How does CoreCause work?
CoreCause is $0 a month. There is no setup fee and no contract. Processing is interchange and card brand fees at cost, plus 0.50% + $0.10, and there is no platform tip, ever.
At checkout your donor sees a box to cover the processing fee. Your organization decides whether that is optional or required. When the donor covers it, 100% of the gift reaches you. If you would rather absorb it, you can.
That is the whole arrangement. See CoreCause pricing.
Are free fundraising platforms really free?
No platform processes cards for nothing. Card networks charge interchange on every gift, so a platform advertising no fees is funding that cost another way.
There are three common models. The platform prompts your donor for a tip. The platform sells a paid plan. Or the platform takes a percentage when tipping is switched off.
What does the donor actually see at checkout?
This is the part worth looking at before you choose. A tip prompt asks your donor for money for the platform, next to the amount they are giving you. A fee-coverage box asks your donor to cover the card cost on your gift.
They look similar on screen and they are not the same thing. We wrote about donor tipping here.
Want to see what a gift actually nets you?
Put your own numbers in and see what reaches your cause.
What happens to a $100 gift?
Here is the same $100 gift under each model, using each platform's own published pricing.
| Model | What the donor pays | What the organization receives | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoreCause, donors cover the fee | $100 plus the processing fee | $100 | The donor covers it at checkout, so the full gift lands. |
| CoreCause, organization absorbs the fee | $100 | $100 minus interchange and card brand fees at cost, plus 0.50% + $0.10 | Run your own numbers in the fee calculator. |
| Givebutter with tips on | $100 plus whatever tip the donor adds | $100 | Givebutter publishes "0% platform fees" when tips are on. |
| Givebutter with tips off | $100 | $93.80 | A 3% platform fee is $3.00 and 2.9% + 30¢ card processing is $3.20. |
| Zeffy | $100 plus the contribution Zeffy asks for | $100 | Zeffy states it covers the card and transaction fees. |
Figures are each platform's published pricing on the date checked, not a quote.
How do the platforms compare?
| Platform | Monthly fee | How it makes money | What the donor sees | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoreCause | $0 | A published per-transaction rate: interchange and card brand fees at cost, plus 0.50% + $0.10. No platform tip, ever. | An optional or required box to cover the processing fee, which the organization sets. No tip prompt. | corecommerce.com/corecause/pricing.html, checked 2026-09-28 |
| Givebutter | $0 core, Givebutter Plus from $29/mo | Donor tips. With tips on, Givebutter publishes "0% platform fees". With tips off, a "3% platform fee" applies plus 2.9% + 30¢ card and 1.9% + 30¢ ACH. | A tip prompt at checkout. | givebutter.com/pricing, checked 2026-09-28 |
| Zeffy | $0 | Optional donor contributions. Zeffy states "Our price is $0" and "We cover credit card and transaction fees". | A prompt at checkout asking the donor to add a contribution to Zeffy, which is how Zeffy is funded. | zeffy.com/pricing, checked 2026-09-28 |
How should you compare platforms?
Four questions get you most of the way:
- What does the platform charge per month?
- What does it take from each gift, and under what conditions?
- What does the donor see on the checkout screen?
- What does it cost you at the volume you actually raise, not at the headline rate?
Then run your own numbers. Our guide to choosing a donation platform walks through the rest.