Scheduled Process Configuration Settings 

Student vs. Parent Email Alerts Configuration

Auto Pay Settings 

Payment Reminders 

Late Fee Settings 


Overview 

This article explains how to configure the scheduled process to submit automatic payments to Destiny Fundraising Manager (DFM) and import payments from Destiny Fundraising Manager into Aeries as part of the Aeries Payments system. The scheduled process can also process Late Fees and send payment reminders to students.


Only an Aeries Administrator can access the configuration page for the Payments scheduled process, located on the Destiny Fundraising Manager Nightly Process Configuration page.


The suggested workflow typically follows these steps:

  1. District adds a fee to the Student
    • This is done within the Payment Transactions page of Aeries.
  2. District creates Payment Schedule for Student
    • This is done within the Payment Transactions page of Aeries.
  3. Parent logs into the Parent Portal
  4. Parent sets up Auto Pay by saving their billing information with Destiny Fundraising Manager (this is a button within Aeries, if the District enables the permission)
    • This is done by clicking the setup link located on the Student Payment Information page within the Parent Portal, if the district has set up a Payment Schedule for the student.
  5. Parent or District enables Auto Pay for the Student
  6. Parent receives emails notifications after each Auto Pay transaction
    • These emails are automatically sent by the system and include payment details and confirmation.
  7. Parent view the Payment Schedule in the Parent Portal
    • If the district has granted the appropriate permission, the schedule appears on the Student Payment Information page.


Scheduled Process Configuration Settings  ↑

Once Aeries Payments has been set up, Aeries Administrators can enable a scheduled process that will perform the following actions:

  • Submit payments to Destiny Fundraising Manager for students with AutoPay turned on and whose scheduled payments are due
  • Pull existing transactions from students' active Destiny Fundraising Manager payment portals into the Payment Transaction Details (FTD) table in Aeries (only those that have not already been pulled into Aeries)
  • Apply Late Fees to students with past due scheduled payments
  • Send First Reminder and Second Reminder emails to students with upcoming scheduled payments
  • If Auto-Sync is enabled, a sync will automatically occur during the nightly process. This is a full 2-way sync of all transactions between Aeries and Destiny Fundraising Manager. This feature is necessary if data in the database is manually altered.


Select Aeries Payments > Configurations > Destiny Fundraising Manager Nightly Process Config in the navigation menu. The following page will display.




To configure the scheduled process in Destiny® Fundraising Manager Nightly Process Configuration, enter the following information:


Time
  • Enter the time of day the process should run.
  • You can type the time manually or click the clock icon to select from a list.
  • Note: The process runs daily to ensure all features are utilized.
Email Address
  • Enter one or more email addresses (separated by commas).
  • These addresses will receive a confirmation email each time the process runs.
Enable Scheduled Process
  • Click the Enable Scheduled Process button.
  • The status will change to “Enabled”.
  • Click Save to apply your changes.
Disable Scheduled Process
  • Once enabled, the button label changes to Disable Scheduled Process.
  • Click this button at any time to turn off the scheduled process.
Auto Sync
  • Check the Auto Sync box to enable a full 2-way sync of all transactions between Aeries and Destiny Fundraising Manager.
  • This is required if any data has been manually altered in the database to ensure consistency.

Run Now Options

There are two Run Now buttons at the bottom of the page for on-demand execution:


  1. Run Now (Scheduled Payments)
    • Executes all scheduled actions except Auto Sync.
    • This mirrors the automatic process that runs at the configured time.
  2. Run Now (Sync Transactions)
    • Performs a manual sync by pulling transactions from Destiny Fundraising Manager.
    • This process runs automatically 12 hours after the scheduled time.



Student vs. Parent Email Alerts Configuration ↑


To control who receives Payment Schedule email alerts, follow these steps in District Level > School Options > Other Settings:


  1. Treat Student as an Adult
    • Set this option to Yes to send email alerts directly to the student.
    • Set it to No to send alerts to the parent instead.
  2. Parent Account Requirements (if Treat Student as an Adult is set to No)
    • The parent account must be associated with the student.
    • The parent must have PWA.TY = 'P' (indicating a Parent account type).
    • The student must appear in Parent Web Account - Students (PWS) list. This linkage is automatically established when a parent account is connected to the student’s record in the Parent Portal.



Auto Pay Settings  ↑


Users can enable or disable the Auto Pay function for a specific student from the Payment Transactions page. To adjust this setting, the user must have update permissions for FTS.

  • The Auto Pay status value is stored in the FTS.ATP field for each student.
  • Auto Pay works in conjunction with Payment Schedules to automatically charge the card on file once a billing agreement has been set up.



NOTE: Auto pay must be enabled before Payment Schedules can be used. Auto Pay become available only after a billing agreement has been signed by the parent or guardian in the Parent/Student Portal.  To verify if Auto Pay can be enabled, check that FTS.CSU = 1, which indicates a valid billing agreement.  This field cannot be modified via SQL or Aeries query.


Payment Reminders  ↑

On the Destiny Fundraising Manager Nightly Process Configuration page, administrators can configure reminder emails to notify students of upcoming scheduled payments.


  • First Reminder: Enter the number of days before the payment due date to send the first reminder email.
  • Second Reminder: Enter the number of days before the due date to send a second reminder email.
  • Disable Option: Entering a value of 0 (zero) in either field will disable that specific reminder.

These reminders help ensure students are aware of upcoming charges and reduce the likelihood of missed payments.

 



Below is a sample of the first reminder email.



Below is a sample of the second reminder email for a student with Autopay set up.



Below is a sample of the second reminder email for a student without Autopay set up.



Late Fee Settings  ↑


Aeries can automatically apply Late Fees to students with past due scheduled payments.


To configure this feature:

  1. Navigate to the Destiny Fundraising Manager Nightly Process Configuration page.
  2. Click Enable Late Fee Process to activate the feature.
  3. Enter the Fee Amount and the Days After Due Date when the fee should be charged.
  4. Click Save to apply your changes.



  • Once saved, the scheduled process will automatically apply late fees when applicable.
  • A late fee is charged only once per scheduled payment cycle for each student.



Note: While the scheduled processes updates transactions for all students with active payment portals, you can trigger an immediate update for an individual student by visiting their Payment Transactions page.