How to Explain Platform Fees to Your Donors (Without It Feeling Awkward) | Devotion Fund | Christian Fundraising for Missionaries & Volunteers

Sooner or later, a donor will ask some version of "how much of this actually gets to you?" It can feel like an awkward question to field, especially from someone who's already decided to support you. It shouldn't feel awkward. A donor asking that question is paying close attention to where their money goes — which is exactly the kind of donor worth having a straight answer ready for.

Why the question isn't a challenge

It's easy to hear "what's the fee?" as a donor questioning whether you're worth supporting. In practice, it's almost always the opposite: someone doing basic due diligence before or after committing to give, the same way they'd check a charity's overhead ratio before writing a check. Answering it well is a chance to demonstrate that you run things transparently — which is a point in your favor, not a defense you need to mount.

The one-sentence answer that works

Keep the answer short, specific, and unapologetic. A version like this covers almost every situation:

"About 93-95% of every gift reaches me directly, depending on how you give — Devotion Fund takes 5% on bank transfers (ACH/SEPA) or 7% on card to cover payment processing and running the platform, with no separate processing fee stacked on top."

Notice what that sentence does: it gives the actual numbers first, names the platform, and explains in a half-sentence what the fee covers, then stops. It doesn't apologize, doesn't compare itself defensively to every alternative, and doesn't bury the number in a paragraph the donor has to dig through. If you want the fuller comparison for your own reference — or for a donor who wants to go deeper — our platform fee breakdown lays out where 5-7% sits against other options.

Where this belongs on your page (and where it doesn't)

You don't need to lead with your fee structure in your fundraising page bio or your support letter — those are for your calling and your story, not your accounting. But a curious donor should be able to find a plain answer somewhere without having to ask you directly: an FAQ line on your page, or a sentence in your welcome email to new supporters. Donors who go looking for the number and can't find it anywhere tend to trust the arrangement less than donors who find it in ten seconds — even if the number itself is identical.

What to do if a donor wants to cover the fee themselves

Some donors, once they know the number, will ask whether they can add a bit extra to cover it so their full intended gift reaches you. That's a generous instinct worth making easy to act on — but keep it optional and visible, never a pre-checked default a donor would have to notice and uncheck. A default-on fee-cover option that a donor didn't consciously choose reads as a dark pattern the moment they notice it, and undoes exactly the trust a plain fee explanation builds.

What actually damages trust (it usually isn't the fee itself)

The research on this is fairly consistent across nonprofit and creator-support giving alike: donors are far less sensitive to a reasonable, disclosed fee than to the feeling that something was hidden from them. A 5-7% fee explained plainly rarely costs a gift. A donor who stumbles onto the number somewhere else, or gets a vague non-answer when they ask, is the version of this that actually erodes confidence — not in the fee itself, but in whether they can trust what else you haven't mentioned.

A short script for the moments this comes up

In person or on a call: "Good question — about 93-95% goes to me directly, Devotion Fund keeps 5% on bank transfers or 7% on card to run the platform and handle payments. No extra processing charge on top of that."
In an email reply: "Happy to answer that directly: the platform takes 5% on bank transfers or 7% on card, so about 93-95% of your gift reaches me depending on how you give. That's it — no separate processing cut."
On your page's FAQ: "Where does my gift go? About 93-95% goes directly to [name], depending on payment method — Devotion Fund takes 5% on bank transfers or 7% on card, with nothing hidden on top."

Same information, same tone, adjusted only for the format. Consistency across every place a donor might ask is what makes the answer feel like a fact rather than a talking point you reach for defensively.

Frequently asked questions

Should I tell donors about platform fees if they don't ask?
Put one honest sentence somewhere a curious donor can find it — your page or an FAQ — even if you don't lead with it in the ask itself.

What should I say if a donor asks how much of their gift reaches me?
State the actual percentage plainly in one sentence, without over-explaining or apologizing for it.

Is it okay for a donor to cover the processing fee?
Yes, if it's an easy, optional add-on rather than a default a donor has to notice and opt out of.

Does explaining fees actually hurt giving?
Rarely — donors are more bothered by discovering an undisclosed fee later than by a reasonable one explained plainly upfront.

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About the author

I'm Jussi, the founder of Devotion Fund. We built our platform around a simple, all-in fee (5% on bank transfers, 7% on card) specifically because we think missionaries should be able to answer this question in one honest sentence, not a paragraph of caveats.

Last updated: 2026-08-06.