Overcoming Fee Cover Concerns: What to Know About Donor Experience

Jason Durocher

If you’ve been exploring Complete Cover™ and donor cover coming soon in the Luminate Online® and TeamRaiser® Release 25.6 this fall, you’re likely excited about the opportunity to eliminate processing fees and retain more of every gift.  As with any new feature, it’s natural to have questions about how these options will work in practice—for both your organization and your donors. 

That’s why we’ve created this post: to provide clarity around common questions and help you feel confident in implementing fee cover features. 

Here are a few of the most common fee cover questions we hear: 

• “Will a fee cover prompt turn donors away?” 
• “What happens with large gifts or PayPal transactions?” 
• “Can we customize the prompt?” 
• “Do donors receive a tax receipt?” 
• “What shows up in reporting?” 

These are great questions—and the good news is, fee cover is designed with flexibility, transparency, and donor experience in mind. 

“Will a fee cover prompt turn donors away?” 

This is one of the most common concerns we hear, and the data shows that fee cover does not deter donors.  

Supporters today are familiar with small contribution prompts when making online payments. More importantly, they appreciate the transparency and value having the option to contribute more toward your cause. 

• The prompt amount is scalable and optional. Supporters can reduce it to $0 
• The platform does not require the donor to cover any fees 
• Many donors prefer having the option to contribute more, not less 

With Complete Cover, even if a donor contributes nothing extra, your organization still receives the full transaction amount. It’s a win-win. 

“What shows up for large gifts or PayPal transactions?” 

Complete Cover is designed to automatically adjust based on eligibility.  

In the following situations, Complete Cover will not apply, and donor cover will be offered instead: 

• The transaction is $3,000 or more 
• The donor pays using PayPal or Venmo 

In these scenarios, donors are prompted to optionally cover fees, and your organization only incurs fees if the donor declines. This built-in logic ensures every eligible transaction is optimized for savings while maintaining a seamless donor experience. 

“Can we customize the fee cover prompt or opt-out behavior?” 

Currently, the configuration of Complete Cover and donor cover is standardized across all Blackbaud platforms. This means: 

• Default language, percentage, and placement cannot be changed 
• The contribution option is presented as selected by default 
• Styling and opt-out behavior are not customizable 

This consistent approach helps ensure optimal performance across a wide range of users and giving scenarios. That said, we welcome feedback and may explore future enhancements as usage grows. 

“Will donors get a tax receipt for their platform contribution?” 

No. Contributions made toward processing fees (via Complete Cover) are not considered charitable gifts, as they are paid directly to Blackbaud. 

• No tax receipt is issued for the platform portion 
• Only the original transaction amount qualifies as a charitable donation 
• If the donor opts out, their gift remains 100% tax-deductible 

This distinction is clearly explained in the donor experience and aligns with compliance standards across all Blackbaud-supported giving forms. 

“Can we see which donors opted in or how much they gave?” 

You’ll be able to see which transactions had Complete Cover applied, but the exact donor contribution amount is not disclosed in reporting. 

Why? Because the platform contribution goes to Blackbaud, not your organization, and the amount varies depending by donor. What you do see is whether a transaction incurred any processing fees. 

For your team, this makes reconciliation simpler: 

• If Complete Cover is applied, your organization receives 100% of the transaction amount 
• If donor cover is applied, you’ll see the net amount and any donor contribution on the payment record 

“What about refunds?” 

Yes, you can still issue refunds for transactions processed using Complete Cover. 

They can be issued up to 365 days after the original payment and can be processed through Luminate Online or TeamRaiser just like any other transaction. 

The Bottom Line: Fee Cover Is Built for You—And Your Donors 

Fee Cover is a thoughtfully designed and carefully tested model that: 

• Increases donor satisfaction by offering choice 
• Removes processing costs for eligible transactions 
• Helps you retain more of what your supporters intend to give 

Whether you’re looking to trim administrative costs or reinvest in your team and mission, adopting Complete Cover and donor cover is a low-friction, high-impact step forward. 

Want more answers about donor experience, eligibility, or refunds? Visit our Fee Cover FAQ page for detailed guidance. 

Want to dive deeper into how Complete Cover and donor cover work within Blackbaud Integrated Payments? Explore Blackbaud University Fee Cover Training for hands-on guidance and best practices to prepare your team. 

Want to go deeper? Join our live webinar! 

Introducing Donor Cover & Complete Cover: New Ways to Maximize Your Net Revenue 

📅 Thursday, September 25 at 11:00 a.m. ET 

See how donor cover and Complete Cover work in practice, explore common concerns about donor experience and eligibility, and get your questions answered by our product experts. 

Register Now → 

Related Articles:

Donor Cover and Complete Cover Are Coming to Luminate Online and TeamRaiser

The Business Case for Fee Covers: How Fee Cover Impacts Your Bottom Line 

Migrating from Custom Fee Covers to Native Features in Luminate Online & TeamRaiser

What If You’re Already Using a Custom Donor Cover Setup? 

Some organizations using Luminate Online or TeamRaiser may have implemented their own version of donor cover—either through custom s-tag scripting or with help from a Blackbaud partner or developer. 

If that sounds like your setup, you might be wondering what the new Release 25.6 means for you. Will the native fee cover options replace your custom solution? What’s gained or lost in doing so? 

We’ll explore these questions—and share practical recommendations—in the next post in this series entitled: 

Migrating from Custom Fee Cover to Native Fee Covers: What You Need to Know