A Giving rate is useful only when your finance team knows what it applies to. The percentage is one part of the calculation. The number of payments, the payment methods donors choose, and any monthly charges also affect what your church pays.
That makes a careful comparison an act of stewardship. It gives your team a clear view of the costs attached to receiving gifts and a sound basis for deciding whether a change would serve your ministry.
You do not need an elaborate financial model to begin. Start with one complete statement period and keep the same Giving amounts and payment counts on both sides of the comparison.
Begin with the payment, not the fund allocation
For a percentage-plus-fixed-fee price, the basic calculation is the payment amount multiplied by the percentage, plus the fixed charge. Calculate card and ACH payments separately because their rates may differ.
villaDeus charges 1.88% + $0.30 per electronic Transaction and ACH/eCheck processing at $0.30 per Transaction, with no monthly platform fee. The fixed charge applies once to the electronic Transaction. If that payment contains Gifts allocated to more than one Fund, those allocations do not each create another fixed transaction charge.
At these rates, one $100 card payment has a processing charge of $2.18. One $100 ACH payment has a processing charge of $0.30. These are processing examples, not a forecast of the church's final bank deposit: optional fee contributions and exceptional charges need their own treatment.
The number of payments matters too. One $100 card payment and two $50 card payments have the same combined percentage charge, but the second scenario has two fixed charges. With villaDeus, their processing totals are $2.18 and $2.48 respectively. A comparison that counts only total dollars would miss that difference.
Compare equivalent services
Compare giving costs separately from any additional software or services included in your current plan.
For example, Tithely's pricing, reviewed September 9, 2026, lists standard credit/debit processing at 2.9% + $0.30 and no monthly Giving fee. On a single $100 standard card payment, that processing charge is $3.20, compared with $2.18 with villaDeus: a $1.02 difference. This is a narrow processing comparison. It does not establish a particular church's realized savings, compare every card type, or claim that the two products have identical features.
A church's negotiated terms may differ. Paid software bundles may also provide services the church needs. Include those services consistently; do not count a bundle subscription as a Giving-only fee and then remove its useful features from the comparison.
Build a comparison your team can check
For each payment method, record the total processed amount, the number of successful payments, the percentage rate, and the fixed charge. Add monthly platform charges separately. Then list additional costs that applied during the period, such as a disputed-payment charge or separately agreed service work.
Keep optional donor fee contributions in their own line. If a donor pays an additional amount, distinguish the church's out-of-pocket cost from the total processing cost. Otherwise two apparently similar totals may be measuring different things.
Here’s an example of how to organize your comparison.
| Giving method | Monthly giving | Payments | Tithely cost | villaDeus cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard cards | $10,000 | 100 | $320 | $218 | $102 |
| ACH / bank | $10,000 | 100 | $130 | $30 | $100 |
| Total | $20,000 | 200 | $450 | $248 | $202 |
Sample giving amounts, not an actual church’s results. Each payment is $100. Tithely: standard cards 2.9% + $0.30; ACH 1% + $0.30. villaDeus: cards 1.88% + $0.30; ACH $0.30. Both giving plans have no monthly platform fee. This example excludes American Express, optional donor fee contributions, paid software bundles, refunds and disputed or returned payments. Tithely pricing reviewed September 9, 2026.
Make the decision broader than price
Once the cost difference is clear, review reporting, donor experience, support, and the work of switching. A useful decision accounts for the people who manage Giving each week as well as the processing bill.
Read more about evaluating the full cost of a Giving platform, then review villaDeus Giving. If you would like to discuss your church's requirements, request a Giving consultation.
Price sources, reviewed September 9, 2026: villaDeus and Tithely U.S. pricing. Recheck current rates and applicable agreements before making a decision.