Understanding Our 0% Fees Model

Learn how Trellis’s 0% Fees model works and why donor contributions help keep it sustainable.

At Trellis, our goal is to help nonprofits raise more—without being burdened by high platform fees. That’s why we’re proud to offer a 0% Fees model. You may have some questions about this new approach, especially about how it is presented to donors. We want to provide clarity on how this works, and why we have made the choices we have.

How the 0% Fees Model Works

With Trellis’s 0% Fees model, your organization keeps 100% of what you raise—no fees are deducted from purchases. Instead, donors are given the option to include an additional amount to help cover fees and support the platform. These optional contributions help cover technology, support, and infrastructure, allowing us to provide powerful fundraising tools without charging fees to your organization.

This model is designed to maximize funds going directly to your mission while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the platform.

Why the Donor Contribution Default Is Set Higher

One of the key mechanics behind 0% Fees is the donor contribution feature. To sustain a platform that serves thousands of nonprofits, we rely on optional support from donors to help cover the costs that organizations would typically bear.

We have set the default donor contribution above 3%—and that’s a deliberate choice. The reason comes down to donor behavior patterns.

In many campaigns, a portion of donors choose not to include any additional amount toward platform costs. That’s completely fine and expected. But what makes the 0% fee model work is that some donors do choose to add more, which helps offset the costs for those who don’t.

By setting the default higher, we help ensure your campaign as a whole remains sustainable—even if only a minority of donors opt to include additional support. 

This approach allows your organization to benefit from 0% platform fees while still ensuring Trellis can provide a stable, high-quality platform to power your fundraising.

Why We Don’t Allow Customizations

We have had requests to customize the presentation of the ask to donors. While we understand the motivation, our testing has shown that these changes significantly reduce overall support. That puts the sustainability of the 0% model at risk, and to maintain fairness and financial sustainability, we can’t implement certain changes that would undermine the broader model.

That said, we are constantly reviewing feedback and improving the donor experience. 

Alternative Option: The Traditional Donor-Optional Model

We also recognize that not every organization has the same preferences or audience expectations. That’s why we continue to offer the traditional donor-optional model, which uses a standard checkbox where donors can opt to cover transaction fees for your organization.

If your team feels that model is a better fit, you can switch at any time. Either way, our commitment to your success doesn’t change.

Final Thoughts

Trellis is a social enterprise and our mission is to maximize social impact, not shareholder profits. That means every product decision we make, including the design of the 0% Fees model, is focused on helping organizations thrive long term.

We understand how important your donor relationships are, and we’re taking great care to strike the right balance: making this feature sustainable for the platform while delivering an experience that’s thoughtful, respectful, and optimized for your donors.

We appreciate every piece of feedback—it’s what drives us to improve. And we’re always here to help you choose the model that works best for your fundraising goals.