How does WhyDonate charge fees on recurring donations?

On a recurring donation, the donor's tip is collected only once — on the first payment. From the second payment onward no tip is collected, so WhyDonate applies a 3% platform commission on each of those payments instead.

The first payment

• If the organizer has the tip option enabled, WhyDonate charges 0% platform commission on that payment.
• If the organizer has the tip option disabled, WhyDonate charges 3% platform commission on that payment.

Every payment after that

• The tip is collected once, on the first payment of the series.
• No tip is charged again on later payments, whether or not the organizer enabled the tip originally.
• Because no tip is collected, a 3% platform commission applies to each subsequent payment.

How the 3% is calculated

Two details matter if you are checking your own figures:

• The commission is charged on top of the payment processing fee, not instead of it. Both come out of the same payment.
• It is calculated on the donation amount before processing costs, and the tip is not counted in it.

Why it works this way

Recurring donations are charged automatically. The tip setting is captured at the moment the donor sets the donation up, and it is not asked for again on each future charge. The 3% commission is how WhyDonate keeps running on payments where no tip is collected.

Example

A donor sets up a €20 recurring donation while the organizer's tip option is enabled, and adds a €2 tip at signup.

Can the recurring commission be avoided?

No. There is currently no way to add a tip to a recurring donation after the first payment. The 3% commission on subsequent payments is part of how WhyDonate operates its 0% platform fee model.

Where to see what you were charged

Your organizer dashboard shows a full breakdown of processing costs and platform commission for each transaction, under the donations tab.