A few years ago, Rossbrook House Foundation reached out to you, our supporters, to seek feedback and hear what you thought about Rossbrook House. One of the questions we asked was about your preferred method of making a financial donation and one respondent told us that it “should be whatever method is most cost effective for Rossbrook House”.
With that in mind, we have looked at the costs associated with the different methods of making a financial donation and wanted to share our findings with you. Our hope is that you find this information useful in deciding what method of donating suits you best.
Donations made via credit card
As you may be aware, there is a processing fee whenever you use your credit card to make a purchase or donation. These fees can vary depending on the card type and processor. (This is why some stores choose to only accept certain credit cards.)
Neither processor used by Rossbrook House and the Foundation base their fees on credit card type
Rossbrook House and the Foundation work with CanadaHelps and Blackbaud Merchant Services to securely process gifts made via credit card, both via online and over the phone.
- The CanadaHelps processing fee is 3.75% for one-time donations and 3.5% for monthly donations. To ensure the charity receives 100% of the donation amount, the effective cover the fee rate is 3.90% and 3.63% for one-time and monthly gifts respectively.
Additional information on CanadaHelps’ fees can be found on their website at canadahelps.org/en/why-canadahelps/our-fees
- The Blackbaud Merchant Services’ fees vary depending on the currency of the gift. For those in Canadian Dollars (CAD) the processing fee is 2.598% + $0.26 per transaction (CAD) and for those in American Dollars (USD) the processing fee is 2.798% + $0.26 per transaction (USD).
Additional information on Blackbaud Merchant Services’ fees can be found on their website at blackbaud.com/info/bbms/bbms-tier-1-processing-fees
NEW – Rossbrook House and Rossbrook House Foundation are pleased to offer donors the option to cover the processing fees associated with their donation. Donors who choose to cover the fees will receive a tax receipt inclusive of the donation amount and covered fee.
- For those processed through Blackbaud Merchant Services, at this time, donors are only able to choose to cover the fees associated with one-time gifts. Blackbaud is currently working towards making this option available for recurring gifts, such as monthly donations.
Until now, Rossbrook House and the Foundation have covered all associated processing fees and will continue to do so for those donations where the donor has not selected to cover the fees.
Please know that whether you choose to cover the processing fee or not, your support of Rossbrook House is greatly appreciated.
Donations made via cash or cheque
Rossbrook House pays a monthly flat fee to our bank to be able to deposit gifts of cash and cheques.
Gifts of cash are taken to the bank for depositing in person. However, staff can deposit cheques straight from the Rossbrook House and Foundation offices using a cheque scanner and an online app through our bank.
Please know that whether you choose to donate via cash, cheque or credit card, your support of Rossbrook House is greatly appreciated.
Mailed in Donations
Rossbrook House Foundation happily provides an addressed envelope for donors to mail in donations, be it cheque, cash or credit card information. These envelopes are Canada Post Business Reply Envelopes which allows for the Foundation to cover the associated postage when the envelope is mailed within Canada.
For those who wish to cover the cost of the postage, simply put a domestic Canada Post stamp over the box in the top right-hand corner prior to mailing your gift.
Please know that whether you choose to cover the postage or not, your support of Rossbrook House is greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions or concerns about making a donation in support of Rossbrook House and/or the associated costs, please contact Stephanie at slambert@rossbrookhouse.ca or 204.949.4092.