Welcome to your go-to guide for reaching more donors and exceeding fundraising goals with the best crowdfunding platforms for nonprofits.
Crowdfunding is all about leveraging community to fund a mission. That starts with choosing the right crowdfunding platform to maximize your potential while simplifying the process for your team and donors.
So, what is the best crowdfunding site for nonprofit organizations, and what are your options? We've got you covered.
9 best crowdfunding sites for nonprofits at a glance
- Zeffy: Best free crowdfunding site for nonprofits (0% fees)
- GoFundMe: Best to reach new donor communities
- Classy: Best for nonprofits running large-scale crowdfunding campaigns
- Donorbox: Best to get a crowdfunding campaign up quickly
- Fundly: Best to reach donors on social media
- Fundrazr: Best beginner-friendly crowdfunding campaign
- Givebutter: Best to add some fun to nonprofit crowdfunding efforts
- Springly: Best all-in-one solution for donor management
- Mightycause: Best for robust donor analytics and reporting
What is nonprofit crowdfunding?
Nonprofit crowdfunding is a fundraising option that unites donor communities around a specific goal. Crowdfunding campaigns make highlighting your organization’s story easy and reach a larger audience of supporters with a clear path to donate.
Successful crowdfunding campaigns help people visualize the impact their donations will make and feel like they are part of a larger solution with each contribution.
What can a crowdfunding campaign be used for?
- Giving Tuesday and year-end giving
- Current events and emergency response
- Timely projects and funding needs
- Advocacy and awareness
- Scholarship programs
Get inspired with the best ways to raise money in 2024
What are the benefits of nonprofit crowdfunding efforts?
- Community-building: People are more likely to contribute when they see social proof that many others already have.
- Marketing reach: Crowdfunding campaigns are easy to share on social media, email, and your website to build awareness among more potential donors.
- Efficiency: Nonprofits can manage donations and donors to their crowdfunding pages in one place and start relationships that last beyond the campaign.
Grab the definitive guide to crowdfunding for nonprofits
What is the difference between nonprofit crowdfunding campaigns and personal campaigns?
Nonprofit and personal crowdfunding campaigns have similar goals but differ in nature. Both center around community fundraising, but knowing the fundamental differences can help you choose a crowdfunding site.
Personal crowdfunding
An individual can host a personal crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a cause they're passionate about. Usually, someone asks peers, friends, and family to donate to an organized page that helps them reach a particular monetary goal.
Personal crowdfunding efforts are not always linked to a certified nonprofit, so it’s unclear where the money goes or will go to a single organization. Depending on the crowdfunding tools, campaign pages can appear more grassroots or highly secure.
Nonprofit crowdfunding
Nonprofit crowdfunding is a way to raise large amounts of money in a specified period through an organized campaign. Nonprofits can appeal to individual donors just like a personal crowdfunding campaign, but also reach corporations, schools, organizations, and other nonprofits.
When crowdfunding efforts are more widespread, the platform you use matters even more. We’ll show you a few of the best options for nonprofits looking for efficient, organized, and secure fundraising and technology that makes their lives easier.
The best 9 crowdfunding platforms for nonprofits and charities
1. Zeffy: Best free crowdfunding site for nonprofits (0% fees)
Overview: Zeffy is the simple fundraising solution that over 10,000 nonprofits trust. The 100% free platform offers crowdfunding sites that take the guesswork out of raising money by reaching the right donors at the right time with the simplest way to give back.
Why you should use Zeffy for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- Donor engagement dashboard with automated emails
- Online, POS, and in-person donations
- Additional features like peer-to-peer fundraising, eCommerce, fundraising events ticketing, raffles & lotteries
- Donor management and data tracking
- Memberships and recurring donations
- Mobile-device friendly
- Compliant and automated tax receipts
- Secure payments with diverse payment options
Cons and limitations: Nonprofits must be based in the U.S. and Canada.
Pricing and transaction fees: Zeffy is 100% free, with no platform or transaction fees.
What Zeffy users are saying:
"As the world continues to change and grow with technology, so do individuals who value where their money is being used and how they can report this on their taxes for charity. Zeffy has taken all the hard work out so we can focus on helping the ones we serve more instead of chasing those donation receipts. When members donate to us through Zeffy then we have the piece of mind to know they are making a difference as well and we don't have to stress about tracking the dollar. Thank you, Zeffy!" - G2 review
2. GoFundMe: Best to reach new donor communities
Overview: GoFundMe is a leading crowdfunding website that is well-known for personal fundraising. Individuals and nonprofits can establish campaigns to collect donations from their networks and GoFundMe's giving community of more than 100 million worldwide.
Why you should use GoFundMe for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- Built-in social media sharing
- User-friendly interface
- Mobile app available
- Trusted brand name
- Strong customer service
- Safe and automatic fund transfer
- Donor protection guarantee
Cons and limitations:
- Payment processing takes time
- High transaction fees
- The primary focus is on personal fundraising efforts
Pricing and transaction fees: Nonprofits based in the U.S. can start a campaign for free, with a transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30.
What GoFundMe users are saying:
"One of the best things about GoFundMe is simply its name recognition. People are very comfortable giving through GoFundMe because they know the website." - G2 review
Check out 8 of the best GoFundMe alternatives
3. Classy: Best for nonprofits who run large-scale crowdfunding campaigns
Overview: Classy is a fundraising platform that helps nonprofits run their large-scale crowdfunding efforts. Crowdfunding on Classy helps organizations deliver professional campaigns that tell their story and market them to widespread communities that scale over time.
Why you should use Classy for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- Flexible funding (credit cards, digital wallets, Venmo, PayPal, ACH bank transfer, and cryptocurrency)
- Secure transactions for one-time and recurring donations
- Strong integration capabilities
- Branded donation receipts and fundraising emails
- Synchronized with all other Classy fundraising efforts (peer-to-peer fundraising, crowdfunding, events, donation pages, embedded donation forms)
Cons and limitations:
- High cost
- Learning curve to maximize functionality
Pricing and transaction fees: Classy offers several pricing packages to meet nonprofit needs and desire to scale, and requires a custom quote.
What Classy users are saying:
"I really like the user interface, both for donors and on the backend--In particular, the Donation and Crowdfunding page templates are straightforward to set up and publish." - G2 review
4. Donorbox: Best to get a crowdfunding campaign up quickly
Overview: Donorbox is a fundraising tool that helps nonprofits set up a crowdfunding campaign quickly and easily. Customizable donation pages and forms can go live in minutes to start drawing donors in to support your nonprofit's mission.
Why you should use Donorbox for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- Mobile-friendly campaigns and payments
- Donor engagement and goal meters
- Social media sharing options
- Recurring donations
- Matching gifts option with integration
Cons and limitations:
- High Stripe payment processing fees
- Can be intimidating without tech proficiency
Pricing and transaction fees:
- Standard: 1.75%-2.95% platform fee and transaction fees of up to 2.2% + $0.30
- Pro: $139/month + 1.5% platform fee and transaction fees of up to 2.2% + $0.30
What Donorbox users are saying:
"The campaigns are easy to create and Donorbox takes all the hard work out of receiving donations. It is so easy to run reports on campaigns or individual donors and the user interface is simple to use too." - G2 review
5. Fundly: Best to reach donors on social media
Overview: Fundly is a crowdfunding site that supports nonprofits, individuals, companies, schools, and other organizations. Campaign pages are optimized to share through social media and help gain traction with new donor audiences to raise more.
Why you should use Fundly for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- Physical rewards to incentivize donations
- Mobile-optimized
- Secure payments
- Strong Facebook integration for campaign sharing
- Customizable campaign pages
- Connects to Gmail, Survey Monkey, and Constant Contact for donor outreach
Cons and limitations:
- Payment processing can take seven days
- High payment processing fees with Stripe
Pricing and transaction fees: Fundly has no platform fee, but costs a fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
What Fundly users are saying:
"It is very easy to set up a fundraiser and share it with a lot of people. A lot of useful tools are available on the website and the customer support is really good." - G2 review
See how Fundly stacks up against the best donation apps for 2024
6. Fundrazr: Best beginner-friendly crowdfunding campaign
Overview: Fundrazr is an award-winning fundraising tool for organizations and individuals. Crowdfunding campaigns on Fundrazr make it easy to get started and design the experience your donors are most likely to respond to.
Why you should use Fundrazr for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- Multiple crowdfunding models are available, such as subscriptions, peer-to-peer fundraising, and microproject fundraising
- Donor base insights and analytics
- Multi-tiered donor accounts
- Integrated with social media platforms
- Multiple payment options are accepted
Cons and limitations:
- High payment processing fees through Stripe and PayPal
- Lack of customized reporting
Pricing and transaction fees: Fundrazr has no platform fees and a 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee.
What Fundly users are saying:
“I liked that the campaign does not have to be all or nothing. I also like that funds raised outside the platform can be counted in the total. These are features that were not available with my previous campaigns." - G2 review
7.Givebutter: Best to add some fun to nonprofit crowdfunding efforts
Overview: Givebutter is a fundraising platform with features that appeal to the next generation of donors. Crowdfunding with Givebutter can offer nonprofits a modern and fun way to engage new supporters and drive them to take action.
Why you should use Givebutter for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- Engagement tools like a goal thermometer and interactive supporter feed
- One-time and recurring donation options
- Multiple payment options are accepted
- Custom crowdfunding pages
Cons and limitations:
- High payment processing fees
- Learning curve for more advanced features
Pricing and transaction fees: Givebutter charges no platform fees when optional tips from donors are enabled. When optional tips are disabled, platform fees range between 1% and 5%. In either case, all transactions come with a fee of up to 2.9% + $0.30.
What Givebutter users are saying:
“Seamless experience for donors. Complete and actionable information for the recipient organization. Easy handling of moving the funds to our accounts. Engage helps with acknowledging donations. Easy to have different campaigns for different purposes, fundraisers, funds, etc. All the costs of funding GiveButter can be taken on by donors or recipients flexibly.” - G2 review
See the ultimate guide to everything you need to know about Givebutter
8. Springly: Best all-in-one solution for donor management
Overview: Springly is an all-in-one nonprofit management software used by over 40,000 organizations. Its CRM functionality helps to manage crowdfunding donors and engage them to build lasting relationships.
Why you should use Springly for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- All-in-one donor management solution
- Accounting and bookkeeping support
- A suite of communication tools to encourage donors to give
- One-time and recurring donations are accepted
Cons and limitations:
- Lack of crowdfunding-specific functionality
- Limited payment options
Pricing and transaction fees:
Springly’s has three pricing tiers.
- Liberty: free
- Serenity: Starting at $79
- Professional: Starting at $149
Nonprofits needing more specific functionality can get a custom quote.
What Springly users are saying:
“For a small non-profit organization such as ours, Springly is a highly cost-effective solution for membership management. It has more features than we will use, but has the features necessary for managing a simple membership organization. Implementation was easy due to the ability to download our previous Excel-based records to Springly.” - G2 review
9. Mightycause: Best for robust donor analytics and reporting
Overview: Mightycause is a modern fundraising solution for nonprofits. The platform focuses on relationship building to help your crowdfunding campaign lead to sustainable funding.
Why you should use Mightycause for your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign:
- Praised for responsive customer support
- Flexibility for indefinite or brief crowdfunding campaigns
- Includes CRM functionality to engage donors
- 24-hour online fundraising campaigns for giving days
Cons and limitations:
- Donor experience can be confusing
- Lack of customization
Pricing and transaction fees:
Mightycause has two pricing plans available.
- Essentials: $79/month + transaction fees up to 2.2% + $0.29
- Accelerate: $119/month + transaction fees up to 2.2% + $0.29
What Mightycause users are saying:
“Mightycause really helped us get our fundraising started fast and easy. As a newly formed nonprofit we didn't have a lot of staff resources and relied on volunteers to setup our Mightycause site and fundraiser. We really liked the fact that donation receipts are sent automatically and we can manage and communicate with our donors through the advanced tools.” - Capterra review
What makes the best crowdfunding platform for your nonprofit?
The best crowdfunding platform for your nonprofit will have the features that help you successfully achieve your goals, every time. Looking for a platform that offers the right value and an affordable (or free) cost will give you the most significant return on your investment.
When you consider the total cost of your crowdfunding platform and fees, you can evaluate which functionality comes with it at purchase and what it may cost to scale in the future.
Experience
Your crowdfunding website should be easy for your team and your donors. The donation experience you offer supporters can determine whether they'll take action or not.
Think about how smooth it is for someone to find your campaign, learn about the impact they can make, understand how much to give, and complete a transaction.
Campaign promotion
After you build your dream crowdfunding page, it's time to share it with the world. Your crowdfunding platform should simplify sharing your campaign page across email, social media posts, and your website.
Donor management
As you encourage donors to take action on your crowdfunding campaign, you'll want a seamless way to capture and nurture their interest. Donor management functionality makes it easier to organize supporters and personalize your outreach.
Customer service
If you need help or things go wrong on your campaign page, it's crucial to count on your platform's customer support. When donor data and payments are on the line, speed and accessibility are everything.
Diversified fundraising
Crowdfunding campaigns are valuable on their own and even more so when paired with other fundraising efforts. A fundraising platform that offers peer-to-peer, events, memberships, and raffles gives you more value for the price.
Explore the 11 best online fundraising platforms
3 tips to make the most out of your crowdfunding campaign
1. Get clear on the details
A successful campaign requires you to be detail-oriented. When you know exactly what your campaign page should accomplish and when, you can drive more action.
Here are a few details to get clear on before you launch:
- What is the goal of raising money for this campaign?
- How much do you want to raise?
- When do you want to raise it by?
- How many donors will you need to support your goal?
- When should your campaign page launch to drive enough donations to meet your goal?
- What is the theme or timely event that can drive your campaign?
2. Infuse community
The community fuels crowdfunding campaigns. People give when they feel they're supporting like-minded individuals coming together around a common cause.
A few ways to build community around your crowdfunding campaign include:
- Share your campaign link on social media often and in creative ways
- Encourage sharing after a donation is complete to spread the word and recruit more support
- Send specific emails to announce the campaign to past supporters to build an initial wave of income
- Showcase beneficiary testimonials or social proof that encourage donors with the impact of their generosity
- Consider a corporate partner or sponsorship to increase workplace giving
3. Continue the momentum
Your crowdfunding campaign should continue after a complete donation. You can reach out to your donors and invite them to more ways to take action in your thank you letters or touchpoints throughout the year.
How to build relationships with your crowdfunding donors:
- Offer a recurring donation option that lasts beyond the campaign's end date
- Include upcoming events and campaigns in your follow-up emails
- Send a personalized thank you letter to supporters with any results of your campaign
Example of successful nonprofit crowdfunding
The University of Ottawa’s Annual Campaign department uses crowdfunding campaigns and several features of Zeffy's fundraising platform to raise $2.5 million annually. Because of Zeffy's 100% free model, the organization has saved $10,000 in fees in addition to their earnings.
Here's what this campaign does well
The university fuels community involvement by introducing powerful visuals and quotes from students. Clarifying language such as "specifically, we are seeking funding for" helps to keep donors informed and ready to give.
As donors are hooked and ready to donate, they find a simple donation form that guides them through a few simple steps and a secure checkout process to complete their gift. Larger suggested donation amounts and the option to start a monthly gift increase the potential of raising more each time someone lands on the form.
The University of Ottawa's Annual Campaign department ran over 30 campaigns on Zeffy, ranging from crowdfunding to peer-to-peer fundraising and simple donation forms to attract new support. That success led the team to set even bigger goals, including reaching $4 million in 2025.
Read the full customer success story.
Conclusion: How to raise money with crowdfunding
The best crowdfunding platform makes it simple for nonprofit organizations to engage communities across various channels. Potential donors should also find it simple to learn about the cause and feel excited to give through a simple donation experience.
Zeffy is the only 100% free fundraising solution for nonprofits, making your crowdfunding efforts a breeze.
Nonprofit Crowdfunding FAQ
Can nonprofits use crowdfunding?
Nonprofits can use crowdfunding to reach donors and fund campaigns. Crowdfunding campaigns are great for giving days, emergency response, advocacy, and more.
Crowdfunding for nonprofits offers the following benefits:
- Community-building with donors who enjoy the social proof of others doing the same
- Marketing reach across social media, email, and a nonprofit's website
- Efficiency to raise funds in a short time
What are the best crowdfunding platforms for nonprofits?
The best crowdfunding platforms for nonprofits will provide an excellent experience, marketing capabilities, donor management, customer service, and support for diversified campaign types.
Zeffy is the only 100% free crowdfunding site for nonprofit organizations with a modern feel that donors love. With excellent customer service and ease-of-use ratings, you can quickly have a campaign up and running.
Is there a free crowdfunding platform for nonprofits?
There are free crowdfunding platforms for nonprofits to choose from. Many crowdfunding sites are advertised as free but contain hidden fees.
Zeffy offers a 100% free model that gives you every penny of a donation for your cause. On all forms, donors have the option (but are never obliged or pressured) to contribute to Zeffy.
How do you set up a crowdfunding page?
To set up a crowdfunding page on the platform you choose, you can follow a few simple steps below.
- Determine your nonprofit fundraising goal and timeline
- Choose a crowdfunding platform
- Design your crowdfunding page with your personal touch and story
- Ensure your donation experience is smooth and ready to accept payments
- Promote your page to ideal supporters
Learn more about how to do it on Zeffy.
