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.
Platforms exclusive to NGOs and non-profit causes
Givebutter is a fundraising platform exclusively for non-profit organizations that has multiple features to aid fundraising goals, including donor management and marketing tools.
Large selection of platform features, including:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Fundraising events
- Auctions
- Marketing tools
- Mobile app
- Third-party integrations (e.g., WordPress)
- 24/7 support
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
At GlobalGiving, non-profits worldwide can apply and will then be allowed to create a fundraising page after being thoroughly vetted. Since 2002, this platform has helped to raise over US$1.0 billion across 75+ countries. GlobalGiving offers fundraising tools, training, and one-on-one support.
Platform highlights:
- Gift cards
- One-on-one support
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.
JustGiving allows individuals and organizations to set up fundraising campaigns for not-for-profit causes. Since 2000, it has raised over £5 billion for charity. Although this platform offers various features, many require a premium subscription but the third-party integrations with the Strava and Fitbit fitness apps are available free of charge, making it an interesting option for those seeking to organize sports events such as runs, walks, or triathlons.
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%.
RaiseNow is a fundraising platform available to non-profits of all sizes. This platform supports 130 currencies and has processed over 14 million donations. The free version of the platform has limited features while the price for the premium version starts at €195 per month, which could be a dealbreaker for smaller organizations.
Platform highlights:
- Integrations with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and accounting systems (e.g., SAP)
- Peer-to-peer fundraising
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
Mightycause is a comprehensive platform for non-profit fundraising that integrates multiple features, including automated marketing and donor management. Mightycause has recorded over US$1.6 billion being raised for 76,000+ non-profits worldwide.
Great selection of platform features, including:
- Peer-to-peer fundraising
- Donor management
- Event fundraising
- Third-party integrations (e.g., Salesforce, Hubspot, Mailchimp, Slack)
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.
Location-specific platforms
On GOTEO’s crowdfunding platform, individuals and organizations can raise funds to support projects that have a high social impact working with the principles of open licenses, open code, or free knowledge. Besides funding, project promoters can also request other input, e.g., the use of third-party infrastructure, the loan of equipment, or help from service providers such as translators, testers, and advisors.
This platform is mainly focused on projects based in Spain or implemented abroad by a community living in Spain.
Platform highlights:
- Match-funding: the platform works with institutions that multiply the contributions of donors
- Request for non-monetary donations enabled
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.
Betterplace.org is Germany’s largest crowdfunding platform, with 50,000+ projects funded worldwide and €250 million raised. Despite the platform itself not offering great fundraising features, its niche location and 0% platform fees can still make it a great choice.
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.
Give&Fund is a crowdfunding platform where funding can be sought for:
- Life experiences and challenges
- Charitable projects and NGOs
- Startup funding
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.
Generic platforms
Whydonate is available to both individuals and organizations. While this fundraising platform is not exclusive to NGOs, it has over 1 million monthly website visitors, which means the reach of campaigns can be greatly improved by using its network.
Great selection of platform features, including:
- Peer-to-peer fundraising
- Donor management
- QR code donations
- Third-party integrations (e.g., WordPress, Hubspot)
Fees
Whydonate does not charge any platform fees and just €0.25 + 1.9% is charged for payment processing fees.
Ulule is one of the leading crowdfunding platforms in Europe, with more than 43,000 funded projects and a claimed success rate of 79% which means that roughly 8 out of 10 projects meet or exceed their goals. Ulule only accepts projects that have an artistic outcome, are community-minded, or pursue the betterment of society.
Platform highlights:
- Rewards enabled
- Fundraising coaching and courses
Fees
The commission charged varies from 1.7% to 6.7%, according to the donation method and the total amount of money raised.
GoFundMe is one of the most well-known crowdfunding platforms worldwide. Although this platform does not allow non-profits to set up fundraising campaigns, non-profits use it to reach more donors and enable peer-to-peer fundraising. GoFundMe also offers a ‘Pro’ solution for non-profits whereby organizations have the freedom to set up their own fundraising campaigns with direct giving, social media, live events, and more. However, the price of this solution is not publicly disclosed on the website.
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.
Conclusion
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:
Tip #1
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:
Tip #2
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.
Tip #3
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.
Tip #4
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.
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