Best Charity Fundraising Sites to Make Giving Easier
If you’d like to give back in some way but aren’t sure how to make a difference, you wouldn’t be alone. Many of us feel called to raise money for a cause that’s close to our hearts but aren’t sure what steps to take. What are the best charities to donate to? Is traditional fundraising the way to go, or is it better to take fundraising efforts online?
There is a time and place for fundraising drives and charity events, but it’s no surprise that one of the best ways to raise money for charity these days is through crowdfunding. An online fundraiser has zero overhead and gives you the freedom to share your cause with anyone with just a few clicks of the mouse.
To help you sort through the many great sources for charity funding on the internet, we’ve put together this list of the best charity fundraising sites. Giving back just got a whole lot easier.
What takes an online fundraising site from good to great?
A decent fundraising website will offer all the basic features, like an easy setup and low fees. But a great platform will blow you away with the extras, like 24/7 customer support and zero fees.
There is a lot to consider when looking to give back with charity fundraising. Is it crucial to receive the funds as quickly as possible? And is a team fundraising feature also high on your list of priorities? Below are the main features to keep an eye out for.
Does the platform have a fee?
High fees can make or break your fundraising efforts, so you’ll definitely want to consider the different platform fees and payment processing fees when choosing the fundraising site that’s right for you. If you’re trying to figure out which fundraising site has the lowest fees and which fundraising sites don’t charge at all, this article will lay out all of your options.
Does it offer real customer support?
Nothing is worse than an automated response when you have a problem that needs fixing quickly. A reliable customer support team can mean all the difference when trying to raise money for charity online. If you run into technical trouble, will you need to wait over 24 hours for a reply or will a real person respond to you within an hour?
Is team fundraising an option?
Sharing fundraising responsibilities with a group of close friends and family members can ease stress and make the experience more collaborative, but not all fundraising platforms offer a team feature.
Does the platform have a mobile app?
When 95% of Americans own a cell phone, it’s key that your chosen fundraising platform has a good mobile app. This makes it easy for you to manage your fundraiser on the go.
The top four charity donation fundraising sites
With countless fundraising websites available, it can be overwhelming trying to choose the right crowdfunding platform for your needs. Before getting started, read about these popular crowdfunding companies to help you through the selection process. Learn more about the best online charity fundraising sites below.
1. GoFundMe
With over $9 billion raised so far for causes large and small on its website, GoFundMe is a known and trusted name in the crowdfunding arena. Through their fundraising platform, people can raise money for personal, business and charitable causes.
Easy setup and straightforward design
You can start a fundraiser in a matter of minutes after following a few guided prompts and reading our charity crowdfunding guide, if needed. Our clean and simple design makes it easy for people to donate with a few clicks.
Automatic delivery of funds
Setting up a certified charity campaign means that all funds will be sent directly to the charity you’re supporting. You don’t have to worry about withdrawing or managing funds yourself.
GoFundMe offers a fundraising platform with a 0% fee, which means more of your donations can help the charity of your choice. There’s no need to worry about having to pay anything in fees.
Seamless team fundraising
Whether your fundraising group is large or small, the GoFundMe team fundraising service allows you to boost your fundraising efforts. The team fundraising option allows the campaign organiser to manage team members and inspire friendly competition through tracked donations.
Best-in-class customer support
You would be hard-pressed to find a customer support team that rivals GoFundMe’s crew. With live chat and 24/7 help via email, the Customer Care team will make sure you’re in good hands any time you contact them.
Easy social sharing
The number of times you share your fundraiser can directly affect your fundraising success, which is why we make it simple to spread the word about your cause. When you plan on sharing through Twitter, Facebook or other social platforms, it’s just a click of the button.
A hub of fundraising resources
We want your fundraiser to be a success, so we provide charity fundraising tips on our blog to help. Maybe you’re looking for information about charity event ideas or understanding tax deductions for charitable donations. Or maybe you’re simply looking for creative ways to raise money with a charity walk. For all of these questions and more, you can head to our blog.
2. GoFundMe Charity
GoFundMe Charity’s goal is to put advanced not-for-profit software in the hands of organisations both large and small, regardless of their budgets. The platform offers enterprise solutions to 501(c)(3) certified charities that want to raise awareness for their cause through social fundraising, as well as a peer-to-peer option for individuals. Best of all? The advanced charity product offers flexible pricing — with no contracts or subscription fees.
Event fundraising made easy
The platform offers integrated ticketing and event registration for events both large and small. The company’s software allows organisations to manage registrants, donors and ticket holders in one place easily.
Campaign customisation
The company’s custom branding options enable not-for-profit organisations to set up their fundraiser with their own branding based on their fundraising goals.
Data management tools
Your not-for-profit organisations can gain powerful insights on donor behaviour and create targeted fundraising campaigns with GoFundMe Charity’s robust data management tools.
Team and multi-team fundraising
The team fundraising feature allows groups to easily collaborate when fundraising and the software makes managing multiple teams and individual team members simple.
Peer-to-peer fundraising
GoFundMe Charity also has a peer-to-peer fundraising option so individuals can fundraise on behalf of their charity of choice.
3. Classy
Classy is a subscription fundraising site that offers a few different fundraising options for not-for-profit organisations.
Advanced event management tools
Not-for-profit organisations have used Classy to organise over 30,000 fundraising events. The site offers features that help not-for-profit organisations build and manage large events, like enabling automatic emails and duplicating events.
Fundraising trend reports
If a not-for-profit organisation better understands giving trends and donor behaviours, it’ll be able to run a more successful fundraiser. Classy provides reports on donor trends and mobile and desktop trends, among other lessons.
Recurring donations
Classy gives not-for-profit organisations the option to add recurring donations to donation forms to make repeat giving easier for donors.
4. Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is a charity watchdog that assigns star ratings to thousands of charities based on the charity’s financial health. The site offers several services that make it easy to understand how not-for-profit organisations are using donations.
Easy donation options
No crowdfunding efforts are necessary through Charity Navigator, so the site is ideal for those who want to give back with minimal effort. The Giving Basket feature helps individuals make a one-time or recurring donation to a charity of their choice.
Checks and balances for charities
To better understand how donations are being used, visitors to the site can search over 9,000 different charities and review income statements, accountability and transparency scores and financial charts.
Have you found the best fundraising site for your needs?
At GoFundMe, we’re powered by donors™. This means we have a 0% platform fee for organizers, allowing you to keep even more of the money you raise.
While a 0% fee is certainly important, there are other features to keep in mind when choosing a crowdfunding platform. Unlike other fundraising sites, GoFundMe has the industry’s first and only donor protection guarantee. We also offer 24/7 customer service through our Help Centre, a smart mobile app and a blog full of fundraising tips to help you raise even more money.
Here are just a few blog posts that can help you set up a donation page and reach your fundraising goals:
- the beginner’s guide to viral fundraising
- Five simple steps to creating a foolproof fundraising plan
- How to write a donation thank-you letter that gets you to your goal
- What to do when your fundraiser stalls
Donate online to charity with crowdfunding
Whether you’re fundraising for personal causes, or you’re a not-for-profit organisation looking to reach more supporters, GoFundMe and GoFundMe Charity allow you to bring your charity fundraising ideas to life. Take some time to discover charity fundraisers on GoFundMe for inspiration, then sign up to start a fundraiser of your own.
Now that you can see which fundraising site has the lowest fees, are you ready to get started? Create your fundraiser today and start raising money for what matters most to you.