Overview
When recurring donations fail — a payment processor problem, a batch of
declined cards, a plan that paused itself — you do not have to wait for the
next scheduled charge. This guide covers the tools you can use yourself in
Dashboard v2 and, just as important, what does not happen automatically.
Retry failed payments in bulk
- Go to Payments and filter the list to Failed payments.
- Select the payments you want to retry, or select all payments matching
your filter.
- Choose Retry and confirm. The retries are queued, and each one shows up
as a new payment on the list shortly afterward.
A retry is a brand-new charge attempt on the same payment method the
original attempt used. The original failed payment stays on record, and the
new payment is linked to it. A payment is not retried if:
- it is not in Failed status,
- it has already been retried successfully, or
- its payment method has been removed. In that case the donor needs to add a
new payment method, and you can then use Charge installment (below).
Things that also block a retry on a payment that belongs to a recurring plan:
the plan has been canceled, or the plan has no payment method on file. A
paused plan does not block a retry, and retrying does not resume the
plan.
On a single payment’s own page, the Retry payment button is not
available for test payments or offline (recorded) payments, so keep those
out of a bulk selection.
Retrying does not depend on your Dunning Flow setting. It works whether
Dunning Flow is on or off.
Important: a retry always uses the card or bank account the failed payment
used. It will not use a newer card you added afterward. For a new card, use
Charge installment.
Charge an installment on a plan
- Go to Recurring Plans, open the plan, and choose Charge installment.
- Check the amount and the payment method, then submit.
Things to know:
- Advance Installment Date is on by default. When it is on, the plan’s
next charge date moves forward as part of the charge, so the donor is not
billed again on the old date. Turn it off only if you want this to be an
extra charge and the plan’s regular schedule should stay exactly as it is.
- If you pick a different card here, only this one charge uses it. The plan
itself keeps its saved payment method. To make the new card the plan’s
payment method for future installments, also edit the plan and select the
new card under Payment method.
- If the plan is in dunning, the plan page also offers Charge or record
payment for this installment, which collects the specific missed
installment.
Resume a paused plan, or fix a date in the past
- Paused plans: open the plan and choose Resume, then pick the next
installment date. The date cannot be in the past. Resuming does not charge
anything by itself; the plan charges on the date you chose. Use Charge
installment as well if you need the money today.
- A next charge date in the past: the daily recurring charge run only
picks up plans whose next charge date is today. A plan whose date has
slipped into the past will not charge on its own later. Edit the Next
charge date to a current or future date, or run Charge installment
with Advance Installment Date on, which charges now and moves the date
forward in one step.
There is no bulk charge or resume for plans
The Recurring Plans list offers bulk Archive, Restore, Resync,
Tag, and Set end date. It does not offer a bulk charge, bulk resume,
or bulk date change. For many plans that need attention:
- Bulk Retry the failed payments from the Payments list.
- Open the plans that still need work one at a time to Resume, edit the
date, or Charge installment.
What happens automatically (and what does not)
- The Recurring Installment Failed messages are notifications to the donor.
They do not charge the card. You also have to create and enable those four
messages in your Triggers settings for donors to receive them.
- Updating a plan’s payment method — you in the dashboard, or the donor in
their portal — does not charge the missed installment. The plan simply
uses the new payment method on its next scheduled date. To collect the
missed installment, use Charge installment or Retry.
- Depending on your Dunning Flow settings, WeGive may attempt the plan’s
next regular installment, and organizations can turn on a Retry
payments option under Dunning Flow in Settings > Organization,
which is off by default. Do not count on these when you have a deadline;
collect the payments yourself with the steps above.
See also Understanding the Dunning Flow,
Editing or pausing a plan, and
Deleting and Restoring a Recurring Plan.Last modified on October 30, 2026