The 7 Best Fundraising Sites For Charities & Individuals

Whether you’re thinking about fundraising for a charity, raising funds to assist your personal project, or you’re a charity trying to raise money and support an important cause, there will always be a great fundraising site that would accommodate you. Check out our list of the best 7 Fundraising Sites available for you and start your fundraising journey! 

What to Look for on a Fundraising Site

When searching for your specific fundraising site, there are many things you should look for, from platforms fee to user outreach and location. It is better to choose a platform that would give you the best overall experience and results for your fundraising efforts. 

In this article, we hope to provide you with a list of the best fundraising sites available at the moment, listing their features, cons, and how they are best utilised.

The Top 7 Fundraising Sites

1. mycause 

mycause is an Australian fundraising platform for both charities and individuals. It has been regarded as Australia’s best fundraising platform and it allows individuals to raise money for charities, personal projects, friends or people in need of assistance and much more. 

mycause positions itself as a leader in Australian fundraising due to its great support system and user-friendly website. It has become a pillar in Australian fundraising and has 

Features

• Ability to raise money for all causes: With mycause you’ll be able to raise money for a wide variety of causes, all in different and unique ways that can cause a great impact on people.

• Offers a 24/7 email and phone support system: You and your donors can rest assured of mycause great email and phone support system.

• Great Fundraising Pages: Create the best Fundraising page for your next project, fundraising event and more with mycause page builder. mycause’s easily intuitive builder doesn't require coding knowledge and will help you create the perfect fundraising page or website you need. 

• PR and Media Support: With mycause your fundraising page, event and more will have free PR and media support from mycause, being featured on mycause profile and having articles written about your fundraiser free of charge.

• Payment Methods: Accepts all credit/debit card payment options as well as PayPal.

• Wide Charity List: You can raise money for over 4,000 charities of your choice.

• Customisable Donation Forms: Make your donation forms match your desired colour, font and more with mycause customisable donation forms. 

• Social Media Integration: mycause integrates well with social media platforms, allowing users to easily share their campaigns across different networks. This feature can help increase campaign visibility and reach a broader audience, potentially attracting more donors.

• Regular Giving: Ability to set up regular Giving and the frequency of it.

• Customisable Donation Boxes: Can customise fonts, colours and dollar amounts. 

Platform fee

• 0% platform fee for personal causes and charities.

Cons

• mycause is limited to Australia only and is specialised in raising funds for Australian charities. 

2. GoFundMe

Another option is GoFundMe, which is also a good choice for fundraising. It has been one of the most used fundraising sites in the US and although it has been surrounded by many scam controversies, it still stands strong as a fundraising alternative. 

Features

• Wide range of options: Education, sports, medical, and others.

• Offers email support: The site offers full email support.  

• Wide reach in the US: GoFundMe is regarded as one of the most popular fundraising sites in the US

Platform fee

• No start-up campaign fee, but 2.2% + $0.30 for credit and debit card donations

Cons:

• Cannot use PayPal as a payment method

• No phone support. 

• US based company

• Requires a mandatory wepay, ayden or stripe account to receive funds

• Does not have as many options for fundraising as other platforms

• As one of the biggest sites, it has many scammers on its platform. 

3. Fundly

Other interesting option is Fundly, which enables individuals and non-profit organisations raise funds for various causes.

Features

• Easy Interface: Fundly makes it easy to set up and manage fundraising campaigns. 

• Social Media Integration: It offers great integrations with social media platforms to share your fundraising page.

Platform Fees

• Charges a platform fee of 4.9% of the total funds raised through the campaign. 

• Charges payment processing fees of approximately 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for credit card users, and 1% + $0.30 for bank transfers. 

Cons

• Higher Fees than other fundraising sites

• Limited Customer Support compared to other options

• Limited Flexibility, it may not support all types of projects or initiatives as other platforms do. 

Disclaimer

It’s worth noting that all sites mentioned above may have specific features and policies that may change over time, It is important to review each site and search for their most current terms and conditions. Additionally, keep in mind that all information provided here is based on general knowledge and does not reflect any recent updates or changes to the fundraising sites. 

Choose the right Fundraising Site for you

Use this list of the best fundraising sites to find the one that best fits your need for your cause. For more information, check out these fundraising tips and ideas. Or start your fundraising journey with mycause by clicking the button below. 

4.  Chuffed 

Chuffed is a fundraising site specifically designed for social causes and non-profit organisations. 

Features

• Regular Giving: Ability to setup regular giving.

• Customisable Donation Boxes: Can edit colour and fonts.

Platform Fees

• 2% + $0.20 paid by the donor or organisation.

Cons

• Limited Capability to customise your campaign page.

• Not as well known as other platforms

• Limited to social enterprise or non-profit organisations.

5. Donorbox

Donorbox is a fundraising site that lets non-profit organisations easily start their own fundraising journey.

Features

• Easy Checkout: Let’s people donate without putting their personal information. 

Platforms Fees

• 1.75% platform fee, plus 2.2% + $0.30 for Strype and PayPal payments. 

Cons

• Limited to non-profit organisations

• Does not welcome personal causes.

6. Gofundraise

Gofundraise is another noteworthy fundraising site in Australia that welcomes the financial support of individuals towards charities/charitable events.

• No startup fee 

• Contactable via phone and email

Platforms Fees

• 6% service fee

Cons

• Limited to non-profit organisations

• Does not welcome personal causes.

• Commission charged on all donations

7. Facebook Fundraising

Facebook Fundraising allows users to create fundraising campaigns directly on Facebook. Regarded as the most used social media platform, Facebook Fundraising is a good choice to set up your fundraising site.

Features

• Social Media: Easily share your Facebook page with your social media friends and followers. 

• Wide User Base: Access to Facebook's massive user base. 

Platform Fees

• No platform Fee

• Transaction fee of around 2.6% + $0.30 per transaction.

Cons

• Limited Reach: While Facebook has a large user base, the reach of your Facebook Fundraising campaign is primarily dependent on the algorithm and visibility determined by Facebook. Which can make it challenging for raising funds from people outside of your Facebook friends group.

• Lack of Customisation: Facebook Fundraising offers limited customisation options for your fundraising page, and lacks the ability to compete in this regard with specially designed fundraising sites like mycause. 

• Privacy Concerns: Facebook's privacy practices are something to be concerned about. With its wide range of users, you may expose your fundraising page and important information to undesirable users. Privacy settings and data protection should be considered when using Facebook Fundraising. 

• Lack of Dedicated Support: Facebook Fundraising does not offer dedicated customer support specifically for fundraising campaigns. If you have any issues, finding assistance may prove challenging. 

• Specific Fees: Facebook Fundraising may charge specific transaction fees depending on the country and currency you use. These may significantly reduce and impact the result of your fundraising efforts.

All the above Fundraising Sites are a great options to start your fundraising journey, but one thing to watch out for in all is these 3 key factors.

Funding industries:

Whilst there are many crowdfunding platforms available to the public, various services are industry-specific, and therefore cater to a particular audience or cause. Choosing a service that will not limit funding capabilities is therefore highly necessary. Whilst some services may be welcoming of any personal cause (be it raising funds for medical bills or recording an album), others may be solely focused on supporting non-for-profit foundations and charities.

Most importantly, it is crucial that campaigners understand and consider the difference between pledge based (fixed) and donation based (flexible) crowdfunding. Flexible crowdfunding allows those campaigning to keep all funds raised, regardless of whether or not they reached their goal. Fixed fundraising services however, only allow campaigners to receive funds raised if they meet the fundraising goal. Should the goal not be met by the deadline, pledges will not be charged to a donors’ credit/debit card or PayPal account.

Costs associated

When selecting which crowdfunding platform to utilize, it is imperative that individuals consider if there are any costs associated in creating a campaign. Ideally, setting up a campaign should be achieved at a minimal cost, to allow for a stress-free and easy process. Typically, a fee of approximately 0 - 5% of funds raised will be charged across the board. Payment processing fees are also normally charged at the conclusion of the campaign, and it is therefore important that campaigners are aware of such fees before commencement.

Support

Campaigners should also consider whether the platform has a highly accessible support system that allows for email and phone communication, as well as PR and media support. The process of campaigning may be challenging and stressful for some, and it is therefore crucial that campaigners can find the necessary support when needed. Platforms that are responsive on all devices and are mobile friendly, should also be sought after when considering platforms to use.

Our pick, mycause. So, why choose mycause?

mycause present itself as an Australian crowdfunding company who are committed to providing Australians with a platform to support a worthy cause. They give communities, individuals and organisations the opportunity to interact by supporting charities, projects or simply people that are in need of funds for personal reasons such as medical costs, surgery or bereavement. mycause understand the importance of being able to provide such a service at a minimal cost and hence, charge no set-up fee. They have also ensured that they are mobile-friendly, allowing for easy access.

In addition to this, campaigners are given the option of running both a fixed and flexible campaign. This ensures that campaigners are still able to receive the money raised throughout the duration of the campaign, regardless of whether or not campaign goals have been met. By providing such a flexible approach to campaigning, mycause is ensuring that both campaigners and donors are aware that each campaign is valued, and that each donation has the ability to make an impact. Mycause also welcomes Paypal donations, allowing donors flexibility when donating.  

PR and media support is offered for free at mycause, which allows personal cause campaigns to reach an audience outside of your immediate network.

mycause understands that fundraising can be stressful and challenging at times, and as a result, offer their full support to those donating, those campaigning, or anyone who may have a general enquiry. This is demonstrated by their 24/7 email and phone system, which ensures enquiries can be made at any time.

In addition to this, mycause gives the general public the unique opportunity to pledge their birthday and other special dates. This is particularly reflective of mycause values, as it demonstrates their heart for supporting people in need, at every opportunity possible. Given many people may not feel the need to start a campaign, the ability to pledge your birthday means people can support a charity of their choice, allowing another means of positive impact to be made amongst the community.

Best of all, mycause is 100% Australian owned and operated.

If you want to start your fundraising journey with us then do not hesitate to click the button below. Or check out these fundraising ideas and get inspired by others fundraising pages