

Connect your PayPal account

In the admin sidebar, select Billing & payments, then select Payment processor.
Find the Add PayPal card and select Add PayPal.
You’re taken to PayPal’s setup page. Sign in to your PayPal Business account (or create one) and follow the prompts to let MapleGather accept payments on your behalf.
PayPal returns you to MapleGather. When setup is complete, the PayPal section shows a Connected status.

Finish PayPal setup (only if prompted)

If PayPal needs more details before it can accept payments, you’ll see a notice that your PayPal account needs a few more steps. Select Finish PayPal setup to return to PayPal.
Complete the remaining steps in PayPal — business details, your bank account, and any identity confirmation. The notice clears once PayPal reports your account is ready.

Run a PayPal test payment (recommended)

On the Payment processor page, in the PayPal section, select Run a PayPal test payment.
MapleGather runs a safe test charge in PayPal’s sandbox. No real money moves.
You’ll see a success confirmation with a PayPal transaction ID. This confirms your PayPal setup is working.

Configure your PayPal settings

Select the Settings tab.
In the PayPal Statement descriptor field, enter the name you want members to see on their statement (for example, “Acme Nonprofit”). It must be 5 to 22 characters — shorter or longer is rejected when you save. Leaving the field empty is allowed and means no descriptor is set.
In the PayPal Surcharge policy field, choose how PayPal’s fee is handled: Absorb the fee (your org pays the fee, recommended) or Pass the fee to members. Unlike Stripe, PayPal Settings has no surcharge amount and no display-copy field — and choosing Pass the fee to members does not currently add a surcharge to PayPal payments. PayPal checkouts are charged with no surcharge whichever option you pick; the setting is recorded for when PayPal surcharges are supported. If you want to pass processing fees on to members today, route checkout through Stripe.
Select Save settings.

Verify

You’ll know it worked when:

The PayPal section shows a green Connected status and Payments receivable reads “Yes”.
The test payment shows a success confirmation with a PayPal transaction ID.
Your settings save with a “PayPal settings saved” confirmation.

Manage or disconnect PayPal

Your connected PayPal shows on the Payment processor page next to Stripe. From there you can check its status, review webhook health, run another test payment, or disconnect it.

To disconnect PayPal:

In the PayPal section, select Disconnect PayPal.
Confirm in the dialog. MapleGather tries the disconnect straight away. If your last sign-in is no longer recent enough, you are asked to confirm your identity before the disconnect goes through — you are sent to sign in again, asked for your password even though you are already signed in, and brought straight back to the same dialog to finish. If you signed in recently, nothing extra is asked. MapleGather never asks for your password, a code or a second factor inside the dialog itself; the only place you enter your password is the sign-in page.
In this version the disconnect is only recorded, with a 48-hour deadline: no PayPal-funded subscription is paused, members are not told, and nothing happens when the 48 hours pass.

The dialog says so before you confirm: “This version only records the disconnect. PayPal keeps taking payments, this page then shows the disconnect as recorded, and it can’t be reversed.” Afterwards the PayPal section shows “PayPal disconnect is recorded, but PayPal payments have not stopped.” with “This version can’t stop PayPal payments or reverse the disconnect, and adding PayPal again is refused while the account stays linked.” It offers no reconnect: going through PayPal’s setup again is refused because your PayPal account is still on record (paypal_connection.duplicate).

If something goes wrong

“Your PayPal account needs a few more steps before it can accept payments” — PayPal needs more information before your account can accept live payments. Select Finish PayPal setup to return to PayPal and complete their steps. You can still run a test payment while this is pending.
“PayPal setup was not completed” — you closed PayPal before finishing. Select Add PayPal to try again.
“Couldn’t reach PayPal” — a temporary connection problem. Wait a moment and try again.
Auto-renew collects manually — if you see a note that PayPal auto-renew isn’t enabled for your account yet, one-off PayPal payments still work. Recurring memberships collect manually until PayPal approves your account for recurring charges. This approval happens on PayPal’s side.
“You don’t have permission to configure the payment processor” — contact your org’s primary admin to request the billing configuration permission.

For more detail on any of these, see PayPal connection failed or auto-renew canceled.