Since early 2025, non-profits have faced particularly high financial uncertainty mainly driven by various political decisions. That’s why, in this article, we present an overview of 11 platforms that NGOs can leverage to meet their fundraising goals even during these challenging times.
This year, non-profits have been increasingly being affected by Trump’s slashes to administration aid and budgets. From direct budget cuts for the United Nations and DEI projects to tax reforms, so far, 501 U.S. organizations and private foundations have been affected.
In the face of these new challenges, at DevelopmentAid, we regularly support non-profits by providing sector-specific advice, highlighting funding opportunities, and maintaining an up-to-date database of upcoming grant calls. Moreover, we started to offer all U.S.-based aid organizations free 90-day access to our database just days after Trump’s decision to freeze aid in January. In this article, we continue to help by providing an overview of 11 fundraising platforms, their key features, and the applicable fees.
Large selection of platform features, including:
Fees
Givebutter offers two fee formats for NGOs to choose from:
Regardless of the option selected, a payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.3 will be applied.
See also: 10 donor alternatives to USAID with open grant calls
Platform highlights:
Fees
GlobalGiving charges between 5% and 12% in platform fees depending on the amount raised and the location of the NGO. Organizations must also pay a 3% payment processing fee.
Platform highlight: Third-party integrations with the Strava and Fitbit fitness apps.
Fees
Platform fees vary according to the country in which the recipient organization is based. For instance, in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, JustGiving charges no platform fees. In the U.S., the platform fees are 0 – 5%, depending on the chosen payment processor. Payment processing fees also vary up to 5%.
Platform highlights:
Fees
For its free plan, RaiseNow charges 2.5% of donations as the platform fee, plus fees for payments made through external providers but the cost of this is not disclosed on the website.
Organizations opting for a premium plan pay €195 per month plus 0.5% to 2.5% of all donations but fees for donations made through external payment providers also still apply.
See also: 10 essential (free) software for non-profits in 2025
Great selection of platform features, including:
Fees
Mightycause offers a free plan to NGOs that has limited features while a monthly subscription starts at $119. Payment processing fees also apply, with a maximum value of 1.99% and $0.29 – $0.49 of each donation.
This platform is mainly focused on projects based in Spain or implemented abroad by a community living in Spain.
Platform highlights:
Fees
The platform charges a commission of 5% plus transaction fees which depend on the payment method – 0.8% for bank transactions or 3.4% + €0.35 for PayPal.
Fees
BetterPlace retains 2.8% of each donation to cover payment processing fees. No other fees are charged; the platform’s sustainability is maintained through voluntary donations.
Despite its broad scope, this platform is highly focused on Greece and many projects are described in Greek, which can be an advantage for NGOs specifically targeting this audience segment.
Platform highlight: Rewards enabled
Fees
Give&Fund charges a platform fee of 4.5% + 0.20 cents (both $/€) plus, there are payment processing fees for PayPal donations of 3.4% + €0.3.
Great selection of platform features, including:
Fees
Whydonate does not charge any platform fees and just €0.25 + 1.9% is charged for payment processing fees.
Platform highlights:
Fees
The commission charged varies from 1.7% to 6.7%, according to the donation method and the total amount of money raised.
Platform highlight: Peer-to-peer fundraising
Fees
GoFundMe charges a processing fee of 2.9% + $0.3 for each donation.
The price for GoFundMe Pro is not publicly disclosed on their website but there is a request a quote facility.
With so many options available, how do you choose just one? As usual, it depends on the audience, the budget, the fundraising goals and strategy, and so forth.
To help to navigate this fundamental decision-making, we have four tips:
If your audience is tightly restricted to certain countries or regions, try location-specific platforms that will help you to reach your ideal donors and overcome language barriers. Examples:
If you are on a tight budget, select platforms that charge the least. For example, if you enable optional tips, Givebutter and Whydonate will only charge payment processing fees but offer additional platform features.
If, on top of a tight budget, your NGO struggles with brand awareness, try to piggyback onto well-known platforms that attract thousands of monthly visitors. Whydonate, for example, has 1 million monthly website visitors, interesting platform features, and only charges payment processing fees.
If your fundraising strategy is highly focused on organizing fitness events, consider using JustGiving. Its third-party integrations with the Strava and Fitbit fitness apps are available free of charge.
Disclaimer: The prices and costs disclosed in this article are indicative only and based on the information available on the fundraising platforms’ websites. Please always check the original source to ascertain if VAT or any other taxes apply.
DevelopmentAid is an information service provider for international development that hosts over 59,000 NGOs on its database. Becoming a member enables NGOs to access grants and tenders, funding sources, and build partnerships, all at very attractive and flexible prices.
In just a few clicks, you can also join thousands of organizations who receive the DevelopmentAid newsletter that contains articles about NGOs and the international aid sector, as well as bidding opportunities and expert opinions.
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