How Givebutter is free: donor tips explained
Givebutter charges an organization nothing while donors are asked to tip it. The tip pays Givebutter, and Givebutter absorbs the card fees donors do not cover. This guide shows who pays what on a $50 and a $100 gift, what watchdogs and donors say about pre-filled tips, what turning tips off costs, and the fine print on Givebutter's guarantee.
How the free mode works
Givebutter's core product costs $0. For each campaign, the organization picks one of two modes.
| Setting | Platform fee | Card processing | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optional donor tips on | $0 | $0 to the organization (the Givebutter Guarantee) | The donor pays any tip and may cover the processing fee. Givebutter absorbs what donors do not cover |
| Tips off | 3% of every donation | 2.9% + $0.30 for cards and wallets; 1.9% + $0.30 for ACH (verified nonprofits only) | The organization, unless donors cover the fees |
Givebutter says tips go to Givebutter and never come out of the amount donated to the organization. With tips on, donors also see the processing fee, and it cannot be hidden. With tips off, the organization can ask donors to cover the fees, require it, or absorb them. Givebutter publishes these prices on its pricing page. What its pages do not say is which tip a donor sees first.
What a donor pays
In every row but the last, the organization receives the gift. What changes is who pays Givebutter and the card fee.
| What the donor does | $50 gift | $100 gift | Organization keeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tips on, removes the tip | $50.00 | $100.00 | The gift |
| Tips on, covers processing only | $51.80 | $103.30 | The gift |
| Tips on, keeps a 10% tip | $55.00 | $110.00 | The gift |
| Tips on, keeps a 15% tip and covers processing | $59.30 | $118.30 | The gift |
| Tips off, covers all fees | $53.30 | $106.30 | The gift |
| Tips off, nobody covers | $50.00 | $100.00 | $46.75 on $50, $93.80 on $100 |
Tips are set as percentages. Ten percent is the tip in Givebutter's own help article on tips. In June 2026 the consumer watchdog Truth in Advertising reported that on one campaign page, a 15% tip and the processing fee were already added, so a $500 gift came to $590 unless the donor opted out. Givebutter did not answer its request for comment.
Donors can lower or remove the tip: Givebutter's help says to change the tip amount to Other, and Givebutter refunds a tip on request. At 15%, the tip is larger than the fees it replaces: $7.50 on a $50 gift, more than twice the $3.25 an organization pays with tips off.
What an organization keeps in a month
Take $5,000 a month in $50 gifts (100 gifts), paid by card, with no donor covering a fee.
| Setting | Platform fee | Card processing | Organization keeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tips on | $0 | $0 | $5,000.00 |
| Tips off | $150.00 | $175.00 | $4,675.00 |
Tips off costs $325 a month, or $3,900 a year. With tips on and nobody tipping, Givebutter absorbs the $175.00 in card fees and earns nothing from those gifts. If every donor kept a 15% tip, donors would pay Givebutter $750 across the month, or $375 if half did. The cost has moved from the organization to its donors.
What donors and watchdogs say
No survey has asked donors about platform tips alone. This is what is on the record.
- Donors want low extras. In a May 2026 Give.org survey of more than 1,500 US adults, only 13% of people who give through online platforms called total fees above 15% acceptable, counting tips. A 15% tip plus processing is above that line.
- Watchdogs want donors to opt in. About pre-filled tips, CharityWatch told CNN: "As a watchdog we deeply dislike that."
- Regulators are asking. In March 2026, attorneys general and charity regulators from 21 states pressed GoFundMe to disclose its opt-out tips prominently. The letter is about GoFundMe and is not a finding that it broke a law.
- Organizations hear about it. A request on Givebutter's own community board to change how the tip appears at checkout had 98 votes in November 2026.
- Courts have not ruled. As of November 2026, two proposed class actions claim Givebutter adds its tip and fee without consent. They are allegations.
Givebutter's side: the tip is optional, donors can remove it, and Givebutter says most donors are happy to give it.
The guarantee's fine print
Givebutter's Terms call the guarantee a credit program. Givebutter sets its coverage and limits at its discretion, and encouraging donors not to cover fees can end an account's place in it. The pricing page does not mention limits. The guarantee also does not reach payment methods without tip support (DAFpay and in-person card hardware), recurring plans that began before September 9, 2025, or campaigns with tips off.
The prices above are Standard pricing, for accounts created on or after September 9, 2025. Older accounts stay on Legacy pricing unless they switch. Givebutter's blog post on the guarantee lists Legacy fees with tips off as 1% on donation forms, 3% on fundraising pages and 5% on events and auctions.
Before you turn tips on
- Preview as a donor. Open the campaign page, see which tip is filled in and how a donor removes it, before you share it.
- Tell donors what the tip is. A short note helps donors who expect their whole payment to reach the cause.
A note you can copy for your campaign page: "The optional tip below goes to Givebutter, which runs this page. You can change it or remove it, and the organization receives your gift either way."
If you want no tip prompt
Payly's donation form never asks a donor for a tip. It takes no platform fee and no commission, and it has no monthly fee or transaction fee. Its cover-the-fee box starts unticked, so donors opt in. The organization pays PayPal's or Stripe's standard fee on each gift unless a donor ticks the box. On the monthly example, $5,000 in $50 gifts paid by card leaves $4,825.00, $150.00 more than Givebutter with tips off. With tips on, Givebutter costs the organization nothing, which Payly cannot match; that cost falls on the donors who keep the tip.
Givebutter also offers fundraising pages for supporters, year-end summaries and widgets for other websites. Payly's donation form has none of these. The steps are in Let donors cover the processing fee and Set up a donation form, or create a free Payly account.
Questions
Is Givebutter really free?
For the organization, yes, while optional donor tips are on: no platform fee and no processing fee. With tips off, it takes 3% plus 2.9% + $0.30 on card gifts.
How does Givebutter make money?
Its pricing shows three sources: the tips donors add, the 3% it takes on campaigns with tips off, and Plus, an optional paid add-on.
Is a tip filled in for donors?
Givebutter's pages do not say. Truth in Advertising reported a 15% tip already added on a campaign page in June 2026. Preview your own campaign as a donor to see yours.
Prices as published by each company for the US in November 2026. Prices can change; check each company's own pricing page.
