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Dec. 29th, 2015 08:37 amSo, I'm preparing a piece on fundraising for people who don't normally fundraise, and as a part of that piece I'm making a post of fundraising website resources -- both the good and the bad.
Here's what I've got so far; I'll be updating this post as information comes in.
YouCaring: YouCaring is where I see most medical fundraisers linking to these days. I haven't had reports either way but it seems like a widely-used and reputable site. YouCaring does not require you to reach a goal before being funded, and does not take a fee for donations, unlike many other sites; however, credit card processing fees are taken from the donation (2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction). This is still far below many other sites' fees.
Rally Up: A young startup; as far as I can tell they are no-goal, and they allow you to customize your page based on whether you're crowdfunding, arranging an event, doing an auction, et cetera. Reports are positive. I'm about to test-drive this one myself. :D
Indiegogo: Technically a no-goal fundraising site; you do set a goal, but you get the money regardless of whether you reach it. If you do hit your goal, however, the percentage they take as a fee drops. Reports are generally positive.
Kickstarter: Project-based, Kickstarter only funds the project if the donations reach a certain goal. Reports are generally positive, but as far as I know Kickstarter cannot be used for non-profit stuff like healthcare fundraising (I could be wrong).
GiveForward: Only for medical and bereavement fundraising. It allows coordination of donated meals and transportation to medical visits, etc., sharing of wishlists for needed purchases and fundraising with a 2.9%+$0.30 fee per transaction and 5% additional fee on top on the total amount raised, which they allow donors to cover. (i.e. give $108.30 so that the recipient gets a $100 donation.)
PlumFund: Allows for raising funds or soliciting purchases from a wishlist, for individuals or organizations for any purpose. It has an option for accepting online pledges that go toward a total and then accepting cash/check from those pledgers directly in person or by mail, which allows them to step around the fees for online credit card donations (2.8%+$0.30 per transaction). It does however require a business or premiere PayPal account or a WePay account.
GoFundMe: Primarily to raise funds for emergencies or events, and does not have a "goal" to reach prior to funding. Reports are that GoFundMe is notorious for holding onto peoples' money by pretending they haven't verified their identity sufficiently. Takes 8% in fees. GoFundMe has also demonstrated an odd double standard where they won't allow you to crowdfund abortions but will allow you to crowdfund anti-choice activity (reference here).
CaringBridge: CaringBridge was suggested but is not actually a fundraising site; it directs people to gofundme if they wish to raise funds. It is primarily for organizing care for individuals, including scheduling volunteers to help with things like transportation to and from medical care. Reports are positive for the organizing side of things, but you may do better to go with GiveForward.
Patreon: An income resource for artists, which allows people to subscribe to artists and receive exclusive content (per month or per item, more details at the bottom of this LJ post). While Patreon seems to be the only game in town for this, I've had reports that it allows a great deal of misogyny, child pornography, and possibly plagiarism without properly addressing complaints. I've also had reports that if you start to sign up and then stop because they require a linked credit card/bank account, they will pester you for your "contribution".
There are also some sites that are very specific (faith-based, for book authors, etc) mentioned in comments to the Dreamwidth side of this post, so if you're looking for something more niche, make sure you check the comments. If you're reading this on LJ, the Dreamwidth version of the post is here.
If you've had an experience with a fundraising site and would like to share, please drop a comment on the post or send me an email at copperbadge at gmail, or send me an ask at tumblr user @copperbadge. Thanks all. :)
Here's what I've got so far; I'll be updating this post as information comes in.
YouCaring: YouCaring is where I see most medical fundraisers linking to these days. I haven't had reports either way but it seems like a widely-used and reputable site. YouCaring does not require you to reach a goal before being funded, and does not take a fee for donations, unlike many other sites; however, credit card processing fees are taken from the donation (2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction). This is still far below many other sites' fees.
Rally Up: A young startup; as far as I can tell they are no-goal, and they allow you to customize your page based on whether you're crowdfunding, arranging an event, doing an auction, et cetera. Reports are positive. I'm about to test-drive this one myself. :D
Indiegogo: Technically a no-goal fundraising site; you do set a goal, but you get the money regardless of whether you reach it. If you do hit your goal, however, the percentage they take as a fee drops. Reports are generally positive.
Kickstarter: Project-based, Kickstarter only funds the project if the donations reach a certain goal. Reports are generally positive, but as far as I know Kickstarter cannot be used for non-profit stuff like healthcare fundraising (I could be wrong).
GiveForward: Only for medical and bereavement fundraising. It allows coordination of donated meals and transportation to medical visits, etc., sharing of wishlists for needed purchases and fundraising with a 2.9%+$0.30 fee per transaction and 5% additional fee on top on the total amount raised, which they allow donors to cover. (i.e. give $108.30 so that the recipient gets a $100 donation.)
PlumFund: Allows for raising funds or soliciting purchases from a wishlist, for individuals or organizations for any purpose. It has an option for accepting online pledges that go toward a total and then accepting cash/check from those pledgers directly in person or by mail, which allows them to step around the fees for online credit card donations (2.8%+$0.30 per transaction). It does however require a business or premiere PayPal account or a WePay account.
GoFundMe: Primarily to raise funds for emergencies or events, and does not have a "goal" to reach prior to funding. Reports are that GoFundMe is notorious for holding onto peoples' money by pretending they haven't verified their identity sufficiently. Takes 8% in fees. GoFundMe has also demonstrated an odd double standard where they won't allow you to crowdfund abortions but will allow you to crowdfund anti-choice activity (reference here).
CaringBridge: CaringBridge was suggested but is not actually a fundraising site; it directs people to gofundme if they wish to raise funds. It is primarily for organizing care for individuals, including scheduling volunteers to help with things like transportation to and from medical care. Reports are positive for the organizing side of things, but you may do better to go with GiveForward.
Patreon: An income resource for artists, which allows people to subscribe to artists and receive exclusive content (per month or per item, more details at the bottom of this LJ post). While Patreon seems to be the only game in town for this, I've had reports that it allows a great deal of misogyny, child pornography, and possibly plagiarism without properly addressing complaints. I've also had reports that if you start to sign up and then stop because they require a linked credit card/bank account, they will pester you for your "contribution".
There are also some sites that are very specific (faith-based, for book authors, etc) mentioned in comments to the Dreamwidth side of this post, so if you're looking for something more niche, make sure you check the comments. If you're reading this on LJ, the Dreamwidth version of the post is here.
If you've had an experience with a fundraising site and would like to share, please drop a comment on the post or send me an email at copperbadge at gmail, or send me an ask at tumblr user @copperbadge. Thanks all. :)
