There are a few types of donation fees and deductions:
Cause Support Fee:
This is based on the cost of Benevity's due diligence, collecting and processing donations, disbursing funds, and preparing donor receipts and cause reports. These costs can vary across clients, depending on the size and nature of their programs, the countries in which they are operating, and other factors. In some cases, our clients wish to cover this deduction.
Merchant fees:
When donations are made via credit card, Apple Pay, or PayPal, a payment processing fee is deducted to cover third-party “merchant account” or “interchange” fees charged to the Foundations (the “Merchant Fees”). These Merchant Fees may be shared between the payment processor and the Foundation.
These fees cover the costs associated with processing a credit card, PayPal, or similar transactions. The fee can vary based on the payment card type or process used to complete the transactions.
Manual check fee:
If your organization receives disbursements by paper check instead of electronic payment, a manual check fee may apply.
Benevity covers check fees on your first two disbursements. After that, an administrative surcharge of $35 or 8% of the total disbursement (whichever is greater), up to a maximum of $125, is deducted from the pooled donations earmarked for your organization. The fee is applied to the combined total of donations made across Benevity clients to your organization in that disbursement, not as a separate charge for each individual donation.
There is also a minimum check threshold of $100 before a check is mailed. Donations below that threshold are aggregated. Under-threshold amounts for a calendar year (January through December) are typically mailed in January or February of the following year to the mailing address in your Benevity Causes Portal profile.
To avoid manual check fees and receive funds faster and more securely, switch to electronic payments (ACH/EFT):
- Sign in to your Benevity Causes Portal profile at causes.benevity.org.
- Select Update Your Donation Payment Method in the left navigation.
- Follow the steps to provide your banking information.
Lifting Fees (International Bank Fees):
When receiving funds internationally via wire transfer, your own financial institution—or the intermediary banks they use—may charge a “lifting fee” to process the incoming payment.
Why this happens: These fees are independent of Benevity and are charged by the banking network (often via the SWIFT system) for the service of moving money across borders and converting currencies.
Variable costs: The amount deducted can vary significantly depending on your bank's specific policies and the number of intermediary banks involved in the transfer.
Recommendation: We recommend contacting your bank's wire department to understand their fee structure for international incoming wires, as these costs are not captured in the donation reports provided by Benevity.
Learn more in the Benevity Fee Schedule.