Shelterpay was designed and built to make your checkout process easy, efficient, and paperless. Shelterpay's donation boost has generated more than $16 million in donations directly to organizations just like yours! This article will walk you through the entire process from start to finish and answer all of your key questions. For an overview of what Shelterpay is, please read Shelterpay: What is Mobile Checkout?

Configuration prerequisites

Before you complete an adoption outcome, you will need to make sure you have the following items configured and set up properly in your Shelterluv account:

$0 adoptions vs paid adoptions with Shelterpay

The adoption outcome process for paid vs. $0 adoptions is exactly the same. If you plan to utilize Shelterpay for your $0 adoptions (highly recommended), make sure to have a $0 adoption price group set up for each species you work with and an easily recognizable name like "Shelterpay Adoption - $0". Here are just a few reasons why you would want to process your $0 adoptions with Shelterpay:

• Paperless, digital adoption contract signing (great for remote adoptions!)
• Receive donations! (77% of adopters donate an average of $20 through this feature)
• Ensure the adopter sees and signs all the necessary waivers and disclaimers needed to set them up for a successful adoption —especially important with harder-to-adopt animals
• Easily email all of your adoption documents such as your system-generated medical history, digitally signed contract, receipt, disclaimers, and Digital Adoption Packets to the adopter at the end of the transaction. Save time and paper!

Whether you're allowing a foster to complete their adoption from the comfort of their own home, looking to complete adoptions more quickly during a busy event, or simply hoping to simplify the checkout process and increase donations, Shelterpay is the perfect solution for your $0 adoptions. 

If you are interested in how to process adoptions that take place offsite at a retail location or similar, you can also check out our article on the best way to process offsite adoptions.

Processing an adoption outcome with Shelterpay

Adding the animal record to your shopping cart

To begin, navigate to the "Animals" tab on the adopter's person record. From there, select the blue "Add Animal" button and choose "Adopt" from the dropdown menu.

Once you select "Adopt" from the dropdown menu, you will be presented with a list of in-custody, adoptable animals. Once you have located the appropriate animal record, select the blue "Adopt Now" button and then choose from one of your configured adoption outcome subtypes from the dropdown menu. Once you select the appropriate subtype, select the grey "Checkout" button.

Note that you can add multiple animal records from this screen if needed!

Once you select the grey "Checkout" button, the animal record will be in your shopping cart. From your shopping cart, you have the option to add another animal record, add non-adoption items such as a collar or pet food, and the option to text the checkout to the adopter.

Remember, even though the screenshot below shows an adoption price group of $100, the process is identical for any $0 adoptions you may be processing. If an animal record needs to have its price discounted down to $0, you can do so via the "Special Discount" field.

Sending the Shelterpay checkout link to the adopter

Once you have all the needed items/animal records added to your shopping cart, select the blue "Continue with Payment" button. Once selected, you will be presented with your configured adoption outcome form followed by your configured checkout form.

Once both of these forms are filled out, you will be presented with an Add Donation form. We recommend only using this option IF the adopter has previously started the "I'd like to donate" conversation with you. Assuming they have not done so, leave the form blank and select the blue "OK" button to let Shelterpay do the asking for you. For more details on this, please review Why are there two donation pages in the credit card checkout flow?

Once you select the blue "OK" button, you will see the form shown below. From here, you can select the blue "Text Link" button to send the checkout link directly to your adopter's phone for them to complete. You can also update the adopter's number as needed.

If the adopter does not have a smartphone or you are utilizing a tablet/computer to complete the adoption, choose the "Use this device" option. This option will show the adopter the exact same checkout that they would see if the link was texted to them in a new tab.

You can also use the "Email to [Adopter Name]" option to send the checkout link directly to their email address.

The Shelterpay checkout

Once the adopter receives the link to complete the checkout, they will be able to:

• Review the purchase
• Read and agree to any adoption disclaimers that may apply
• Read and agree to the adoption contract
• Apply their digital signature to the adoption contract and the adoption disclaimer document
• Review their Best for Pets offer(s)
• Give an optional one-time or monthly donation to your organization
• Opt-in or out of the cover fees donation and submit payment details
• Receive a $15 Chewy coupon

For a complete walk-through of the checkout and donation boost process, please watch the video at the beginning of this article, click through the slideshow below, or text "CAT" or "DOG" to 1-650-240-4964. Canadian users should text 1-289-274-3780.

• Review purchase and charges
  
• Agree to any adoption disclaimers if applicable
  
• Read and agree to your adoption contract
  
• Apply their digital signature to your adoption contract and disclaimer document
  
• Review their pet insurance offer
  
• Give a donation to your organization
  
• Opt-in or out of covering your organization's processing fees and submit payment
• Payment confirmation and free Chewy coupon

Finalizing the adoption transaction

Once the adopter completes the checkout on their end, you will receive a green notification in your Shelterluv account and will have the "Complete transaction" option in your shopping cart manager.

Select the "Complete Transaction" button. If the adopter donated, you will have the option to code the donation's department and fund along with adding a donation memo if needed. Once you have completed this form, select the blue "OK" button and add a transaction memo if needed.

From there, you will be presented with the document delivery form to either email or print all the animal's important documents. Once you select the blue "Complete" button, the animal record's adoption outcome will be completed and will no longer appear in your in-custody animal population. You can configure document delivery email as well. For details on this, please review How do I configure the email sent to adopters with their digital documents?