Fundly vs. GoFundMe vs. Donorbox – Which is Right for You?
Fundly, GoFundMe, and Donorbox are all well-known fundraising platforms with crowdfunding capabilities. In this article, I'll share everything you need to know to compare Fundly vs. GoFundMe vs. Donorbox.
Statistics reveal that crowdfunding campaigns raise an average of $9,237.55! If you’ve decided to use crowdfunding in your strategy and are struggling to choose between Fundly vs. GoFundMe vs. Donorbox, I’m here to help.
Below, I’ll compare the key features, drawbacks, and pricing of these platforms to help you make a solid decision.
Fundly vs. GoFundMe vs. Donorbox
1. Donorbox
Donorbox is a fundraising and donor management platform designed to help nonprofits and other organizations increase their fundraising by over 400%. From crowdfunding and customizable donation forms to event ticketing, it offers a comprehensive suite of features.
Ideal for:
Nonprofits of all sizes who need a fundraising platform that offers conversion-focused crowdfunding pages and features.
Organizations looking for a holistic fundraising and donor management platform that offers online and in-person fundraising features.
Top features:
Fully customizable crowdfunding pages: Personalize your crowdfunding campaign with visuals and text. Include a donor wall and goal meter, and share updates to keep supporters informed.
Customizable donation forms: Create on-brand donation forms and embed them on your website or host them on Donorbox.
Automated donation receipts: Instantly acknowledge every gift when someone supports your cause.
Peer-to-peer fundraising: Allow supporters to fundraise for you with their own personalized fundraising pages, multiplying your fundraising potential and reach.
22+ payment options: Donorbox OmniGive™ donation forms support more than 22 payment methods, allowing you to appeal to more donors’ giving preferences and increase conversions.
Easy repeat giving for donors: Supporters can easily repeat their donations to your campaign in one click using the Donor Portal and QuickDonate™, helping you raise even more.
Event ticketing tool: Create customizable event pages with relevant information included. Add unlimited ticket tiers, accept one-time and recurring donations on top of ticket sales, streamline guest check-in, and include tax-deductible amounts for tickets.
Donor management tools: Cultivate lasting relationships with donor management features for storing and analyzing donor and donation data, plus advanced filters to segment supporters to strengthen your outreach.
And more. From donation kiosk software for collecting cashless in person gifts to recurring donations, explore all of Donorbox’s features here.
See how The Plough Arts Centre exceeded their fundraising goal of £50,000 via their crowdfunding campaign hosted on Donorbox:
Standard Plan: $0 per month, with a platform fee of 2.95% for most features.
Pro Plan: $150 per month, with reduced fees ranging from 1.75% to 2%. Includes additional benefits like advanced form customization and Zapier integrations.
Premium Plan: Create a customized plan that meets your unique fundraising needs. Access 24/7 customer support, personalized coaching, and more – plus, reduced platform fees ranging from 1.6% to 2%.
Pricing excludes standard Stripe and PayPal payment processing fees. However, you can always ask donors to cover these fees.
2. Fundly
Fundly is a fundraising platform now powered by SignUpGenius, a sign-up software specifically designed for volunteer and event management and recruitment, as well as auctions. Nonprofits and event coordinators can easily organize supporters and fundraising with sign-up sheets and built-in payments.
Ideal for:
Nonprofits, schools, and other organizations looking for a platform that streamlines volunteer and event signup and offers crowdfunding features.
Organizations who place a strong focus on events and auctions as part of their fundraising strategy.
Top features:
Personalized sign up forms: Streamline event management and volunteer recruitment with customizable sign up forms. Send automated emails to supporters, and manage waitlists to increase support (paid plans only).
Optional payment options for sign ups: Collect money to cover fees or supplies, accept donations, and sell event tickets by including optional payment options on your sign up.
Custom questions to collect supporter information: Exclusive to paid plans, include custom questions on your sign up to collect information from volunteers and supporters.
Customizable donation pages: Include visuals and text to share your fundraising story. Embed your donation page with your sign up form so supporters can sign up and give in one go.
Social media sharing tools: Increase engagement and campaign reach by including social sharing tools on your donation page.
Activity feed to increase engagement: Build community by allowing supporters to share comments on your activity feed.
Event ticketing tool: Promote and sell tickets to fundraising events from your sign up. Include multiple ticket tiers, and streamline check-in with the SignUpGenius Tickets app for iOS devices.
Auction software: Host online and in-person auctions via custom pages that enable supporters to easily bid on items. Track bids and transactions on the backend. Plus, send outbid alerts and live updates to increase engagement.
Drawbacks:
Fundly is now powered by SignUpGenius. While SignUpGenius offers features that can be utilized for crowdfunding, it is not a fundraising platform, but rather one primarily designed for volunteer recruitment and management – along with events and auctions.
Most of the helpful features are exclusive to paid plans, which can feel restrictive for users on the Free plan. The Free plan also contains ads, which can be frustrating and cause friction.
The platform currently only supports payments made via cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Limited payment options can drive away donors who prefer to give using alternative payment methods, reducing your fundraising potential.
SignUpGenius donation pages offer basic customization options. If you require more advanced customization, you may need to consider alternatives.
Pricing:
SignUpGenius requires no start-up costs to get started with their Free plan. They also offers paid plans, starting from $11.99 per month. Available features depend on the plan you opt for.
Pricing excludes standard Stripe processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
3. GoFundMe
GoFundMe is a well-known crowdfunding platform that helps individuals across 20 countries fundraise for personal needs, natural disasters, and the charities they support.
While they don’t have a dedicated focus on nonprofit fundraising, their tools are intuitive for all skill levels.
Ideal for:
Organizations whose fundraising strategy is primarily focused on crowdfunding.
Nonprofits just starting out who don’t yet require more robust fundraising features.
Top features:
Customizable crowdfunding pages: Add pictures, videos, and text to tell your fundraising story and match your brand.
Shareable fundraising pages: Reach more supporters by sharing your campaign via email, social media, and text.
Embeddable donate button: Quickly connect donors with your crowdfunding pages by embedding a donate button that links to your campaign on your website.
Automated receipts: Acknowledge supporters with instant receipts when they donate.
Peer-to-peer functionality: Supporters can start a peer-to-peer campaign on behalf of your organization to help you raise more and grow your reach.
Drawbacks:
GoFundMe is specifically designed to support personal fundraising and doesn’t offer nonprofit-specific fundraising tools. You may find the platform limiting as your nonprofit grows and adapts its fundraising strategy.
The platform requests optional donor tips, with the default tip amount set to 16.5%. This can frustrate donors and lead to tipping fatigue.
GoFundMe charges recurring donors a 5% fee per donation. This can reduce your impact and potential to convert one-time donors to monthly supporters.
Pricing:
It’s free to start a fundraiser on GoFundMe. However, the platform requests optional tips from donors, with the default tip amount set to 16.5%.
Payment processing fees of 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction are automatically deducted from each donation received.
Why Nonprofits Choose Donorbox over GoFundMe and Fundly
When comparing Fundly vs. GoFundMe, one thing stands out: GoFundMe focuses primarily on crowdfunding, whereas Fundly focuses on event and volunteer signups and management via SignUpGenius.
If you’re looking for a platform that offers comprehensive crowdfunding capabilities – plus additional online and in-person fundraising features – Donorbox is a strong choice.
Interested in giving Donorbox a try? Sign up for free today.
For more comparison articles and fundraising tips, check out the Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter for exclusive resources sent to your inbox.
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.