SuccessFund does not charge any subscription, upfront, monthly, or annual fees. Schools and districts are never invoiced. Creating, submitting, and running fundraisers on SuccessFund is free. Instead, SuccessFund applies a small payment services fee to each transaction. This fee includes all credit card processing, digital wallet payments (Apple Pay and Google Pay), PayPal, Venmo, and platform costs.

SuccessFund never asks donors or patrons for tips that go to the SuccessFund platform. Everything you see in your campaign is exactly what your group will receive. Fees typically range from 15 cents to $1, plus 5% per transaction, depending on the payment type (in-person vs online) and amount.

How are fees handled?

Campaign organizers can choose one of four ways to handle transaction fees:

Paid by campaign
Patrons pay only the listed price at checkout. Fees are deducted from campaign proceeds.
Paid by patron
Fees are added at checkout. The campaign receives 100% of the price it sets.
Optional at checkout
Patrons are encouraged to help cover the fee at checkout. If they opt out, the fee is deducted from campaign proceeds.
Split between campaign and patron (legacy option)
Patrons pay a small convenience fee at checkout, and a portion of the fee is deducted from the campaign.

A recommended option is selected automatically when you create a campaign. How your campaign handles the fee can be changed at any time under the Edit tab of your campaign.

How are transaction fees applied?

Fees are applied once per transaction, not per individual item.

For example, if a patron purchases multiple tickets or items in a single checkout, the fixed portion of the fee is applied only once to the entire transaction, not per item.

Example: Small in-person purchase

For a small in-person purchase like a $2 hotdog, the transaction fee would be at the low end of the fee range.

Paid by campaign
The patron pays the listed price. The fee is deducted from campaign proceeds.
Paid by patron
The patron pays the listed price plus the fee. The campaign receives the full listed price.
Optional at checkout
The patron is prompted to help cover the fee. If they opt out, the fee is deducted from campaign proceeds.
Split between campaign and patron
The patron pays a small convenience fee, and part of the fee is deducted from the campaign.

Example: Larger online payment

For a larger payment like $50 or more, the transaction fee would max out at $1 + 5%

Paid by campaign
The patron pays the listed price. The fee is deducted from campaign proceeds.
Paid by patron
The patron pays the listed price plus the fee. The campaign receives the full listed price.
Optional at checkout
The patron is prompted to help cover the fee. If they opt out, the fee is deducted from campaign proceeds.
Split between campaign and patron
The patron pays a small convenience fee, and part of the fee is deducted from the campaign.

Are in-person payments different?

Yes. In-person transactions using a SuccessFund card reader have discounted pricing, especially for smaller amounts. As with online payments, the fixed portion of the fee applies once per transaction, not per item.

Are there fees for cash or offline transactions?

No. Cash and other offline transactions can be logged, tracked, and reported in the SuccessFund mobile app at no cost. These transactions appear in the Results tab under the Transactions report.

Do we need hardware for in-person payments?

SuccessFund card readers are available at:
https://www.successfund.com/readers

How much does SuccessFund cost?