Which fundraising site has the lowest fees?
Are you trying to work out which fundraising website is best for you?
Just like choosing a bank or a mortgage lender, you need to look closely at the fees charged—some crowdfunding websites can take a bigger cut out of your funds before they reach your bank account. This can mean less money going towards your fundraising goal or the people who need it most.
Maximize your fundraising efforts by choosing a crowdfunding platform with competitive pricing and other benefits.
Do your research
Not all fundraising sites are created equal, with each having different fee structures to cover operating costs. Make sure to do your research into platform fees and payment processing fees, paying attention to which costs will impact you —for example, some crowdfunding sites offer a discount for charity fundraising.
Each crowdfunding site will cater to different fundraising needs. While GoFundMe can support personal causes, creative projects, peer-to-peer fundraising, and nonprofit organizations, others only cater to certain types of fundraising.
So, before you start your fundraiser, have a look at the online fundraising market and make an informed decision.
Crowdfunding platform fee comparisons
Fees can sometimes be difficult to break down. For example, every crowdfunding platform pays third parties a payment transaction fee, from payment processors such as Stripe or PayPal.
However, while some platforms include those charges in their platform fees, others separate platform and payment processing fees. With that in mind, here’s a comparison of fees by platform.
GoFundMe
Platform fee: 0%
Processing fee for crowdfunding: 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction
Processing fee for charity: 2.2-2.5% plus $0.30 per transaction
Read more about GoFundMe fees
JustGiving
Platform fee: 0-5%
Processing fee: 2.9% per transaction
Indiegogo
Platform fee: 5%
Processing fee: 3% plus $0.30 per transaction
Read more about
Kickstarter
Platform fee: 0%
Processing fee for crowdfunding: 3% plus $0.20 per pledge (5 cents for pledges less than $10)
Processing fee for charity: You cannot raise money for charity on Kickstarter
Fundly
Platform fee: 0%
Processing fee: 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction
Fundrazr
Platform fee: 0-5%, depending on funding model chosen
Processing fee: 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction
Crowdfunder
Platform fee: 0%
Processing fee: 0%
Pick the best fundraising site for your personal needs
When it comes to choosing the right fundraising site for you, it’s not just about low fees. There are plenty of other factors that come into play, including fundraising tools, platform functionality, multiple payment methods (PayPal, credit card), and site security. At GoFundMe, we have the industry’s first and only donor protection guarantee as well as round the clock, 7 days a week customer support to keep your donations safe.
For an in-depth comparison of the top online fundraising sites, check out our blog post.