WhyDonate + ApproveThis: How to Automate Charity Approvals Without the Headaches

When Fundraising Meets Approval Power

Let’s be real: managing donations shouldn’t feel like herding cats. WhyDonate handles the money-moving part like a pro, but when you need actual humans to sign off on fundraisers, recurring donations, or big-ticket contributions? That’s where most organizations hit a wall. ApproveThis doesn’t just “integrate” with WhyDonate – it becomes the bouncer at the velvet rope of your financial oversight. No more chasing down board members via Slack or wondering if Karen from accounting saw the approval email. We’re talking Zapier-powered automation that turns “Hey, can you approve this?” into “It’s already handled.”

Why This Combo Works (When Other Tools Don’t)

WhyDonate’s great at tracking euros, dollars, or crypto donations. ApproveThis is great at getting stubborn humans to make decisions. Together? They fix the two biggest leaks in charity workflows: visibility and accountability.

Example: A €10,000 corporate donation hits your WhyDonate account. Instead of it sitting in limbo while three department heads argue over who approves what, ApproveThis automatically:

• Routes it to the right people based on amount + donor type
• Shows the full context (past donations, fundraiser goals)
• Escalates if someone’s on vacation (no more “Out of Office” hell)

Who Actually Needs This?

If your organization does any of these, keep reading:

• Requires board approval for fundraisers over €5K
• Has recurring donors needing annual re-approval
• Works with external partners (agencies, fiscal sponsors)

Real-World Use Cases That Don’t Suck

1. Vetting New Fundraisers Like a Pro

Nonprofits: When a volunteer starts a “Save the Puppies” fundraiser linked to your main cause, ApproveThis automatically:

- Checks if the organizer is authorized
- Requires program director approval if funds exceed €2K
- Adds a 24-hour SLA so campaigns don’t stall

Why it matters: Stops rogue campaigns before they damage your reputation.

2. Approving Big Donations Without the Paperwork

Universities: That alumni donor just dropped €50K via WhyDonate. ApproveThis instantly:

- Notifies the gift committee + CFO
- Attaches the donor’s history (no digging through spreadsheets)
- Auto-approves if 2/3 committee members say “yes”

Why it matters: Money gets allocated faster, donors get thanked sooner.

3. Recurring Donor Audits That Don’t Make You Want to Quit

Healthcare NGOs: Monthly donors account for 60% of your funding. ApproveThis:

- Flags expired credit cards in WhyDonate
- Requires finance to re-approve annual commitments
- Shows retention stats during approval decisions

Why it matters: Reduces churn by making renewal reviews systematic.

Setup: Less Time Than Your Next Coffee Break

Connecting WhyDonate + ApproveThis takes three steps in Zapier:

Step 1: Pick a WhyDonate trigger
(New donation, fundraiser created, etc.)

Step 2: Map critical data
(Donor email → ApproveThis requester field, Amount → Calculated approval threshold)

Step 3: Set approval rules
(Example: Over €10K? Needs CFO + Legal sign-off. Under €500? Auto-approved.)

Pro Tip: Use ApproveThis’ Calculated Fields to auto-flag donations from high-risk countries or repeat chargeback donors.

Features You’ll Actually Use

ApproveThis isn’t just another approval tool. When paired with WhyDonate, these features become killer:

Approval Thresholds: Auto-approve small recurring donations, but require human eyes on big one-offs.

Vacation Delegation: Board member OOO? Requests reroute instantly – no “permissions” config needed.

Email Approvals: External partners approve directly from Gmail. No new logins.

Teams That Benefit Most

Finance Teams

Stop playing detective. Every WhyDonate transaction requiring approval lands in one dashboard with:

- Donor history
- Tax compliance status
- Attached agreements (NDAs, terms)

Program Directors

See fundraiser approval statuses in real time. If “Cancer Research Gala” is stuck in legal review, you know – without scheduling another meeting about meetings.

Leadership

Get quarterly reports showing:
- Average approval time per department
- Bottlenecks (Looking at you, “Pending Legal”)
- Donor retention tied to approval speed

Common Objections (And Why They’re Wrong)

“We already use WhyDonate’s built-in tools.”
Cool. Do they auto-route approvals based on custom rules? Escalate when someone’s OOO? Nope.

“Our process is too complex.”
ApproveThis handles multi-layer approvals across departments, external partners, and even WhyDonate fundraisers. If you can flowchart it, we can automate it.

Bottom Line

WhyDonate gets you the donations. ApproveThis gets you the “yes” without the endless follow-ups. Together, they turn financial oversight from a bottleneck into a background process.

Next Steps:
1. Register for ApproveThis (Free 14-day trial)
2. Connect to WhyDonate via Zapier
3. Automate your first approval workflow in 23 minutes

P.S. Approvers don’t need a WhyDonate login. Because making your CFO reset their password again isn’t a growth strategy.