Fees

Charitable Impact is one of the most affordable way to give online in Canada.

Impact Account

Is there a cost to signing up for an Impact Account?

There is no cost to sign up for an Impact Account. It’s free to open and use. Charitable Impact doesn't charge sign-up or transaction fees for Impact Accounts. 

Processing fees from banks and credit card companies

Banks and credit card companies charge charities, including Charitable Impact, a fee to process donations.

Charitable Impact doesn't set or benefit from processing fees, but we do recover them. When you add money to your Impact Account, the bank or credit card company charges a fee to Charitable Impact to process the transaction. Later, when you give to charities, the charity receives your gift minus the processing fee charged to Charitable Impact by the bank or credit card company.

Why is giving with Charitable Impact a cost-effective way to give?

More money can get to charity when you give with Charitable Impact. This is because the bank and credit card processing fees we recover from gifts is often lower than what a charity would pay a bank or credit card company to process gifts directly from donors.

Processing fees vary depending on the payment method originally used to add the money you're giving. The most common way to add money to an Impact Account is by credit card, and the fee set by Charitable Impact's credit card processor is 2.8%—lower than most other charity websites. 

How can I see how much the processing fee is for my gift? 

When you add money into your Impact Account, the deposit is tagged with the corresponding processing fee that the bank or credit card company charged Charitable Impact. Then, when you give to a charity from your Impact Account, the charity receives your gift minus the processing fee charged to Charitable Impact by the bank or credit card company.

The processing fee deducted depends on the gift amount you send to charity. We tell you exactly how much will be deducted from your gift after you enter the amount you wish to give from the Give screen in your account.

Because of the large number of people using Charitable Impact to give, we're able to negotiate lower processing fees with banks and credit card companies. This means more money can end up in the hands of charities when you give from your Impact Account.

Do processing fees affect my tax receipt?

Processing fees do not affect your tax receipt. You'll receive a tax receipt for 100% of the amount you add to your Impact Account.

Are there any processing fees associated with cheques or direct debit?

At this time, there are no processing fees for adding money to your Impact Account by cheque or direct debit. Learn how to add money by cheque or direct debit. 

For charity, Giving Group, and Campaign admins

Do gifts from the donation button incur fees?

Yes. If you've added Charitable Impact's donation button to your website, gifts processed through the donation button will incur the same processing fees from banks and credit card companies as noted above.

Why are the processing fees sometimes more or less than 2.8%? 

If you’re a charity receiving gifts through Charitable Impact, you may notice that sometimes the fees deducted from the gift total are not 2.8% exactly. Fees are determined by the payment method used by the donor to add money to an Impact Account, for example, by credit card or cheque. There are different processing fees charged by banks and credit card companies for each.