Why Non-Profits Are Leaving 2% on the Table

Here is a number that should keep every non-profit executive director up at night: 2.9% + $0.30.

That is the standard credit card processing fee on every online donation. Stripe does offer a discounted rate for verified nonprofits (2.2% + $0.30 online, 2.2% + $0.00 in-person), but even at the nonprofit rate, a non-profit processing $1 million in donations annually is sending $22,000+ to payment processors instead of your mission. Many donation platforms charge platform fees on top of processing costs, and you are looking at $30,000 to $50,000 in annual payment costs depending on the tools you use.

Those are real dollars that could fund programs, hire staff, or serve more people. And the frustrating part is that most non-profits accept this as a cost of doing business because they do not realize there are alternatives.

The Non-Profit Payment Pain Points

Fragmented Giving Tools

The average non-profit uses three to five separate tools for accepting money: an online donation platform, an event ticketing system, a membership management tool, and maybe a separate system for grant disbursements. Each has its own fee structure, its own reporting, and its own reconciliation requirements.

This fragmentation is not just expensive — it is operationally painful. Your finance team spends hours every month reconciling payments across systems. Donor records are split across platforms. And getting a complete picture of your revenue requires exporting data from multiple sources and combining it manually.

High Fees on Small Donations

The $0.30 fixed fee on card transactions hits small donations especially hard. A $10 monthly recurring donation loses 5.9% to processing ($0.29 + $0.30). Over a year, that $120 in donations becomes $112.92 — nearly $7 lost to fees on a single small donor.

Multiply that across hundreds of recurring small donors and the impact is significant.

Limited Payment Options

Most donation platforms only accept credit and debit cards. Some offer ACH as an afterthought. Few offer mobile NFC tap-to-pay — the modern payment method that makes in-person and event donations effortless. Muin supports QR code giving out of the box, plus dedicated 2-way SMS numbers for Growth+ plans.

By limiting payment options, non-profits are inadvertently limiting generosity.

How Smart Payments Reduces Costs

Smart Payments gives non-profits access to every payment method through a single platform, with transparent, competitive fees at each tier.

ACH Donations: 0.8% Instead of 2.2-2.9%

Bank transfers through ACH cost just 0.8% with a $5 cap per transaction. For a $500 donation, that is $4.00 instead of $11.30 (nonprofit card rate) — a 65% reduction in processing costs. For larger gifts, the savings are even more dramatic: a $5,000 donation costs just $5.00 to process via ACH instead of $145.30 by card.

Encouraging donors to give via ACH is the single most impactful cost-reduction strategy a non-profit can implement. With Stripe Financial Connections, linking a bank account takes under 30 seconds.

Coming Soon: Crypto and Stock Donations

We are building support for cryptocurrency donations (Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC) and stock donations via Every.org integration. These tax-efficient giving channels will allow donors to contribute appreciated assets directly, potentially avoiding capital gains tax while claiming the full fair market value as a deduction. Sign up for the beta to be notified when these channels launch.

The 0.5% Platform Fee

Muin charges a flat 0.5% platform fee on top of processor costs. Compare that to popular non-profit payment platforms:

Muin charges a 0.5% platform fee on transactions. Payment processing fees (e.g., Stripe: 2.9% + 30c, or 2.2% + 30c for verified nonprofits) are separate and passed through at cost with no markup. Your total cost is processor fee + 0.5% Muin platform fee. This transparent structure means you always know exactly what you’re paying — no bundled fees, no surprises.

Branded Giving Pages

Every non-profit gets customizable donation pages that match their brand:

• Custom colors, logos, and messaging — donors see your organization, not a third-party platform
• Suggested gift amounts with impact statements (“$50 provides meals for a family for one week”)
• Recurring giving options with monthly, quarterly, and annual frequencies
• Tribute and memorial gifts with notification to honorees
• Fund designation so donors can direct gifts to specific programs
• Multi-currency support for international donors (coming soon)

These pages are hosted on Muin’s infrastructure but can be embedded on your website or shared as standalone links. No developer needed.

Event Kiosk Mode with Muin Go

Fundraising events are where many non-profits collect a significant portion of annual revenue. But event payment collection has historically been clunky — rented card terminals, manual bid sheets, and post-event data entry.

Muin Go changes this with a dedicated event kiosk mode:

• NFC tap-to-pay on any smartphone — no hardware rental needed
• Simplified interface optimized for fast transactions at galas and fundraisers
• QR code giving — display a code, attendees scan with their phone, done
• Live event dashboard showing total raised, transaction count, and top gifts in real time
• Offline capability for venues with poor connectivity

Your volunteers can each have Muin Go on their phones, turning every table at your gala into a giving station.

Transparent Fee Structure

Muin’s 0.5% platform fee is transparent and separate from payment processing costs. Many competing platforms bundle fees, making true cost comparison difficult. With Muin, you always know exactly what you’re paying:

• Platform fee: 0.5% on all transactions
• Processing fees: Passed through at cost (e.g., Stripe card: 2.9% + 30c, or 2.2% + 30c for nonprofits; ACH: 0.8%)
• No hidden markups: What the processor charges is what you pay

By encouraging donors to use lower-cost methods like ACH, organizations can meaningfully reduce their total processing costs over time.

Every Dollar Matters

Non-profits exist to maximize mission impact, and every dollar lost to payment processing is a dollar that does not reach the people you serve. Smart Payments does not just save money — it opens up giving channels that bring in larger, more tax-efficient gifts from donors who want to give more.

Join the Muin beta and start keeping more of every donation. Your mission deserves every dollar.