Overview

Organizers can build a fundraiser around a story, goal and photos, then share it through built-in tools and social media. Custom domains and donor data export give organizers control over their public presence and records, while recurring donations support ongoing campaigns. The model is accessible to small teams, but a 0% platform fee does not mean donations are cost-free: payment processing fees apply, and recurring payments incur a platform fee from the second payment.

Key features

Campaigns and integrations

Branding can extend across fundraiser pages, donation forms and emails, which helps organizations keep campaigns consistent with their identity. A Zapier integration connects WhyDonate with tools including Google Sheets, Mailchimp, Salesforce, QuickBooks Online and Slack. A WordPress plugin, embeddable donation button and QR code collection offer additional ways to direct supporters to donate. These options suit teams that want to connect fundraising with existing workflows; the supplied tools do not establish that every connection is native.

International reach and safeguards

WhyDonate supports fundraisers in 100+ countries, 19 languages and 119 currencies, making it a fit for campaigns with an international audience. Payments run through Stripe, which WhyDonate describes as PCI DSS Level 1 certified; the platform also says it uses SSL encryption and PSD2 authentication. It says data is hosted on Google Cloud in Belgium, within the EEA, and that it is GDPR compliant.

Organizers are identity-verified before payout. WhyDonate says suspected fraud is reviewed with automated tools and a human team, and that donations are held in a segregated third-party account overseen by a registered accountant before payout to verified recipients. Customer service is available by chat, email or scheduled phone appointments seven days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM CET.

Donation form constraint

The donor tip option cannot be turned off. Organizers who need a form with no donor-tip prompt should choose another platform; this is a meaningful limitation even when the platform fee is 0%.

Pricing

Plan	Price	What it means
WhyDonate	0.00 USD per free	0% platform fee, no sign-up fee and no monthly cost. Payment processing fees apply; recurring donations incur a 3% platform fee from the second payment.

There is no free trial because the plan is free. The plan includes custom domains and donor data export, useful for organizations that need branded pages and access to supporter records without paying a subscription. The trade-off is transaction-based cost: payment processing still applies, and recurring donations have a platform fee from payment two. WhyDonate says that fee applies when the donor tip is collected only on the first payment. Organizers should account for the tip setting as well as processing fees when deciding whether the model fits their campaign.

Platforms

WhyDonate is available on web and offers an API. The website tools, including its WordPress plugin and embeddable donation button, give web-focused organizers ways to surface fundraising campaigns on their sites.

Who it's for

WhyDonate is best suited to individuals, community groups and organizations that need a no-subscription fundraising setup, branded campaign pages, recurring donations or international reach. Its integrations and export option also suit teams that want fundraising data to connect with other tools. It is a weaker fit for organizers who require complete control over donation-form prompts or who need to avoid payment-processing and recurring-donation fees.

Pros and cons

Pro: No sign-up fee or monthly cost, with a 0% platform fee on the free plan, lowers the barrier to launching a campaign.
Pro: Branded pages, forms and emails, plus custom domains, help organizers present a consistent campaign identity.
Pro: Recurring donations, donor data export and integrations with common business tools support ongoing fundraising operations.
Pro: Support for 100+ countries, 19 languages and 119 currencies accommodates campaigns seeking international donors.
Con: Payment processing fees apply despite the free plan, and recurring donations carry a 3% platform fee from the second payment under the stated donor-tip condition.
Con: The donor tip option cannot be disabled, limiting control over the donation experience.

Alternatives

For more options, browse Nonprofit Crowdfunding Software.

FundRazr is worth comparing for organizers seeking a free plan with an optional-tips approach and no platform fee; its listed Optional Tips plan still has payment processing costs, and 95% of donors cover fees. JustGiving is a freemium alternative with web, Android and iOS platforms; its free Start plan has standard processing fees and a 5% Gift Aid reclaim fee. GoFundMe Pro has a free Essentials plan with no subscription or setup costs and core product suite access, aimed at nonprofits with annual revenue under $1 million; additional fees and add-ons apply.

PledgeCents offers a free fundraising page with no upfront costs, contracts or subscriptions, but charges a 3% payment processing fee. White Label Crowdfunding is a paid, self-hosted alternative, with a Starter donation platform plan at 1312.00 USD per month billed pcm + 2%, for up to 1,000 users. Scrile Connect is a paid option for solo creators launching a personal branded fan page, with Connect Solo at 79.00 USD per month. AdoptAClassroom.org is for eligible U.S. educators seeking online credit for marketplace or Teacher Choice purchases. DonorsChoose is another free option for teachers posting classroom projects; requests have a $100 minimum and projects may remain posted for up to 4 months.

Verdict

Choose WhyDonate if you need a free-to-start fundraising platform with branded pages, recurring donations, broad international support and integrations, and can accommodate processing costs and its fixed donor-tip option. Look elsewhere if turning off donor tips is essential or if recurring-donation fees do not suit your campaign economics.

	PledgeCents	WhyDonate
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Web	api, Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Pricing model	transaction	transaction
Payment methods	cards+bank	—
Recurring donations	—	Yes
Custom domain	—	Yes
Donor data export	—	Yes

PledgeCents vs WhyDonate

PledgeCents

WhyDonate