blakejennelle

We had a nightmare like this when we first launched MyDunkTank and were using PayPal for our payment processing. They suspended our ability to accept payments without warning or notification and then dragged us through a ridiculous and costly paperwork process for over a week.

We supplied everything they asked for and more. They denied our appeal and then locked $2,600 in our account for 180 days without explanation. We worked every channel we could to get a more reasonable outcome and it was to no avail.

There were a few good people in the PayPal bureaucracy who became champions for us but they were powerless. It was very discouraging.

The irony is that PayPal originally challenged the man. Now they are the man.

We're on the same page about transparency. Any mention of fees is going to reduce donation rates regardless of what the fees are. That's okay though - the information should still be clear.

What we've found is that people want and need a lot of help marketing their fundraisers -- especially individuals, because they don't do this for a living.

We're already starting to automate some of this. That said, I think there will always be a need and opportunity to provide help from a real human being, whether that's a member of our team or a community of users.

Our fees are very reasonable for what we provide: 1. A viral fundraising format that significantly increases donations. 2. One-on-one help to market fundraisers. This is something charities typically pay consultants $100+ per hour to do. 3. All the standard donation processing and reporting that the other guys do.

We're the only fundraising website to do step up and do this. Online fundraising is begging for innovation and causes need more help than ever raising money.

The services that provide comparable marketing support typically charge much more. The donation websites that provide only a profile page and basic payment processing average 7-8% or more.

Professional fundraising consultants hired by most major charities charge much, much more.

MyDunkTank provides a great deal of support at a very reasonable cost.

Hey - Our FAQ states our fees as well: http://mydunktank.com/pages/faq#transactionfees

That said, good feedback about making it clearer.

We spend a lot of time one-on-one with each fundraiser to help them promote it and raise significantly more money than they would otherwise.

Nope. We process the transaction and that's the last time we touch the number. It's not stored anywhere in our system.

Haha, I totally understand. Rest assured that the payment processing is all buttoned up. We use Paypal Website Payments Pro behind SSL encryption. All of the other $500+ in donations have gone through without a single hitch.

So there, I hope you are feeling the warm fuzzies right now. And huge thanks for wanting to donate to someone you only met over the interwebs. That gives me the warm fuzzies. :)

Thanks so much. It would be hilarious to walk around like a cowboy in the middle of a big city in the summertime. If I have to wear that for a whole month it better be great marketing! :)