ApproveThis manages your Uncommon Giving Integration approvals.

Why Approval Automation Matters for Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations face unique operational challenges - limited staff capacity, strict compliance requirements, and the constant pressure to demonstrate accountability to donors. Manual processes for vetting donations and managing internal approvals often create bottlenecks that delay program execution and strain team relationships.

This integration between ApproveThis and Uncommon Giving through Zapier solves these challenges by creating an automated bridge between donation management and decision-making. When a gift comes through Uncommon Giving's platform, ApproveThis immediately initiates tailored approval workflows specific to your organization's policies, dollar thresholds, or donor requirements.

Core Benefits Across Teams

For Development Teams

Accelerate gift processing while maintaining rigorous vetting standards. When major donations require board approval or restricted funds need program alignment checks, automated workflows ensure compliance without slowing momentum. Example: A community foundation automatically routes donations over $10,000 to both their finance director and relevant program committee based on donor intent.

For Finance Departments

Maintain real-time visibility into incoming funds with approval thresholds that match your accounting policies. Configure automatic approval for recurring gifts under $500 while flagging unusual donation patterns for review. The vacation delegation feature prevents delays during staff transitions or summer months.

For Leadership

Gain strategic oversight through ApproveThis' dashboard showing approval cycle times, frequent bottlenecks, and compliance rates. Use calculated fields to automatically apply matching gift multipliers or track restricted fund allocations during the approval process itself.

Implementation Made Simple

Setting up the integration requires no technical expertise. Through Zapier's visual interface:

1. Connect your Uncommon Giving account to Zapier
2. Set the "New Gift" trigger from Uncommon Giving
3. Map donation data to ApproveThis' custom fields
4. Configure approval rules specific to gift types

Key configuration options include setting dollar amount thresholds that auto-approve small donations while requiring manager review for larger gifts, or creating parallel approval paths for in-kind donations versus monetary contributions.

Real-World Use Cases

High-Volume Donor Management

An animal welfare nonprofit processes 300+ monthly donations through Uncommon Giving. Their ApproveThis workflow:

• Auto-approves recurring gifts under $250
• Routes first-time donations to development staff for welcome kit assignment
• Flags gifts from new corporate donors for ED review

Result: 68% reduction in finance team overtime during year-end giving season.

Complex Grant Compliance

A literacy nonprofit using restricted grants through Uncommon Giving configured:

• Automatic program alignment checks using calculated fields
• Three-step approval for grants exceeding $25,000
• Email-based sign-offs from external board members

Outcome: Achieved 100% audit compliance while cutting grant processing time by 40%.

Critical Features That Make It Work

ApproveThis adds crucial functionality to Uncommon Giving's donation management:

Conditional Workflows

Create rules like: "If gift amount > $5,000 AND donor is new, require executive director approval." Routes seamlessly through email without requiring approvers to log into either system.

Multi-Channel Approvals

Board members can review and approve major gifts directly from their email inbox or mobile device, with full audit trails maintained in ApproveThis. No additional software licenses needed for external approvers.

Real-Time Syncing

When a gift is approved in ApproveThis, trigger automatic acknowledgments through Uncommon Giving. If denied, automatically initiate donor communication workflows with pre-built templates.

Getting Started Guide

Follow these steps to implement your integration:

Step 1: Map Your Approval Process

Document current donation handling procedures. Identify where delays occur and which gifts require special handling. Most organizations benefit from creating 3-5 distinct approval templates in ApproveThis.

Step 2: Configure Zapier Connections

Use the Zapier integration to link your Uncommon Giving account with ApproveThis. Test with sample donations to ensure data fields map correctly.

Step 3: Set Escalation Rules

Configure approval thresholds and backup approvers. Example: If a program director doesn't respond within 48 hours, escalate to their deputy automatically.

Step 4: Train Stakeholders

Run a 30-minute session showing staff how to review approval requests via email and mobile. Emphasize response time expectations and exception handling procedures.

Optimization Tips

After initial setup, refine your workflows using ApproveThis' analytics:

Identify Bottlenecks

Use the dashboard to spot consistently delayed approvals. Add parallel approval paths or adjust thresholds for problematic gift types.

Leverage Calculated Fields

Automatically apply matching gift multipliers or calculate administrative fees during the approval process to ensure accurate financial reporting.

Seasonal Adjustments

Create temporary workflows for year-end giving surges or special campaigns. Example: During disaster relief efforts, lower approval thresholds for emergency response donations.

Security & Compliance Considerations

The integration maintains rigorous data protection standards:

Role-Based Access

Control who can create or modify approval workflows in ApproveThis, while maintaining donor privacy through Uncommon Giving's existing permissions.

Audit Trails

Every approval decision captures timestamps, comments, and approver identity. Export records directly to your CRM or accounting system for compliance reporting.

Data Encryption

Sensitive donor information remains protected through TLS 1.2+ encryption during transfer between systems.

Transitioning from Manual Processes

Organizations moving from spreadsheet-based tracking should:

Phase Implementation

Start with one gift type or program area before expanding. Most nonprofits begin with major donor approvals before handling recurring gifts.

Maintain Parallel Systems Temporarily

Run manual and automated processes side-by-side for 2-3 gift cycles to verify accuracy and build team confidence.

Leverage Support Resources

Use ApproveThis' onboarding team to create custom workflow diagrams and exception handling guides tailored to your use cases.

Next Steps

Ready to transform your donation management process?

Create your free ApproveThis account and explore pre-built templates for Uncommon Giving integrations. For complex requirements or bulk gift processing needs, schedule a custom demo with our nonprofit workflow specialists.

Nonprofits using this integration typically see 50-75% faster gift processing times while eliminating compliance errors. Start your automation journey today to focus less on paperwork and more on mission impact.