Compare fundraising platforms
See how much of the same online fundraiser reaches your group with different platforms and pricing models.
Your fundraiser
How much do you expect to collect online?
Average donation
Starting values are based on one anonymized school fundraiser. They’re a real-world example, not a universal average.
Compare the results
Same fundraiser. Different pricing models.
Each bar shows how much of the intended online donations your group receives. Any amount supporters pay on top of those donations is shown separately.
$19,214.45
Your group receives
96.1% retainedFees: 3.49% plus $0.49 per transaction
Donors are also encouraged to tip 99Pledges.
Tips go to 99Pledges, not your group.
$10,400
Your group receives
52% retainedFees: Apex receives 48% of gross donations
$20,288.52
Your group receives
100% retained + $288.52Fees: 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction
Donors pay a service fee directly to your group.
Boosterthon
Service level: Support Service · Donor's Choice: Enabled
Full-service fundraising companies
$14,057.74
Your group receives
70.3% retainedFees: $1,000 base fee + 15% platform fee + 20% service fee
Donor’s Choice: Boosterthon encourages donors to tip and estimates tips will average about 10% of the donation amount.
Donors are charged $22,420.65 total · $2,420.65 extra in fees
$20,000
Your group receives
100% retainedFees: 3.95% plus $0.95 per transaction
Donors pay these fees in addition to their donations.
Donors are charged $20,999.55 total · $999.55 extra in fees
$19,366.16
Your group receives
96.8% retainedFees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Your group pays the card processing fees.
Givebacks asks donors for an optional tip to support Givebacks. Tips do not cover your group’s processing fees.
$20,000
Your group receives
100% retainedFees to your group: $0
Givebutter preselects a 4.25% tip for itself at checkout
Optional · donor can change or remove it
$20,000
Your group receives
100% retainedFees to your group: $0
$19,514.41
Your group receives
97.6% retainedFees: 1.99% plus $0.49 per transaction
PledgeStar
Your group pays processing fees. PledgeStar encourages your donors to tip them.
Donation platforms
$19,366.16
Your group receives
96.8% retainedProcessing used in this estimate: 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction
PledgeStar asks donors for optional contributions.
Those contributions go to PledgeStar, not your group.
Vertical Raise
Published Spokane example · Vertical Raise share: 20%
Full-service fundraising companies
$16,000
Your group receives before payment processing
80% retained before processingFees: 20% service fee + additional payment processing
Payment processing is not estimated.
Vertical Raise pricing varies by fundraiser and agreement.
$20,000
Your group receives
100% retainedFees to your group: $0
Zeffy preselects an additional contribution for itself at checkout.
Default tip to Zeffy: 17% · donor can change or remove it.
Pricing details
Platform details
Before you compare fees, decide what job you need done
A donation platform, a year-round parent group platform, and a full-service fundraising company can all collect donations. But they solve very different problems.
Donation platforms
Collect the money
Best when your group already has the people, tools, and processes to run the fundraiser.
Zeffy, 99Pledges, PledgeStar, PayPal nonprofit , PayPal Giving Fund , and Givebutter
All-in-one parent group software
Help run the organization
Best when fundraising is one part of your year-round work with families, volunteers, events, programs, and future boards.
Big Nest, Cheddar Up, and Givebacks
Full-service fundraising companies
Help run the campaign
Best when your group wants to trade some fundraiser proceeds for hands-on planning, staffing, coaching, or execution.
The percentage your group keeps is only part of the decision.
See what each type of platform handles, what your board still has to manage, and what you're actually paying for.
100% retained doesn't mean nobody pays
100% retained tells you what reaches your group. It doesn't necessarily tell you what the donor pays.
Here are four ways the costs and extra money can be handled.
Who covers the processing cost?
Organization absorbs the fee
Processing comes out of the donation.
Donor covers the fee
A fee is added at checkout.
The added amount covers transaction fees.
When the donor pays extra, where does the money go?
Extra goes to your group
The additional amount goes to your organization.
The additional amount may be optional or required.
Extra goes to the platform
The donor is asked to support the platform separately.
Example: 17%. The donor can change or remove it.
Illustrative examples. Actual fees vary by platform and configuration.
The same $100 intended donation can produce very different results for both the donor and the organization.
That is why “100% retained” should not be read as “free.” It tells you what reaches your organization, not necessarily what the donor pays or where any additional money goes.
Where does the extra money go?
When a donor pays more than their intended donation, that extra money can cover transaction fees, go to the organization, or support the fundraising platform.
If a donor is willing to spend an extra $5, consider where you want that $5 to go.
That is one tradeoff to consider, not a universal rule.
Some platforms let the organization collect an optional contribution or service fee. See how Big Nest handles fees
The donor experience matters too
Families may react differently to a $100 donation becoming $104.90, $105, or $117 at checkout. Consider not only what your group receives, but what donors are asked to pay and where the extra money goes.
A good fundraising model should work for your organization without unnecessarily frustrating the people donating to it.
How these results are calculated
The Matchup applies the same online fundraising amount and donation count to every platform. Group costs and donor-paid amounts are calculated separately.
Starting values are based on one anonymized school fundraiser. They’re a real-world example, not a universal average. You can replace the defaults with your own fundraiser amount and donation count.
Each platform page includes the pricing formula, qualifications, source links, and the date we last verified the pricing.
Your fundraiser shouldn't start from scratch next year.
Big Nest keeps the fundraiser plan, family experience, results, notes, and lessons connected so the next volunteer can build on them.