# Set up approvals

> Requiring a second person to sign off sensitive actions.

Source: https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/team/set-up-approvals/

**Who can do this:** Owner, Finance

DonorCARE can require a second person to sign off before a donation is voided — sometimes automatically, and sometimes because your organization has asked for it.

## Before you start

- This applies to voiding a donation. There is no plan requirement — every organization can use it.
- Know that one part of this is automatic and needs no setup at all: read the first step before assuming you need to configure anything.

## Steps

1. **Know the automatic rule.** If a team member whose only qualifying role is **Admin** tries to void a donation, DonorCARE always creates an approval request instead of voiding it immediately — whether or not your organization has turned anything on. An Owner or Finance member voiding a donation is not affected by this rule.

2. **Ask DonorCARE to require approval for every void, if you want it.** Beyond the automatic Admin rule above, an organization can require that **every** donation void — including ones started by an Owner or Finance member — goes through approval first. Turning this on for your organization isn't yet a self-service toggle inside Settings; contact DonorCARE to have it enabled.

3. **Decide whether a single finance operator can approve their own request.** By default, the person who requests a void cannot approve it — a second Owner or Finance member has to. If your organization only has one finance operator, open **Finance settings → Donation Void Approvals** and switch on **Allow self-approval of donation voids**. Every self-approval is still recorded in the audit trail, and DonorCARE recommends adding a second approver instead if you can.

   *Screenshot: the "Allow self-approval of donation voids" toggle in Finance settings.*
4. **Know what the requester sees.** When a void needs approval, the donation shows a **Void request pending approval** notice instead of voiding immediately, with the reason given and an **Edit reason** / **Cancel request** option. It stays this way — the donation is not voided — until someone decides it.

5. **Decide a pending request.** Open **Approvals**. Each pending request shows the donation's amount, donor and the reason given. Select **Approve** to carry out the void, or **Reject** to leave the donation as it is — either way, add a comment if you want the requester to see your reasoning.

   *Screenshot: the Approvals page showing a pending donation-void request with Approve and Reject.*
## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You try to void a donation and it doesn't void, just shows "submitted for approval" | Either your organization requires approval for all voids, or you hold only the Admin role. | Ask an Owner or Finance member to review it under **Approvals**. |
| You can't find an Approve or Reject button on a request | Your role can see approvals but can't decide them — only Owner and Finance members can. | Ask an Owner or Finance member to decide it. |

## Related

- [Roles and permissions](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/team/roles-and-permissions/)
- [See who changed a record](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/team/see-who-changed-a-record/)