Choosing the wrong partner for your roundup program can sink it before it starts. Whether your goal is to fundraise for a cause, help customers save, or enable micro-investing, the partner you choose will determine how seamless, scalable, and successful your program becomes.

A great roundup program partner is more than just a technology provider. They understand your goals, actively collaborate to engage your audience, and give you the tools to measure and improve results.

Here is how to choose wisely, with Olive’s insider tips.

1. Start with your goals

Before you even shortlist partners, get clear on what you’re trying to achieve.

• Donation programs: You will need strong compliance capabilities and ways to build emotional connections with donors. This means more than processing transactions. It is about storytelling and showing impact in real time.
  
  
• Savings programs: Look for partners who can reliably track transactions, preferably in real-time. This real-time engagement encourages savings behavior. You can send notifications in real-time or display progress visually in a dashboard so customers feel rewarded as they save.
  
  
• Investment programs: Ensure your partner can meet compliance requirements and integrate with and adjust to your program functions. Do you need different rounding rules for different levels of members or a built-in library of cashback offers? Also check that with your partner, you’re able to communicate investment growth in a way that is easy to understand.

Olive tip: In our article, How to Make Loyalty Feel Effortless (for You and Your Customers), we talk about “friction points,” those little obstacles that make people drop off. When choosing a roundup partner, test the experience as if you are a new user. If it takes more than 3 or 4 steps to enroll, you will lose engagement.

2. Must-have qualities in a partner

Not all roundup providers are created equal. The best ones will check these boxes:

Proven track record

Has the partner launched similar programs before? Look for case studies, client references and measurable outcomes. 

Transparent fees

You should know exactly what you are paying for. Confirm the cost per card or member, integration fees and ongoing charges. Beware of “low” upfront costs that hide high per-transaction fees.

Scalable technology 

Even if you start small, your partner should be able to handle thousands or hundreds of thousands of transactions without service interruptions. Ask about uptime, redundancy and how they manage load spikes during campaigns.

Integration flexibility

Whether you are card-linked, app-based or POS-integrated, your partner should work with your current systems and preferred payment processors. Bonus points if they can also integrate with popular payment gateways.

Security and compliance

This is non-negotiable. Especially if you are handling personal financial data, your partner should be PCI DSS compliant and meet all relevant regulatory requirements. 

Olive insider tip: When we work with partners, we recommend setting up a sandbox test before signing. This lets you see exactly how their technology behaves under real-world conditions and whether their “yes, we can” actually translates into performance.

3. Signs of a strong partnership fit

Beyond the tech, a good partner behaves like part of your team:

• Responsive support: You have a dedicated contact who knows your program and a responsive help desk support ticketing system to keep track of your issues.
• Willingness to co-create: They help consult on campaigns, feedback on launch assets or new functionality launches and share best practices from other clients.
• Clear data sharing: Dashboards and reporting are available so you can review your program and make data-driven decisions.
• Cultural alignment: They understand your mission and audience, not just your transaction volume.

If you’re looking for inspiration on how these qualities play out in real life, our article on What Brands Can Learn from LEGO’s Loyalty Strategy covers how one of the world’s most loved brands builds strong partner relationships.

4. Red flags to avoid

Even an impressive-looking vendor can be the wrong fit. Watch out for:

• Long, inflexible contracts that lock you in before you have tested the program with a sandbox
• Vague or evasive answers about security certifications, compliance or uptime
• Limited integration capabilities that force you to change your existing systems
• No clear success metrics, or an unwillingness to share performance data
• Over-promising without a clear project plan or timelines

Olive insider tip: You should be able to test a partner’s claims before committing. At Olive, we provide access to a sandbox environment and developer documentation so you can explore integrations, workflows and real transaction simulations before moving to production. If a partner is not willing to give you any kind of early technical access, it is worth asking why.

5. Set up for long-term success

Once you have found the right partner, build the foundation for sustainable results.

Start in the sandbox
Before integrating into your live environment, test your use case in the partner’s sandbox. This is the best way to confirm integrations work as expected, your customer experience is smooth, and you can simulate transactions without risk.

Build in feedback loops
Schedule regular reviews with your partner to review KPIs like participation rate, transaction volume, and contribution totals. Discuss what is working and what needs adjusting.

Integrate marketing and product efforts
Do not treat your roundup program as “just another feature.” Integrate it into campaigns, onboarding flows, and even customer service scripts.

Olive insider tip: Real-time impact notifications, like “Your $0.85 just helped provide clean water for a day,” can lift repeat participation by double digits. We have seen this firsthand with partners who used transaction-triggered messaging.

Bottom line:
The right roundup program partner will help you launch quickly, engage your audience meaningfully, and grow your impact over time. They’ll bring the right mix of technology, support, and shared vision, so you can focus on delivering results.

The bottom line

The right roundup program partner will help you launch quickly, engage your audience meaningfully, and grow your impact over time. They will bring the right mix of technology, support, and shared vision so you can focus on delivering results.

Ready to find your perfect fit?
Reach out to Olive today to schedule a demo and talk with a rounding specialist.