How Splits Work
One donation, automatically divided — here's the full picture of how SplitGive distributes funds between multiple recipients in real time.
The Basic Concept
When a donor gives to a SplitGive page, a single payment is collected and then automatically distributed to each recipient according to pre-set percentages.
A page creator assigns each recipient a percentage of the total donation. All percentages must add up to 100%. When someone donates:
Example: $100 donation with 3 recipients
Note: Actual recipient amounts are net of platform and payment processing fees unless the donor chooses to cover fees.
How the Technology Works
SplitGive uses Stripe Connect — Stripe's platform for marketplaces and multi-party payments — to handle all payment splitting.
Here's what happens behind the scenes when a donation is made:
- The donor's card is charged on Stripe's platform (SplitGive never touches the money directly)
- The platform fee is retained
- Each recipient's share is immediately transferred to their connected Stripe account
- Stripe then pays out to each recipient's bank account on its normal schedule
How Percentages Are Set
Only page creators set the split percentages — donors see the breakdown but cannot change it.
- Percentages are whole numbers only (e.g., 33%, not 33.33%)
- All recipients together must total exactly 100%
- You can have as few as one recipient (100%) or multiple recipients
- Percentages can be changed by the page creator at any time, but changes apply to future donations only
What Donors See
Before completing their donation, donors can see:
- A list of all recipients and their percentages
- A live breakdown of how their specific donation amount will be divided
- Whether each recipient is a tax-deductible nonprofit
- The exact amounts each recipient will receive after fees (or before, if they cover fees)
This transparency is core to SplitGive's mission — donors always know exactly where their money goes.
After the Donation
Once a donation is processed:
- The donor receives a receipt email showing how their gift was split
- Each recipient receives a notification of the donation
- The page creator can see the full donation in their analytics dashboard
- Stripe handles all payouts to recipients' bank accounts automatically