Woocommerce How To Add Unseen Fundraiser Fee To Product

WooCommerce: Adding an Unseen Fundraiser Fee to Your Products (The Newbie-Friendly Guide)

Want to contribute to a good cause and support a fundraiser through your WooCommerce store, but don’t want to overtly raise the price of your product? Adding an “unseen” fundraiser fee, where a portion of the product cost is automatically donated, can be a great solution. Customers get the product they want at the advertised price, and a percentage of the sale goes directly to charity. This guide will walk you through how to achieve this in WooCommerce without requiring advanced coding skills.

Let’s be clear: an “unseen” fee isn’t truly unseen. It’s included in the price the customer sees, but the donation aspect isn’t explicitly broken out at checkout. We’re essentially building the donation into your profit margin.

Why choose this method?

• Appeals to customer generosity: People are often more willing to buy if they know part of the proceeds go to a good cause.
• Maintains perceived price point: You avoid sticker shock by not adding a separate “donation fee” at checkout.
• Streamlined checkout process: No extra steps or questions for the customer to answer.

Understanding the Basics: Your Profit Margin is Key

This method relies on adjusting your pricing strategy. You need to factor in the fundraiser fee when you’re determining your product’s selling price. Let’s consider a real-world example:

Imagine you sell handmade soaps. Each bar costs you $5 to make (materials, labor, etc.). You typically sell them for $10, making a $5 profit per bar. You want to donate $1 per bar sold to a local animal shelter.

The steps are simple:

1. Factor in the donation: Add the $1 donation to your cost. Your new “cost” is essentially $6 ($5 cost + $1 donation).

2. Set a competitive price: You can still sell the soap for $10, but your profit margin is now $4. Or, to maintain your $5 profit margin, you might increase the price to $11.

Method 1: Simple Price Adjustment (No Plugins Required!)

This is the easiest method, requiring no plugins. It’s all about adjusting your product prices to include the donation.

1. Calculate the desired donation per product: Decide how much you want to donate for each item sold.

2. Increase your product price accordingly: Add the donation amount to your original selling price.

3. Announce the donation (Optional, but recommended): On the product page, include a clear statement like: “A portion of the proceeds from each purchase of this soap will be donated to the [Animal Shelter Name].” Be transparent! This builds trust.

Example:

Let’s say you sell T-shirts for $20. You want to donate $2 per shirt to a cancer research foundation.

• Your new selling price would be $22.
• On the product page, you’d write: “A portion of the proceeds from each T-shirt sold will be donated to the [Cancer Research Foundation Name].”

Pros:

• Simplest method, no plugins needed.
• Easy to implement for stores with a small number of products.

Cons:

• Requires manual price adjustments for each product.
• Doesn’t automatically track donations. You’ll need to keep manual records.

Method 2: Using a Dynamic Pricing Plugin (For More Control)

While we want to avoid adding a visible fee at checkout, dynamic pricing plugins can help with bulk adjustments if needed. Some plugins allow you to set rules that automatically increase prices based on categories or other criteria, effectively building in the donation. These rules can be adjusted or removed later.

How it works:

1. Install a WooCommerce dynamic pricing plugin: Search the WordPress plugin repository for “WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing” (e.g., “WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing & Discounts”). Choose one with good reviews and a free version.

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2. Create a pricing rule: Configure the plugin to increase the price of specific products or product categories by your desired donation amount.

3. Announce the donation (Still recommended): Remember to be transparent and let customers know about the donation.

Example:

Let’s say you sell coffee beans, and you want to donate 50 cents from every bag of “Specialty Blend” to a rainforest preservation organization.

1. Using the dynamic pricing plugin, create a rule that increases the price of all products in the “Specialty Blend” category by $0.50.

2. On the product page for “Specialty Blend,” include the statement: “50 cents from every bag of this blend goes to support the [Rainforest Preservation Organization Name].”

Pros:

• Automates price adjustments for multiple products or categories.
• Can be easily adjusted or removed if needed.

Cons:

• Requires installing and configuring a plugin.
• Can be overkill for stores with a small number of products.

Method 3: WooCommerce Hooks (For Advanced Users – Proceed with Caution!)

This method involves adding custom code to your WooCommerce theme’s `functions.php` file or a custom plugin. Only use this method if you’re comfortable with PHP and WooCommerce hooks! Incorrect code can break your site.

 <?php /** 
Add a hidden fundraiser fee to product prices.
 */ add_filter( 'woocommerce_get_price', 'add_fundraiser_fee', 10, 2 ); add_filter( 'woocommerce_get_regular_price', 'add_fundraiser_fee', 10, 2 ); add_filter( 'woocommerce_get_sale_price', 'add_fundraiser_fee', 10, 2 ); 

function add_fundraiser_fee( $price, $product ) {

// Set the fundraiser fee amount.

$fundraiser_fee = 1.50; // Example: $1.50 donation

// Check if this is a specific product category.

// Replace ‘your_category_slug’ with the actual slug of your category.

if ( has_term( ‘your_category_slug’, ‘product_cat’, $product->get_id() ) ) {

// Add the fundraiser fee to the price.

$price = $price + $fundraiser_fee;

}

return $price;

}

?>

Explanation:

• This code uses the `woocommerce_get_price`, `woocommerce_get_regular_price` and `woocommerce_get_sale_price` filters to modify the product price.
• The `add_fundraiser_fee` function adds a defined amount `$fundraiser_fee` to the price.
• The `has_term` function checks if the product belongs to a specific category (replace `’your_category_slug’` with the correct category slug). This allows you to apply the fee only to certain products. If you want to apply it to all products, remove the `if` statement.

Important Notes for the Code Method:

* Backup your site: Before making any changes to your theme’s `functions.php` file, create a full backup of your website.

* Category Slug: Find the correct category slug by going to Products > Categories in your WordPress admin. Hover over the category, and you’ll see the slug in the URL.

* Testing: Thoroughly test your website after adding the code to ensure everything is working correctly.

* Debugging: If you encounter errors, carefully review the code for syntax errors or incorrect category slugs.

Pros:

• Provides precise control over the fee calculation.
• No need to install a separate plugin.

Cons:

• Requires coding knowledge.
• Can be complex to implement and maintain.
• Risk of breaking your site if the code is incorrect.

Essential Tips for Success

• Transparency is crucial: Even though the fee is “unseen” at checkout, clearly communicate the donation to your customers on the product page. This builds trust and encourages purchases.
• Track your donations: Keep meticulous records of your sales and donations. This will help you stay organized and report your donations accurately (if applicable).
• Choose a reputable charity: Partner with a well-known and respected organization. This adds credibility to your fundraiser.
• Promote your fundraiser: Let your customers know about your commitment to supporting a good cause. Share updates and photos on social media and in your email newsletter.

By following these steps, you can easily add an unseen fundraiser fee to your WooCommerce products and contribute to a cause you care about. Remember to prioritize transparency and choose the method that best suits your technical skills and business needs. Good luck!