How to Compare Fundraising Platforms for a PTO or PTG

The lowest advertised fee does not automatically make a fundraising platform the right fit for your parent group. Start with the financial outcome, then consider how much fundraising work the platform takes on and whether it fits the campaign your volunteers need to run.

Use the Fundraising Platform Matchup to compare the same online donation amount across several platforms. The calculator keeps organization costs and supporter-paid additions separate.

Start with the same fundraiser

A useful comparison gives every platform the same starting point. Estimate how much your group expects to collect online, excluding cash and checks that will not pass through the platform.

Use these four amounts for every option:

• Online donations: What supporters intend to give online.
• Organization pays: Fees deducted from those intended gifts.
• Supporters pay extra: Service charges, tips, or fee coverage added beyond the intended gifts.
• Organization receives: What reaches the organization after the selected pricing model is applied.

Keeping these amounts separate prevents a supporter-paid charge from looking like part of the original donation. It also makes platforms with different fee models easier to compare fairly.

Transaction count changes the result

A percentage fee changes with the total collected. A fixed per-donation fee changes with the number of transactions.

For example, collecting the same amount through many small gifts can produce a different cost than collecting it through fewer large gifts. Use a realistic donation count when one platform charges a fixed amount per transaction.

The Matchup estimates a count from one anonymized school fundraiser pattern. You can replace that estimate with your own expected count.

Check who pays each fee

Two platforms can use a similar processing formula and still produce different experiences for families.

Ask whether the organization absorbs the fee, the supporter pays a required charge, or the supporter sees an optional request. If the supporter payment is optional, do not assume every family will participate unless your group has evidence from its own past fundraisers.

Also check who receives the extra amount. A tip paid to the platform is not the same as a service charge or contribution received by the organization.

How fundraising platform fees work explains these payment flows in more detail.

Separate annual and fundraiser costs

An annual subscription may support more than one fundraiser. Assigning its full price to a single campaign can make the comparison less useful.

Review annual costs beside the fundraiser result, then decide how your group expects to use the platform during the rest of the school year. A platform that also supports recurring parent-group work should be evaluated differently from a service purchased for one campaign.

Compare the work behind the fundraiser

Financial retention is only one part of the decision. Make a short list of the work your volunteers need the platform to support.

Before comparing feature lists, identify which type of fundraising platform your group needs.

For a school fundraiser, that may include:

• matching donations to a student or classroom;
• managing campaign pages and family communication;
• tracking progress, incentives, or counting dates;
• exporting records for the treasurer;
• preserving the plan and results for next year’s chair;
• providing hands-on event support.

Do not convert these capabilities into a single score. Decide which ones matter for this fundraiser and confirm them directly with each provider.

Review the evidence behind the price

Published transaction pricing is stronger evidence than a general average. An example proposal may be useful, but it may not represent the agreement your school will receive. An estimate chosen by the visitor is an assumption, not a verified rate.

Before making a final decision:

1. Open the linked pricing source.
2. Check when the rate was last verified.
3. Read the eligibility and payment-method qualifications.
4. Confirm annual, event, and contract costs separately.
5. Ask for a current proposal when pricing varies by school.

Choose the model your board can sustain

There is no universal winner. A payment-focused platform may suit a group that already has a fundraiser plan and experienced volunteers. A more expensive service may be reasonable when the school wants substantial campaign or event support.

Compare the numbers first. Then choose the platform whose responsibilities, support, and records match what your board needs to carry forward.