The Tip feature lets your nonprofit accept online payments (by credit card) without paying any payment fees.
The cost of online payments — driven by the technical and banking intermediaries involved — is covered by your members and registrants instead of your nonprofit.
- Why use the Tip system on Springly?
- How does the Tip work?
- How do I set it up for my nonprofit?
- Frequently asked questions
Why use the Tip system on Springly?
The main benefit is straightforward: with the Tip, online payments become completely free for your nonprofit.
But there are two more important benefits:
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- It keeps costs off your nonprofit's books — especially important when budgets are tight;
- It removes the mental overhead of factoring payment fees into your membership dues calculations.
How does the Tip work?
Let's walk through an example with a $9 payment.
When a prospective member pays their membership online by credit card, they are prompted to leave a tip to Springly.
A short explanation accompanies the prompt: by leaving a tip, they ensure your nonprofit pays no payment fees.
They can then either accept the suggested tip amount or change it.
The user then enters their payment details, completes 3D Secure verification, and confirms the payment.
For a membership payment, you'll find it under the "Registrants" tab of your Membership Campaign. The membership will show as paid by credit card.
The only difference shows up in your E-wallet. The full membership amount is credited, and no payment fees are deducted.
Please note: this works exactly the same way across all collection types — memberships, donations, event tickets, and Product Sales.
How do I set it up for my nonprofit?
The Tip feature is available to all nonprofits on the Liberty, Serenity, or Professional plans. It's included at no extra cost.
To use it, you simply need to have created and verified your E-wallet — this is what enables you to collect online payments.
You can switch between payment fees and the Tip system in your platform's global settings under Settings > Online Payment, then click Edit:
Frequently asked questions about the Tip system
Is the Tip required for online payments on Springly?
Not at all! You can offer whichever payment methods you prefer: cash, checks, credit card, or wire transfer.
Even when you choose to accept credit cards, you can still choose to absorb the fees yourself (1.8% of the amount + $0.25 per transaction).
Is leaving a tip mandatory?
No. Anyone can change the suggested amount and set it to zero if they prefer not to leave a tip.
What happens if someone doesn't leave a tip? Does the nonprofit have to pay?
No — your nonprofit never pays, even if someone skips the tip.
This is Springly's bet: we trust that most people will contribute.
That said, if we see that a nonprofit is actively discouraging tips, we'll consider that they've opted out of the feature and will reach out to discuss it.
Will my member receive an invoice after an online payment that includes a tip?
If you have invoicing set up, the member will receive an invoice for their purchase.
However, the tip amount will not appear on the invoice, as it goes to Springly — not your nonprofit.
The email containing the invoice does show the total amount paid, including the tip.
How is the suggested tip amount calculated?
The suggested amount is based on what online payment processing costs Springly, as well as industry standards. At the time of payment, the payer can adjust the amount however they like.
If you only collect payments by check, cash, or wire transfer, then no payment fees apply and no tip is suggested.
Someone left a tip when paying through a form (membership, ticket, etc.). If the nonprofit refunds them, is the tip also refunded?
No.
Say someone paid $50 for their membership and left a $2 tip to Springly. If they request a refund on their membership, they'll get the $50 back — but not the $2 tip. This is because processing both the original online payment and the subsequent refund carries a cost for Springly.
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