![7 Best Fundraising Platforms for Schools and PTOs [2023-24 Year]](https://www.dojiggy.com/files/sites/164/2023/03/7-Best-Fundraising-Platforms-for-Schools-and-PTOs-jpg.webp "7 Best Fundraising Platforms for Schools and PTOs [2023-24 Year]")
Fundraising is a crucial component of any school’s financial plan. From supporting extracurricular activities to funding classroom projects, raising money is necessary to ensure that schools can provide the best possible education for their students. But as any school fundraiser knows, collecting and managing donations can be time-consuming and overwhelming. That’s where comprehensive school fundraising software comes in.
But with so many fundraising software options available, it can be hard to know which is best and offers the features you need to create successful campaigns. To lend a helping hand, we’ve explored seven different fundraising platforms schools can use to boost their fundraising efforts.
Here’s a quick look at the best online fundraising platforms for schools:
Who We’ll Cover:
The Importance of Finding the Right Fundraising Software for Schools
Before we dive into the top online fundraising software for schools and PTO groups, it’s important to understand how crucial it is to find the right software to boost the success of your school fundraising efforts. Here are some of the top benefits:
- Streamlined fundraising process: Making it easier for schools to manage donations, volunteers, and events.
- Low or no fees: Many school fundraising platforms are either completely free or offer very low fees compared to other methods, allowing donations to go further towards your cause.
- Customizable campaigns: Create customized fundraising campaigns that align with your school’s goals and values.
- Better donor management: Provide tools for managing donor data, including tracking online donations, event planning, and communicating with donors.
- Improved fundraising analytics: Analyze your efforts, allowing you to make data-driven decisions for future campaigns.
- Increased donor reach: Help schools communicate with donors from all over the world, expanding your reach and increasing your chances of success. Also many school fundraising software includes social sharing features to help spread the word and reach a broader audience from all over the world.
Ready to Get Started?
Top 7 Fundraising Websites for Schools and PTOs
We’ve searched high and low, and here are the best fundraising websites for schools and education to help boost your fundraising efforts. So, whether your organization is planning a school auction or launching an online donation campaign, read on to find the perfect platform for your needs.
DoJiggy
Who are they?
DoJiggy is a leading fundraising software provider for nonprofits, charities, schools, education, and other organizations. DoJiggy works internationally with fundraising clients from around the world. So if you’re looking for cutting-edge, donor-friendly, and trusted all-in-one fundraising software for schools that you can use for free, look no further.
How DoJiggy can help schools raise more:
DoJiggy offers more campaign types than almost any other platform. This stand-out fundraising platform for schools features the following:
- Donation management tools for the most popular online school fundraising campaigns, including online auctions, peer to peer fundraisers, charity raffles, event ticketing, and more
- Free eCommerce stores to sell branded, personalized merchandise, like School Spirit Wear
- Participant privacy features can be enabled for school or kid-centered events
- Integration with popular social media platforms, making it easy for schools to spread the word about their fundraising campaigns
- Donation software for one-time, recurring donations and Matching Gift donations
- DoJiggy-Athon software to fundraise and track via units of effort (miles, pins, laps)
- Customizable donation software – create eye-catching donation pages to showcase your branding and event theme
- Mobile giving and text-to-donate features
- Crowdfunding incentives and rewards to motivate donors
- Free gamification tools like fundraising thermometers, badges and leaderboards
- Free Live Streaming platform to maximize donor engagement with virtual and hybrid events like high school pep rallies
- Integration with Zapier to provide seamless donor management and communication tools
- DoJiggy offers comprehensive support and resources, including account managers, online help center, and live customer support, to help schools and organizations succeed in their fundraising efforts
How much does it cost?
DoJiggy is free, with optional tips from your supporters!
Start-up Fees: No
Monthly Fees: No
Payment Processors
- Stripe
- Google Pay and Apple Pay
DoJiggy offers two options for covering fees: free pricing or percent pricing. The popular free pricing model covers the platform fee by providing donors the option to leave a tip in the checkout process. See details on our pricing plans here.
Best School Fundraising Ideas
Fundraising is a way of life for many school students. Whether the Freshman or Senior class, booster clubs or sports teams, or other school groups, everyone needs to raise money to support their school efforts. Finding the best fundraising ideas can be challenging, yet getting creative regarding fundraisers for your school group is key. Set your group apart and create a signature event that will help you raise more money.
DoJiggy offers the widest range of fun and profitable school fundraising ideas supported by our free platform. Check some of them out here:
- 50+ Best fundraisers for schools
- Fundraising ideas for high schools
- Elementary school fundraising ideas
- Fundraising ideas for schools during covid
More Great Fundraising Platform Options for Schools
DonorsChoose
Who are they?
DonorsChoose is a popular fundraising platform founded in 2000 by Charles Best, a teacher at a Bronx public high school. The platform was created to help teachers fund classroom projects and initiatives, and it allows teachers to post requests for classroom resources.
Once a project has been funded, the platform will order the teacher’s requested items and ship them to the school. They do not send cash, so this software supports only direct funding of items.
How DonorsChoose can help schools raise more:
- Focus on education: DonorsChoose is a platform dedicated to funding classroom projects and initiatives, making it a great choice for schools and educators who are looking to raise money specifically for educational purposes.
- Wide reach: The platform has a large and active community of donors, which means that your fundraising efforts will have a wide reach, potentially reaching new donors.
- Support: The platform provides a range of resources and support to help schools and educators succeed in their fundraising efforts, including guides, webinars, and one-on-one coaching.
How much does it cost?
Fees are not disclosed on the website.
Payment Processors: PayPal and Apple Pay
Booster
Who are they?
Booster is a fundraising platform designed specifically for schools and educational organizations that is dedicated to pledge-based fundraising campaigns for K-12 schools. They offer a range of tools and features to help schools raise funds and engage with their supporters.
How Booster can help schools raise more:
- Engaging fundraising events: fun runs and dance fit finales that help students get involved in fundraising efforts.
- Easy-to-use online platform: collects pledged gifts quickly and efficiently after the event.
- Customizable fundraising experiences: virtual, on-campus, and hybrid options to meet the evolving needs of schools.
- Personalized merchandise: Offers a wide range of school fundraising merch.
How much does it cost?
Booster does not disclose fees or payment processors on its website.
RallyUp
Who are they?
RallyUp is a solid, end-to-end virtual fundraising platform that enables nonprofits, schools, and other organizations to design successful fundraising experiences that significantly advance their causes.
How RallyUp can help schools raise more:
- Multiple fundraising activities: run various events, such as raffles, sing-a-thons, and livestreams, all on one branded platform, making it easy and inclusive for students, staff, and school bodies.
- Customizable fundraising pages: Personalize with logos, school branding, and design to make it unique and memorable for your school’s community, teams, or individual fundraisers.
- Student privacy: Protect user identities and minors by keeping student, teacher, and parent information private on RallyUp’s platform by choosing to keep fundraisers private and hide last names of participants.
How much does it cost?
Start-up Fees: No
Monthly Fees: No
Payment Processors: Stripe
RallyUp offers two pricing options – free with tips and advanced. If you choose Advanced Pricing, you won’t have to ask contributors for a tip; instead, you’ll be charged a 7.5% platform fee on each transaction.
99Pledges
Who are they?
99Pledges is a web-based crowdfunding solution designed for schools and youth sports organizations to help manage a range of fundraising events, such as walk-a-thons and read-a-thons, using a user-friendly web page. The platform provides metrics for tracking fundraising progress and even supports marketing efforts.
How 99Pledges can help schools raise more:
- Easy setup: 99Pledges allows schools and classrooms to set up fundraisers quickly with individual donation pages for each participant.
- Online donations: The platform makes it easy to collect donations online, simplifying the donation process for donors.
- Support for A-thon fundraisers: 99Pledges specializes in “a-thon” style fundraisers like walk-a-thons, dance-a-thons, and read-a-thons, which can help raise more funds and get students, parents, and the local community more involved in the fundraising process.
How much does it cost?
Start-up Fees: No
Monthly Fees: No
Payment Processors: Braintree and Stripe
QGiv
Who are they?
QGiv was founded in 2007 to simplify the online fundraising process. Their nonprofit management software helps schools, nonprofits, political and faith-based organizations automate peer-to-peer fundraising, send custom donation quotes, and enjoy quick and simple event registration.
How QGiv can help schools raise more:
- Event management tools: QGiv.com provides event management tools that allow schools to plan and host successful fundraising events, including ticket sales, registration, and auction features.
- Donor management: The platform also provides donor management tools, including donor tracking, data analytics, and reporting features, that help schools build strong relationships with donors and track the success of their campaigns.
- Dedicated support: QGiv.com provides dedicated support to schools, including live chat, email support, phone support, and a range of online resources, to help schools succeed in their fundraising efforts.
How much does it cost?
Start-up Fees: No
Monthly Fees: Starting at $25/month, prices vary depending on the plan.
Payment Processors: Stripe and PayPal
Payment processing fee of 3.95 – 4.95% + $0.30 per transaction.
DonorPerfect
Who are they?
DonorPerfect is a comprehensive fundraising software that streamlines the donation process with secure online forms and automated workflows. Their customizable reports and communication tools allow nonprofits to focus on building relationships with their communities.
How DonorPerfect can help schools raise more:
- Alumni management: DonorPerfect helps schools collect and organize alumni information and giving history, allowing for better engagement and connection with alumni.
- Communication: DonorPerfect provides tools to contact alumni through preferred methods, such as class lists and phone-a-thons, keeping them up to date with school events and news.
- Online payments: DonorPerfect streamlines payment collection, making it easier for alumni to donate or pay dues, especially for those located far away from the school.
How much does it cost?
Start-up Fees: No
Monthly Fees: Starting at $99/month, prices vary depending on the plan.
Payment Processors: PayPal and Venmo
Last Thoughts on Fundraising Platforms for Schools and PTOs
Finding the right school fundraising software platform can make all the difference in reaching your fundraising goals. Using the right software, you can streamline your fundraising efforts, connect with donors, and raise the money you need to support school programs and initiatives. So don’t leave it to chance – take the time to research and find the best option. Choosing a platform that aligns with your fundraising goals and has the features and customization options you need to create engaging campaigns is essential to your school’s fundraising success.
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