Click & Pledge offers a feature in CONNECT that allows donors to help cover platform, processing, or other overhead costs on your donation forms. This optional contribution enables your organization to receive the full donation amount when donors choose to cover those extra costs. For a broader overview of Campaign and Payment Form settings, see: CONNECT: Campaigns & Payment Forms
Compliance Reminder
Before enabling this option, be sure to check any legal or regulatory requirements in your jurisdiction. Some laws may prohibit passing fees to donors. Always consult with your legal counsel.
You should also review credit card network policies:
Enable Donor Offset
1. Open the Donor Offset settings in CONNECT:
- Click Campaigns & Forms from the left menu.
- Click the name of the Campaign you want to edit.
- In the left sidebar, click Campaign Details.
- Scroll down and click Donor Offset Fees to expand the section.
2. Change the setting from Disabled to one of the following:
- Enabled – Automatic: The fee is added by default and donors cannot opt out
- Enabled – Opt In: Donors choose whether to add the fee
- Set a Default Option to control whether the fee is selected by default when the form loads:
- Opted In*: The fee is selected by default
- Opted Out: The donor must actively choose to add the fee
*Note: Based on feedback from many organizations we work with, setting the default to Opted In results in a majority of donors leaving it selected and covering the additional fee.
3. Choose how the fee is recorded in the transaction
If the fee is tax-deductible, leave it as two line items for accounting purposes. (If you use Salesforce, this will create two Opportunities.)
If it is not tax-deductible, check "Combine additional fee with item amount and post as one line item" to merge it with the donation. (If you use Salesforce, this will create one Opportunity.)
Customize the Fee
You can adjust all the following:
- Verbiage displayed to the donor
- Receipt item name
- SKU and GAU mapping
- Fee percentage
- Tax-deductible portion
Click the UPDATE button to save your changes.
Set an Effective Net Rate
This advanced setting calculates the fee needed to recover your exact costs:
- Enter your operational overhead fee in the Additional Fee section.
- Check the box: Adjust Fee to match the Effective Net Rate.
- Click UPDATE.
What Donors See
The additional fee option will appear on the donation form only after the end-user selects a donation amount. This keeps the form clean and focused until a value is entered.
It's a good idea to test your form after enabling this feature. Pull up the live donation form, walk through a sample donation, and make sure the fee option displays and behaves as expected based on your settings. This helps ensure a smooth donor experience and avoids surprises during live transactions.