There are many sites like Gofundme on the internet, and they work to help you raise money by charging a platform fee. However, personal fundraisers often require all the money they can get from a crowdfunding campaign, so we made it easier to get the cash needed through peer-to-peer fundraising without the hassle.
A crowdfunding platform is a website that keeps track of the funds raised during a donation-based campaign. Our goal is to give you the best experience without charging any platform fee.
You use the crowdfunding platform to explain your situation, create and publish your crowdfunding campaign, and raise money. We don't collect a platform fee from you (the campaign owner) or the Beneficiary. Instead, we rely on voluntary donations from contributors to keep things running smoothly.
Crowdfunding allows people to fund a cause or project by raising small cash amounts from many people. Often, this includes sharing on a social network or two to spread the word. Crowdfunding websites generally charge a platform fee on top of the payment processing fees, but we've done away with that on our crowdfunding site (FreeFunder).
This is the question most people ask. In true crowdfunding style, we rely on voluntary donations from campaign contributors. We don't take the contributions made to your campaign!
When someone makes a donation on the donation form, they see a space to donate money to FreeFunder itself. They can choose to do that or put a zero in that spot. Most people are happy to give us money to help this amazing crowdfunding site continue running and help others with their personal fundraising!
FreeFunder doesn't charge fees and keeps running through optional donations. However, the payment processor we use, Stripe, takes payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Every online payment processor does this, and that's the industry standard credit card processing fee.
The difference between us and other fundraising sites is that we don't take platform fees like the competition. Typically, a crowdfunding site charges five percent plus the processing fee.
Online fundraising is easy here. Simply create an account or log in with Facebook. Follow the prompts to set up your campaign and watch the funds raised section soar higher and higher!
We use Stripe as the payment processor. When you create your fundraising campaign, you'll also be able to fill in details for your Stripe Account.
You or the beneficiary adds your bank account information and personal details to the Stripe account, which stays separated from our fundraising platform. Once you've set up the Stripe account, the donations made go directly there and then to your bank.
Typically, the first transfer from Stripe to the bank happens seven days after your first donation. Then, it continues on a rolling two-day basis. You can easily see your next scheduled transfer by logging into the FreeFunder account and going to your "manage this campaign" page.
Campaigns don't end on our fundraising site until you want them to do so. Easily turn the fundraiser off and on in the campaign management section, choosing "more settings" to make those changes.
FreeFunder is primarily designed for personal causes. Although business fundraisers are allowed, it may be difficult to fundraise effectively because you cannot offer rewards or investment opportunities. All fundraisers are by donation only.
Campaign owners do keep the money raised, regardless of the goal. Therefore, it's wise to create a campaign where each dollar counts instead of one where failure to reach the fundraising goal makes your project impossible to finish.
Though we can't guarantee success, you can give yourself a better chance by:
It's best to talk to your tax advisor about this. All funds that are raised go directly to the bank account of the Beneficiary, and different countries and/or states may have different rules about how donated funds are treated when it comes to taxes.
In many cases, the money received is considered a gift and not income, but we can't determine all of those scenarios for you. If you're concerned about tax implications you should talk to your tax advisor before creating a campaign.
The Beneficiary receives donated money immediately, regardless of whether or not you reach your goal.
Crowdfunding sites have many benefits, such as:
Here are a few crowdfunding tips to get you started:
Crowdfunding can help with many personal situations, such as:
FreeFunder is one of the best crowdfunding websites because it doesn't charge a platform fee. Your only fees are those for payment processing, which are required for all fundraising sites.
Matt and Heather Sweetman needed help getting a part-time caregiver for their daughter, Finley, who has Quadriplegia Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Their friend Abby Peachey created a FreeFunder fundraiser to help raise enough money to cover a full year, estimated at $15,600.
With the help of friends, family, and the community, the fundraiser has raised more than $28,000 so far.
"We want to express our deepest gratitude. We are overwhelmed by the generosity we have received and the encouragements and kind words from so many. Thank you for bearing our burden with us. You have strengthened our faith and given us hope. Many, many blessings to you." - Matt and Heather Sweetman