{"question": "best payment processing for nonprofits", "category": "payment-processing", "category_name": "payment processing", "audience": "nonprofits", "audience_name": "nonprofits", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-10-25T23:16:58Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/payment-processing-nonprofits-2026-10-25", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/payment-processing/nonprofits", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Stripe", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "EIN", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "Amex", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "Zeffy", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "Givebutter", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "PayPal", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "RallyUp", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Donorbox", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "Square", "label": "mentioned"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://help.goharness.com/en/articles/3159903-nonprofit-discount-for-donation-processing-on-stripe-2-2-0-30", "domain": "help.goharness.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://checkoutpage.com/blog/stripe-for-nonprofits", "domain": "checkoutpage.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.zeffy.com/blog/payment-gateway", "domain": "zeffy.com", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://www.g2.com/compare/donorbox-vs-givebutter-vs-zeffy", "domain": "g2.com", "source_type": "review"}, {"url": "https://paypal.com/charities", "domain": "paypal.com", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://www.societ.com/?p=101868", "domain": "societ.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://rallyup.com/?p=22698", "domain": "rallyup.com", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://bloomerang.com/blog/nonprofit-credit-card-processing", "domain": "bloomerang.com", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://goharness.com/blog-posts/square-alternatives-for-nonprofits", "domain": "goharness.com", "source_type": "other"}], "answer_text": "# Payment processing for nonprofits\n\nThe honest framing: you're paying two separate things - a **platform fee** (the fundraising software) and a **processing fee** (the card networks' cut, which nobody escapes). Most \"best platform\" advice conflates them. Here's what I'd actually recommend, roughly in order:\n\n**1. Stripe directly (2.2% + 30¢ with the nonprofit discount)** - If you have any technical capacity or a website you control, this is the baseline everything else should be measured against. Eligible 501(c)(3)s with an EIN get 2.2% + 30¢, but **you have to apply** - email nonprofit@stripe.com. The catch: over 80% of your Stripe volume must be tax-deductible donations, so ticket sales, memberships, and auctions get billed at standard rates, and Amex/international cards are excluded. ([help.goharness.com](https://help.goharness.com/en/articles/3159903-nonprofit-discount-for-donation-processing-on-stripe-2-2-0-30), [checkoutpage.com](https://checkoutpage.com/blog/stripe-for-nonprofits))\n\n**2. Zeffy - if you're small and fee-sensitive** - Genuinely $0 platform fee and $0 processing fee; they survive on optional donor tips (~15-17% of donation amount, ~80% of donors opt in). For a", "answer_truncated": true, "measurement": "One answer from one engine on one date. Not a ranking and not a claim about the world; brands the engine did not name are not recorded.", "limitation": "Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.", "alerts": {"name": "Answer Watch Pro", "price_usd": 79, "period": "month", "gets": "daily change alerts for up to 5 brands in what one AI answer engine says, history, CSV export. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included", "url": "https://bikoosh.com/answers"}}