Articles - 19 of the best crowdfunding sites: Choose the right one for your needs
13th December 2020

19 of the best crowdfunding sites: Choose the right one for your needs

PavelAndreev.ORG is the largest and most secure fundraising platform in Bulgaria. Over the years it has established itself and is used by hundreds of thousands of donors every month.

Crowdfunding or charity fundraising by people with common interests in Bulgaria is becoming a major tool for the realization of various causes - from raising funds for medical needs, through research, to developing business ideas. But with so many fundraising websites now available, you may be wondering which is the best platform to suit your needs. That's why we decided to develop this resource - to bring clarity to the biggest platforms, but we'd still love it if you used ours and started a campaign.

Before you see our list of the best fundraising platforms, there are a few things to think about, including the site's features and its fees. Before we dive into the best crowdfunding platforms, here are four key points to keep in mind as you compare popular crowdfunding companies.

Four key services to look for in crowdfunding platforms

Are they easy to use?

Before you start fundraising, check out the crowdfunding platform's website. The best donation fundraising sites make you want to spend time on their pages, learn more, and get involved. If the crowdfunding site has a cumbersome and complicated procedure to start your campaign, then choose another one.On the PavelAndreev.ORG platform, you can start a campaign in a few easy steps. Take a look at our guide from our help center "How do I start a campaign?"

Permanent support is available for you users.

Does the site offer email support, live chat or a helpline? Remember that your friends and family members will be donating money and they may need help too. It's important that the people behind the site are honest, accountable, approachable and work to ensure the customer is always happy.

Our platform team is always available and you can contact us.

Campaign sharing and distribution options.

Take a look at the social sharing campaign buttons offered by the crowdfunding site. The best crowdfunding websites have easy-to-use tools that make it easy to share your fundraising on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Viber, email, and more. Since your social network is a vital part of your crowdfunding campaign's efforts to reach your audience, features like these are essential.

Compare crowdfunding platform fees.

Crowdfunding platforms keep a portion of the funds raised. Typically, crowdfunding platform fees range from 5% to 12%. Watch out for additional fees. Some platforms increase fees if you don't reach your goal. Others have an all-or-nothing model, which means you only get the money based on whether you meet or exceed your goal.

Keep these four key factors in mind as you review the best crowdfunding sites in each category.

Education fundraising platforms

  1. DonorsChoose

This nonprofit crowdfunding platform makes it easy to raise money for public school classes. Public school teachers across the United States use the site to create campaigns for a variety of causes.

Fees: Third-party payment processing fees are 1.5% and represent the weighted average of all payment methods used by donors. Credit card or PayPal donations include a fee of approximately 2.5%. The site does not charge a platform fee as operating costs are covered by voluntary donations to the nonprofit.

  1. GiveCampus

GiveCampus partners with colleges to help students, alumni, parents and faculty launch fundraising for school projects. Funds raised go directly to the school itself. They also offer a volunteer management system.

Fees: Schools can sign up for a monthly subscription to use GiveCampus. Schools can contact GiveCampus for a quote.

  1. Piggybackr

Piggybackr provides a school fundraising platform where parents and students can raise money (as a team or individually) for school projects. Piggybackr gives students points and badges for their fundraising efforts.

Fees: The platform fee is 4%, along with 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction to process the payment.

Contact me button if you are a Bulgarian platform for similar campaigns

Fundraising platforms for non-profit organizations or personal fundraising

  1. FundRazr

This platform helps individuals, non-profits and companies raise funds for causes they care about. They offer both as-is fundraising (as much as is raised is paid to the beneficiary) and all-or-nothing fundraising, which means you can't access your funds until you reach your goal.

Fees: Individuals can choose a free fundraising model with no platform fee, and organizations can choose a "professional" plan with a 5% platform fee.

  1. Fundly

With Fundly, either individuals or nonprofits can create fundraising campaigns for a wide range of causes.

Fees: It's free to start a campaign on Fundly, but each donation will have a 4.9% platform fee deducted, as well as a payment processing fee of 2.9% plus 30 cents.

  1. Classy

Classy is designed for nonprofits, and the site comes with a fundraising reporting tool that helps track fundraising progress. Another feature of the site helps teams organize volunteer events, including ticketing and event registration.

Fees: The platform does not disclose its fees and you should contact them for a quote, but services start at $499 per month.

Contact me button if you are a Bulgarian platform for similar campaigns

Fundraising for creative projects X1

  1. Kickstarter

Creatives seeking funding for certain projects can use the site to bring their project to life. Creators (ranging from individual designers and inventors to large corporations looking to test new product ideas) offer a percentage contribution to backers as a small portion of the project, the first available prototypes or products they raise money for. You have to raise all the funds you need to get them.

Fees: The service fee is 5%, along with 3% + $0.20 per transaction to process the payment.

  1. Indiegogo

If you want help at any stage of your creative or entrepreneurial project, this site offers tools to help you bring your idea to life, from pre-launch to crowdfunding and distribution. You can choose all-or-nothing funding or regular payouts, depending on your needs.

Fees. They have an international transfer fee of $25 when sending funds to banks outside the US.

  1. Patreon

This platform allows you to build a fundraising campaign in the form of monthly subscriptions from fans for your creative projects. Patreon encourages users to offer rewards to fans as a way to repay them for their support.

Fees: They have a Patreon fee of 5%, along with 3% to 5% plus $0.25 to $0.35 for payment processing. They also have "payout fees" of $0.25 to $0.35 or 1% per payout (limited to $20 for PayPal payments). Additional fees apply for payments made by international donors. In other words, you may find the fee structure a bit confusing.

Contact me button if you are a Bulgarian platform for similar campaigns

Equity crowdfunding platforms

  1. Fundable

Fundable focuses on helping entrepreneurs, startups and companies raise capital through donations from people. The site allows users to offer either rewards or a percentage of the company in exchange for financial support.

Fees: $179 per month, along with 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction for payment processing.

  1. WeFunder

If you're looking to grow your existing business, WeFunder can help you get funding. Your investors get a small stake in your company, and the platform aims to leverage their emotional investment in your path to success.

Fees: Starting a company account is free, but they charge a service fee ranging from $7 to $75 depending on the size of the investment and 7% of the total funding.

  1. Crowdfunder

This funding platform allows businesses to sell shares to accredited investors. Crowdfunder has a network of 15,000 "venture" capitalists and "angel" investors.

Fees: Subscription models range from $299 per month to $999 per month.

  1. Seedinvest

As a crowdfunding platform, Seedinvest allows startups to raise funds from individual investors and venture capital firms. Entrepreneurs must meet their minimum funding goals before investments become final and they are paid.

Fees: They have a 7.5% fee with a 5% guarantee or equity coverage, plus a $0 to $10,000 fee for escrow reimbursement, marketing and legal costs.

Contact me button if you are a Bulgarian platform for similar campaigns

Real estate fundraising platforms

  1. PeerStreet

This funding website offers private real estate loans from accredited investors. As a testament to its transparency, the site also opens up past investments for review and scrutiny. Loan durations are between six and 24 months, with loan-to-value ratios typically under 75%.

Fees: 0.25% to 1% service fee on the total loan amount.

  1. RealCrowd

RealCrowd aims to take the middleman out of real estate investing. Accredited investors can browse, compare and invest.

Fees: They have a base fee of $15,000. Fees are charged to those offering investments, not to investors.

  1. Realty Mogul

This site brings its users together to invest in residential and commercial real estate. Both accredited and non-accredited investors can use the platform. Each investment has a fee that varies depending on whether the investment is a loan or an equity purchase.

Fees.

Contact me button if you are a Bulgarian platform for similar campaigns

Niche fundraising platforms

  1. Honeyfund

For engaged couples or newlyweds entering the next stage of life, this crowdfunding site helps raise funds for a wedding, honeymoon or even a down payment for a new home.

Fees: It's free to sign up for gift cards and balance funds, but bank deposits cost 2.8% + $0.30 per transaction. They offer Honeyfund Elite, which offers more in-depth fundraising services for $39.99.

  1. Slated

Slated is a private crowdfunding site for movies. This end-to-end platform helps fund film projects, find talent, and distribute the final project. It also provides the option for advanced services such as script and financial analysis for an additional fee.

Fees.

  1. Experiment

A fundraising site dedicated to research, Experiment helps researchers raise the funds they need for new discoveries and technologies. Backers can view open access data from their investigations.

Fees: 8% platform fee with 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee. They only offer an all-or-nothing fundraising model.

Choose the donation platform (crowdfunding)

Use this list of the best charity fundraising sites to find the platform that works best for your project or cause. We'd also love it if you used PavelAndreev.ORG

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