Online Giving Fees and Donor Fee Coverage
Gifts processed through DonorDock Online Giving may include fees from both DonorDock and the connected payment processor. The amount your organization ultimately receives depends on the payment method used, the processing rate associated with your Stripe or PayPal account, and whether the donor chooses to help cover processing fees.
DonorDock also lets you control whether donors see a fee coverage option at all. These settings are managed from the main Online Giving configuration and apply across your Online Giving Forms.
DonorDock Platform Fee
DonorDock charges a platform fee on Gifts processed through Online Giving Forms. This fee is separate from the payment processing fees charged by Stripe or PayPal and helps support DonorDock's Online Giving tools and services. When logged into DonorDock and on your Online Giving Configuration settings, you can view your organization's platform fee by scrolling down under the Fees section.
Payment processor fees are determined by the processor and your organization's account. Stripe and PayPal may offer different rates depending on factors such as nonprofit eligibility, payment method, and account configuration, so the exact processing fee may vary between organizations and transactions.
Allow Donors to Cover Processing Fees
The main Online Giving configuration includes an "Allow Donors to Cover Processing Fees" setting that lets donors add an additional amount to help offset processing costs.
This setting is located in the Fee section on the left side of the main Online Giving configuration page.
When "Allow Donors to Cover Processing Fees" is turned on, donors can be shown an additional fee coverage amount during the giving process. The amount offered to the donor is calculated using the fee percentage and additional fee amount your organization configures.
When "Allow Donors to Cover Processing Fees" is turned off, the fee coverage option is removed from the donor-facing Giving Page. Donors will complete their Gift without being asked to add an additional amount for processing costs.
Turning off donor fee coverage does not remove the underlying DonorDock platform fee or payment processor fees that apply to the transaction. It only controls whether the donor can choose to contribute an additional amount toward those costs.
Configure the Fee Coverage Amount
When "Allow Donors to Cover Processing Fees" is turned on, you can set the percentage and fixed dollar amount DonorDock uses to calculate the fee coverage offered to donors.
The "Fee Percentage" is calculated from the donor's Gift Amount, while the "Additional Fee Amount" adds a fixed dollar amount to that calculation.
For example, if your Fee settings are:
"Fee Percentage" = 3%
"Additional Fee Amount" = $0.30
A donor making a $100 Gift would be offered the option to cover an additional $3.30 in fees:
$100 × 3% = $3.00
$3.00 + $0.30 = $3.30
If the donor chooses to cover the fees, their total charge would be $103.30. If they decline, they would be charged only their original $100 Gift Amount.
These settings control the amount DonorDock presents to the donor for optional fee coverage. They do not change the actual processing rates charged by Stripe or PayPal, which can vary by processor and payment method.
How Donor Fee Coverage Works
When a donor chooses to cover processing fees, the calculated fee coverage amount is added on top of the donor's intended Gift Amount rather than being deducted from that Gift.
For example, if a donor intends to make a $100 Gift and agrees to cover an additional processing fee amount, the donor is charged the $100 Gift plus the calculated fee coverage. The processor then deducts the applicable processing costs from the overall transaction.
If the donor declines the option to cover processing fees, the original Gift is still processed. The applicable DonorDock and payment processor fees are then handled according to your organization's current fee structure.
Donor fee coverage is optional for the donor. Enabling the setting gives them the opportunity to contribute toward those costs but does not require them to do so in order to complete a Gift.
Payment Processor Fees
Stripe and PayPal charge their own fees for processing payments. These fees are separate from DonorDock's platform fee and are controlled by the payment processor.
Processing rates can vary by payment method and the organization's processor account. For example, card, ACH, PayPal, or other available payment methods may not all use the same fee structure.
For the exact rates that apply to your organization, review the pricing and account information directly within Stripe or PayPal.
Legacy Fee Programs
Some organizations that began using DonorDock Online Giving under earlier fee structures may still have access to grandfathered fee programs. These options are no longer available to new organizations and will only appear for organizations that were already using them.
Legacy Donor Funded Platform Fees
Organizations using the legacy Donor Funded Platform Fee structure allow donors to optionally cover a flat 5% + $0.30 amount when completing an Online Giving transaction.
When the donor chooses to cover the fee, the additional amount is added to the intended Gift. Stripe deducts its standard processing fee, DonorDock receives the remaining portion of the donor-funded fee coverage, and the organization receives the original intended Gift Amount.
For example, if a donor gives $100 and chooses to cover the fee, the total charged is $105.30. If Stripe deducts $3.20 in processing fees, the remaining $2.10 of the fee coverage goes to DonorDock and the organization receives the original $100 Gift.
If the donor does not choose to cover the fee under this legacy structure, Stripe still deducts its normal processing fee, but DonorDock does not charge a platform fee.
For example, a $100 Gift where the donor does not cover fees would have the applicable Stripe processing fee deducted, while DonorDock would take no additional platform fee.
Legacy DonorDock TipBack
Some organizations may instead still use the legacy DonorDock TipBack program. TipBack is no longer available to new organizations beginning in August 2024, but organizations that were already participating may continue to have access to it.
With TipBack enabled, donors are given the option to make an additional contribution directly to DonorDock when completing their Gift. When a donor contributes through TipBack, DonorDock can reimburse the nonprofit for Stripe processing fees, up to the amount of the donor's TipBack contribution.
The TipBack amount is separate from the donor's Gift to the nonprofit. It is an additional contribution to DonorDock that may then be used to offset the organization's applicable Stripe processing costs.
Organizations that already use TipBack may continue under that grandfathered structure, but TipBack cannot be newly enabled for organizations that were not already participating.
Report on Online Giving Fees
Gift Reports in DonorDock include fee information so you can review how much was deducted from each transaction and what the organization received after fees.
The "Fee Amount" column is included automatically when you run a Gift Report. This shows the fee amount associated with each Gift.
DonorDock also calculates the "Net Amount" by subtracting the "Fee Amount" from the "Gift Amount".
For example, if a Gift has:
"Gift Amount" = $100.00
"Fee Amount" = $3.20
The "Net Amount" would be $96.80.
You can also add the "Donor Covered Fees" column to the report. This column displays True or False to show whether the donor elected to contribute an additional amount to help cover processing fees for that Gift.
These fields can be useful when reconciling Online Giving activity, reviewing processor costs, or comparing donor-covered and organization-covered transactions.