Classy Mode

Classy Mode is a legacy feature that allows supporters to increase their gifts to help cover your costs. Classy Mode has been replaced by Donor Covered Fees, an updated solution that provides admins a more detailed breakdown of fees in reporting and helps to build trust with supporters by providing more transparent, accurate, and detailed fee information during checkout and in donation receipts.

Any campaigns and templates created before May 31, 2023 will continue to use Classy Mode.

How does it work?

The most popular use of Classy Mode is to cover processing fees. But it’s important to note that Classy Mode does NOT automatically calculate the amount that will cover 100% of your fees. This is because of the nature of payment processor fees—they charge off gross donation amounts which means you'll either cover more or less than 100% of the fees. (Note: the gross donation amount is the amount supporters can agree to pay).

Instead, we made Classy Mode customizable so everyone could set the amount that works best for their organization. You can choose a Classy Mode percentage that adds on anywhere from 0% to 15% of the donation to the final amount that supporters give. This range covers every possible processing fee amount and offers flexibility so you can discover the optimal amount that your supporters are willing to pitch in. 

The basic math

Classy Mode allows you to add a percentage of the initial donation to the gross amount—the amount a supporter can agree to pay.  For example, say you have a Classy Mode percentage of 5% and a supporter makes a $20 donation. If they agree to increase their gift by the 5%, they would end up paying $21.

You can use the same equations to figure out what different Classy Mode percentages do. For example, a Classy Mode percentage of 10% would lead to a $22 gross donation amount.

The effect of fees

When you set up your Classy Mode percentage, we recommend keeping your fees in mind. The best bet is to go up from your Classy Mode percentage to your payment processor fee percentage. In addition, Classy Mode is percentage based which means a little extra math is needed to figure out how to cover flat fees (not percentage based).  It helps if we look at the example of WePay which has a $0.30 flat fee in addition to a 2.2% processor fee (+1% for Amex or International).

You could simply increase your Classy Mode percentage to 7% which would mean $20.01 goes to your organization. Or you could decrease your Classy Mode percentage if you want supporters to only pitch in a small amount. You can use the equations above to discover your ideal Classy Mode percentage no matter which payment processor you use.

Frequently asked questions

Which campaigns include Classy Mode?

Classy Mode can be used with any campaign type. In addition, you can set up custom percentages for each of your campaigns or set an organization level percentage that applies to all of your campaigns.

When should I use Classy Mode?

We recommend giving supporters the option to help cover fees in all your campaigns. Supporters are often willing to give more to the causes they love. To be more specific, our team found that:

• 50% of donations use Donor Covered Fees; 80% of the time, it was available to the donor
• When available, donors choose to cover transaction fees 55 to 60% of the time
• When Donor Covered Fees is on by default, 75 to 85%of donors cover transaction fees

How does Classy Mode work with discount codes?

If a supporter applies a discount code, the Classy Mode percentage is applied to the discounted amount —the amount after the discount code has been applied. For example, take a $20 ticket or registration with a 10% discount code. A Classy Mode percentage of 5% will apply to the discounted amount ($18) which means the supporter would pay $18.90.

Can I adjust my Classy Mode setting at any time?

Yes, you can change your Classy Mode for a specific campaign or at the organization level at any time. That said, we don’t recommend switching the percentage for active campaigns—this can make reconciling payments a bit more difficult. But the option is available just in case you need to.

Changing your Classy Mode percentage mid-campaign will not change the percentage on any existing Recurring Giving Plans. It will only affect new plans. In addition, if a Recurring Giving Plan fails and is updated, it will keep its original Classy Mode percentage.

How do I calculate the intended donation from the gross amount?

If you want to find the initial donation amount, you can do so using the gross amount. Below we explain how:

• Equation:
  Gross Donation / (1 + Classy Mode Percentage)

Say you have a $105 gross donation amount and a 5% Classy Mode percentage. Plug them into the equation. 

• $105 / (1 + 0.05)
  $100 is the initial or intended donation amount