Donor Covered Payment Processing Fees

51% of donors on Giving Forms and 59% of donors on Social Fundraising campaigns opt to cover payment processing fees. With no impact on conversion rates, enabling this feature is a no-brainer!

How To Enable 

Within Online Giving head to Online Giving > School-Level Settings > Donor Covered Fees

You'll be able to turn the feature on across Giving Forms and Campaigns, and determine if you want donors to opt-in (donors need to proactively check the box) or opt-out (the box is automatically checked).

Donor Experience on the Form

When a donor enters a gift amount:

• They'll see an optional checkbox inviting them to cover GiveCampus’s 3.2% payment processing fee.
• Covering fees is always optional and fully donor-controlled.
• This feature only work for Stripe schools.

What We’ve Learned So Far

As of Spring 2026, our findings show:

• No statistically significant impact on conversion rates for donors who see the option versus those who do not
• Strong donor adoption:
  • 51% of donors on Giving Forms opted to cover fees
  • 59% of donors on Social Fundraising campaigns opted to cover fees

These results allow us to confidently recommend utilizing this feature knowing it does not negatively impact fundraising performance.

How Donor Covered Fees Affect Campaign Totals

When donors opt to cover processing fees, these fees are included in your campaign totals.

What gets counted:

• The donor's original gift amount
• The processing fee amount they chose to cover
• Both amounts combined appear in your campaign total

Designation details:

• The original gift goes to the donor's selected designation
• The processing fee amount becomes undesignated funds
• In reports, you'll see both the designated gift and the undesignated fee coverage

• Why fees count toward totals: Donor-covered fees are part of the gift transaction. Donors are making a conscious choice to give additional money, so the fees represent real dollars raised during your campaign.

Reporting considerations: 

• When reviewing campaign performance, remember that donor-covered fees will increase your total dollars raised but won't increase your designated fund totals proportionally, since the fee portion is undesignated.

Frequently Asked Questions

What about recurring gifts?

Each recurring installment includes the option to cover processing fees. If the installment amount is changed by an admin or the donor, fee coverage will automatically be removed for future installments.

How does this appear in reporting?

• The full gift amount (including covered fees) is deposited into your bank account.

• You may add the donor_covered_payment_fee column to reports to see the portion covered by donors.

  calculating donor opt‑in percentage (measurement)

  To track how many donors choose to cover processing fees, follow these steps:

  1. Export the All Gifts Report for your chosen date range.
  2. Include the donor_covered_payment_fee column to view the fee amounts paid by donors.
  3. Calculate the opt‑in rate as follows: (# gifts with donor_covered_payment_fee > 0) ÷ (total gifts in the report).
     • For example, if 128 gifts have a fee amount and the report shows 250 total gifts, the opt‑in rate is 128 ÷ 250 = 51.2%.

  Additional tips:

  • Filter the report to include only completed gifts if you wish to omit refunded, failed, or test transactions.
  • Select a date range that aligns with your campaign or testing period to avoid volatile percentages.
  • To determine total donor-covered fees, sum the donor_covered_payment_fee values from the report.

  Checklist:

  • Export the All Gifts Report
  • Include the donor_covered_payment_fee column
  • Calculate the opt‑in rate

  This process offers a repeatable and auditable method to track adoption over time and compare performance across different cohorts, forms, or campaigns.

• In Designation Row Reports, covered fees appear as a separate, undesignated row.

FAQ — How do I export a pure gift amount versus the donor‑covered fee for CRM imports?

When exporting gifts for import into a donor database or CRM, include two columns: the total charged amount and the fee amount. Use these values to determine the net gift and the fee to record separately.

1. Required export columns

• donation_amount – the total amount charged to the donor, including the fee when applicable.
• donor_covered_payment_fee – the fee amount covered by the donor.

2. Calculating gift and fee amounts

• Net gift amount = donation_amount − donor_covered_payment_fee.
• Fee to record = donor_covered_payment_fee.

For example, if donation_amount is $103.20 and donor_covered_payment_fee is $3.20, record $100.00 as the net gift and $3.20 as the fee.

3. Export/import checklist

• Build an All Gifts report (or a similar report) and include both columns.
• Export the data as a CSV file.
• In your spreadsheet or import mapping tool, create a column that subtracts donor_covered_payment_fee from donation_amount to compute the net gift amount.
• Map the net gift column to your CRM’s gift amount field and map donor_covered_payment_fee to your CRM’s fees or processing account field.

4. Notes on import tools and direct integrations

• When using third‑party tools, refer to the tool’s documentation for mapping calculated fields.
• With the direct Raiser's Edge NXT integration, fee allocation is automated, and the fee is distributed proportionally across gift splits.

5. Reporting & reconciliation tips

• Always include donor_covered_payment_fee in reconciliation exports, as bank deposits reflect the full donation_amount.
• Filter out refunded or failed transactions if preparing an import of posted gifts only.

For example, in your CSV, add a new column for the net gift using a formula like:

NetGift = donation_amount − donor_covered_payment_fee

Use NetGift for gift amount mapping and donor_covered_payment_fee for fee mapping.

Can I enable this for only some forms or campaigns?

Yes! Once enabled you can disable from a specific campaign or from from Giving Experience > Form Settings & Display in the "Payment Settings" section. 

Are fees refunded when the gift is refunded?

Yes, the entire payment amount, including the fee (if the donor opt-ed to cover it) is refunded to the donor.

FAQ — How is the displayed fee calculated, and what do donors see?

• The donor-covered fee is 3.2% of the gift amount. The form displays the exact dollar value (not the percentage) in the checkbox label: "I would like to donate an additional $X.XX to cover transaction fees." As donors enter a gift amount, this value updates dynamically.

• Calculation and rounding: The fee is calculated as the gift amount multiplied by 3.2% and then rounded up to the nearest cent. This ensures the displayed fee is never less than the exact 3.2% value. For example, a large gift will show a fee that reflects the full calculated amount after rounding.

• The fee checkbox is optional. If a donor unchecks the box, the fee drops to $0.00 and only the gift amount is charged.

• Charge and reporting: When a donor opts to cover the fee, their card is charged the total (gift plus fee). The gift amount goes to the chosen designation, and the fee is recorded as undesignated funds. On the confirmation email, donors see a separate line item labeled "Payment Processing Fee: $X.XX."

• Explaining a large fee: You can explain that the fee displayed is the result of applying the fixed 3.2% rate to the entered gift amount. If a donor is concerned about the fee, you might say: "That number is 3.2% of the gift you entered—the form shows the exact dollar amount so you can verify the total. If you prefer, you can uncheck the box to only be charged your gift amount."

• Admin verification: Administrators can view the fee breakdown on the donation detail page under the "Payment Processing Fee" field. In reports, add the donor_covered_payment_fee column to export the fee amounts for each gift.

Ready to enable? Head to Online Giving > School-Level Settings > Donor Covered Fees to get started.