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Send Public Pledge Payment Links

Goal: Make it easy for a donor — even one who isn't logged into Ayuna — to pay an installment on their pledge from an email link.

  • A donor without an Ayuna account who paid their first installment by check and now wants to pay future ones online
  • A spouse / executor / family member paying on behalf of the original donor
  • A donor on the road who can't easily log in but wants to send a payment

For donors with an active account, the in-app pledge dashboard at /my-pledges/:pledgeId is more secure — they're authenticated and can see full pledge history.

How public pledge payment works​

Each pledge has a public payment endpoint with a token-based URL of the form:

/pledges/pay/:pledgeId

When a donor clicks through, they see:

  • The pledge total and balance remaining
  • Next installment due and amount
  • A payment form (card or ACH)

They pay; the payment lands as a Donation tied to the pledge, the installment is marked paid, and a receipt is emailed.

Three ways to share:

  • One-off email — paste the link into a personal email when the donor asks to pay
  • Templated reminder — when sending a pledge reminder, include the link in the email body
  • From the donor profile — copy the link to clipboard from the pledge detail page

Security considerations​

The token in the URL is the gate. Treat it like a checkout link:

  • Don't post in public channels (Slack, social, websites)
  • It's safe to send to the donor's known email
  • Regenerate the token if a leak is suspected — old links stop working

Giving the donor confidence​

Donors paying through a public link want reassurance:

  • The page should be on your domain (Ayuna handles this) — it shouldn't redirect them somewhere unfamiliar
  • Affiliate name and pledge details should be visible before they enter card info
  • The receipt should arrive promptly so they have proof of payment

The page is designed to give all three. If a donor reports confusion, walk them through what they see — that's usually a UX issue we want to know about, not a real security concern.

What if someone else tries to pay​

The token is tied to the pledge, not the donor's identity at click time. Anyone with the link can pay. If you receive a payment from an unexpected payer:

  • The Donation is recorded under the original pledge donor
  • Payment method shows the card used (which may belong to someone else)
  • A note from staff in the donation record clarifies who actually paid

This is rare and usually benign (a spouse or family member paying), but it's worth documenting when it happens.