Industry GuidesMarch 3, 2026·4 min read

Nonprofits: Processing Fees on Donations Are Reducing Your Impact

Every card donation loses 2%–3% to processing. Network Offset Pricing keeps more money going to your mission.

By Caroline W.

Key Takeaway

Every card donation loses 2%–3% to processing. Network Offset Pricing keeps more money going to your mission.

When a donor gives $100 by credit card, your nonprofit receives $97–$97.50 after processing fees. That 2.5%–3% may seem small, but on $200,000 in annual card donations, it's **$5,000–$6,000** that doesn't go to your mission.

For organizations processing $50,000–$500,000/year in card-based donations and payments, processing fees cost **$1,500 to $17,500 annually**.

Network Offset Pricing for Nonprofits

Donation/PaymentCash/CheckCard
$25 donation$25.00$26.00
$100 donation$100.00$104.00
$500 event ticket$500.00$520.00
$1,000 gala table$1,000.00$1,040.00
Monthly recurring $50$50.00$52.00

Why it works: Donors understand that processing costs reduce their donation's impact. Many appreciate the option to give via check/ACH so 100% goes to the mission. Event attendees accept the model as standard. Recurring donors switch to ACH for the lower amount.

Annual Card DonationsProcessing (2.8%)With NOP
$100,000$2,800~$0
$250,000$7,000~$0
$500,000$14,000~$0

Caroline W. covers payment processing for education, entertainment, and specialty businesses. A former nonprofit administrator, she understands budget-conscious organizations and writes with empathy for operators working within tight financial constraints.

$10,000+

in potential annual savings with optimized payment processing.

Get Started

The first step to reducing your processing costs is understanding exactly what you are paying today. Request a free statement analysis and we will show you a side-by-side comparison of your current costs versus what you could save with Network Offset Pricing.

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Caroline W.

Community & Specialty Business Writer

Caroline W. covers payment processing for education, entertainment, and specialty businesses. A former nonprofit administrator, she understands budget-conscious organizations and writes with empathy for operators working within tight financial constraints.

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