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If your congregation takes donations through Zeffy, you can connect it so those gifts arrive in KehillaHQ on their own. Each gift comes in with the donor, the amount, the fund when it matches one of yours, and any tribute or message the donor wrote at checkout. KehillaHQ only reads from Zeffy. It never changes anything in your Zeffy account. Go to Settings, then Payments and data sources. The Zeffy card is where everything starts.
The Zeffy card on the Payments and data sources page, with a Connect Zeffy button

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Who can do this

In KehillaHQ, Admin and Financial Admin can connect and disconnect Zeffy. Board Member can see whether the connection is healthy but cannot change it. In Zeffy, only the owner of your Zeffy account can create the key that KehillaHQ needs. If the owner is someone else, such as your president or the person who first set up Zeffy, ask them to create the key (steps 1 and 2 below) and send it to you. Ask them to share it privately, not in a group email.

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What gets brought in

  • Online donations made through your Zeffy forms, from the start date you choose.
  • The donor’s name and email, used to match the gift to a member or household.
  • The fund, when the Zeffy fund’s code or name matches one of your funds in KehillaHQ.
  • Tributes and messages: “In memory of” or “In honor of” with the name the donor entered, plus answers to any free-text questions on your Zeffy form. These are saved as the gift’s note.
  • Refunds. If a gift is fully refunded in Zeffy, it is marked Refunded in KehillaHQ and stops counting in your totals.

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What is not brought in

  • Cash and checks you typed into Zeffy by hand, and gifts imported into Zeffy from a spreadsheet. Most congregations also record these directly in KehillaHQ, so bringing them in would count them twice.
  • Payments in Canadian dollars. KehillaHQ records US dollars only.
  • Addresses, phone numbers, and card details.
A partial refund does not change the gift in KehillaHQ: it keeps counting at its full amount. If you give part of a gift back, edit the amount in KehillaHQ yourself.

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Connecting, step by step

1

Open the Zeffy card

In KehillaHQ, go to Settings, then Payments and data sources, and click Connect Zeffy. The window that opens lists the same steps you are reading now.
2

In Zeffy, open Settings, then Integrations

The Open Zeffy link in that window takes you straight there in a new tab. Sign in to Zeffy as the account owner if you are asked.
3

Create an API key in Zeffy and copy it

Follow Zeffy’s setup to create an API key, then copy it. Treat it like a password: anyone with the key can read your Zeffy donations.
4

Paste the key into KehillaHQ

Back in KehillaHQ, paste the key into Zeffy API key.
5

Choose where history starts

Bring in donations from decides how far back KehillaHQ looks. It starts at the beginning of your dues year. Choose a later date if you already recorded earlier Zeffy gifts in KehillaHQ by hand, so nothing is counted twice. Nothing dated before this day is ever brought in.
6

Click Connect

KehillaHQ checks the key with Zeffy, saves it, and brings in your donations right away. A message tells you how many are waiting to be filed.
The Connect Zeffy window, with three short steps, the Zeffy API key field, and the Bring in donations from date
If KehillaHQ says Zeffy did not accept the key, copy it again from Zeffy and check that the owner created it.

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How your key is held

The key is encrypted before it is stored and is never shown again, not to you and not to anyone at KehillaHQ. To change it, click Update key and paste a new one. Updating the key keeps your history where it is.

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Once connected

The Zeffy card shows Connected and when it last brought in donations. New donations arrive on their own every few hours. You do not press anything.
The Zeffy card showing a Connected badge, the last sync time, and Update key and Disconnect buttons
A gift whose Zeffy fund matches one of your funds is filed to that fund automatically. Everything else waits in Payments to file, grouped by the Zeffy fund or campaign it came through. File each one as a donation or a dues payment.
Payments to file, with Zeffy gifts grouped under Kiddush sponsorship and High Holidays Appeal 5787
When you file a gift, save your choice as a rule. Future gifts through the same Zeffy fund or campaign then file themselves.
If the donor’s email or name matches someone in your records, the member and household are filled in for you. If not, pick the member yourself when you file it. If you later add the donor as a member with that email address, KehillaHQ links their waiting Zeffy gifts on the next sync. A gift’s tribute or message shows as Note when you open the gift in Payments to file, and again when you choose File, so you can see the dedication while you pick a fund. After it’s filed, you’ll find it by opening the gift in Donations and choosing Edit.

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Watch for double-counting

  • Stop entering Zeffy gifts by hand once the connection is live. Let them arrive.
  • If a gift you already recorded by hand comes in anyway, choose Ignore in Payments to file rather than filing it. Ignored gifts don’t come back on later syncs.

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Disconnecting

Click Disconnect on the Zeffy card. This deletes the saved key and stops bringing in Zeffy donations. Donations already in your ledger stay where they are, and nothing changes in Zeffy. You can reconnect any time.

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If the connection stops working

The Zeffy card shows a message when something goes wrong.
  • Zeffy did not accept the saved API key. The key was deleted or replaced in Zeffy. Ask the account owner for a new key and click Update key.
  • It will retry automatically. Zeffy could not be reached for a moment. KehillaHQ tries again on its own, and nothing is lost in the meantime.
If it still doesn’t work, contact support@kehillahq.com.