Nowadays, organisations use various methods to fundraise. The rise of community-based financial support like crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising, as opposed to traditional fundraising, has enabled non-for-profits to engage more meaningfully with their donors and volunteers. Further, it serves to expand their reach and raise more money.
What is Crowdfunding?
Originally seen as an offbeat fundraising strategy, crowdfunding has now gained so much popularity that most big non-for-profit organisations, as well as innovative entrepreneurs, are using this method to raise funds for a worthy cause or business idea.
While traditional fundraising is usually constricted geographically and uses offline engagement as its main way to raise money, online crowdfunding knows no bounds and takes advantage of the internet’s reach. Elegant Media defines crowdfunding as -
"A fundraising method that raises small amounts of money from a large spectrum of investors, typically online, from a crowdfunding website, platform or application."
Many non-profits have also started shifting their donation model from one-off donations to a recurring donation format. Charity:Water, for example, has lifted their annual donor retention rate from 50% to 70% by asking upfront for recurring donations. Their website reads: “Your $40.00 monthly donation can give 12 people clean water every year.”
Non-for-profits also might consider fixed or flexible crowdfunding strategies based on what they hope to achieve.
The Rise of Crowdfunding Platforms
Sure, you could build your own crowdfunding website, but these days, online fundraising software platforms cater to organisations' growing needs. There now exists a plentitude of fundraising platforms and websites that provide templates and structure to crowdfunding campaigns.
From handling all aspects of payments made, to offering sleek and visually pleasing design, to seamlessly integrating with social media and apps, fundraising platforms are an essential service for fundraisers and non-for-profits.
But different platforms offer different things, and it is important to know what service to choose before diving head in. Does the fundraising platform charge fees? If so, are they worth it? Does it integrate fully with Facebook and other social media? Does it enable donors to pay through various channels, for example: Paypal or Bitcoin? Here’s a roundup of 5 software platforms to consider when choosing the best fundraising website for your next crowdfunding campaign.
5 Best Crowdfunding Platforms Roundup
| Software | Recommended for | Favourite Feature | Pricing |
| Kindful | Donor Management | Integration | $100/month |
| Mycause | Crowdfunding and Charities | Broad appeal | Free |
| Chuffed | Social Cause Projects | No automatic processing fees | Free |
| Classy | Integration and crowdfunding | Beautiful design, landing pages | $299/month |
| Gofundme | Peer-to-peer | Joining a fundraising team | Free |
Kindful
Kindful is a cloud-based donor management and fundraising software platform designed for non-for-profit organisations. It has a built-in crowdfunding tool and integrates with other peer-to-peer platforms. Additionally, it integrates with other useful online tools such as EventBrite, MailChimp and PayPal. It is also mobile friendly. Kindful’s data filtering can help segment donors and automatically send out customised emails, thank you's and tax receipts.
Favourite feature: Integration. Kindful utilises a built-in crowdfunding tool but also lists 53 online tools it integrates with on its website. This powerful feature cuts out precious time importing information.
Pricing: Kindful charges a monthly fee of $100 which includes all Kindful features. The pricing rises based on how many contacts you have. It does not charge a transaction fee and provides free customer support services.
Mycause
Developed in 2009, Mycause, an Australian fundraising and crowdfunding website, has raised a total of over $250 million for charities and communities and is partnered with +6,000 charities. It caters to all kinds of causes, from personal, to project-based, to large scale charity campaigns. Although its services are only available in Australia, it boasts over 480,000 members.
Favourite feature: Broad appeal. Mycause appeals to small-scale and large-scale campaigns and provides customised services based on your needs.
Pricing: Free 0% platform fees. Credit card transaction fees apply.
Chuffed
Chuffed is a growing service that offers crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising services. It focuses on social cause projects, so fundraising for your next trip to Thailand won’t be an option. The website offers fixed or flexible fundraising models, and even has a crowdfunding academy that trains you in best crowdfunding practices.
Favourite feature: No automatic processing fees. Chuffed leaves it up to the donors to decide whether or not they’d like to include a donation to Chuffed. Each donor is issued a donation receipt and a tax invoice.
Pricing: 0% Chuffed.org platform fee.
Classy
Classy is a large social enterprise that offers a suit of world-class online fundraising tools designed to help accelerate social impact around the world. It offers a myriad of options including crowdfunding, peer-to-peer fundraising, event registration and management and one-time or recurring donations. They boast an award winning open API that empowers users to build custom tools. Further, the service offers integrations with SalesForce and Facebook, providing a robust donor ecosystem.
Favourite feature: Visually pleasing design. Classy offers beautiful landing pages, ideal for peer-to-peer fundraising. If you’re looking for a user-friendly and easy-on-the-eyes webpage, Classy might be the right platform for you.
Pricing: Classy has one pricing edition of $299/month. Additional pricing is provided by the software provider after filling out a form, and final pricing is decided with a seller.
Gofundme
Gofundme is a broad and well-known fundraising platform that appeals to a wide array of causes, including social but also personal causes. Even your pets can have campaigns. Primarily a peer-to-peer website, non-for-profits might find Gofundme useful if they want to start a campaign quickly and easily. The platform also offers flexible and fixed funding models.
Favourite feature: Easy ways to become a fundraiser. Gofundme encourages donors to become peer-to-peer fundraisers by creating or joining a team and makes the process easy and simple.
Pricing: It is free to get started with Gofundme, however there are platform and processing fees depending on the plan you choose. The price depends on how much money you raise. There is a 0% charge for unsuccessful fixed campaigns.
Final Words
With so many options out there, it is important to choose the fundraising platform that’s right for you. There are many features to consider, including initial platform fees and other processing costs. Whether you’re looking for beautiful design, efficient integration or good donor management, take a moment to carefully consider your needs for your next fundraising campaign. With the right platform, you can turn your ideas into reality.