Best GoFundMe Alternatives Shortlist
Here’s my shortlist of the best GoFundMe alternatives:
Running a crowdfunding platform involves a wide range of tasks that span from financial management to active community engagement. If you're finding GoFundMe isn't meeting your needs, you're not alone. Many seek alternatives that offer lower fees, better donor engagement tools, or features tailored to nonprofits.
In my experience, finding the right fundraising tool can really change how you connect with your community and raise funds. I've reviewed several alternatives to GoFundMe, each with unique benefits for nonprofits, churches, and charities.
In this article, I'll share my top picks and show you what each tool offers. My goal is to help you find a solution that fits your church's specific needs and challenges.
What is GoFundMe?
GoFundMe is a charity fundraising tool that lets individuals and organizations raise money for various causes and projects. It's commonly used by nonprofits, churches, and community groups to gather support and donations.
Easy setup, wide reach, and user-friendly design help with connecting with donors and managing campaigns efficiently. Overall, GoFundMe provides a straightforward way to fundraise and engage with supporters.
Best GoFundMe Alternatives Summary
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top GoFundMe alternative selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs.
| Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best for donor engagement and retention | Free demo available | From $40/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 2 | Best for auction management | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 3 | Best for team and peer-to-peer fundraising | Free plan + free demo available | From $29/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 4 | Best for simple platform tools | Free plan available | From 1.99% per transaction | Website | |
| 5 | Best for event-based fundraising | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 6 | Best for customizable fundraising | Free plan + free demo available | From $99/month | Website | |
| 7 | Best all-in-one CRM and fundraising solution | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 8 | Best for zero fundraising fees | Free plan + free demo available | From $129/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 9 | Best for omnichannel donor management | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 10 | Best for flexible donation forms | Free plan + free demo available | Free with rates of 0.95% + 30¢ per donation | Website |
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ChMeetings
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Text In Church
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Best GoFundMe Alternatives Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of the best GoFundMe alternatives on my shortlist. My reviews offer a thorough look at the key features, pros and cons, integrations, and ideal use cases for each tool, helping you find the best one for you.
Bloomerang offers donor management and fundraising software for nonprofits. It focuses on increasing donor retention and engagement, helping organizations build strong relationships with supporters.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: Bloomerang excels at boosting donor retention and engagement through actionable, data-driven insights. Its email marketing tools integrate directly with the CRM system, keeping supporters informed and engaged without needing to import and export data.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include customizable dashboards to track key performance indicators, detailed reporting capabilities, and built-in social listening tools to actively monitor your organization's social media presence.
Integrations include QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Zapier, Constant Contact, Amilia, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Built-in email marketing
- Extensive reporting tools
- Mobile-friendly checkout process
Cons:
- No bulk editing
- Limited event management functionality
Handbid is a mobile-first auction management software for nonprofits, schools, and organizations hosting fundraising events. It provides tools to manage auctions, track bids, and engage participants, with a strong focus on real-time technology.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: Handbid specializes in auction management, offering a platform for mobile bidding, live auction tracking, and real-time audience engagement. It supports both silent and live auctions, as well as hybrid and virtual events. Handbid's easy-to-use bidding interfaces help ensure a smooth, professional participant experience.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include extensive tools for event ticketing, registration, attendee management, and reporting. Detailed, real-time analytics allow you to monitor fundraising, track ticket sales, and evaluate the performance of specific auction items. The highly customizable auction catalogs showcase items effectively to bidders via mobile app and web browser.
Integrations include Docusign, Kindful, Double the Donation, Bloomerang, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Real-time bidding and notifications
- Silent and live auction support
- Offers perks in exchange for donations
Cons:
- Steep support costs
- Limited item allocation
Givebutter is a crowdfunding site for nonprofits, student groups, and other mission-driven teams. It supports fundraising needs for campaigns, events, and donor management in a single, unified workspace.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: Givebutter offers extensive outreach capabilities to help you engage donors, manage relationships, and launch campaigns. It combines fundraising with built-in CRM and marketing tools, allowing you to reach supporters through multiple channels. You can set up a central campaign and allow individuals or teams to create their own personalized fundraising pages with custom stories, goals, and updates. These subpages make it easier to involve supporters and track collective progress.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include customizable online donation forms, supporter feeds, and live display pages. You can share updates and images, and you can embed videos directly from the dashboard. Built-in messaging and email marketing tools enable you to send tailored messages, receipts, and updates to donors.
Integrations include Zoom, YouTube, Wix, WordPress, WhatsApp, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Mobile-friendly initiatives
- Cost-effective fundraising solutions
- Suitable for team fundraising
Cons:
- No direct mail functionality
- Limited advanced reporting tools
Give Lively provides a free fundraising platform that allows nonprofits to run donation campaigns, events, and peer-to-peer fundraising in one place. It supports teams that need straightforward tools to collect donations and manage supporters without added platform costs.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: Give Lively keeps fundraising simple by offering a suite of essential digital tools to eliminate the complexity and high costs of running campaigns. You can launch donation pages, peer-to-peer campaigns, and ticketed events quickly without requiring specialized technical skills or navigating a complicated system. The platform optimizes workflows, enabling your team to spend less time managing tools and more time running campaigns.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include customizable widgets, peer-to-peer fundraising, event ticketing, and real-time donation tracking. Give Lively offers tailored, branded campaign pages that you can manage from a centralized dashboard. The software's tools work together to minimize system switching.
Integrations include Salesforce, Zapier, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Welcomes voluntary donor tips
- Free, customizable, and embedded donation widgets
- No setup or platform fees
Cons:
- Lacks native integration
- Data collection restrictions
OneCause fundraising solutions empower nonprofits to manage events, auctions, and donor engagement through a single, digital-first platform. It provides tools to maximize revenue and deepen supporter connections.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: OneCause excels at event fundraising with a user-friendly platform offering mobile bidding, virtual event management, and real-time updates. It increases engagement through interactive, customizable tools for in-person, hybrid, and virtual events.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include real-time analytics for tracking event performance and donor engagement, robust peer-to-peer fundraising tools to expand reach, and fully customizable event pages, microsites, and donation forms that align with organizational branding and fundraising goals.
Integrations include Salesforce, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Event efficiency
- AI-powered integration
- Offers direct bank account transfers
Cons:
- Restricted flexibility
- Hardware costs
Funraise is a platform that enables nonprofits to manage online donations, event ticketing, and peer-to-peer crowdfunding campaigns through an intuitive interface. It helps organizations create engaging, customized fundraising experiences through a variety of tools and features.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: Funraise offers highly customizable fundraising options, allowing for deep branding, flexible campaign layouts, and personalized donor experiences. The platform provides tools for automated receipts and donor segmentation to simplify your operations.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include advanced reporting tools for monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing campaign strategies. Peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities help expand your reach and engage supporters, while event management tools facilitate organized, successful fundraising events.
Integrations include Salesforce, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Facebook, Instagram, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Intuitive and modern user experience
- Instant payouts
- Supports social sharing incentives
Cons:
- Limitations on page data
- Manual tax receipting
CharityEngine is a centralized fundraising and CRM for nonprofits. It helps maximize operations by consolidating donor data, payment processing, marketing, and event management into a single platform.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: CharityEngine offers enterprise-grade CRM capabilities that GoFundMe lacks, making it ideal for managing complex, long-term donor relationships. It handles donor interaction tracking, automated communication for deeper engagement, and in-depth reporting and analytics to optimize fundraising strategies. The platform centralizes data to help your team build stronger, more personalized connections with supporters.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include integrated email marketing tools for reaching out to donors directly from the platform. Native event and membership management features allow you to control the entire lifecycle, from planning and registration to post-event analysis. Donor control and self-service capabilities enable contributors to manage their own profiles and update payment methods. The platform also offers membership management capabilities to track members, manage their contributions, and automate renewals.
Integrations include Zapier.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Advanced querying and reporting
- All-in-one functionality
- Highly suitable for entrepreneurs
Cons:
- Complex data entry
- High cost of technical support
BetterWorld is an online fundraising platform for nonprofits that offers a suite of tools for donation campaigns, auctions, and events. It's an excellent, cost-effective solution for small-scale and personal fundraising efforts.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: BetterWorld offers a unique, fee-free model that enables you to keep 100% of the funds you raise, making it a strong option. Features such as customizable donation pages and peer-to-peer fundraising facilitate community engagement.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include a five-minute setup, automated payments, and secure, PCI-compliant transactions. The platform offers unlimited campaigns and items for high accessibility. BetterWorld's visually appealing, intuitive interface makes navigation easy for you and your donors.
Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Blackbaud, Facebook, Zapier, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High user engagement
- Rapid setup
- Free forever plan available
Cons:
- Transaction processing fees
- Limited page layout customization
Bonterra is a software solution for nonprofits, foundations, and organizations. It supports different types of fundraising and offers a suite of tools for operational management, including fundraising, donor engagement, and program administration.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: Bonterra is a strong choice for nonprofits seeking more than just fundraising capabilities. The platform's reporting features enable data analysis for informed decision-making and help align team productivity with your organizational goals.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include detailed program management tools that allow you to manage donor relationships, track program outcomes, and coordinate team efforts within a single ecosystem. You can use the volunteer management system to coordinate and track volunteer activities, and customizable dashboards allow you to visualize key metrics and performance indicators.
Integrations include Salesforce, Mailchimp, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Zapier, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- AI-powered insights
- All-in-one ecosystem
- Tailored donor communication
Cons:
- Limited user licenses
- Complex setup and management
Mightycause is an all-in-one fundraising platform for nonprofits to create unique, branded crowdfunding pages and utilize flexible tools to collect donations, manage donors, and run campaigns. It supports online donation management, peer-to-peer fundraising, and event coordination within a single system.
Why it's a good GoFundMe alternative: Mightycause gives you substantial control over how your donation forms look and behave, so you can customize them to match your campaign goals. It allows you to offer one-time, recurring, and tribute donations through a flexible, nonrestrictive donation flow. You can adjust form layouts, customize suggested donation amounts, and tailor messaging to fit different campaigns.
Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include highly flexible and customizable donation forms, peer-to-peer fundraising tools, and campaign-level reporting. The organizational dashboard handles multiple campaigns and team fundraising pages that contribute to a central goal.
Integrations include Salesforce, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Facebook, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Extensive feature set
- Donor-covered fees
- Flexible donation form setup
Cons:
- High transaction costs for large organizations
- Data management limits
Other GoFundMe Alternatives
Here are some additional GoFundMe alternatives that didn’t make it onto my shortlist but are still worth checking out:
- Tiltify
For interactive fundraising
- Donorbox
For recurring donation programs
- DonorPerfect
For customizable donor management
- TechSoup
For nonprofit technology
GoFundMe Alternatives Selection Criteria
When selecting the best GoFundMe alternatives to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points related to charity fundraising tools, such as donor engagement and fee structures. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Collecting donations
- Managing donor information
- Creating fundraising campaigns
- Providing analytics and reporting
- Offering online payment processing
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- Customizable donation pages
- Peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities
- Event management tools
- Text-to-give options
- Advanced CRM integration
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- User-friendly interface
- Intuitive navigation
- Mobile accessibility
- Speed and performance
- Customization options
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos
- Access to templates
- Interactive product tours
- Chatbot assistance
- Webinars and live training sessions
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider's customer support services, I considered the following:
- Availability of live chat
- 24/7 support options
- Extensive help center
- Dedicated account managers
- Response time and resolution rate
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Competitive pricing
- Transparent fee structures
- Discounts for nonprofits
- Flexible pricing plans
- Return on investment
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- Overall satisfaction ratings
- Common user complaints
- Praise for specific features
- Feedback on usability
- Support and service experiences
Why Look for a GoFundMe Alternative?
While GoFundMe is a good choice for charity fundraising, there are several reasons some users seek alternative solutions. You might be looking for a GoFundMe alternative because:
- You're seeking lower transaction fees
- You need more customization options
- You're targeting a specific nonprofit sector
- You require advanced donor management tools
- You want better customer support
- You're planning international fundraising
If any of these sound like you, you've come to the right place. My list includes several charity fundraising tool options that are particularly suitable for teams facing these challenges with GoFundMe and looking for alternatives.
GoFundMe Features
Here are some of the key features of GoFundMe to help you contrast and compare what alternative solutions offer:
- Fundraiser page creation: Easily create a public fundraiser page to share with your community.
- Secure payment processing: Ensure donor payments are secure with advanced encryption.
- Social media integration: Share your fundraiser across multiple social platforms to reach a wider audience.
- Donor management: Track and manage donor information directly through the platform.
- Goal setting: Set specific fundraising goals and track progress in real-time.
- Mobile accessibility: Access and manage your fundraiser from any mobile device.
- Storytelling tools: Elevate your fundraiser with photos and videos to connect with donors.
- 24/7 customer support: Access round-the-clock support for any issues or questions.
- Flexible deadlines: Keep your fundraiser open until you reach your goal without time constraints.
What's Next:
If you're in the process of researching a charity fundraising tool, connect with a SoftwareSelect advisor for free recommendations.
You fill out a form and have a quick chat where they get into the specifics of your needs. Then you'll get a shortlist of software to review. They'll even support you through the entire buying process, including price negotiations.
