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 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 online fundraising platform 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.
Does it offer real customer support?
Nothing is worse than an automated response when you have a problem that needs fast fixing. 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 will make it easy for you to manage your fundraiser on the go.
The top four charity donation sites
Now that you know what features to look for in a fundraising platform, it’s time to narrow your search. Learn more about the best online charity fundraising sites below.
1. GoFundMe
With over $5 billion raised so far for causes large and small on its platform, GoFundMe is a known and trusted name in the crowdfunding arena.
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 fundraiser 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.
Seamless team fundraising
Whether your fundraising group is large or small, the GoFundMe team fundraising option allows you to boost your fundraising efforts. The team fundraising option allows the organizer 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 24/7 help and rapid replies from real people, the Customer Care team will make sure you’re in good hands any time you contact them.
A smart mobile app
Manage your account seamlessly wherever you go with our simple mobile app. From there, you can review donations, send thank-you messages, and edit your fundraiser.
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 wondering how to raise money with a charity walk. For all of these questions and more, you can head to our blog.
2. CrowdRise
CrowdRise is an authority in the nonprofit fundraising sector and has launched over 1 million fundraising fundraisers. This site offers enterprise solutions to nonprofits that want to raise awareness for their cause through social fundraising.
Event fundraising made easy
CrowdRise offers integrated ticketing and event registration for events large and small. The company’s software allows nonprofits to easily manage registrants, donors, and ticket holders in one place.
Fundraiser customization
The company’s custom branding options enable nonprofits to make their fundraiser their own based on their fundraising goals.
Optimized social sharing
CrowdRise offers a Social Amp™ tool that optimizes your fundraiser for social sharing and prompts donors to share their donation.
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
CrowdRise 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 nonprofits.
Advanced event management tools
Nonprofits have used Classy to organize over 30,000 fundraising events. The site offers features specific to managing large events, like enabling automatic emails and duplicating events.
Fundraising trend reports
If a nonprofit better understands giving trends and donor behaviors, they’ll be able to run a more successful fundraiser. Classy provides reports on donor trends and mobile and desktop trends, among other takeaways.
Recurring donations
Classy gives nonprofits 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 makes it easy to understand how nonprofits 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.
Donate online to charity with crowdfunding
Whether you’re fundraising to help in the aftermath of a natural disaster or want to fund breast cancer research, GoFundMe allows 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. Begin raising money for what’s important to you today.