Global meltdown forcing Google to waive its generosity

Non-profit organizations accepting donations via Google Checkout will now be charged processing fees starting from the early March. Previously non-profits were able to use the service for free. Still, those non-profits who are also members of Google Grants program will be eligible for free donation processing which will be extended for another year, until 2010.

Here is what was written in the company blog post:

If your organization is already a Google Grants recipient using Checkout for donation processing, please make sure to link your Grants account with Checkout by February 15 to continue receiving free donation processing without interruption. If you are not yet a Google Grants recipient and you meet the guidelines for the program, we strongly encourage you to apply. If you apply for Google Grants by March 1, 2009 and you're accepted, we will retroactively credit you for any Checkout fees incurred while your application was pending. For anyone who falls outside of our guidelines or who decides not to apply for a Google Grant, we realize this news may come as a disappointment, and hope that you'll still find Checkout's ease of use and competitive rates compelling reasons to keep using our product.

Free donation processing through Google Checkout was allowed to non-profit organizations since 2007. Thus, 100% of the contributions were spent on the causes. Now in the tough economy Google is seeking to make more savings by establishing new rules. During the Christmas season Google was collecting fees for its Checkout service even from those merchants who advertise on Google while during the two previous Christmases these merchants were not charged.

Source: Google Checkout