Processing Fees: Explained

We partner with Stripe to process all credit card transactions. If your organization has a Stripe account, we can connect to that account during onboarding. If your organization does not have a Stripe account, you will be prompted to create one through our Dashboard.

Every donation has a payment-processor fee plus a Kind Kiosk platform fee. Both are deducted automatically, and you'll see the remaining amount in your balance.

Tap or insert at the kiosk (card-present)

Stripe's transaction fee is 2.7% + $0.05 per transaction (as of January 1, 2025), plus a 3% Kind Kiosk platform fee.

QR code or online donations (card-not-present)

When a donor gives from their own phone via QR code, Stripe's standard rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, plus a 3% Kind Kiosk platform fee. Registered nonprofits can lower the Stripe portion with Stripe's nonprofit rate (see below).

Donor Advised Fund (DAF) donations

DAF gifts are processed through Chariot. Chariot charges 2.9%, plus a 1.9% Kind Kiosk platform fee.

Registered 501(c)(3)?

Stripe offers a discounted nonprofit rate that lowers the fees on QR code and online (card-not-present) donations. It takes about 5 minutes to request. See How to apply for Stripe's nonprofit rate for step-by-step instructions.

Donor Covered Fees

During the donation workflow, donors are asked if they would like to cover the transaction fees associated with their donation. If they choose “yes”, that covers both the processor and Kind Kiosk fees, so your organization receives 100% of the intended donation.

Because most donors tend to cover fees (typically 85%+), your organization will likely pay an effective fee of 0.5% or less. Donations default to covering the fees, but donors can choose not to. In that case, your organization covers the fees listed above.

For a more in-depth review of credit card processing fees and how they affect your fundraising, check out our blog.