Yes. The official framework treats the gift and fee as part of a process that still applies the existing employment-based immigrant criteria and admissibility rules. The sponsor's payment does not replace the applicant's own eligibility, and terms should be re-verified on the official page before any money moves.
Test the record against the criteria before the fee
The order of operations that protects the applicant is: eligibility analysis first, sponsor terms second, payment last. Ask which immigrant category the sponsor intends and assemble the evidence that category requires. For an EB-1 extraordinary-ability case that means documented recognition in her field well beyond a strong sales record; for an EB-1 multinational-manager case it means a qualifying year abroad in a managerial role and a managerial US position with a related company; for an EB-2 case it means an advanced degree or exceptional ability and, if a labour certification is to be avoided, a national-interest showing.
A Quinte West sales executive with a bachelor's degree and a good territory may not fit any of these without more, and finding that out after a non-refundable processing fee is the outcome to avoid. If the analysis shows a plausible basis, the sponsor's terms can then be negotiated with a clear view of what the gift is buying: expedited handling within an existing category, not a new one.