Paying to Donate

I typically give a good amount of money to several charities each year.

But this year, I have cut back on my donations due to the excessive cost of groceries, propane (used to heat my house, run my water heater and stove), etc.

One thing that really annoys me is being asked by charities to donate more than my gift to cover the cost of processing the donation. Since online donations are typically charged to a credit card, and credit card companies charge of fee of 3 percent to 4 percent of the transaction cost, the charity does incur a cost for each donation.

But in my mind, asking me to donate money and pay the processing fee is akin to asking donors to pay for the privilege of donating. What will come next? Asking donors to cover the cost of electricity to operate the computers? Will there be a fee to cover the salary of employees or the organization's overhead?

To me, accepting monetary donations online is simply a cost of doing business. And the processing fee is far less than the amount of every donation. Transaction fees for debit card donations are very small. And the request to cover the processing charge is optional. But it still rankles me.

I know that inflation and producer greed have impacted charities just as they have impacted consumers.

But no, I will not be paying to donate to any charity.