In this blog series, we introduce useful extensions for CiviCRM. Each month, we showcase one of the many extensions we have developed at SYSTOPIA over the years. This time, we're looking at the Twingle API Extension – a practical solution to automatically transfer donations from Twingle to CiviCRM.

What does the extension do?

Managing donations efficiently is essential for NGOs, foundations, and other organizations using CiviCRM. Twingle is a popular online fundraising platform specifically designed for organizations in Germany and Europe. It provides customizable donation forms with multiple payment options, optimized for both desktop and mobile devices, and is particularly well-suited for organizations operating within the European regulatory framework.

The Twingle API Extension solves a critical challenge: it creates a seamless connection between Twingle's donation platform and your CiviCRM system. Instead of manually transferring donation data or developing custom integration scripts, this extension automatically imports all donation information, saving time and reducing errors.

How does it work?

The Twingle API Extension establishes a secure bridge between CiviCRM and Twingle through a REST API connection. Once properly configured, donations submitted through Twingle forms are automatically processed and recorded in CiviCRM as contributions, with all relevant donor information properly managed.

Setting up the connection

The setup process involves several key components:

1. User and authentication setup: You'll need to create a dedicated user with appropriate permissions in your CMS (Drupal or WordPress) and assign an API key for secure authentication.
2. Extended Contact Matcher (XCM) configuration: The extension works with XCM to intelligently match incoming donor data with existing contacts or create new ones while preventing duplicates. XCM is another SYSTOPIA extension that provides sophisticated contact matching and de-duplication capabilities (learn more in our previous blog post about XCM).
3. Profile configuration: The extension uses profiles to determine how different donations should be handled, including payment methods, financial types, and group assignments.
4. Twingle account configuration: On the Twingle side, you'll configure your account to send data to your CiviCRM REST API endpoint with the appropriate credentials.

For detailed instructions, please refer to the comprehensive documentation available on civicrm.org.

Key features

The Twingle API Extension offers robust functionality to handle all aspects of donation management:

• Automated contribution creation: Donations from Twingle are automatically created as contributions in CiviCRM and assigned to existing or new contacts.
• Multiple payment methods: The extension supports various payment types including credit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, and SEPA direct debits.
• SEPA integration: When used with the CiviSEPA extension, the system can automatically create and manage SEPA mandates for one-off and recurring payments. This integration allows organizations to take control over recurring SEPA mandates, ensuring that transaction fees are only charged once rather than for each recurring payment.
• Flexible contact management: Intelligent contact matching prevents duplicates while properly handling new donors.
• Group subscription management: Donors can be automatically added to groups for newsletters, postal mailings, or donation receipts based on their preferences.
• Membership creation: The extension can set up memberships for donors based on their contributions.
• Recurring donation support: The system properly handles recurring donations with appropriate scheduling and management.
• Custom field support: Data can be mapped to user-defined fields in CiviCRM for organization-specific needs.

Real-world example

Here's a practical example of how the extension works:

When a supporter completes a donation on your Twingle-powered donation form, they provide their contact details and payment information. The Twingle API Extension receives this data and:

1. Uses XCM to check if the donor already exists in your database
2. Creates or updates the contact record accordingly
3. Records the contribution with the correct financial type and payment status
4. Creates a SEPA mandate if applicable
5. Adds the donor to requested groups (e.g., newsletter subscribers)
6. Sets up a membership if configured in the profile

All this happens automatically, without any manual intervention required.

Who is it for?

The Twingle API Extension is ideal for:

• Organizations already using Twingle and CiviCRM that want to automate their donation data flow and eliminate manual import processes.
• NGOs, foundations, and non-profits seeking an integrated fundraising solution that combines Twingle's user-friendly donation forms with CiviCRM's powerful contact and contribution management.
• CiviCRM users looking for reliable online donation processing with minimal technical overhead and maximum data integrity.

This extension significantly reduces administrative workload while ensuring that your donor data and contribution records remain accurate, consistent, and up-to-date across systems.

Technical requirements

The extension requires:

• CiviCRM 5.x or newer
• The Extended Contact Matcher (XCM) extension
• Optional but recommended: CiviSEPA extension for SEPA mandate management
• A properly configured Twingle account with API access

Anything else?

The Twingle API Extension represents our commitment to creating practical solutions that bridge the gap between CiviCRM and popular third-party services. This extension is actively maintained to ensure compatibility with both CiviCRM updates and changes to the Twingle platform.

If you use and benefit from this extension, we appreciate your support! Financial contributions help us ensure compatibility with future CiviCRM and Twingle updates, add new features, and improve functionality.

If you're interested in supporting this project, please reach out to us at info@systopia.de. Thank you!

Links

• Twingle API in the CiviCRM extension directory
• Twingle API on GitHub
• Twingle API documentation on docs.civicrm.org