Single checkbox fee covering

What we tested

We ran a test on the payment options screen in Checkout, focused on how transaction fee information is displayed to donors. Currently, the fee amount appears below the "Cover transaction costs" button. We tested several variations: showing the fee inside the button itself, showing it only in a tooltip, and adjusting whether the total amount displayed reflects the fee or not.

The primary goal was to free up screen space while finding a layout that maintains or improves donor behavior.

Hypothesis

If we change how the transaction fee is displayed on the payment options screen, donation conversion from that screen will not decrease by more than 0.8%, and the share of donations with fee coverage will not decrease by more than 0.7%.

Test setup

Key results

All three test groups held conversion rates close to the control, and two of the three showed a statistically significant increase in fee coverage.

Donation conversion rate

• −0.46% decrease in donation conversion for test group 3
• No statistically significant difference for test groups 1 or 2

Fee coverage rate

• +0.60% increase for test group 1
• +2.23% increase for test group 2
• +1.47% increase for test group 3

ARPU and ARPPU

• +0.79% increase in ARPPU for test group 2
• No statistically significant differences in ARPU or ARPPU for test group 1 or test group 3

Segment insights

By OS

Fee coverage improved across all major operating systems in test groups 2 and 3:

• +1.97% on iOS (test group 2) and +1.19% (test group 3)
• +2.83% on Android (test group 2) and +1.55% (test group 3)
• +2.19% on Windows (test group 2) and +1.22% (test group 3)
• +2.24% on macOS (test groups 2 and 3)

By device

• +2.25% fee coverage on mobile in test group 2 and +1.33% in test group 3
• +2.22% fee coverage on desktop in test group 2 and +1.58% in test group 3

By country

Fee coverage gains were consistent across geographies in test group 2:

• +5.99% in the United Kingdom
• +3.43% in Australia
• +2.75% in Canada
• +1.77% in the United States

By the fee coverage configuration

The strongest gains came from organizations where fee coverage was not pre-selected by default:

• +17.30% fee coverage rate in test 2
• +18.12% fee coverage rate in test 3

This suggests the visual change in how the fee is presented has the most impact when donors haven't previously opted in.

Conclusion

Test group 1 is the most reliable outcome. Donation conversion tracked closely with control, and fee coverage increased by a statistically significant margin. There is no meaningful downside risk.

Test group 2 showed the strongest fee coverage lift (+2.23%), and the potential conversion risk — while not statistically significant — remained well within the guardrails set at the start of the test.

Test group 3 showed a statistically significant drop in donation conversion (−0.46%), driven by one-time donations, making it the least favorable of the three.

The decision was to end the test and roll out test group 1 across all users.

Given the strong results in this segment, we're considering a follow-up test focused specifically on campaigns where fee coverage is not pre-selected by default.

What this means for you

This test is a good example of how small, thoughtful design changes can move meaningful metrics without compromising the donor experience. Fee coverage helps nonprofits keep more of every dollar raised, and even a modest sustained lift in that rate adds up significantly over time.

At Fundraise Up, we continuously test across device types, operating systems, geographies, and donor segments before rolling anything out. Not every change performs the same way across all audiences, which is why we test at scale. Your Checkout is always optimized based on what the data actually shows — not assumptions.

→ Learn more about how Fundraise Up’s fee coverage helps you raise more