Give Fee Recovery is a dedicated add-on for the GiveWP donation platform that allows nonprofits to recover credit card processing fees by asking donors to cover them. This extension ensures more money goes directly to the cause by adding a small additional amount to the donation total. It is a practical solution for organizations looking to offset the 2.9% + $0.30 typical transaction costs.
WPExclusive members get access to Fee Recovery as part of a full plugin and theme library — plans from $9.99/month. See the full GiveWP collection →
What Is Give Fee Recovery?
Give Fee Recovery is developed by GiveWP and is a payments plugin for WordPress. It belongs to the payments category on WPExclusive, alongside other tools for fundraising management. The plugin addresses the issue of payment processors taking a chunk of total earnings, which impacts the bottom line of charitable campaigns.
It provides a transparent way for donors to increase their contribution to ensure the nonprofit receives the exact intended amount. This is designed for any organization using GiveWP that wants to maximize their donation efficiency without manually calculating fees.
Give Fee Recovery Features
The feature set is built around providing granular control over how transaction costs are calculated and presented to the donor.
Global and Per-Gateway Settings
Fee Recovery is highly flexible, allowing administrators to define settings at three different levels. You can set global rules for your entire site or define specific fee structures for different payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal. This ensures that if one gateway charges more than another, the fee recovery reflects those differences accurately.
Opt-in vs. Forced Recovery
The plugin offers complete control over the donor experience by letting you choose between a voluntary opt-in and a forced fee recovery. An opt-in checkbox allows donors to choose if they want to cover the cost, while the forced option automatically adds the fee to the total. You can customize the messaging for the ask to match your organization’s tone.
Detailed Reporting and Calculation
Fee Recovery includes handy reports that display exactly how many fees have been collected over time. This data helps in auditing and assessing the impact of the add-on on your total revenue. Calculations can be based on a percentage of the donation, a flat fee, or a combination of both to match processor requirements.
Pricing
Check current pricing on the Fee Recovery sales page — WPExclusive members access it as part of their plan.
| Plan | Price | Sites | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Add-on | $149/year | 1 Site | Access + Updates |
| GiveWP Plus Plan | $349/year | 1 Site | All Premium Add-ons |
| WPExclusive Membership | From $9.99/month | Unlimited | Fee Recovery + full library |
For developers managing multiple sites, a WPExclusive membership covers Fee Recovery plus hundreds of other plugins and themes — usually less than one premium license.
Latest Version
The current version is 2.3.6. The plugin receives regular updates to maintain compatibility with the core GiveWP donation engine. WPExclusive updates plugin files promptly after each release.
How to Install
- Download the Fee Recovery .zip from your WPExclusive member account
- In WordPress: Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Select the .zip and click Install Now → Activate
- Navigate to Donations → Settings → Fee Recovery to configure global settings
- Optionally, go to individual donation forms to override settings for specific campaigns
Use Cases
Nonprofits Optimizing Stripe Donations
Organizations using Stripe can use this plugin to ensure the 2.9% fee doesn’t reduce their net income. By using the payments settings, you can ensure that a $100 donation results in exactly $100 in your bank account.
Foundation Campaigns with Multiple Gateways
If you offer bank transfers via Dwolla alongside credit card options, you can disable fee recovery for the zero-fee bank options while keeping it active for high-fee credit cards.
Agencies and Developers Managing Multiple Client Sites
Agencies can deploy this across dozens of client nonprofit sites using the WPExclusive library. This provides a professional donation experience to every client without incurring individual annual license costs for each site.
vs Alternatives
| Feature | Fee Recovery | Give Dwolla | Give Wepay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recovery Logic | Donor covers fee | Zero gateway fees | Merchant fees |
| Opt-in Support | ✅ Yes | ❌ N/A | ❌ No |
| Global Settings | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Starting Price | $149 | $79 | $79 |
| Available on WPExclusive | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Browse the full payments plugins on WPExclusive →
Pros and Cons
✅ Strengths
- Increases total donation revenue by effectively eliminating transaction costs
- Donors appreciate the transparency of knowing 100% of their intended gift reaches the cause
- Individual form control allows for testing fee recovery on different campaigns
⚠️ Limitations
- Some donors might find forced fee recovery off-putting if not messaged correctly
- Requires the core GiveWP plugin to be installed and active
- Developer auto-updates require an active license key. WPExclusive publishes updates manually when new versions are released.
Is Give Fee Recovery GPL Licensed?
Yes. Give Fee Recovery is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) — the same license that governs WordPress itself. GPL gives any user the legal right to use, study, share, and redistribute the software. This is the legal framework that makes WPExclusive’s membership model possible.
WPExclusive distributes 100% original, unmodified files — the same release the developer publishes. No injected code, no alterations, no security risks.
Get Give Fee Recovery on WPExclusive
WPExclusive membership starts at $9.99/month, $87/year, or $149 lifetime — giving you Give Fee Recovery plus every plugin and theme in the library, on unlimited sites.
Explore the full GiveWP collection → or browse all WordPress plugins →
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Give Fee Recovery do?
Give Fee Recovery is an extension that adds a processing fee calculator to your donation forms. Fee Recovery allows organizations to recoup the credit card fees charged by gateways, ensuring the full donation amount is retained.
Is Give Fee Recovery free?
No, this is a premium add-on usually sold for $149 per year. However, it is included in a WPExclusive plan for $9.99/month.
What is the latest version of Give Fee Recovery?
The plugin is currently at version 2.3.6 and is actively maintained — WPExclusive members always receive the most current release.
How much does Give Fee Recovery cost?
Retail pricing is $149/year for a single site and $349/year for a bundled plan. Via WPExclusive, it is included in plans from $9.99/month.
Is it legal to use Give Fee Recovery via WPExclusive?
The plugin is GPL licensed, which explicitly permits redistribution. WPExclusive provides original, unmodified files — fully within GPL terms.
Are there other donation gateways that save fees?
Yes, Give Dwolla Gateway is a popular choice for low-cost processing. All are available on WPExclusive within the same membership.
