GoFundMe is a popular crowdfunding tool, but is it the best option for your nonprofit organization? I’ll discuss seven excellent alternatives to GoFundMe that will scale your crowdfunding while amplifying your donations, campaign outreach, and donor engagement.
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GoFundMe is a well-known crowdfunding platform that has helped nonprofits and individuals raise more than $40 billion since 2010. However, it may be time to consider alternative platforms if you want to expand your online and in-person fundraising efforts while deepening donor relationships.
Below, I’ll discuss why this may not be the platform for you. I’ll also share seven reputable GoFundMe alternatives – with honest feedback for each – to help guide your decision.
GoFundMe has faced backlash from the nonprofit community for creating 1.4M donation pages on behalf of nonprofits using public data from the IRS and information from its trusted partners – without initially obtaining consent from affected organizations.
GoFundMe issued a public response stating that the creation of Nonprofit Pages will now be opt-in only. Despite the corrective steps taken, the lack of initial consent has eroded trust and confidence among donors and nonprofits, leaving some questioning the brand’s credibility.
In addition to this, GoFundMe is specifically designed to support personal fundraising. Therefore, it lacks nonprofit-specific fundraising features like an event ticketing tool and in-person fundraising software for collecting cashless donations.
See what real users are saying by reviewing current GoFundMe reviews.
Like I previously mentioned, GoFundMe is designed to help individuals raise money for personal needs, charities they care about, and disaster relief. Therefore, it isn’t specifically designed with NPOs in mind, although its crowdfunding and other general fundraising capabilities do tick a few boxes for some organizations.
GoFundMe Pro, on the other hand, combines the fundraising features of Classy with the reach of GoFundMe to specifically support nonprofit fundraising. While GoFundMe Pro offers a bigger suite of fundraising tools compared to GoFundMe, it can be expensive for small- to mid-size nonprofits.
If you’re looking for a platform that offers more comprehensive online and in-person fundraising features at a competitive price, here are some alternatives to consider.
Donorbox offers nonprofit tools like conversion-optimized crowdfunding pages, advanced donor management features, in-person fundraising tools, and other donation-driving solutions.
Plus, Donorbox’s highly customizable donation forms, robust event ticketing software, and donation kiosk app for collecting cashless in-person donations make it a strong contender to GoFundMe. Explore all Donorbox tools and features here.
See how The Tiffany Shackelford Foundation raised $40,577 with Donorbox Crowdfunding – nearly doubling their fundraising goal – to help advocate for women leaders in the media:
Raise More For Your Cause With Donorbox
Donorbox offers three plans:
While these plans exclude processing fees from Stripe and PayPal, you can always ask donors to cover these fees and platform fees, so more donations go to your cause.
If you want to effectively demonstrate your impact, amplify donor engagement, and simplify the giving experience, Donorbox is a strong alternative to GoFundMe.
Fundly allows you to create mobile-optimized campaign pages with blog-like updates and commenting capabilities.
Fundly charges $0 to create and share your campaign. Pricing excludes Stripe payment processing fees of 2.9% + 30¢.
Organizations who want to fully integrate their crowdfunding campaign with Facebook and connect apps like Gmail and Yahoo. If a social media integration is key for your fundraising strategy, you’ll benefit from this GoFundMe alternative.
FundRazr offers a suite of crowdfunding and online fundraising tools for nonprofits, grassroots movements, and individuals.
Pay $0 for platform fees when you turn on optional donor tips for FundRazr, in addition to standard payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30. If you don’t want to ask donors to tip, FundRazr charges a 5% platform fee per donation for campaign pages, plus payment processing fees.
Nonprofits with specific wishlist items to fulfill, or those looking for an easy way to organize perks in exchange for donations.
Zeffy offers crowdfunding tools and other nonprofit fundraising features, like raffles and lotteries, peer-to-peer, and events. The platform also has a Tap to Pay feature for accepting in-person payments and an online store for selling merchandise.
Zeffy does not charge a platform fee or monthly cost, but operates on an optional tipping model. Optional tips default at 17% for donations up to $99.49. Tip amounts on donations above that default at 15%.
Nonprofits who fundraise primarily through peer-to-peer, raffles, and events, but still want crowdfunding as an option.
Bonus resource: Review the pros and cons of Zeffy in detail in this dedicated article.
Givebutter is a well-known fundraising platform that lets you create visually appealing campaign pages with text, images, and videos.
Givebutter is free to use when optional donor tipping is enabled. When disabled, a platform fee of up to 5% applies, in addition to Stripe payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30.
Organizations looking for a platform that streamlines graphic design for campaign visuals and includes a donor management system.
RallyUp is a fundraising platform with crowdfunding functionality designed to maximize donations through donor incentives.
RallyUp offers three pricing plans. They charge no platform fees for their Free Plan, but it requests optional tips from donors. The Flex Plan doesn’t request optional donor tipping but charges a platform fee of 4.9% for crowdfunding pages. They also have a Galas & Events Plan that offers custom platform fees based on your unique fundraising needs.
All plans exclude standard payment processing fees from Stripe and PayPal.
Nonprofits wanting to offer donors prizes as incentives for donating to their cause.
DoJiggy offers nonprofits and schools engaging crowdfunding tools, with a strong focus on a-thon events. It also has functionality for other fundraising campaign types, such as raffles and sweepstakes, online charity auctions and stores, and events.
DoJiggy has no startup fees or monthly costs. With the Free pricing model, fundraising features are free to use when optional donor tipping is enabled. Alternatively, you can choose to cover platform fees of up to 6.9% per transaction, or ask supporters to cover these costs. Note that standard Stripe and PayPal payment processing fees are excluded.
Organizations who fundraise primarily through a-thon events, raffles, and auctions.
Look for GoFundMe alternatives that make creating crowdfunding campaign pages simple. You should be able to easily customize your page to align with your brand, include attractive visuals, and engage with supporters. Make sure your fundraising platform of choice provides help articles and guides you on how to get started with a crowdfunding campaign.
Don’t forget to consider the giving experience. For example, Donorbox’s multi-step donation forms are highly customizable and accessible. Donors can enjoy a user-friendly, optimized checkout flow with plenty of global payment options, sign up for recurring giving in one click, and enjoy peace of mind knowing their sensitive information stays protected.
By providing a fast, secure, and seamless donation experience, you’ll increase conversions and minimize donor drop-off.
Take a look at this example by the Or Foundation:
Start Crowdfunding With Donorbox
The GoFundMe alternative you choose must (at the very least) allow you to customize the donation form featured on your crowdfunding page with brand-aligned colors, add images and videos, and more.
Donorbox OmniGive™ Donation Forms give you even more control and flexibility when customizing your form. Beyond basic customization features, Pro and Premium users can access advanced customization features, including custom theme options like changing the form’s background color and font style, adding a border, and modifying other interactive elements.
Take a look at this example of an OmniGive Donation Form featuring a custom theme and descriptions for each donation amount to inform donors about the impact of every gift:
Your crowdfunding page should also have the space to share stories that showcase your impact and a powerful call to action to encourage additional donations.
Create a Customized Crowdfunding Page with Donorbox
Look for a platform that allows you to easily share updates directly on your campaign page, via email, and on social media.
Updates like thank-you messages, impact stories, and deadline reminders will keep your donors engaged. Another feature to prioritize is a goal meter to provide real-time donation updates.
For example, this crowdfunding campaign by Black Girls Code was created on Donorbox and features an updates tab, plus a goal meter to inspire even more generosity.
By outwardly showing that people support your mission, you are offering social proof that your cause is worthy of donations. Ensure that your alternative to GoFundMe offers crowdfunding functionality with social sharing buttons and a donor wall.
While GoFundMe offers attractive crowdfunding features, you may want to consider other alternatives if you’re looking for a more credible platform that offers additional fundraising features and donor management tools.
Ready to cancel GoFundMe and make a switch? Donorbox is a reputable fundraising and donor management platform packed with robust features to take both your crowdfunding and other online and in-person fundraising efforts to the next level.
For more comparison articles, fundraising tips, and ideas, visit our Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive the best of our resources in your inbox.
Kara has several years of experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations. Her love for serving others began while fundraising for and attending mission trips. She then worked with multiple local nonprofits through various marketing agencies and volunteer opportunities before becoming a communications manager at Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis for more than four years. Kara now specializes in writing and enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge with others on this platform.
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