Crowdfunding is more than just a popular fundraising strategy. It’s a proven strategy for individuals, organizations, and teams to increase their fundraising power through their online networks.
You may be familiar with some of the crowdfunding giants, like GoFundMe. However, there are other crowdfunding sites that offer similar capabilities, better value, and more specialized features.Â
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With countless GoFundMe alternatives on the market, choosing the right crowdfunding platform for your cause requires extensive research and comparisons between providers.Â
To help you compile a strong list of candidates, we’ll go over some of our favorite alternatives to GoFundMe, including:
- Snowball
- FundlyÂ
- BonfireÂ
- StartSomeGoodÂ
- PlumfundÂ
- Kickstarter
- GoGetFundingÂ
- Snap! Raise
- FreeFunderÂ
- GivebutterÂ
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Each of these platforms has something unique to offer, whether it’s their scalability or tech support. Keep your nonprofit’s fundraising goals and crowdfunding campaigns in mind as you explore this list.Â
1. Snowball – Best GoFundMe Alternative for All-in-One Fundraising
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
Snowball prides itself on being fast, effective, and accessible. Our platform provides individuals, groups, and enterprise-level organizations with a suite of robust fundraising tools designed to give your campaigns as wide a reach as possible.
Snowball aims to lower the barrier to entry for crowdfunding campaigns, offering a free package of essentials on top of the large selection of features included in all of our plans. With Snowball, your campaign has access to customized branding, unlimited administrative users, and a complete set of donor management tools.
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
If you’re looking for an alternative to GoFundMe, Snowball is tough to beat. With our platform, your campaign has access to:
- Text-to-give donations. Snowball’s secure text-to-give platform provides users with an unlimited number of keywords, meaning you can use your same fundraising number each time you launch a campaign.Â
- Optimized donation tools. Snowball’s donation pages are designed to drive as many donations as possible. Gather recurring gifts and pledges, and add a fundraising thermometer to your campaign page to show supporters how close you are to fulfilling your goal.Â
- Event management tools. An organization can rarely sit back and relax after launching its crowdfunding campaign. Keep excitement high and give supporters a reason to donate by hosting events that provide information and celebrate your project.
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Pricing
Snowball offers various pricing plans, starting with our free Essentials package that only charges a payment processing fee of 2.9% and $0.30. Our Premium package costs $549/year for unlimited campaigns plus a payment processing rate of 2.5% and $0.30.
For more features, try our expanded Professional plan for $849/year or our Enterprise level package, starting at $999/annually.Â
2. Fundly – Best GoFundMe Alternative for Personalization
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
Fundly’s crowdfunding platform allows both individuals and organizations to raise money for charitable causes, individual projects, medical expenses, and more. This platform utilizes a “Keep it All” fundraising model, which means you don’t have to worry about meeting goals and deadlines to claim the funds you raise
Similar to GoFundMe, Fundly enables fundraisers to set up personalized fundraising pages. You can upload photos, videos, and a campaign description to your page, then get started posting fundraising updates and sharing your page on social media.
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
Fundly is a smart choice with these features:
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- Outstanding customer service. Fundly’s customer service is best-in-class. If you run into an issue, their team will be there for you instantly.
- Full customization. Fundly’s interface is user-friendly and customizable. You can add your logos, colors, and branding to make your page entirely your own.
- Matching gift integration. This crowdfunding platform integrates seamlessly with Double the Donation’s matching gift automation tool, 360MatchPro, helping fundraisers raise more.Â
Pricing
Fundly’s platform is free, with the exception of a payment processing fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
3. Bonfire – Best GoFundMe Alternative for Merchandise Sales
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
The best crowdfunding campaigns offer perks, such as merchandise! Consider selling t-shirts as part of your next crowdfunding campaign or thanking donors for giving to your cause with a branded clothing item. When people wear your merchandise in public, they provide free advertising for your organization and cause.
Bonfire makes it easy for anyone to design a T-shirt for their crowdfunding campaign. Simply upload your original design or use their web builder to create a product online.
Bonfire also lets supporters donate from anywhere. Not only is their platform optimized for mobile use, but you can also integrate your social media accounts into your crowdfunding website.
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
If you’re looking for a platform for your product fundraiser, Bonfire offers:
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- Fundraising-specific option. Bonfire isn’t just a T-shirt manufacturer. Their services are designed with fundraising in mind, providing unique features for fundraisers.
- Design features. If you’re got a graphic designer on staff, you can upload a premade design onto a wide variety of products. If not, Bonfire’s web-based design feature makes it easy to create professional images.
- Campaign scheduling. Bonfire requires campaigns to collect enough orders to cover production costs. Schedule your drive for anywhere between one and three weeks, and if you don’t make your minimum production number, you can relaunch and try again!
Pricing
Bonfire charges 3.5% for processing and 4.5% for the use of their platform. Other than that, you receive 100% of the profits from your campaign without paying any production costs.Â
4. StartSomeGood – Best GoFundMe Alternative for Recurring Campaigns
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
StartSomeGood is a crowdfunding platform designed to help individuals, nonprofits, and other organizations fundraise for social impact causes.
This platform has a more selective process for accepting campaigns. In return, campaigns receive the full support of StartSomeGood’s team, which includes promotion through their social media, newsletters, and even eBooks.
StartSomeGood uses an All or Nothing fundraising structure, so those campaigns that don’t meet their goals won’t receive their funding. This can be a strong motivator to raise funds in a short amount of time.
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
Here are a few reasons we love StartSomeGood’s crowdfunding platform:Â
- Personalized feedback. The customer support at StartSomeGood is hard to match. When your project is accepted, you’ll automatically receive input and advice from StartSomeGood’s global support team, ensuring your project is at its best from start to finish.
- High-quality fundraising pages. Because StartSomeGood individually approves each campaign submission, all campaigns are vetted and held to the highest standard. It takes a little more work, but high-quality content will lead to more successful campaigns.
- 96% satisfaction rate. When you partner with StartSomeGood, your campaign is almost guaranteed success. Their team will work as hard as yours to design, promote, and execute a pitch-perfect fundraising campaign.
Pricing
Submitting a project is free, but accepted projects are subject to a 5% platform fee and additional payment processing fees.
5. Plumfund – Best GoFundMe Alternative for Virtual Crowdfunding
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
Plumfund is a crowdfunding platform that enables fundraisers to collect donations for virtually any kind of personal cause or project. From baby showers to travel, anyone can meet their personal fundraising goals on Plumfund!
Designed to make giving feel good, Plumfund is one of the most user-friendly sites to request and collect cash gifts. Fundraisers can share their stories, post photos, and accept donations all on their personalized fundraising pages. Plumfund’s easy updates feature allows fundraisers to share their successes and show donors exactly where their contributions have gone!
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
Here are a few of Plumfund’s standout features:
- Free gift registry. In addition to their free crowdfunding tools, Plumfund also equips users with the tools to set up free online registries for any occasion. You can add your wishlist to your campaign page, giving your donors options for how they contribute.Â
- Freedom from deadlines. Unlike more traditional crowdfunding platforms, Plumfund focuses less on meeting goals and more on giving gifts. That means you can keep your registry or campaign open as long as you’d like, without fear of not receiving your funds.
- Social media integration. Donors can add comments using their Facebook accounts directly to fundraising pages, making sharing messages of support as easy as possible.
Pricing
Plumfund is free for fundraisers accepting offline cash and check gifts. If fundraisers accept credit card donations, donors are subject to third-party processing fees (2.59% plus $0.49 per transaction).
6. Kickstarter – Best GoFundMe Alternative for Creative Campaigns
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform for creative endeavors, ranging from music and films to arts and crafts and even food-related projects. With millions of backers across their projects, Kickstarter comes with an audience looking for new creative crowdfunding campaigns to sponsor.Â
Explain the details of your project, add pictures to your page, and set stretch goals all on one page hosted on Kickstarter’s website. Kickstarter encourages full transparency, so don’t be afraid to share with your backers precisely what their donations will go towards.
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
As the top creative crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter offers:
- Increased visibility. With massively successful projects making the news, Kickstarter attracts a broad audience of backers to all of its crowdfunding pages, even the small ones.
- Deadline incentives. All Kickstarter projects operate on a deadline, meaning backers interested in your project will be encouraged to get their donations in before time’s up.Â
- Artistic focus. It can be easy for your creative project to get lost among the many other crowdfunding campaigns. Kickstarter’s focus on artistic and creative works only provides a focus not found on other platforms.Â
Pricing
Kickstarter operates on an all-or-nothing model, meaning you’ll only receive funds if you meet your goal. They also take 5% of the funds raised.
7. GoGetFunding – Best GoFundMe Alternative for International FundraisingÂ
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
Are you looking to accept donations from around the world? GoGetFunding is available for international fundraisers, accepting a variety of currencies and offering page displays in multiple languages.Â
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GoGetFunding places no limitations on what kind of projects you can run, allowing you to start crowdfunding for personal projects, your favorite causes, and more. With GoGetFunding’s press support, there’s even a chance that your crowdfunding campaign will wind up in the news!
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
In addition to its reduced site fees, GoGetFunding improves upon GoFundMe by offering:
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- Global Paypal support. Some donors prefer Paypal, and GoGetFunding lets them donate how they want, no matter where they are in the world.Â
- Personal fundraising coaches. Creating your crowdfunding page is just the first step for a successful campaign. GoGetFunding offers 24/7 fundraising support, so your team can get expert advice right when you need it. Â
- Optional deadlines. Deadlines can be a valuable incentive to earn funds in a short amount of time. However, if you want to keep your fundraising campaign open indefinitely, you can do that, too!
Pricing
GoGetFunding charges a 4% fee on funds raised, in addition to a 2.9% and $0.49 payment processing fee.Â
8. Snap! Raise – Best GoFundMe Alternative for Children
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
Snap! Raise is a crowdfunding platform designed to support children. Whether you’re fundraising for a group or a single child, Snap! Raise empowers individuals to become champions of the next generation by leading safe, secure, and robust fundraising campaigns.Â
Snap! Raise’s ecosystem of fundraising tools works to save time spent on administrative tasks and enable fundraisers to devote themselves to earning donations. Their smart campaign setup streamlines most of the time-consuming tasks associated with crowdfunding, letting your team get straight to fundraising.
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
Snap! Raise’s children-focused crowdfunding platform provides organizations with:
- A comprehensive program dashboard. Get a visual overview of your entire campaign in minutes before diving into detailed fundraising rosters, reports, and supporter profiles.Â
- Team gear. Build team spirit for your fundraisers and your donors by offering custom uniforms branded for your cause. These are especially great for children’s sports teams.Â
- Secure campaign tracking. Track your campaign’s progress with Snap! Raise’s sophisticated measuring tools. With a dedication to full transparency, you can always be sure exactly where your donations are going.Â
Pricing
Snap! Raise has no platform fees, but can charge up to 20% of total funds raised.
9. FreeFunder – Best GoFundMe Alternative for Small Nonprofits
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
Crowdfunding for a personal cause? Consider FreeFunder, a crowdfunding platform built for small causes and projects, from artistic projects to individuals raising money for their favorite causes.Â
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FreeFunder supports current crowdfunding projects right on their website, allowing visitors to browse current crowdfunding campaigns based on their category. But that isn’t the only place donors can find your campaign. FreeFunder’s fundraising widgets can easily be added to your website, letting your supporters donate without navigating away from your website.
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
FreeFunder takes pride in the causes it supports, giving users access to:
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Fast support. Reach out to FreeFunder to receive support to get your crowdfunding campaign up and running as fast as possible.Â
Mobile-friendly pages. With increasing numbers of people using their phones to browse the internet, mobile-friendly pages are a must. FreeFunder’s fundraising pages are designed for both desktop and mobile, letting users give straight from their phones.Â
Text-to-donate tools. Text-to-give is the fastest way to give. FreeFunder provides text-to-give numbers then lets organizations choose their keyword to spread during events to promote their crowdfunding campaign.Â
Pricing
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As its name suggests, FreeFunder is completely free! FreeFunder will even donate to your campaign once it reaches a certain amount of funding and shares on Facebook.
10. Givebutter – Best GoFundMe Alternative for Donor Management
GoFundMe Alternative Overview
Givebutter’s unique social fundraising campaign pages are designed for a wide range of audiences, including nonprofits, schools, sports teams, and companies. With a focus on fun, Givebutter’s focus on community ensures that users crowdfunding through its platform can always keep their donors engaged. Â
Integrate your Givebutter campaign with social media to boost your outreach or send emails and text messages to engage supporters one-on-one. With trackable links and automated messaging tools, Givebutter lets your nonprofit understand the data behind its crowdfunding campaign while building a positive frontend experience for donors.
Why this GoFundMe Alternative Stands Out
Givebutter offers users a variety of benefits, including:
- Team fundraising. Team fundraising lets multiple fundraisers engage in peer-to-peer fundraising for your campaign together. Givebutter’s multi-team fundraising takes this to the next level by allowing multiple teams drive funds.Â
- Supporter feeds. Givebutter prides itself on its fun and attractive layouts, and its supporter feeds are no exception. With Givebutter’s supporter feeds, donors can comment and interact with your campaign in a social media-style layout.Â
- Live-streaming support. Givebutter lets users stream their campaigns via Facebook, YouTube, and Zoom. Embed your live stream on your campaign page to get in touch with supporters as they donate.Â
Pricing
GiveButter is free, only charging a credit card processing fee of 2.9% and $0.30 per transaction.Â
Wrapping Up: Investing in a GoFundMe Alternative
Take the time to research your GoFundMe alternative options before launching your next crowdfunding campaign. Assess your campaign’s focus, goals, and needs, then build a list of potential candidates. Use our list as a jumping-off point to consider what features are must-haves and what’s an appropriate budget for your campaign.Â
Continue your research by reaching out to providers to request demos, asking organizations similar to yours for referrals, and learning more about how you can promote your crowdfunding campaign once it launches. Here are a few resources to help you get started:
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- Text-to-Give | Complete Guide for Nonprofits and Fundraisers. Text-to-give is the fastest way for your supporters to start contributing to your campaign, and many platforms already offer text-to-give support. Get familiar with text-to-give basics and start spreading your campaign’s fundraising number.
- 20 Giving Tuesday Ideas + Tips to Raise More for Your Cause. Giving Tuesday is one of your crowdfunding campaign’s best opportunities for earning funding fast. Learn how to make the most of this year’s Giving Tuesday ahead of time.Â
- 4 Ways Your Nonprofit Website Can Drive Donations. Fuel your crowdfunding efforts by launching virtual fundraisers and events to promote ita campaign on your nonprofit website. Follow these tips to make sure your website is optimized to drive donations.Â