Gofundme vs. Justgiving: Which Site Should You Use?
Crowdfunding is one of the quickest, easiest and safest ways for people to make a big difference and raise funds for the causes they care about.
But where to start? When thinking about fundraising, it’s important to select the site that best suits your needs. That is why we’ve outlined the benefits of using GoFundMe vs. JustGiving. From fees, to customer support and security, we want your crowdfunding experience to be as simple and effective as possible – and get vital funds to get to the people that need them most, fast.
How GoFundMe compares to JustGiving
Starting a fundraiser can be daunting. From wondering what to fundraise for, to considering how to word why it is you’re fundraising, it can be very hard to get started.
Looking at successful fundraisers online, it can also be tricky to wonder how they got to that point.
With so many different fundraising platforms available, it can be tricky to know which the best option is. GoFundMe and JustGiving are both digital crowdfunding platforms, but what they can offer donors and fundraisers is slightly different.
It’s important to think what is best for you, but with so much information out there it can be hard to get to grips with what is available to you. We can break down the difference between the two platforms for you and answer any burning questions you may have had.
Let’s compare the two to see which one is most suitable for your fundraiser.
GoFundMe fees
GoFundMe wants to make it easy for you to raise funds for the causes you care about, which is why, unlike other sites, we offer 0% platform fees for personal and charitable UK fundraisers when you crowdfund with us.
There are industry standard transaction fees of 2.9% + £0.25p per donation apply. Fundraisers for registered charities have 1.9% + £0.20p per donation fees, with all Gift Aid processed and passed on to the charities for free. We also deliver all charity donations free.
JustGiving fees
Similarly, JustGiving offer 0% platform fees for, but impose transaction fees of 2.9% + £0.25 for crowdfunding.
UK charities also incur transaction fees of 1.9% + £0.20. And JustGiving keeps 5% of the Gift Aid (although charities can opt out of this).
Some charities also pay a monthly subscription fee of £15-£39 plus VAT for their service.
Due to the Gift Aid bump, JustGiving fees are more than GoFundMe, so how do they rate on other issues?
Withdrawing funds for crowdfunding campaigns
GoFundMe: Access your money quickly
With GoFundMe, you can set up withdrawals right away and once verified, donations appear within 2-5 days. Many other platforms place a seven to 30-day hold on funds, but GoFundMe’s speedy process means that financial aid can be delivered urgently. GoFundMe has been delivering millions of pounds of aid to those in crisis for the last decade. In 2022, the GoFundMe community raised hundreds of millions to help victims of war in Ukraine shortly after the country was invaded.
GoFundMe: Use a beneficiary product
The beneficiary product also sets GoFundMe apart. Organisers can also invite someone else to withdraw the funds as the beneficiary. The beneficiary can then directly access the donations. This means you can raise money for someone else without touching the funds – avoiding difficult questions and having to organise bank transfers.
JustGiving: Expect delays
Customers using the JustGiving fundraising platform have to wait 14 days before they can withdraw funds after launching their page – and this is only if your payment details have been verified. JustGiving users also have to wait between 6-10 working days for the funds to reach them once a withdrawal has been made. There is no beneficiary product.
GoFundMe: Chosen by 100 million
GoFundMe has been chosen by by over 100 million donors worldwide. This makes us the largest social fundraising platform in the world. We’ve raised over £15 billion (and counting), evidencing the level of trust users have in our service.
GoFundMe: No deadlines
GoFundMe fundraisers don’t have to worry about falling short of their target because, unlike many similar platforms, there are no deadlines, limits or penalties for fundraisers staying live. Fundraisers remain online until you turn off donations or remove them. If you choose to, you can leave your fundraiser active indefinitely and continue accepting donations even after reaching your goal. It also means you don’t have to meet your goal to start withdrawing the money.
JustGiving: Expiry dates
All JustGiving pages have an expiry date. This means that if you want to extend your deadline, users are required to log into their account and manually change this.
At GoFundMe, we understand that people have busy lives. We want to make fundraising as simple as possible for our users, which is why we don’t expect our users to spend their valuable time manually adjusting the timeframe in which they can fundraise.
Support and advice
GoFundMe’s hardworking team of Customer Care agents are on hand seven days a week. This means that whenever and however you choose to manage your account, we’ll be right here when you need us.
Our user-friendly GoFundMe mobile app also lets you launch and manage your crowdfunding page on the go.
We are also the experts in viral fundraising. Everyday thousands of people start a GoFundMes for themselves, their communities and for charities. Everyday thousands of those people meet their fundraising targets. Everyday some of those fundraisers will raise six or seven figures.
This doesn’t happen by accident – GoFundMe is set up for social and viral fundraising, and those who have managed to use it most effectively are experts in making the most of the product. The GoFundMe blog offers plenty of fundraising tips and fundraising ideas.
How we are protecting donors and organisers
The GoFundMe Guarantee
GoFundMe has the first and only donor protection guarantee in the industry. That means in the rare case that funds don’t get to where they are supposed to go, we will return cash to donors. The GoFundMe Guarantee means we are a welcome JustGiving alternative that offers reassurance to users. For beneficiaries, this means that if an organiser fails to deliver funds, we will donate the difference.
Our Trust and Safety team, who comprise a quarter of our global staff, is dedicated to keeping customers financially safe. GoFundMe uses advanced payment encryption technology, with donations stored securely until you request a withdrawal via electronic bank transfer directly into your bank account. All funds undergo some form of verification.
JustGiving: No protection
JustGiving does not offer a fraud protection guarantee for its crowdfunding. In their Terms of Service, the platform states that it “shall have no liability to donors whatsoever for any use or misuse of donations made to the JustGiving Crowdfunding page. The JustGiving Crowdfunding page may state that page owners will use donations only for specific purposes, but JustGiving cannot guarantee that they will use them for such purpose.”
Pick the right fundraising platform for your cause
Ultimately, the choice is down to you and only you can decide the best way to fundraise for your cause. But whether or not you’re fundraising for a cause personal to you, a charity or for yourself, GoFundMe can be on-hand to help you.
We have hundreds of thousands of people raise money for causes they’re passionate about, and we also have resources to help you get involved in fundraising if you don’t know where to start.
When it comes to GoFundMe vs. JustGiving, we believe that GoFundMe offers the best support and protection for our users. Looking to fundraise? For low transaction fees, 7 day support and, most importantly, the GoFundMe Guarantee, consider crowdfunding with GoFundMe.