If you want to raise money for a nonprofit, a charity, or a personal cause, then look no further!
Not only is it easy to start a fundraiser, but it also doesn’t have to break the bank. Who wants to pay exorbitant fees to platforms and service providers?
In this article, I’m going to reveal a list of low-cost fundraising websites that you can use to raise money online. Get the free audio book with Audible’s 30-day Free Trial.
You’ll be able to get started quickly and I’ll also be here to share some more tips and advice with you at the end of the article!
1. YouCaring
YouCaring is a free online fundraising website that you can use to get funding for personal causes. Over $900 million has been raised on the platform.
When a donor “checks out,” YouCaring will ask that donor if they’d like to make a suggested donation to fund the platform’s expenses.
Basically, rather than charging you, the creator of the fundraiser, they are asking your donors for a donation.
Note: YouCaring has acquired GiveForward.
YouCaring Pricing: Standard Payment Processing of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
2. Indiegogo and Generosity
Indiegogo and Generosity are two effective online fundraising websites.
Indiegogo is the site that you can use to get funding for an creative project or entrepreneurial venture. Think gadgets, films, indie books, etc.
Generosity is a FREE fundraising website that was started by Indiegogo to help you run a personal crowdfunding campaign.
Examples could include funding for education, memorial funds, medical bills, and more.
Unlike other websites, Generosity will ask your donors for a donation upon checkout to help fuel their platform expenses. They won’t bill you, as the creator of the fundraiser.
Note: Generosity is now moving over to YouCaring. Fundraisers will be referred to YouCaring.
Indiegogo Pricing: 5% + payment processing
Generosity Pricing: Suggested donation upon checkout
3. GoFundMe
GoFundMe is the mega-fundraising website in this industry. Over 10,000 people start campaigns on the website every single day.
More than $5 billion has been raised on this crowdfunding website. Insane!
Similar to the above websites, GoFundMe no longer charges a platform fee when raising money using their software. Instead, your donors will be asked to provide an optional donation upon checkout.
GoFundMe Fees: None, except payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30 per donation.
“I’ve put together a new FREE course that’s packed with GoFundMe tips, resources, strategies, and killer marketing methods.
You should check it out if you want to get more GoFundMe donations and you want to fast-track the entire process.”
4. CrowdRise
If you’re raising money for a non-profit, then you might want to look into CrowdRise!
Unlike the other fundraising options above, CrowdRise is focused on giving programs for nonprofits, corporations, and events.
That being said, you can also raise money for individual causes using CrowdRise. Individuals that are part of a “fundraising team” can also use this platform.
Donors can choose whether or not to cover any of the fees related to the fundraising, including platform and payment processing fees.
Pricing for Nonprofits: 6% platform fee 2.9% + 0.30 payment processing.
5. Patreon
Patreon is an ongoing fundraising platform that let’s donors “subscribe” to your campaign.
Often times, Patreon is used by creative types to help monetize their work. This could include bloggers, artists, YouTubers, podcasters, and more.
When you create a campaign, you’ll also get an exclusive members area where you can post secret content that only donors can see.
Patreon Fees: 5% + payment processing fees.
6. Kickstarter
Kickstarter is the top crowdfunding and fundraising website when it comes to creative projects, design products, tech gadgets, and gaming or tabletop game projects.
You can’t use them to fundraise for a personal cause. You also can’t just raise money on the website and donate it to a charity.
This website is going to be a good fit for you if you want to raise money to create something tangible, like a board game.
Kickstarter Fees: 5% + Payment Processing
7. Just Giving
Just Giving is a UK-based online fundraising website. Over 22 million people have supported charities and personal causes on this platform.
You can raise money for a charity, a nonprofit, or a personal cause.
One interesting aspect to Just Giving is that they are able to boost donations by 25% by providing Gift Aid from the government. This is available for UK Charities.
Just Giving Pricing: 5% fee + credit card processing
8. Classy
Classy is another fundraising platform than nonprofits that can be compared to CauseVox or CrowdRise.
This platform is a software tool that gives you the functionality you need to do event registrations, crowdfunding, collect website donations, and more.
This software is more geared towards established nonprofits. You need to request a quote for the individual pricing info, but the pro level starts at $499 per month.
“I’ve put together a new FREE course that’s packed with GoFundMe tips, resources, strategies, and killer marketing methods.
You should check it out if you want to get more GoFundMe donations and you want to fast-track the entire process.”
9. PayPal
PayPal now offers personal and nonprofit fundraising options that let you collect funds online or in person from donors.
You can get funding from a personal website, blog, or email.
Personally, I haven’t seen too many fundraisers conducted with this method, but I do think it would be an easy way to get donations from your own website.
PayPal Pricing: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
10. Facebook
To compete with some of the options out there, Facebook rolled out the ability to run fundraisers on the platform.
The benefit of running a fundraiser on Facebook is that it’s super easy to set up, and also, the majority of donations from existing platforms come from Facebook.
On the downside, there are costs involved compared to some of the other websites.
“For donations made to personal cause fundraisers in the United States, 6.9% + $.30 of the donation goes to payment processing fees, fundraiser vetting and fraud prevention.”
Facebook Fees: 6.9% + $.30
Get a Fundraising Blueprint
If you want a blueprint when it comes to raising money from the crowd, I have a comprehensive book available on Amazon!
This is called Crowdfunding for Personal Expenses and it’s gotten some great reviews by nonprofits, charities, and individuals raising funds.
I hope you enjoy it and that it speeds up the process of raising money!
