As the largest crowdfunding platform online, GoFundMe offers several advantages for people looking to raise money through a crowdfunding campaign. But that doesn’t necessarily mean GoFundMe is the best fundraising platform for every project. 

There are many other crowdfunding sites you can use that offer different perks, lower platform fees, and better ease of use. Read on — we’ll explore nine great GoFundMe alternatives below!

Accrue Savings is a new type of crowdfunding and savings platform that helps consumers save up for big-ticket purchases without taking out a credit card or putting items on layaway. 

The benefits are twofold — our platform allows companies to financially reward shoppers for saving towards their items and lets consumers share their profiles with friends and family who can also donate.

The concept was built on how credit card holders are rewarded for taking on debt, but nothing was available for retail customers who wanted to save up for their purchases in advance. They simply had to put the money aside. Now, consumers can save up for things like furniture, travel accommodations, jewelry, and exercise equipment and get financial incentives at the same time.

Best for:

• Retail purchases
• Gifts
• Repeat purchases
• Personal savings goals

Like GoFundMe, Fundly is a general peer-to-peer fundraising site that can be used to raise money for nearly anything, including medical expenses, education costs, and funerals. 

With Fundly, you can create a free fundraising page and share it with your family and friends to generate interest in your campaign across social media. You only pay a transaction fee once you begin getting donations.

One unique feature of Fundly is its CRM for nonprofit organizations to help them track donations/donors, volunteers, and service recipients.

Fundly charges a platform fee of 4.9% per donation and a credit card processing fee of $0.30 plus 2.9% of the total cost of the payment. Unfortunately, the Fundly mobile app is currently only available for iOS from the App Store. It’s unclear when or if the app will be available to Android users on the Google Play store. 

Best for:

• Nonprofit organizations
• General fundraising campaigns

If you’re an artist, Bonfire is a great way to crowdfund by selling t-shirts with your designs on them. You don’t have to invest in any supplies or print or ship the t-shirts yourself. Instead, you upload a design to the platform. When users make a purchase, Bonfire will print the tee and dropship it directly to your customer.

The website is easy to navigate and setting up your online store is fairly straightforward. You can either upload your own designs if the images you have are the correct size and have a transparent background, or you can create shirts using Bonfire’s robust design tool. 

Note that there are fewer options if you use Bonfire’s design tool than a program like Canva, but it still creates great quality art and is easier for beginners. Bonfire charges an 8% platform fee for businesses and individuals and a 3.5% platform fee for nonprofits.

Best for:

• Entrepreneurs
• Schools
• Sports teams

Double the Donation allows businesses to match the donations of their staff members to nonprofit organizations, helping them to raise double the money. 

When employees donate to a cause, they can also request that the company they work for match their donation. Most companies choose to double the amount of the donation, but some employers may choose to triple or even quadruple the funds.

This platform is a great option for nonprofits that want to get more out of their donation efforts. Essentially, you get two (or three or four) donations for the same effort as one. This is especially helpful for organizations on tight budgets or without a lot of marketing resources.

Companies are motivated to match donations because not only does philanthropy boost their brand’s public perception, but it also offers tax write-offs at the end of the year. Organizations that raise less than $1 million in total annual revenue or have less than $10,000 in annual matching gift revenue can choose the Small Nonprofit Plan for $999 per year. A Standard Plan (for organizations that raise more than $10,000 in yearly matching gift revenue) is also available for $1,500 per year.

Best for:

• Charities
• Religious organizations
• Political organizations
• Educational organizations
• Foundations
• Childcare organizations
• Veterans organizations

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding website designed for innovators, inventors, and creators to crowdsource the money needed to bring their products to life. Anyone with an idea for a creative project can use Kickstarter to collect pledges from people interested in making a purchase.

Once enough pledges have been received to meet the minimum amount needed to start manufacturing the product, the platform charges the backers’ credit cards and sends the funds to the creator’s bank account. The creator is then responsible for fulfilling the orders as promised.

Creating and selling a new product can be arduous, and many brilliant innovators can’t come up with the money needed to pull the trigger on their projects. Kickstarter is an effective way to get great ideas in front of the people who will most likely be interested in them.

If a project becomes fully funded, Kickstarter will collect a 5% commission and payment processing fees ranging from 3% to 5% per transaction. When a project isn’t funded successfully, the creator pays no fees.

Best for:

• Nonprofit organizations
• Filmmakers
• Artists
• Designers
• Photographers
• Music entertainers
• Authors

Like Kickstarter, Indiegogo is designed specifically for creators who need capital to get started. It allows brilliant minds with small wallets to get their ideas in front of an audience they might not otherwise be able to. 

Some of the most popular project categories on Indiegogo include home devices, electronics and accessories, audio and film, healthcare, fitness, and travel.

Tech product innovators may want to choose Indiegogo over Kickstarter for their fundraising ideas, since Indiegogo is geared more towards digital devices and tends to draw a high-value audience looking for new, creative technology to integrate into their business and personal lives.

Indiegogo charges a flat 5% fee on all revenue earned through their platform, plus a fee of $0.20 + 3% per transaction.

Best for:

• Entrepreneurs
• Tech builders

Patreon allows content creators to offer paid memberships to subscribers for regular perks and access to exclusive content. 

Creators can build their own subscription tiers, decide what to include in them, and set their own price points. This gives creators complete control over how users receive their content. You can choose to be paid every month, or you can use their pay-per-post option.

Patreon helps establish a more intimate relationship between content creators and their fans, and users are encouraged to sign up when creators offer new types of content that aren’t available on other platforms. 

A great feature of this platform is its integration with social media — creators with Twitter and Instagram accounts can link those accounts with their Patreon. This helps to drive traffic from social media to Patreon, especially when creators post on their profiles frequently.

Patreon’s platform fee varies depending on your chosen plan and ranges between 5% and 12% of your total subscription revenue. Payment processing fees are 6% + $0.10 for transactions less than $3 and 3.9% + $0.30 for transactions over $3. It’s also important to note that Patreon also charges a 2.5% conversion fee for users that pay in any currency other than your payout currency.

Best for:

• Artists
• Photographers
• YouTubers
• Podcasters
• Writers

Donate Kindly is a unique fundraising program that enables organizations to embed clean, user-friendly donation forms in their websites to help them raise money. Setup takes just a few minutes, and the software tracks donor data, so you can see where your funds come from.

One of the most attractive features of this fundraising platform is its low cost. Many websites, including some listed here, charge both a payment processing fee and a platform fee. If the platform fee is 5% and the payment processing fee is 2.9% + $0.30, the cost of taking donations can be nearly 8%. Donate Kindly doesn’t charge a platform fee, so you don’t have to add fees to calculate how much the website takes off the top.

Best for:

• Schools
• Churches
• Credit unions
• Nursing homes
• Animal shelters
• Recreational clubs

Givebutter is one of the very few providers that doesn’t charge users a donation fee. Instead, they collect tips from donors on a voluntary basis. 

However, if you prefer that your donors not be asked to tip the platform, you can opt out and pay the (quite reasonable) fees yourself. This makes it an attractive option for nonprofits on limited budgets, and may need to rely on donors to absorb the cost of crowdfunding online.

Individuals can also raise money for just about anything they like, from art projects and vacations to birthday parties and more. No matter what you’re using the platform for, you can keep things relatively organized and track your funding progress over time as you collect donations.

Givebutter offers integrated tools to help you tell your story, design attractive donation forms, and even host a live event or auction online where backers can attend and engage with the organizations they support. The platform takes multiple payment types, including credit and debit cards, Venmo, PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.

Giverbutter users pay $0 if optional tips are enabled. However, if tips are disabled, account owners pay transaction fees plus $0.30 + 2.9% in payment processing fees.

Best for:

• Nonprofits
• Interactive fundraising efforts

Start saving today with Accrue Saving

In a rapidly changing economy, the idea of crowdfunding for a cause that’s important to you can feel intimidating. Whether you’re raising money for a charity, a business venture, or personal causes, the above fundraising tools can make it easier to find financial support for your campaign.

Accrue Savings can help you meet your fundraising goals for large purchases by connecting you to retail partners that offer rewards for saving. Our intelligent fundraising software tracks your saving habits so you can easily see how much progress you’ve made and how far you have left to go.

Register for a free account with Accrue Savings and choose the items you want to start saving for today.