Top Fundraising Tools to Accept Donations Online
We all appreciate things that make our lives easier, from delivery apps to mobile wallets to smart home technology. Fundraising is no exception. Online donation tools give people a convenient way to show their generosity whether they live down the street or in a different country, and they won’t need to fill in lengthy donation forms either.
If you’re looking to fundraise and accept donations online, you should know which tool is best suited for your needs. In this guide, we’ll break down what to look for in an online crowdfunding platform so your fundraising experience is quick, simple, and impactful.
5 easy ways to accept donations online
Once you decide which features are most important for your situation, you can start evaluating different platforms for online giving. Here, we break down five of the most popular online donation tools and the best way to accept donations online to save you time.
1. PayPal
PayPal is a secure payment processing system that allows users to accept donations online. In order for people to send a donation to your account, they need to know either your phone number, email address, or contact name.
Unfortunately, PayPal does not offer a section where you can post your story and photos to encourage donations. It also requires donors to use their personal PayPal account. This can be advantageous for existing PayPal users because they don’t need their credit card information to make a donation. On the flip side, it could deter donors who are forced to make a PayPal account in order to contribute.
2. GoFundMe
GoFundMe is a leading crowdfunding platform for online fundraising, offering a unique storytelling feature that helps you connect with your community. Beyond just requesting donations, GoFundMe lets you share your story, needs, dreams, and goals through photos, videos, and more. What sets GoFundMe apart from the others is its ability to:
- Set fundraising goals
- Feature your personal story
- Accept donations without requiring an account
- Personally thank donors
- Update donors with photos and progress
Donors can give via mobile or desktop by using the donate button on your fundraising page, then easily share your fundraising campaign with their networks on social media with a single click. If you’re unsure how to ask for donations online, check out our blog for a simple guide on making the ask.
Fundraising for your favorite charity
GoFundMe also makes it easy to raise money for your favorite charities and nonprofit organizations. Simply search for the body’s verified Nonprofit Page and either donate directly to their cause or start a fundraiser on their behalf.
GoFundMe has partnerships with a number of payment processors like PayPal and Stripe through its own payment infrastructure called GoFundMe Pay to help charities with any direct donations. The donations made to your own charity fundraiser are tax-deductible and go directly to the charity’s bank account, so you can focus on your goals without worrying about managing the funds.
3. Venmo
Like PayPal, Venmo is a user-friendly, no-frills payment platform, but like other platforms it does not have a section dedicated to sharing your fundraiser story or photos. To get started, all you need to do is download the mobile app to your smartphone or tablet. Compared to other platforms, it accepts most types of foreign currencies. Donors can easily search your Venmo username and send you money within seconds.
However, donors may incur a fee if they use a credit card. Generally, this isn’t an issue because most users connect their debit cards to avoid additional costs. Another limitation is that Venmo requires donors to have or create an account. Keep in mind that Venmo is only supported on mobile devices or tablets. This may discourage certain users, especially if they don’t have a smartphone or tablet.
4. Cash App
Venmo and Cash App are virtually the same, with minor differences. One similarity is the inability to share your story and images. While recipients have no receiving limits, donors can be restricted based on which platform they’re using.
Even if you’re not anticipating donations to exceed the limits set by the apps, keep in mind that donors might rack up a hefty weekly total for personal reasons. Many use these apps to pay rent, reimburse their friends, and more.
5. Zelle
Zelle, a digital payments platform, is similar to PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App. The difference is that you need to have a bank account in order to use it. You can send money to anyone who also has a US bank account. If your bank offers Zelle you can enroll through your mobile banking app. If not, you can enroll through the Zelle app. While money is usually transferred within minutes, there are sending limits through Zelle. However, like the other payment platforms, you can’t add a fundraiser story or photos, which are good to have for online fundraising.
What to look for when evaluating online donation tools
We live in a world of options, where you can pick and choose depending on your needs. While this is generally regarded as a good thing, what happens when you’re flooded with choices? How can you possibly make the best decision when trying to collect donations online?
To help you weigh your options, we created a list of key features when selecting a platform to create a donation page. This way, you’ll be able to pick the best platform for your needs.
Find out about pricing
Depending on your needs, you may not be able to shell out money for a paid giving platform. Make sure to check out the pricing and fees of different platforms before you decide, as some may come in the form of low-cost deductions, but others could have high transaction fees.
For example, GoFundMe does not charge a fee for you to start or manage a fundraiser. Donors are given the option to contribute to the platform when they make donation to your cause, but it’s not a requirement. And when you collect your donations, GoFundMe streamlines the entire process by calculating the transaction fee so that you don’t have to. The platform automates a deduction of 2.9% plus $0.30 from each donation, so if you raised $500 from 30 donors, you would pay a transaction fee of $23.50 and collect a total of $476.50 in donations.
Find an easy platform to use
Time is money. Two hours spent navigating an online giving platform is two hours that could have been spent collecting donations. Before committing to a specific platform to host your donation page, determine how easy it is to use, if it has a good mobile app, and if the sharing tools are a help or a hindrance.
It’s important that potential donors find it easy to make an online payment as part of your fundraising efforts, too. Most platforms will let you set different payment options for donors to choose between, or let them specify a donation amount depending on what they can afford. Catering for the different needs of people who want to contribute to your fundraising efforts will help with the overall donation process. Give people a range of payment methods to use where possible and the option to either make a one-time payment or to make recurring donations if they’re able to.
Tell your story
A successful fundraiser is dependent on an honest and compelling story. Does it move people to give to your cause? If donors understand the impact of their contributions, they will be more likely to give to your cause and share your fundraiser with their networks.
Look for online donation tools that can give your story the attention it deserves.
Share your fundraiser easily
Leverage the power of your networks to spread the word and encourage donations. In recent years, social media has become a popular and easy way to share your fundraiser with others, which easily encourages peer-to-peer sharing when donors pass your cause onto others. Does your fundraising platform make it easy to share on social media, and if not, is there a way you can streamline the process to reach more donors?
If you’re uncomfortable sharing your personal fundraiser online, there are other ways of creating a fundraising strategy without using social media. In-person fundraising events, asking friends and family to share your fundraiser through their networks, and reaching out directly over the phone are tried and tested ways to raise money for a special cause without using social media platforms. Choose whichever method makes you most comfortable.
Look for good customer service
See what customer service options your desired platform offers. Does it offer phone, email, or chat support? What type of response times should you anticipate? Even if you don’t anticipate roadblocks, it’s better to be informed when things don’t go as planned.
The customer service team may also be able to help you with donor engagement and donor management on the platform, or provide you with fundraising tips to help get your fundraiser off the ground.
What you need to have on hand to receive your donations
In order to receive funds from your GoFundMe, you’ll need to have a few pieces of information available. This is to ensure the funds are going to the right person and the right place. Here, we outline what documents you’ll need to withdraw your donations.
Bank account info
If you’re raising money for yourself, this information should be pretty easy to locate. The most common way to find the requested information is to look at your checkbook or online bank documents. Please note that it’s important to double and triple-check your bank account information so there are no problems with your bank receiving the donations.
If you’re raising money for someone else, you’ll need to add them as the recipient so they can withdraw the funds directly. It’s as simple as sending them an email invitation. This will ensure that the donations go directly to them.
Raise more with GoFundMe
Whether you’re raising money for yourself, a friend, or fundraising for a charity, GoFundMe is here to help. What makes our powerful platform stand out is the ability to share your story with compelling photos and videos. Through storytelling and our fundraising tools, you can reach more supporters, encourage more donations, and build stronger relationships with the people who want you to succeed. Moreover, our Customer Care team is ready to answer your questions and offer expert advice along the way. Take advantage of our fundraising expertise and launch your online fundraiser today.