This section requires vendors to provide a comprehensive and transparent breakdown of all costs related to the proposed digital giving platform. It enables your organization to evaluate the total financial impact, distinguish between one-time and recurring expenses, and assess overall value.
Detailed Cost Breakdown
Vendors must list all cost components associated with implementation, usage, and ongoing support. Fees should be clearly categorized to allow straightforward comparisons across vendors.
| Cost Category |
Description / Expectation |
| Setup/Implementation Fees |
One-time costs for onboarding, configuration, and deployment |
| Subscription Fees |
Ongoing monthly or annual costs to use the platform |
| Payment Processing Costs |
Fees associated with processing donations (platform and/or gateway/processor-specific) |
| Add-on Services |
Charges for extras like premium support, user licenses, engagement credits, or integrations |
| Training & Documentation |
Costs for onboarding materials, staff training, and admin/user guides |
| Hidden/Optional Costs |
Disclosure of any fees not immediately visible in base pricing |
“All pricing must be itemized by category and reflect total cost under normal operating conditions.”
Pricing Model Structure
The vendor should clearly explain how their pricing is calculated. This might include:
- Per EIN or entity
- Based on number of donor records or transactions
- Per admin user license
- Usage-based tiers (volume of giving or emails/SMS sent)
“Please clarify your pricing metric: is it based on total giving volume, number of transactions, or unique constituents?”
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and ROI
Vendors should provide a long-term view of the platform’s value by addressing:
- Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over a 3–5 year period
- Estimated savings from consolidating tools or streamlining operations
- Any measurable ROI benchmarks (e.g., increases in conversion or retention)
“Our platform typically reduces time spent on data reconciliation by 50%, saving 10–15 hours/month for mid-size nonprofits.”
Assumptions for Pricing
All pricing should include clearly stated assumptions such as:
- Expected annual donation volume
- Number of users or admins
- Number of donation forms or email templates included
- Volume of transactions or API calls
“This pricing assumes 100,000 annual transactions and up to 10 admin users.”
Cost Labeling and Transparency
Vendors must distinguish:
- One-time costs vs. Recurring costs
- Bundled features vs. Optional add-ons
- Items with fixed vs. variable pricing
“Be explicit in separating recurring software fees from per-transaction charges and add-on costs.”
Multiple Options
If multiple solution tiers or configurations are available, each must be separately itemized.
| Option |
Features Included |
Total Annual Cost
(EXAMPLES) |
| Basic |
Forms, CRM sync, donor portal |
$5,000 |
| Premium |
Includes marketing automation, events, SMS |
$18,000 |
| Enterprise |
All features + P2P, custom integrations |
$25,000 |
“Vendors offering tiered pricing should clarify differences in features, support, and integration capabilities.”
Nonprofit Considerations
As a nonprofit, your organization welcomes pricing considerations tailored to the sector.
- Discounts for 501(c)(3) status or verified nonprofits
- In-kind services or waived onboarding fees
- Volume-based giving credits or grant programs
“Please indicate if you offer nonprofit-specific pricing, in-kind contributions, or pro bono implementation support.”
