When it comes to registering for an event or supporting a charity fundraising event, it’s pretty common to see a small processing fee added to your total. But not all fees are the same, and understanding the difference between registration processing fees and donation processing fees helps participants, donors, and event organizers know exactly where each fee applies and how it supports the broader event or fundraising experience.
What is a Registration Fee?
Before diving into what the difference is between registration processing fees and donation processing fees are, it’s helpful to first define the difference between registration costs and registration processing fees.
- Registration Cost (Entry Fee): The base price a participant pays to enter the event (for example, $35 for a 5K). This is set by the event organizer.
- Registration Processing Fee: The fee charged by GiveSignup to securely process the registration transaction and distribute funds to the payment account.
GiveSignup’s processing fee is 6%+ $1 per transaction. It’s important to note that the processing fee applies per cart, not per individual registration. That means if a participant registers multiple people or add multiple events in a single transaction, GiveSignup will only charge one processing fee.
Event organizers have flexibility in how the registration fee is handled. They can choose to:
- Have the participant cover the fee
- Absorb the full fee themselves
- Split the cost 50/50 between the participant and organizer
What is a Donation Processing Fee?
Donation processing fees are applied specifically to donations made through the GiveSignup platform, whether or not they’re also registering for an event. This fee supports the secure processing and distribution of funds to the payment account or designated charity/nonprofit (if there is a charity partner with a payment account set up on the event).
Just like with registrations, the donation processing fee is per cart. However, the donation processing fees are a flat 4% of the donation transaction total (as opposed to 6% + $1 for registration fees).
Again, event organizers have flexibility in how the registration fee is handled. They can choose to:
Just like registration fees, event organizers have flexibility in how the donation processing fee is handled. They can choose who coves this cost:
- Have the donor cover the fee
- Absorb the full fee themselves
- Split the cost 50/50 between the donor and organizer
Both registration and donation processing fees play an important role in maintaining a reliable, transparent, and secure experience on GiveSignup. While the registration fee covers the cost of processing event signups, the donation fee applies to charitable gifts made through the platform.
By understanding how these fees work – and the options available for covering them – event directors, participants, and donors can make informed choices that best fit their goals and support their events or causes effectively.