Student crowdfunding on GoFundMe

Yes, GoFundMe has been used by many students to help them in their education journey, from the cost of tuition to buying back-to-school supplies or funding extracurricular activities or initiatives. You can start a crowdfunding campaign for college tuition at any time during the school year or while you’re still in high school. We recommend listing how the funds you raise will be used to help potential donors understand how they are helping you during your school program.

We recommend you first ask if the person you are fundraising for is comfortable with you starting the fundraiser. Once you set up the fundraising campaign you can invite them to set up bank transfers so they will receive the money directly. Learn more about inviting the person you are fundraising for to receive funds.

You can also fundraise for a charity or nonprofit like your PTA (Parent Teacher Association) or PTO by selecting “Charity” when prompted to select who you are fundraising for in your GoFundMe setup.

The process of setting up and verifying transfers can take 3-7 business days or longer to complete. Then, once your first transfer is sent, it will take on average 2-5 business days for the funds to safely be deposited into the bank account on file.

Yes, you can use photos and videos to help tell your story on your fundraising page. Whether you’re arranging in-person fundraising activities like a bake sale, car wash or a movie night, or online fundraising events, strong pictures and videos can help engage potential donors (like pictures of delicious baked goods) and showcase a great fundraiser after the event. One way you can consider using photos or videos is by adding them to a fundraiser progress update to thank everyone who took part. Try these tips for using video in your fundraiser.

One small transaction fee (2.9% + $0.30) is automatically deducted per donation—that’s it. Everything else goes directly to your cause. For more information and to estimate what you will receive, check out the GoFundMe pricing calculator.

To create a successful school fundraiser, we recommend including as many details as you can about what you are fundraising for and how much you need to raise. For example, if you need help covering the cost of your textbooks, you can add up the average or projected costs of your books and include that in your fundraiser description. If you’re trying to organize a field day for your classmates, break down all the costs you expect to cover from transport to entry fees and food.

There are plenty of fundraising activities you can do to raise money to help with the cost of your life as a student. You can do a walk-a-thon, take part in a fun run or commit to a read-a-thon and ask friends, family and even local businesses for sponsorship. You could also volunteer at your old elementary school or middle school and ask parents and teachers to donate to your fundraiser after helping out.

If you are fundraising as part of a club or organization such as a sorority or club team, adding team members can be a great way to help reach your goal. You can add team members to help you set up and run any fundraising events after the donation page is set up. Leverage the opportunity for peer-to-peer fundraising by having all team members share the fundraiser with their friends, family and local community members.

Get your team to brainstorm school fundraising ideas for different types of events your whole club or sorority can take part in, whether it’s a sponsored pajama day, a fun gathering like a movie night or trivia night, or a bigger event like a talent show or dance-a-thon. You can ask local restaurants to donate food for the event and local businesses to donate prizes for a raffle. Sell raffle tickets, t-shirts with your club logo, and charge an entry fee to raise money while everyone gets into the school spirit – it’s a win-win.

Visit this tips article for advice on using team members help your GoFundMe reach its goal.