If you’ve been working in nonprofits for a while, then you know that providing an easy way for donors to give online is one of the most powerful tools in your fundraising toolbox.
It opens doors for more people to support the causes they care about, no matter where they are.
But there’s one small hiccup you often run into: credit card fees and payment processing costs.
In this post, you’ll learn:
While many online fundraising platforms—especially the free ones—give you the option to ask your donors to cover these fees, it’s not always as simple as it sounds.
Some platforms can make it difficult to manage these costs in a way that’s both cost-effective for your nonprofit and comfortable for your donors.
So, let’s break down how you can ask donors to help cover credit card processing fees in a way that’s transparent, donor-friendly, fair, and even beneficial to them (and your nonprofit).
Here’s the short answer, before we get into the details.
Most donors say yes when the ask is handled well. Nonprofit fundraising expert Claire Axelrad of Clairification puts opt-in rates at roughly half to two-thirds of supporters when the choice is spelled out plainly and honestly.
What “handled well” looks like:
- Leave the box unchecked. The decision should belong to the donor, not to your form.
- Keep the ask close to what your payment processor actually charges you. Around 3–4% lines up with standard merchant rates, so it reads as fair rather than arbitrary.
- Show the new total on screen the moment they check the box, so nobody is guessing at what they’ll be charged.
- Frame it around the mission. “Help your gift go further” lands better than a line about your transaction costs.
- Thank them for the combined total, and say on the receipt that the full amount is tax-deductible.
The rest of this post covers each of these in more depth, along with copy you can borrow.
💡 Did you know? The average monthly donor gives $660 per year with the 4aGoodCause platform. Learn how the 4aGC Monthly Giving Toolkit helps you build a loyal base of recurring donors who are passionate about your cause.
Why asking your donors to cover fees matters
You want donors to have as many ways to give as possible so that they can choose what’s convenient for them.
However, when nonprofits do online digital giving and offer online transactions with whatever payment method the donor prefers—debit cards, credit cards, PayPal, digital wallets like Apple Pay, and other online payments—there are payment processing costs. You can ask your donor to help cover them, you just have to know how.
You just have to know how to ask your donors to cover the processing fee.
When donors give, they want their full donation amount to make a bigger impact.
But if your processing costs are 3–4% per donation, you’re losing that portion of every gift to donation processing. For a $100 gift, that’s $3 to $4 that never reaches your programs or services.
Over hundreds or thousands of online gifts, this loss becomes significant.
By offering a clear, respectful way for donors to cover transaction fees, you can recover a larger portion of each total donation—without increasing your fundraising expenses.
How to make the fee a part of the donation
A simple checkbox on your donation page can provide your donors with the option to add-on an additional gift to cover your processing fees. (Some platforms call these online giving forms and some call them donation pages, but the mechanics of an optional checkbox are the same.)
This supports both donor engagement and donor retention. When setting up your online donation form, add this checkbox to give donors a choice to give more; as an organization, you can then use these ‘additional gifts’ as a way to cover your processing fees.
On 4aGoodCause, nonprofits can easily enable a checkbox on their donation forms that reads as follows:
Round up my gift to $X to help offset processing fees
This checkbox provides additional money (4% rounded to the next whole dollar amount) for your nonprofit while educating donors on your costs.
It also gives donors another opportunity to go beyond to help your nonprofit. It makes them feel even better about their gift.
DO make the donor opt-in optional
Make sure the checkbox is optional and not pre-checked.
When you program your form to pre-check the fee option it can come across as required.
People are much more likely to feel comfortable about making a small additional donation when they know they have control over their decision.
No one likes to be caught off guard by a charge they didn’t explicitly agree to. It’s all about building trust to turn a one-time donor into a recurring donor.
DO make it a reasonable percentage
If you’re asking for a percentage to cover the fees, 3-4% is a reasonable range to start with.
This closely aligns with most payment processing fees you’ll pay, so it feels fair to donors and is manageable for you. Run the math against your own average gift size before you settle on a number: 4% of a $35 gift is pocket change, while 4% of a $500 gift is a real ask. (But keep in mind, at 4aGC, donor tips are optional for all, including your ability to add it on the form)
Asking for too much could hurt your conversion rates or cause hesitation, especially for first-time online donors. Which is why we cap optional tips on 4aGC at 4%.
📚Learn more: VIDEO – Beyond the Card: The Best Payment Options for Your Donors (Q&A)
DO calculate totals in real-time
Make sure donors can see the full amount they’ll be paying, including the additional fee, so that donors can see exactly what their total donation amount will be before they finalize their gift.
This ensures they understand exactly what they’re contributing to, and it builds trust.
⭐️ Ready for consistent donations with less planning hassle? Monthly givers have a 83.6% average retention rate. Discover how 4aGoodCause helps you build a loyal base of recurring donors who are passionate about your cause.
Ready for consistent donations with less planning hassle? Monthly giving accounted for 27% of all online revenue in 2025, and 71% of sustainers were still giving a year after they signed up (M+R Benchmarks 2026). On 4aGoodCause, recurring donor retention rates run as high as 90%. Discover how 4aGoodCause helps you build a loyal base of monthly donors who are passionate about your cause.
DO make the whole amount the gift
If you are adding an “add-on” to cover processing fees, it’s important to ensure that this extra contribution is still treated as a donation. (think “gift” + “add-on donation” when setting this up on your form).
That way, a larger percentage remains tax-deductible, and the donor’s tax deduction reflects what they actually gave (this will depend on the type of gift, donation or event ticket purchase made online—the IRS treats event tickets and other gifts where the donor gets something of value in return as quid pro quo contributions, which are only partly deductible).
The key is to make sure that the entire amount of the gift is going to your nonprofit.
DON’T let your fundraising platform siphon the add-on donation offer for itself
Choose a platform that allows you to keep 100% of those extra contributions.
If the platform takes a cut of the tips or adds extra charges for handling this option, it could negate the benefit for your nonprofit.
📚Read more: Full Cost Analysis: The Real Cost of Free Fundraising Software
DON’T choose a fundraising platform that charges platform fees
It’s crucial that you’re transparent about any hidden costs or additional platform fees your donors might face.
Some fundraising software platforms add an additional “platform transaction fee” for themselves.
These platforms can ask donors to “tip” to help offset that fee, as well as the normal 2-3% payment processing fee.
If your fundraising platform charges high fees to donors (especially ones that charge massive tipping percentages to cover processing fees between 5 and 20 percent), it can be a poor donor experience.
Donors will see high percentages as exorbitant and may wonder how fiscally responsible your organization is.
Platforms like 4aGoodCause ensure that 100% of donor-covered fees and tips go back to your organization—not ours.
📚 Did you know? “Free” fundraising software can cost you (and your donors) a ton. Our team did a full analysis: The Real Cost of Free Fundraising Software.
DON’T relegate these additional fee coverage options just to donations
Don’t limit this option to just general giving.
Add the donor-covered fee checkbox to fundraising events, ticket sales, peer-to-peer fundraising pages, and registration pages too.
Whether someone is donating $50 during your Giving Tuesday campaign or registering for a $200 gala, they can be given the option to go the extra mile and ensure their full contribution supports your mission.
And, as suggested above with real-time calculations, if you use it on event registrations, create a line item on the receipt to show that extra amount as a donation.
By setting up your donation form to offer an option of an additional gift and communicating to donors that the ‘addition’ is one that you’ll be using to help to cover processing fees, donors can feel good about making an added difference and you can keep a larger portion of the funds processed through your website.
It’s a win-win for everyone!
Donor ask templates for payment processing fees
If you’re not a 4aGC client, to get you started, I’ve created these templates that can help you personalize gentle language for the “processing fees ask,” language with your donor’s experience in mind.
Feel free to take these and make them your own!
However, an important note here: On the 4aGC platform, we have these best practices already built-in, so no need to worry about getting the ask just right. Optional donor tipping within 4aGC allows donors to opt-in to cover 4% rounded to the next whole dollar amount (if they like!). And all those tips? They go straight to your nonprofit. Not us.
Checkbox copy templates
This is the copy we use in the 4aGC platform, and it automatically calculates the rounded amount based on your donor’s gift:
Round up my gift to $X to help offset processing fees.
Below, here’s some wording you can use if you’re not a 4aGC client:
- “Yes, I’d like to cover the [___]% processing fee so my full donation goes to [CAUSE/ORG NAME].”
- “Round up my gift to $[___] to help cover donation processing fees.”
- “Add $[___] to help cover the cost of processing this transaction.”
- “Make my total gift $[___] so [ORG NAME] receives the full amount I intended.”
- “I’d like to help by covering the transaction fee of $[___].”
- “Yes, I’ll cover transaction costs so [ORG NAME] receives my full gift.”
🧐What if there’s an easier way to maximize donations? There is. It’s called recurring monthly giving, and it generates 2.4X more revenue on average than one-time gifts. And our Monthly Giving Toolkit simplifies the whole program.
Inline message templates for your donation page
If you don’t have an “opt-in checkbox” option at checkout, here are a few other messaging suggestions:
- Processing fees take a small percentage out of every online gift. If you’d like to help us receive your full intended donation, you can add a little extra to cover those fees. Thank you for going the extra mile!
- Adding just $[___] more to your donation helps cover the processing cost and ensures 100% of your gift supports [MISSION/PROGRAM NAME].
- Want to make an even bigger impact? Covering the [___]% fee helps [ORG NAME] keep every dollar of your generosity.
- Your gift of $[DONATION AMOUNT] is powerful. You can help us keep every penny by covering the small processing cost of $[FEE AMOUNT].
- We pay small transaction fees to process online gifts. You can help us reduce this cost by adding a small extra amount to your total donation.
Asking donors to help cover processing fees may feel small, but when done well, it’s a powerful tool in your nonprofit fundraising strategy.
It helps you keep more of what you raise and provides a more transparent giving experience.
With a few small changes to your donation page and a respectful message, you’ll empower your supporters to go the extra mile… and create a bigger impact with every gift.
Questions nonprofits ask us about fee coverage
Do donors mind being asked to cover the processing fees?
Most don’t, as long as the ask is optional and plainly worded. The supporters who opt in tend to be the ones who already feel close to your work; they like knowing exactly where their money goes. If you want a read on your own donors rather than an industry average, A/B test two versions of the ask on your donation forms for a month, or add a question about it to your next donor engagement survey. A short survey of your own people usually tells you more than a benchmark does.
How do we keep track of donor-covered fees once the gifts come in?
Record the add-on as part of the gift in your donor database, not as a separate line of income. The receipt your donor gets should show one combined total, so their tax deduction matches what they actually gave and your reporting shows the same number. When your fundraising platform treats the add-on as part of the gift—as 4aGC does, and we do this automatically for you and your donors—your books and your receipts agree without manual reconciling, and covered costs never look like a separate transaction. It’s also worth explaining fee coverage in your regular fundraising communications. Donors who understand why the option is there are more likely to use it the next time they give.
How can your nonprofit keep more of every dollar raised?
Start by choosing fundraising software that prioritizes your mission and your donors.
With 4aGoodCause, you get flexible payment processing options designed to fit your needs. And your organization gets to keep 100% of those optional donor tips to help you cover payment processing fees.
4aGC supports both Authorize.net and Stripe as secure payment processors, or you can process secure payments directly through us if you don’t already have a provider. We also offer free payment processing audits to help you find the option that saves you the most on fees—book a demo and mention the audit.
Ready to raise more with less stress?
We’d love to show you all that 4aGC can offer to your organization. Check out all the easy-to-use features or schedule your demo today.
