Is Your Charity Website PCI Compliant?

Online giving is the backbone of many charities’ fundraising efforts; ensuring secure payment processing isn’t just best practice—it’s essential. Donors expect their sensitive payment details to be handled with the highest level of security, and failing to meet these expectations can damage trust, increase fraud risks, and even lead to financial penalties.

That’s where PCI compliance comes in.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security standards designed to protect cardholder data. Organisations that process online payments, including charities, must comply with PCI DSS to safeguard transactions and donor information. However, navigating PCI compliance can be complex, and many charities unknowingly operate with gaps in their security.

What Happens If Your Charity Isn’t PCI Compliant?

Failing to meet PCI compliance standards can have serious consequences, including:

• Increased fraud risk – Without proper security measures, your charity becomes a target for cybercriminals.
• Loss of donor trust – A data breach or security failure can discourage supporters from donating again.
• Financial penalties – Non-compliance can result in fines, additional processing fees, or even the inability to accept card payments.
• Operational inefficiencies – Handling payment data without a secure, compliant system creates unnecessary admin burdens and security vulnerabilities.

How hapi Ensures PCI Compliance

At Dreamscape, we built hapi with security at its core, ensuring charities benefit from seamless online giving while maintaining the highest compliance standards. By integrating with Stripe, a PCI Level 1 Service Provider (the highest level of certification), hapi provides a secure and frictionless payment process. Here’s how:

1. Secure Payment Gateway with Stripe

• hapi uses Stripe’s JavaScript SDK to embed secure payment elements directly into donation pages.
• Card details never touch your charity’s servers, significantly reducing PCI compliance scope.
• Stripe’s hosted payment fields use iframe technology, effectively sandboxing payment inputs within Stripe’s Level 1 PCI-compliant environment.
• Card details are securely transmitted directly to Stripe without being processed or stored on the website.

2. Encrypted Data Transmission

• Every hapi website is protected with SSL/TLS encryption, ensuring all transactions are transmitted over secure HTTPS connections.
• Payment data is encrypted end-to-end, eliminating man-in-the-middle risks.

3. Reduced PCI Compliance Burden for Charities

• Using Stripe Elements, our clients automatically benefit from this compliance without additional effort.
• This drastically simplifies the compliance process, removing the need for complex security measures and audits.

4. Automated Fraud Prevention

• Powered by machine learning, Stripe Radar detects and blocks fraudulent transactions in real time.
• Advanced fraud protection ensures only legitimate donations are processed, reducing chargebacks and security risks.

Is Your Charity Website PCI Compliant?

Many charities assume they’re compliant simply because they accept online donations, but compliance requires more than having a payment processor.

With hapi, we ensure charities don’t have to worry about PCI compliance complexities. By integrating the best security practices, we help organisations focus on what truly matters - raising funds and making an impact.

Don’t Leave Security to Chance

For charities seeking reassurance or improvements in their PCI compliance setup, hapi ensures a secure, compliant, and frictionless payment process for all users.

📩 Get in touch to learn how hapi makes PCI compliance effortless for charities.