FYI: “your generosity” keeps BARGE registration free

[Doug Grismore]

back in the day, we used commercial credit card processing platforms and passed the cost onto everyone equally with an upcharge, or by BARGE eating it some years.

now we use a platform that is “free” for non-profits like ours. it is funded by donations primarily.

as a result, when you buy your BARGE admissions, the platform by default adds an additional percentage to the charged amount. on iOS26 the app shows this:

A helpful longtime BARGEr thought I should let you know that (a) we can’t tell if you paid this, (b) we can’t make it disappear or default to hidden or zero.

That said, it IS appreciated if you leave it on there - this platform is used by thousands of non-profits to fundraise and it is 100% free to all of those non-profits, including BARGE. But you can pick “um, nope” if you are so moved. This puts the carrying of costs on those who can best afford it instead of everyone. But it only benefits BARGE in that it means all the regular fees (which are not getting more expensive these days) go to BARGE directly.

If you are not sure if you paid this - check your credit card statement: BARGE fees are either $30, $35, or $65, or multiples thereof.