Whether you’re fundraising for your nonprofit or trying to gain support for your creative endeavors or personal needs, there’s a fundraising platform for you. In this article, I’ll share nine fundraising sites to help you make an informed decision.
Join the fundraising movement! Join the fundraising movement!With so many fundraising sites out there, it can feel dizzying to choose the right one for your nonprofit or individual fundraising goals.
Below, I’ll share nine of the best fundraising websites, plus their key features, drawbacks, and who they work best for.
Take a look at this comparison table for a quick overview of the best fundraising sites:
Let’s break these down in further detail below.
Donorbox is a fast, optimized donation platform with online and in-person fundraising capabilities. It also includes an online donation form that easily integrates into your website and securely collects donations with your preferred payment processor.
Check out this Donorbox review:
Nonprofits of all sizes, social impact groups, faith-based organizations, political organizations, and others who need fundraising and donor management tools to increase their contributed income.
And more. From Crowdfunding to Peer-to-Peer fundraising, explore the full list of features here.
Hear what nonprofit leaders have to say about fundraising with Donorbox:
Raise More for Your Cause with Donorbox
Donorbox is free to start, and offers three pricing plans that align with various fundraising needs:
Donorbox works with Stripe and PayPal as payment processors, which have their own fees. Both offer nonprofits special payment processing fee discounts. Plus, Donorbox gives you the option to ask donors to cover the processing fees.
Kickstarter hosts your creative project on their website, making it visible to all visitors. Project pages include information about projects and the people behind them, and FAQs about the project.
Kickstarter requires you to set a goal and timeline so you aren’t left without the funds you need – and your donors are more incentivized to support your project.
Here’s what one reviewer had to say:
…Want something truly unique? Do you like limited editions? Don’t mind waiting for something for over a year. Then this platform is for you. Help start someone’s dream, fund an artist or an inventor. Get something cool in the mail every once in a while.” – Youri
Creators who want support for a new project across various categories, ranging from journalism to publishing and tech. It empowers creators to raise funds for creative projects without worrying about the constraints of a grant or another kind of investing body.
You only pay if your project is successfully funded within your set timeline. Kickstarter charges 5% of total funds raised, excluding payment processing fees.
GoFundMe lets you create your own fundraiser that’s hosted on their website. Create your fundraiser, share it with friends, and manage donations as they come in.
The following fundraiser categories are supported: medical, emergency, memorial, education, and nonprofit fundraising.
Check out this GoFundMe review:
I liked [that] the fundraiser itself was easy to set up. I liked the social media helps. I disliked the difficulty in getting the beneficiary set up, and the length of time it takes to actually get the donated funds into the hands of the people who need it. I also dislike that GoFundMe takes a percentage because the DONORS dislike that aspect. The customer service support was good.” – Teresa Rockwell
Individuals with personal expenses like medical bills or college tuition, and smaller nonprofits who require basic fundraising features.
GoFundMe charges a 0% platform fee, but users still have to pay payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per donation. The platform also requests optional tips from donors, with the default tip amount set to 16.5%.
FundRazr enables people and organizations to increase support for causes they care about via crowdfunding campaigns. Peer-to-peer fundraising is also available to raise funds through walks, runs, and virtual events.
Plus, offer donors a streamlined donation experience with one-click payment methods, including Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Here’s what one reviewer had to say:
The automatically generated link and QR code makes sharing the site easy. The only thing I would request is that when the site is set up to ask a question of those donating, that this information automatically populates on the transactions report. It takes way too much time to click on each donation to gather this important information.” – Team Treasurer
Individuals, nonprofits, and businesses looking for crowdfunding and online fundraising solutions.
FundRazr charges a $0 platform fee when optional donor tips are enabled, plus a 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee per transaction. When optional tips are disabled, Fundrazr charges a 5% platform fee per donation for campaign pages, along with payment processing fees.
Based in the U.K., Crowdfunder offers a platform for securing funding. Create a unique page for your project with information about you, the idea, and your needs.
See what this reviewer had to say about the platform:
The match funding is very hit and miss, and the automatic tip that is added of 20% we feel is a bit high. There is a small button to amend the amount, but it’s not that clear and some people just didn’t realise, but apart from these two issues it’s a good platform for raising awareness and funds…” – Pia Honey
Individuals, organizations, and businesses looking to increase community-wide support for projects.
Crowdfunder’s fees depend on what you’re fundraising for. The platform relies on donor tips, set at a 20% default tip amount. They don’t charge a platform fee for charity fundraisers or personal causes. However, they charge a 5% fee for standard projects.
Pricing excludes payment processing fees.
Indiegogo is a platform for entrepreneurs to secure funding for innovative ideas. They also connect entrepreneurs with industry-specific experts to kickstart their business and guide them through the crowdfunding process with various resources.
This platform lets you choose between an all-or-nothing or a keep-what-you-raise model, providing added fundraising flexibility.
Read this review of the platform:
…Indiegogo’s platform provides an honest and supportive environment that empowers creators to bring their innovative ideas to life while ensuring that backers feel confident and valued….” – Venus Health Co.
Entrepreneurs with a new product or creators with a new project. They focus on innovative technology and products designed to be the next big thing.
Indiegogo charges a 5% platform fee on all funds raised. Payment processing fees vary depending on your location and your currency. For USD with a U.S. bank account, the fees are 3% + 20¢.
Founded by a musician in 2013, Patreon allows fans to directly support the content their favorite artists make through monthly subscriptions. Artists get to connect with their audience and learn more about what they’re looking for while gaining a steady income.
Check out this Patreon review:
The platform is well-known. When it works, it works. When it doesn’t, support is not very good and you’re on your own. Despite the relatively high commissions, I would have rated this with 5 stars if the support were good.” – BikeGremlin
Artists and other creatives who are looking for a steady income to support their creative endeavors.
Patreon is free to start. Once you start earning, Patreon takes 10% of the income you earn. You’ll also need to cover payment processing, currency conversion fees, payout fees, and any applicable taxes.
*spotfund offers tools to build crowdfunding pages with text, pictures, and video. They have responsive customer service and boast a quick payout schedule of the next business day.
Here’s what one user had to say:
The site and its features were straight-forward and easy to use. While I would have liked to have seen some extra helpful information on “setting up a successful campaign”; *spotfund provided enough help to point you in the right direction and get the job done.” – William
Individuals looking to raise money to support medical, emergency, memorial, educational, and personal expenses. Individuals also use *spotfund to raise funds for charity, but few nonprofits use *spotfund for their main fundraising needs.
*spotfund doesn’t charge a platform fee, but users must pay a 2.9% + 30¢ Stripe payment processing fee.
Bonfire gives you the tools to design custom apparel for your campaign. Once your design is live, share the design page containing details about your campaign.
They also have a special suite of fundraising materials if you verify your nonprofit status – which includes benefits like reduced donation fees and customizable organization pages.
Check out this Bonfire review:
The quality of the product is amazing but for the price I feel the shipping could have been a little faster. It took almost a month.” – Stelly
Nonprofits of any size and/or individuals who want to try their hand at apparel fundraising to increase campaign success. Individuals can even launch a campaign on behalf of a nonprofit with their own design.
Selling through Bonfire campaigns is free. Once the base cost of the apparel is covered, you receive all the profits and can price your items however you’d like (although they recommend using the suggested pricing).
If your organization wants to take donations through Bonfire, there is an 8% fee to cover credit card fees and administrative expenses.
The best fundraising website should serve all your fundraising needs. Whether you’re looking for a platform that streamlines your nonprofit’s online and in-person fundraising efforts or something to help support a personal project or expense, there’s a site that will work hard to bring you the donations you need.
With its competitive fee structure, robust suite of fundraising features, and ease of use, Donorbox works for all kinds of fundraisers and campaigns. To get started, sign up for a free account here.
For more fundraising advice and tips, check out the rest of the Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter to receive exclusive content sent to your inbox.
Make sure the fundraising website you choose makes getting set up easy, provides tools to build social proof, offers various features to scale your fundraising, and supports plenty of payment methods.
Some of the top fundraising websites for nonprofits to raise mission-critical funds include Donorbox and Fundrazr.
The best sites for personal fundraisers include GoFundMe, Kickstarter, and *spotfund.
Lindsey Bower is a writer, content strategist, and nonprofit consultant. She specializes in helping nonprofits craft compelling messaging for websites, blogs, social media, and email marketing, with a strong focus on SEO and AEO strategy. With a background in fundraising and membership management, she knows firsthand what it's like to juggle priorities and wear many hats in the fast-paced nonprofit world.
Join the fundraising movement! Join the fundraising movement!
