ActBlue’s pricing is simpler than it first looks, but the details matter if you run a nonprofit fundraising program. For most nonprofit setups, the answer to what percentage does ActBlue take is 3.95%, deducted as a processing fee before payout. I break down where that number applies, when it changes, and how I would budget around it so your net revenue stays realistic.
The fee picture is simple on the surface, but the account type changes the math
- For AB Charities, ActBlue publishes a 3.95% processing fee on all transactions.
- The fee is taken from the gross donation before the money is paid out.
- Donor tips are optional and separate from the platform fee.
- Some merchant-account and Raise by ActBlue setups use different pricing.
- A $100 gift under the standard 3.95% model nets about $96.05 before any other adjustments.
The short answer for nonprofit donations
If your organization uses AB Charities, the standard published fee is 3.95%. ActBlue’s pricing page says that fee applies to each contribution, and its AB Charities page says it is the only fee charged on those transactions. In practical terms, the organization receives the gift net of that fee, so a $25 donation is not worth exactly $25 to the nonprofit.
I think of this less like a surprise charge and more like the cost of the payment rail plus the fundraising software around it. That distinction matters, because it keeps teams from comparing ActBlue to a plain credit-card processor as if the service layers were the same. Once you understand that, the next question is whether the rate ever changes.
Why the rate can change by account type
I would not assume every ActBlue account follows the same fee schedule. ActBlue’s support documentation shows that some campaigns and organizations use merchant accounts or Raise by ActBlue, and those setups have different pricing from the standard AB Charities model.
| Setup | Published fee | Who it applies to | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB Charities | 3.95% | 501(c)(3) nonprofits | Simple percentage fee, no separate flat transaction charge mentioned |
| Standard ActBlue fundraising | 3.95% | Federal campaigns, 501(c)(4) groups, and other standard ActBlue accounts | Same base rate as AB Charities, with the same deduction-before-payout structure |
| Merchant account setup | 3.7% + $0.23 | Some state and local campaigns and organizations | The flat 23-cent fee matters more on smaller gifts |
| Raise by ActBlue | 3.25% + $0.23 | Certain campaigns using Raise by ActBlue | Lower percentage, but the fixed fee still affects micro-donations |
The flat fee is the part many people miss. On a larger donation, a few cents barely move the needle. On a $10 or $20 gift, though, the fixed charge changes the net amount more than you might expect. That is why the account structure is not a technical footnote; it directly affects fundraising math.
That difference leads straight into the next issue: what the fee actually covers, and what donors may add on top of it.
What the fee includes and what it does not
ActBlue says the 3.95% fee covers required credit card processing costs and helps keep contributions secure. It also says nonprofit users get access to fundraising features and donor support without extra platform charges. That makes the fee feel closer to an all-in service cost than a barebones payment fee.
What it does not include is an optional donor tip. ActBlue gives donors the option to tip through ActBlue Express, and the help documentation says donors can choose 10%, 20%, or “No Thanks.” I would never treat those tips as guaranteed income for a nonprofit, because they are donor choices, not a built-in part of the contribution itself.
That distinction matters for reporting and for expectations. If a donor covers a fee or leaves a tip, the organization may see a better net result, but the donor experience and the actual payout mechanics are still separate. Once that is clear, the real-world donation math becomes much easier to read.
How the deduction changes a real gift
Here is the part most teams want first: what the fee does to actual donation amounts. Under the standard 3.95% model, the fee is deducted from the gross gift before payout. In other words, the donor’s gift and the nonprofit’s net are not the same number.
| Donation | 3.95% fee | Net to the organization |
|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $0.40 | $9.60 |
| $25.00 | $0.99 | $24.01 |
| $50.00 | $1.98 | $48.02 |
| $100.00 | $3.95 | $96.05 |
Those numbers are small enough to look harmless and large enough to affect campaign planning. A recurring donor who gives $10 a month creates only about $0.40 in fee expense each charge, but that still adds up to roughly $4.74 over a year. If you scale that across hundreds or thousands of supporters, the difference becomes real revenue management, not just checkout noise.
That is why I always push teams to think in net terms. A donation form can celebrate gross dollars raised, but the finance team needs to know what actually lands in the bank. That takes us to the budgeting side of the equation.
How I would budget around the fee
If I were setting a fundraising target, I would gross up the goal instead of pretending the fee does not exist. Under the 3.95% model, a $10,000 net target requires about $10,412 in gross donations if no one covers the fee. That is a cleaner way to budget because it keeps your spending plan aligned with the money you will actually receive.
I would also watch the size of the gift, not just the total volume. A simple percentage fee is predictable, but a per-transaction fee can hurt smaller donations more than larger ones. That means a list of many $5 and $10 supporters needs a different lens than a list built around $100 gifts or major-donor checks.
- Track net revenue, not just gross raised.
- Gross up campaign targets by roughly 4.1% under the standard 3.95% model.
- Test whether donor fee coverage improves net revenue or hurts conversion.
- Review recurring donations separately, because the fee repeats on every charge.
- Confirm the account structure before comparing ActBlue with another nonprofit software stack.
I also think recurring giving deserves special attention. Monthly donors are valuable because they stabilize cash flow, but the fee hits every transaction, so your net value per donor should be measured over time. That matters more than the checkout amount you see on day one.
What I would check before relying on ActBlue for fundraising
For a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the cleanest answer is still the simplest one: 3.95% is the published fee on AB Charities. If your team is using a different ActBlue setup, especially a merchant-account structure, the pricing may change and the flat per-transaction charge may matter more than the percentage itself. I would never copy assumptions from one account type to another without confirming the setup first.
The broader decision is not just whether the fee is acceptable. It is whether the software saves enough time, reduces enough friction, and supports enough donor volume to justify the net cost. In nonprofit fundraising, that tradeoff is usually where the real value sits: not in a mythical zero-fee platform, but in a system that helps you raise more cleanly, more consistently, and with less operational drag.
