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Turn On Zero-Fee Payments in ChamberMaster

Updated

What this does: Explains how Zero-Fee Payments works, how to turn it on or off, and what your members see.

Applies to: ChamberMaster (CM) organizations that use GrowthZone Pay (GZ Pay). You need Admin access or higher to change the setting.

Before you start: Your GZ Pay account must be set up and verified.

Time needed: About 15 minutes to turn it on and run a test payment. Tell members before your start date.

What Zero-Fee Payments is

With Zero-Fee Payments on, your organization pays nothing in processing costs on online payments. Instead, GrowthZone adds a platform service fee that the payer sees and pays at checkout.

  • The fee is 5% of the payment. GrowthZone sets it, so you don't choose a rate.
  • Payers see it first. The fee shows as its own line at checkout, before they pay.
  • It never reaches your bank account. The fee goes to GrowthZone, so it doesn't show up in your deposits or reconciliation (matching payments to bank deposits).
  • It's the same for every online payment method. Card and ACH (bank account) payments are treated alike. It doesn't depend on card type.
  • It covers one-time and automatic payments. Auto-pay (recurring) charges include the fee too.

For example, a member who pays $100 in dues online pays $105: the $100 in dues plus the 5% platform service fee. Your organization receives the full $100.

Decide before you start

Agree on these with your team first:

  • A start date. Avoid the middle of a renewal run, so members don't see a change partway through a billing cycle.
  • How you'll tell members. Members on auto-pay will pay the fee on their next automatic charge. A short note in your renewal notice or newsletter helps.
  • Whether every payment should carry the fee. The setting applies to all online payments. You can't leave out specific fee items or members.
  • Who answers member questions. Anyone who takes payments should read Answer member questions.

Phase 1: Check that GZ Pay is ready

Zero-Fee Payments only works with a verified GZ Pay account, so confirm this first.

  1. In the left-hand menu, click Setup. In the Association Options section, click Billing Options & Settings.
  2. Scroll to the Credit Cards section.
  3. Under GrowthZone payment processing, check that Verification complete and Charges Enabled both show true. If either shows false, finish your GZ Pay setup first.

Phase 2: Turn on Zero-Fee Payments

You turn the setting on yourself, on the same page you used in Phase 1.

  1. In the left-hand menu, click Setup. In the Association Options section, click Billing Options & Settings.
  2. Scroll to the Credit Cards section.
  3. Select the Zero-Fee Payments checkbox.
    The Zero-Fee Payments checkbox selected in the Credit Cards section
  4. Click Save.

The change can take a few minutes to apply. Wait a few minutes before you run your test payment.

Phase 3: Run a test payment

A small test confirms the fee shows correctly before members start paying.

  1. Run one small online payment, such as a $1 item or a staff member's dues.
  2. Check that the checkout page and the receipt both show the platform service fee.
  3. If anything looks off, contact GrowthZone Support with a screenshot.

Checkpoint: Once your test passes, every online card and bank payment includes the fee.

What your members see

At checkout, members see the platform service fee as a separate line under their payment, before they confirm. Their confirmation page and receipt show the same breakdown. Invoices don't show the fee.

The platform service fee shown as a separate line at checkout

Deposits, refunds and reporting

Zero-Fee Payments changes who pays processing costs, not how much your organization receives.

  • Deposits: You receive the full amount you charged. The fee goes straight to GrowthZone, so there's no processing cost to back out.
  • Refunds: On a full refund, you'll see a Refund platform fee to payer checkbox. If you select it, the member gets the fee back and your organization covers that amount.
  • Reporting: Your deposit reports show the amount your organization received.

Answer member questions

Share these answers with anyone on your team who handles member billing questions.

  • "Why is there a fee now?" We use GrowthZone's payment platform for online payments. GrowthZone charges a 5% platform service fee for using it, shown at checkout. If you'd rather not pay it, you can pay by check or cash.
  • "Does the fee depend on my card?" No. It's applied the same way to every online payment method.
  • "Who gets the fee?" GrowthZone, the platform provider. Our organization receives your full dues amount.
  • "Did our dues go up?" No. Your dues are the same. The service fee applies only when you pay online.

If a member asks something you can't answer, contact GrowthZone Support.

Turn Zero-Fee Payments off

Zero-Fee Payments is optional, and you can turn it off at any time.

  1. In the left-hand menu, click Setup. In the Association Options section, click Billing Options & Settings.
  2. Scroll to the Credit Cards section and clear the Zero-Fee Payments checkbox.
  3. Click Save.

Payments after that don't include the fee, and your organization pays processing costs again from that point. To see what those costs look like, read Calculate Payment Processing Fees.

Common pitfalls

  • Surprising auto-pay members: Their next automatic charge includes the fee. Tell them before your start date.
  • Testing too soon: A payment made seconds after you save may not include the fee. Wait a few minutes.
  • Expecting the fee on in-person payments: Payments taken in the GZ Pay App for Staff don't include the fee.
  • Looking for the refund checkbox on a partial refund: The fee can only be returned on a full refund of a single-item payment with no tax.

Consultant pro-tip: Tell members before the first renewal

We recommend a short note in the renewal notice or newsletter that goes out before your start date. Members who hear about the fee ahead of time won't be surprised by it at checkout.

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