Integrations
GCM is the system of record for your church — but it isn't the only system you use. You almost certainly have a payment processor that holds your merchant account, an email provider for outbound mail, a WhatsApp account members already chat with, and maybe a Zapier workflow that pipes new contacts into a spreadsheet your treasurer keeps "just in case."
The Integrations area is where you wire all of those into GCM. You configure each provider once, and from then on every part of the platform — manual sends, donation form, workflow automations, recurring billing — uses the same credentials.
What you can connect
| Integration | What it powers | Setup time |
|---|---|---|
| Payment gateway | Online donations, recurring giving, plan billing | 15 min |
| Email provider | Transactional mail, broadcasts, receipts | 5 min |
| Member messaging, workflow sends, reminders | 10 min | |
| SMS | Text alerts, two-step verification, reminders | 10 min |
| Zapier | Push GCM events into 6,000+ external apps | 5 min |
| Outbound webhooks | Trigger your own endpoints on GCM events | 10 min |
| API keys | Programmatic access for Zapier and custom tools | 2 min |
How each integration is configured
Two paths, depending on the kind of provider:
Channels (email, SMS, WhatsApp) live under Settings → Channels. Each channel slot — email, sms, whatsapp — has a provider dropdown. Pick a provider, paste credentials, hit save. The same credentials are then used by every sender in the app: the broadcast composer, workflow send_message steps, scheduled reminders, and the platform's transactional mail.
Payment gateways live under Settings → Payment gateway. You can stay on the platform default (everything works out of the box, GCM holds the merchant account) or switch to your own PowerTranz / Genius Checkout credentials so settlements land directly in your church's bank.
Zapier and webhooks live under Integrations → Zapier. Generate an API key, build your Zap (or your own HTTPS endpoint), and GCM will start posting events to it the moment they happen.
Platform defaults vs your own credentials
GCM ships with platform-managed providers for every channel. New organizations can send email, WhatsApp, and accept donations on day one with zero configuration. Most churches stay on the defaults for the first month, then switch one channel at a time as they outgrow the shared limits or want their own branding.
TIP
You can mix and match. Use the platform email default while bringing your own WhatsApp Business account, or run your own payment gateway while still using platform SMS for reminders. Each integration is independent.
Permissions
The Integrations area is gated by the zapier.manage permission for Zapier and org.settings.manage (or admin role) for everything else. Treasurers can typically view payment gateway settings but not edit them; only org admins can rotate API keys or change WhatsApp credentials.
| Capability | Admin | Treasurer | Staff | Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View payment gateway config | yes | yes | no | no |
| Edit payment gateway config | yes | no | no | no |
| Configure email / SMS / WhatsApp | yes | no | no | no |
| Create / revoke API keys | yes | no | no | no |
| View webhook delivery log | yes | no | no | no |
When integrations fail
Every integration logs to a delivery table so you can see exactly what GCM tried and what the provider said back:
- Channel sends appear in
message_logswith the provider's message ID and status. - Payment attempts appear in
payment_attemptswith the gateway response code. - Zapier deliveries appear in the Recent deliveries tab on the Zapier admin page.
- Inbound webhooks are logged to
webhook_event_log(visible to platform admins).
If a credential goes stale — a WhatsApp session expires, an API key gets rotated by the provider, a gateway password changes — you'll see failures pile up in these logs before members notice anything is broken. We send an admin email after 5 consecutive failures on any single channel.
Next steps
- Payment gateway — accept online donations.
- Email provider — branded outbound mail.
- WhatsApp setup — the highest open-rate channel.
- SMS setup — text reminders and alerts.
- Zapier — push events into your other tools.