The payout lifecycle — from donation to delivered

On a Pledgix Go or Pledgix One campaign, your donations are processed on Pledgix's payment infrastructure and disbursed to you as payouts. This article follows one disbursement through its whole life, so you always know where your money is and what happens next.

Stage 1 — You raise the money

Donations count toward your campaign total the moment they're approved. Nothing about compliance or payouts ever blocks fundraising — your campaign collects donations from the moment it goes live.

Stage 2 — The gates open

Before your first payout, two things need to be true:

1. Your compliance is Approved. Upload your verification documents in the Payouts & Transactions tab and submit them for review. See Compliance documents: what to upload and why.
2. Your payout hold period has ended. Approval starts a hold clock (90 days by default); your approval email states the exact end date.

You can — and should — add your payout method during this window, so nothing is left to do when the hold ends. The Pledgix team verifies your method before significant funds are sent.

One more gate applies at all times: if a donor's bank has opened a payment dispute on one of your donations, payouts are held until the dispute resolves — contested money never goes out the door while it's undecided.

Stage 3 — The payout is created

Payouts are issued by the Pledgix team from your available balance. When one is recorded, you'll immediately see it in your Payouts & Transactions tab and receive an email titled "A Payout Has Been Scheduled."

If your campaign's check method has been admin-verified, you can also start this stage yourself: self-issue a payout check from the same tab, confirmed with a one-time code sent to your login email and subject to per-check and daily limits. See How you receive the money you raise.

Every payout carries:

• A payout number like PO-0001 — your reference for any question about it.
• The payout method it's addressed to (shown like Chase ••4231).
• The period of fundraising it covers.
• The full amount breakdown — gross, reserve held, platform fee, and net. See Reading your payout breakdown.

Stage 4 — The statuses it moves through

A healthy payout walks through four stages:

1. Scheduled — created and queued. The details are locked in; the transfer hasn't started yet.
2. Processing — the Pledgix team is executing the transfer.
3. Sent — the money has left Pledgix. A bank transfer is in flight; a check has been emailed to you as a password-protected PDF; an eCheck has been issued to your email platform.
4. Delivered — receipt confirmed. Done — with one asterisk for bank transfers, below.

Each time the status changes, you receive a "Payout Status Updated" email — you never have to refresh the page to stay informed.

Three statuses mean something needs attention:

• Returned — the transfer bounced (most often a closed or changed bank account). We'll contact you to correct the destination and reissue.
• Failed — the transfer couldn't be completed. Check your email and the campaign chat for next steps.
• Cancelled — the payout was withdrawn before being sent; any funds it covered remain in your balance for a future payout.

Stage 5 — Money in hand

Once a payout shows Sent, allow a few business days for a bank transfer to land; an emailed check PDF arrives right away (retrieve its password in your portal). When it's confirmed received, the status flips to Delivered and that chapter closes — the payout stays in your history permanently with its full breakdown.

One caveat for bank (ACH) transfers: the banking network can return a transfer days after it appeared to settle. If a late return arrives, the payout flips to Returned and the funds automatically come back into your balance — nothing is lost, and we'll work with you to correct the destination and reissue.

Tip: If a payout has been Sent for longer than you'd expect, message the compliance team from the campaign chat (the chat icon in your campaign header) and quote the payout number. Because every disbursement is individually tracked, we can trace exactly where it is.

The rhythm after your first payout

Later payouts follow the same path, just faster — your compliance stays approved and your method stays verified, so it's simply: payout recorded, statuses advance, email at each step. If you change banks, add the new account as a payout method and make it active before the next payout is issued; a payout sent to a closed account comes back as Returned and has to be reissued.

For what each dollar figure on a payout means, continue with Reading your payout breakdown. If you're still working toward payout number one, Preparing for your first payout — a checklist walks you through every prerequisite.