Why smaller gifts show a higher effective rate
WeGive’s processing fee has two parts: a percentage of the donation amount plus a fixed dollar amount per transaction. Because the fixed portion is the same regardless of donation size, it makes up a larger share of smaller transactions. Example: Suppose the fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
The percentage rate (2.9%) stays the same — only the fixed $0.30 component changes how the overall effective rate looks depending on the transaction size.
Why two donations of the same amount can have different rates
WeGive stores separate processing rates for American Express cards and all other card brands (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, etc.). American Express typically carries a higher processing percentage. If one donor gives 100 with a Visa card, the two transactions will have different fee amounts — and therefore different effective rates — even though the donation amount is the same. This is normal processing behavior, not a configuration issue. ACH (bank transfer) transactions also have their own rate, separate from card rates.What you can do
- Nothing needs to be fixed. The fee percentages and fixed amounts are configured correctly — the apparent variation is a natural result of how transaction fees work across the payments industry.
- To see your organization’s exact fee rates, go to Settings > Payments in the WeGive dashboard and review the product code configuration for card and ACH transactions.
- To reduce the impact on donors, consider enabling Cover Fees on your checkout forms so donors can choose to cover the processing fees themselves. See Billing and Subscriptions for details on how fee coverage works.