13

If one gives a donation to a charity by using a credit card, the charity will only end up getting a percentage of the actual funds (e.g. 98%). In such a case, does the person giving get "credit" for the full amount, or is it considered like he only donated the actual amount received?

(A similar case would be giving charity using foreign currency, where the charity then must do the conversion - generally at a loss)

(And yet another similar case from the past: if the collector takes a commission)

On one hand, he gave the full amount. The fact that the other party didn't receive all of it wasn't his fault.

On the other hand, the bottom line is that the charity didn't get it all.

The outcome of this would have two very important ramifications (i.e. practical applications) [well, probably more, but these are the two I could think of off-hand]:

  • How much of the donation can count as Maaser (מעשר) money?
  • If one has a choice between using a check or credit card, should he specifically use the check?

Additionally, would the halacha change if the person received an actual benefit from the credit card company's commission. For example, many credit card companies reward points, miles, and/or cashback for using the card. Technically, these rewards are funded using this commission...

Improve this question
3
  • It seems like there should be a difference between overhead costs incurred by the giver and those incurred by the charity. That is, if I decide to use a credit card I'm causing them to not get the full amount so I wouldn't expect to count the 2%; if, on the other hand, the charity hires someone to run a campaign for them and that costs them some percentage, I didn't have any control over that so I would count the full amount. I don't have a source, which is why this is just a comment.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 19:43
  • Sometimes, nonprofit organizations can get substantially lower rates, because 1) they are effectively giving to charities, and 2) because charities have very low chargeback rates.
    – McKay
    Commented Mar 1, 2012 at 18:54
  • @mckay yes, but less doesn't equal 0
    – yydl
    Commented Mar 1, 2012 at 19:52

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
7

I think (I'm not a rav) that the credit card charges is just like any other expenses the charity has. and you could deduct from ma'aser the full amount you gave.

Of course it's better if you can give with a check. That would save them a few dollars, making a bigger part of your donation go to the charity, but only if you don't have a fundraiser picking it up... If you do they'll end up paying more than the small credit card fee.

EDIT: Added a source... to support my answer.

Safer Tzduka U'meshpat צדקה ומשפט

Improve this answer
9
  • 1
    Source from where?
    – Curiouser
    Commented Sep 12, 2011 at 14:34
  • 2
    @Ezi, FYI, no one speaks on this site as a rav (although there are some people here who happen to have semicha). In general, the assumption is that any user's intuitive ruling, not backed up by a source, is worth little. Please consider describing in your own words what the source you quote is and what it says that's relevant to the question at hand.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Commented Sep 12, 2011 at 14:36
  • 3
    Is there a difference between an expense the charity has no matter how you pay (e.g. mailing you a receipt) and an expense that follows from a decision you made?
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Sep 12, 2011 at 15:53
  • 6
    Second @Isaac Moses' last point. Please summarize/translate the source for the benefit of those who cannot do so on their own, and please provide basic bibliographical information (author/book) of the source.
    – Seth J
    Commented Sep 12, 2011 at 16:18
  • 2
    @IsaacMoses The source is the sefer צדקה ומשפט (ch. 7, fn. 44) by R' Yaakov Yeshaya Blau, a senior Eida HaChareidis dayan who recently passed away.
    – Fred
    Commented Feb 11, 2013 at 23:49
1

It's not always true that giving by check costs any given non-profit less than giving by credit card.

However you give, if it's a cause for which you / your rav feel comfortable using maaser money, then you can deduct the full amount of the gift.

Most donors don't like to think about the fact that some of their money goes towards "overhead". It does - and very very few non-profit entities can get around it.

Even if you hear that "100% of your donation will be used" for the stated cause - that only means that some major donor(s) gave them tens of thousands of dollars, and allowed them to use that money for the administrative costs, so that your $18 can go directly to the stated cause.

Any way you slice it, the beneficiaries of this non-profit would not receive anything, if the non-profit didn't also pay the office rent, the electric bill, the water bill, the fundraiser, the office staff, the cost of printing brochures, - and yes, the bank (checks), and the credit card processing company.

So give generously to your favorite causes, and deduct the full amount of your donation from your maaser obligations.

Improve this answer
1
  • While your answer explains nicely the overhead situation, do you have an halachic source for saying that maaser can pay for it?
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 15:56
0

The tzedaka organization is allowed to deduct from the tzedaka account any expenses that were incurred to enable the tzedaka fund to function

(quote from The laws of tzedakah and maaser by R Shimon Taub, which he sources from the sefer צדקה ומשפט).

Credit card is just one of the expenses of the tzedaka fund, smaller than salaries, advertising, etc. We are used to deduct all donations from maaser therefore it appears logical that we are allowed to deduct credit card expenses as well.

This being said, le-maase, I always try to use wire transfers to avoid the commission and maximize the impact of my tzedaka.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .