Crowdfunding has been an absolute gamechanger for thousands of visionaries with ideas, projects, nonprofits, or products in need of a capital boost. Established entrepreneurs and newcomers to the world of fundraising alike would probably advise those in need of funding to start with the traditional “friends and family” fundraising method. Mega platforms like GoFundMe or Kickstarter have taken the “friends and family” model for obtaining venture capital and improved this method to rather lofty levels.
Overall, crowdfunding has catalyzed a movement of giving. With hundreds of these platforms now running, it’s easy for anyone to give to nearly anyone else or anything with a live page for donations. While many crowdfunding success stories come from individuals and products, nonprofits have the same potential for success with these easy and shareable fundraising campaigns. The platforms we chose to highlight are some of the top sights that enable users to support “causes” like those central to nonprofits.
1 | CauseVox
CauseVox thrives on their goal to “help good things flourish.” This platform began with a group of volunteers seeking to make nonprofits more impactful and sustainable. Both individuals and nonprofits are invited to utilize their services.
About the platform:
- They offer highly customizable fundraising websites with access to your own site editor.
- You’ll be given the ability to generate team pages where donors can support certain fundraising teams or your entire nonprofit.
- Receive your own personal donations processing account and receive the funds via PayPal or Stripe
- Enter for FREE while campaigns raise under $3,000, CauseVox retains 5% of funds raised
- Increase your features with the Lite or more popular Standard package ($155/month)
- Packages are contract free until you enter the Premium level at $450/month but note that this tier earns you a dedicated account manager and online strategist
2 | Classy
This platform has done wonders for over 3,000 different nonprofits, all of which forward the Classy mission to “mobilize and empower the world for good.” As a team of 180 members, Classy exclusively services social benefit organization and their supports.
About this platform:
- You will need to complete a form on their site to receive pricing info.
- Fees assessed on funds raised range from 1-5% depending on the subscription that your organization chooses.
- Single events and campaigns may fall under their free services so you can fundraise without any monthly subscription fees.
3 | Crowdrise
With CrowdRise you are certain to have tons of fun with your campaign. They have neared the top the charts on numerous occasions, being named the best in the (crowdfunding) business by Barron’s and Mashable. You’ll likely recognize their top partners like Red Cross, United Airlines, and even celebrities like Kristen Bell and Seth Rogen.
About the platform:
- They are the largest crowdfunding platform that is exclusive for charitable donations with funds raised for over 1.5 million different charities to date.
- No campaign deadlines. Collect the funds raised whether your goal is met or not.
- Only a 3% processing fee is assessed on the total amount raised.
4 | Razoo
Razoo is a more traditional platform, enabling campaigns for nonprofits and causes but also individuals, races, disaster relief, and more. The name “Razoo” comes from an “imaginary coin of very little value.” Their dedicated coaches and simple setup allow anyone to boost their cause and turn tons of razoos into huge impacts.
About the platform:
- Use their different social features to see others’ favorite causes and share yours.
- For charitable campaigns, Razoo only keeps 4% of the funds along with small processing fees.
- Explore their many idea pages to maximize donations from those who share your passions.
5 | Root Funding
This crowdfunding site for nonprofits is all about promoting social good.. If you’re a nonprofit, simply register with Rootfunding and share the opportunity to donate with your supporters. Individuals can then create their own campaigns to support your mission and share it with their own followers, generating a sort of network of networks.
About the platform:
- Campaign sharing on an individual basis often has higher returns for engagement than campaigns shared directly by nonprofits… friends like to help their friends succeed!
- The complex networks model helps nonprofits to reach a more diverse group of potential donors.
- If your nonprofit commits to using this platform for a year, you’ll pay about $40/month but you KEEP 100% OF FUNDS RAISED and no service fee
- Chose the “5% plan” and avoid all memberships fees. However, you agree to leave 5% of your funds with Root Funding along with a pair of transaction fees through Stripe.
6 | FirstGiving
This site targets passionate individuals looking to support a cause, and nonprofits seeking a boost. They’ve empowered some of the most impactful organizations in our society including Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity.
About this platform:
- Funds can be doubled when supports find their employers in a database on the FirstGiving site. Some corporations are partnered with FirstGiving to match donations from their employees who give to campaigns on this platform.
- They offer widgets like a “Donate” button that you can embed on any site, making it super easy for your supporters to click and give.
- While 4.25% of funds stay at FirstGiving, donors can choose to pay the processing fees so that their entire donation reaches their campaign of choice… they claim that about 38% of donors choose this option!
7 | Fundly
This platform will call to the media buffs and photographers who understand the profound truth behind the words, “A picture tells a thousand words.” Your cause or nonprofit would be wise to generate a ton of awesome content since pictures and videos are the center of every campaign page.
About this platform:
- They have an app! You can manage your fundraising efforts even when you’re away from the office.
- Those who may be unfamiliar with your organization but support your cause can get to know you through an activity board showing “likes,” comments, donations, and more.
- You’ll leave 4.9% of funds with Fundly for taking care of the details that make your page unique and inviting.
8 | Bonfire
Bonfire is a t-shirt fundraising website that makes it easy to create and sell custom apparel to raise money for your cause. Both individuals and nonprofits are able to launch t-shirt fundraisers, but Bonfire offers special fundraising tools & features just for nonprofits. To get access to the special features, all your nonprofit has to do is provide Form 990, an IRS Determination Letter, or an IRS Affirmation Letter.
About this platform:
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It’s 100% free.
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There are no inventory or printing fees, and Bonfire ships all the shirts you sell to your supporters.
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Your organization keeps 100% of the profits
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Once your nonprofit is verified, all of your donation processing fees are reduced from 8% to 3.5%, you get verified nonprofit badge to display on your fundraising page, and you can easily download the contact information of your campaign supporters in a .CSV format.
You can create or upload your own custom artwork in their free design tool. Or, you can use one of their free t-shirt design templates.
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