“I love processing fees!” - No One Ever
With your giving platform, you can offer the option for givers to add a small percentage or dollar amount to their gift to help cover the processing costs.
This guide explains:
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How to enable the processing fee
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How givers experience this feature
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Common questions
NOTE: This feature is managed through Forms. It won’t be applied universally across every giving/payment form. Instead, you have total control over which forms offer this feature!
Video Overview
How to Enable Processing Fee
1. Navigate to your manager portal. Click on Forms tab in the menu on the left side of your screen.
2. Select a form to edit. (Or, create a new form!)
3. Click Form Properties in the bottom left corner. Note: You may need to click Actions first if your screen is condensed.
4. Navigate to the Payment tab of the Form Properties window.
5. Check ☑️ Enable Processing Fee.
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Choose Processing Fee Type (percentage amount or flat dollar amount)
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Select the Fee Type
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Enter a Processing Fee Amount for both Credit Card and ACH payment types.
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If you'd like the Cover Processing Fees box checked by default, select Default to Selected.
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Select Processing Fee Fund - you may choose to create a new Fund (See Fund Management) specifically for Processing Fee reporting)
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Select Total Giving Fund - think of this as a default fund (ex: General Giving, Operating Budget, or Tithes & Offerings) where gifts will associate if your giver does not select a fund.
6. Click OK to close the Form Properties.
7. If you're done editing your Form, select the blue Save button in the lower right-hand corner.
How Does This Appear for Donors?
Your online givers will have the option to help cover the processing fee. To do so, they simply check the box by ☑️ Add 2.5%* to help cover costs of processing.
After accepting the processing fee, a giver will see a new line item with the processing fee dollar amount and their updated gift total.
Note: *2.5% is an example. This figure will match the processing fee type and amount chosen in the form properties. (See step #5 above.)
Common Questions:
Does this mean our givers can pay our processing fees?
The Enable Processing Fee increases the gift/payment size to help cover the cost of processing; it does not waive the processing fee. Your organization will be charged for the processing fee of the total gift (processing fee included).
Example
Say your ministry activates this feature with a 2.5% processing fee amount. The following calculations were done with processing rates the following rates: 2.6% + $0.39 cents per transaction.
Nancy gives $100 to your church and accepts the processing fee. This adds 2.5% of the $100 to her original gift, increasing the gift total to $102.50.
Her gift is still subject to processing fees, but the fees are now based on $102.50.
As usual, your organization will receive the net amount in your deposit. Because Nancy accepted the processing fee, your organization receives $99.53 from her gift!
If Nancy hadn't accepted the processing fee, the net amount your organization would've received would be $97.10.
Does this feature impact reporting?
On your Transactions tab, you'll easily see when a giver has elected to help cover processing fees!
You may also chose to create a new fund specifically to track processing fees, to quickly and easily see the total amount in a certain time frame your givers have been additionally generous.
Can different forms have different processing fees?
Yes! You can select a percentage or flat dollar rate for each form uniquely. For example, enable 2.6% on your primary giving form and $5.00 on an event registration form.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions! We're here to help. 🙂
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