Cover-the-Fees™: A Win-Win for Churches and Donors

If you’re anything like the average church, then over half of your church members donate. 

And at least 20% of your church members tithe. 

But how many of your church members Cover-the-Fees™?

In the following article, we’ll look at practical strategies for encouraging your church members to pay for their own transactional fees when giving online.

We believe this can be a win-win for churches and donors – allowing your church to keep the full intended donation and your donors to experience the full blessing of generosity. 

What is Cover-the-Fees™?

When a donor gives online with a credit/debit card or ACH transaction, your church must pay a small transactional fee – typically a small flat rate and a small percentage of the donation. 

Over time, these transactional fees can add up and reduce your overall income. 

Fortunately, there’s a solution: Cover-the-Fees™™, which is offered with the online giving platform Tithely. 

Cover-the-Fees™ is a feature that allows donors to pay for their own transaction fees, so that your church can receive the intended gift in full. 

It’s easy and simple to activate – donors simply check a box, and the small transactional fee is added onto their gift. 

How to Encourage Your Donors to Cover the Fees

It’s easy to cover the fees, but many people simply don’t do it. 

Giving can already feel like a stretch, especially in an economy where over half of all people are living paycheck to paycheck. 

The extra couple bucks doesn’t seem worth it. 

Here’s the good news for churches: There are practical strategies for encouraging donors to cover the transactional fees.

In the next section, we’ll talk about six ways to inspire your donors to use Tithely’s Cover-the-Fees™ feature in a way that’s friendly, natural, and relational.

Educate your church members on transactional fees. 

Many of your church members may not recognize that when they give, a portion of their gift gets “eaten up” by transactional fees. Here’s how to talk to them about these fees:

• Explain that the fees are necessary for paying the third-party vendor that makes online giving a possibility. These companies work hard at providing support staff, making software updates, and repairing glitches. Like your church, they need funding and support to operate. 
• Break down the fees per type of financial gift: Credit/debit card transactions typically cost a bit more than bank transactions. Typically, donations made with an American Express card have the highest transaction fee.

Finally, continue to remind them of the benefit of online giving as a fast, secure, and convenient solution for giving. When combined with the Cover the Fee feature, giving online is still the best way to be generous to a church community.

Bring it back to Scripture. 

Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need."

Many of your church members know what a gift it is to make a financial offering. They’re committed to the tithe, and believe in the blessing of generosity.

By paying a little extra with each donation, givers can rest assured knowing that they gave a full 10% (or more) to their house of worship.

Use a word picture. 

Combining your explanation of transactional fees with a picture makes it even easier to understand the concept. Here are a few ideas for explaining Cover-the-Fees™ with a picture:

• The Toll Road: Imagine your donation is like a car on a highway heading towards a destination of help and support. Along the way, there are toll booths (transaction fees) that need to be paid to keep the roads maintained and operational. 

By choosing to cover the tolls, you're ensuring your car (donation) can travel unhindered and reach its destination.

• The Shipping Cost: Think of your donation as a package filled with resources, hope, and support being shipped to those in need. The transaction fee is like a shipping fee that ensures the package can be delivered safely and efficiently. By covering the shipping fee, you ensure that the entire package of resources reaches its destination without any part of it being used for the delivery process.

• Unhindered Path: Depict a winding path with obstacles representing transaction fees. Show an alternative path where the obstacles have been removed (indicating that the fees have been covered), allowing a clear and direct route for the donation to reach its destination.

Highlight the tax benefits.

Just like a primary donation, covering the transaction fees is tax-deductible. This added benefit can be a strong incentive for donors who are motivated by the financial advantages of charitable giving. Make sure this information is clearly communicated during the donation process.

Get creative with communication. 

Encouraging your church members to cover the fees doesn’t have to happen at a weekend service. Use an email campaign, social media marketing, or even text message to remind them of this giving feature during the week.

Here are some creative marketing ideas to promote Cover-the-Fees™:

• Build and send a fun, visual email: To make this topic more fun, try building an email that shows transactional fees as a visual. A pie chart graphic that looks like a real pie, a map with toll booths, or a dollar bill with a piece missing can all be memorable ways to communicate the idea of a transactional fee. Remember that you can use AI to help you produce quick graphics!
• Social media reels: Shoot a series of videos explaining what transactional fees are and why it’s beneficial to cover them. These can be quick and casual – no need for anything but an iPhone to shoot!
• Mass text: Send out a mass text message reminding your donors that when they Cover-the-Fees™, their full gift goes to the church. 

Give vision for abundant generosity. 

The best way to encourage your givers to cover the fees is to get them excited about giving!

The Bible does not endorse generosity that’s begrudging. In 2 Corinthians, Paul says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

When your donors are giving with joy, they are more likely to pay for their own transactional fees. They aren’t counting pennies; they are excited about how they’re able to use their finances to partner with the Kingdom. 

Start by building a culture of generosity in your church. Testimonies, Scriptural teaching, and of course, the right technology can help tremendously with this. 

Regardless of how you choose to explain Cover-the-Fees™, make sure to keep it simple and warm. At the most, your church members will decide to begin covering the fees. At the least, this will serve as a friendly touchpoint that continues to build relationship with your church members.

Cover-the-Fees™ with Tithely

With Tithely, your church members can give to your church on their mobile phones. With options for giving with a credit/debit card, ACH/bank transaction, and check scanning, Tithely makes generosity accessible. 

Plus, Tithely makes it super simple for donors to pay for transactional fees–they simply need to choose “Cover-the-Fees™” on their Giving Form. It’s that easy–and effective. In fact, churches that use Tithely typically see 60% of their donors cover the fees. 

(P.S. If your church doesn’t want to offer this option, this feature can be toggled off from the back-end).

Best of all, Tithely equips your church with tons of resources for giving. To learn more about how Tithely can help your church members give–and Cover-the-Fees™–click here.

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