By now, everyone’s heard of GoFundme. With a long history of helping people out with medical bills and emergencies, GoFundme may seem like the ubiquitous, exemplary model for crowdfunding. But, like any service out there, GoFundme has pros and cons that may cause you to think twice before using it.

Let’s take a look at some GoFundme alternatives and how these platforms stack up against the crowdfunding giant.

Why You May Look Elsewhere

GoFundme can be an excellent tool for raising funds in an emergency. But the funds you do raise come at a cost — a 2.9% processing fee and 30 cents charged to each person who donates to your campaign on top of their donation amount. So you may want to avoid these fees.

Or maybe you’re interested in doing something outside the box. The GoFundme model of setting up a campaign story and a donation button is a tried-and-true model, but the options are limited if you’re interested in branching out to other fundraising ideas.

No matter the reason, there are all manner of alternatives out there. Let’s take a look at some of the options:

1. Fundly

Fundly is one of the biggest tools for nonprofit organizations to manage their fundraising campaigns. 

On Fundly, you have a lot of tools at your disposal. Most notably is the Facebook integration to help you get the word out about your campaign.

There’s also an integrated t-shirt reward system to include in your campaign, plus a more mobile-focused user experience compared to GoFundMe. As for fees, there’s 2.9% plus a 0.30 dollar surcharge per donation, which is the same as GoFundme. So, the fees are the same, but the unique crowdfunding model is worth considering.

2. Kickstarter

Kickstarter is a bit different from Fundly or GoFundMe. Those two platforms operate on a donation-based model, while Kickstarter is reward-based crowdfunding. That means that for every person who backs your campaign, you need to send them a material or digital reward. 

If the platform rules are so different, then can you truly consider Kickstarter to be an alternative to GoFundMe? Yes! You just need to change your strategy a bit. If you need money for an artistic project, then letting your backers get a piece of that work for their backing can be an enticing reward. If you’re a nonprofit helping out kids in need with backpacks, let your backers get a complimentary bag from supporting your nonprofit with a buy-1-donate-1 payment plan. With enough creativity, you can tap into reward-based crowdfunding no matter what your funding goals are.

For Kickstarter, the platform itself takes 5% off the top of your total funds raised, and each backing of your project comes with a 3% payment processing fee +$0.20 per pledge. So the fees add up to a bit more than GoFundMe, but the community you’re opening yourself up to more than makes up for it.

3. Bonfire

Bonfire is a platform that allows you to design and sell shirts online. Think of it like the school fundraising campaigns from when you were a kid. Bonfire is the platform you use to bring those shirts to life.

But how can I use Bonfire as an alternative to GoFundMe? The concept is simple: just make a shirt to thank the people who donate to your campaign. For crowdfunding a medical debt, you can sell shirts with a photo of the person who is being treated. Or, if you’re fundraising for an artist, put a print of their artistic work on your shirt. If you’re an organization, feel free to just print your logo on the shirt.

Unlike the above platforms, Bonfire has no fees whatsoever. There’s a base cost for creating the shirts and a donation fee if you allow for additional contributions, but other than that, Bonfire doesn’t take anything off the top of what you earn. This is obviously a huge point in Bonfire’s favor.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for an alternative to GoFundMe, then Kickstarter, Fundly, or Bonfire are great platforms to check out. If you need advice planning out your crowdfunding campaign, feel free to send us message—we’ll gladly help you pick the best platform for your needs and help you get the ball rolling on your campaign.