How to Select the Right Fundraising Platform
By Whit Hunter
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When it comes to raising money for a fundraiser, there are a few key aspects to keep in mind:
- First, you need to have a great cause that people feel passionate about.
- Second, you need to have a wide community of supporters who can back you up.
- Third, you need to have a way to reach potential donors and encourage them to donate.
One of the best ways to do all this is through a good fundraising platform. Nonprofits can connect with potential donors and get the funds they need through effective fundraising software.
Several different fundraising platforms focus on different niches. Therefore choosing the right one is crucial for the success of the fundraiser.
This is why this blog post is here to help your nonprofit select the best fundraising platform for your fundraising goals and needs.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Fundraising Platform
Cost
Cost is one of the first things to consider before opting for a fundraising platform. Consider your nonprofit's budget and then look for platforms that fit into that budget and cost savings.
There are around a hundred different digital fundraising sites available out there with different cost and payment structures. Some of them suit bigger organizations, while some are meant for small organizations.
These structures include options such as:
- Platform fees
- Transaction fees
- Subscription fees
Platform fee is when your organization pays for the platform, whereas transaction fee is when an organization has to give a small percentage of each donation to the platform vendor, depending on the number of donations. While the subscription fee is the usual fee any organization pays monthly or yearly.
On the other hand, some platforms don’t require any fee. This means they are completely free to use for your campaigns and live events.
BetterWorld is a digital fundraising tool that is 100% free of cost and allows nonprofits to raise donations with its effective fundraising tools.
Nonprofits can run as many campaigns as they need with unlimited resources from the platform without worrying about their budget.
Ease of Use
The fundraising platform your organization chooses should be user-friendly and easy to use for everyone, including the donors and the non-profit team members.
It should have a well-designed user interface that provides clear navigation and an intuitive layout for ease of use.
The platform should also have visually appealing graphics and an organized interface to allow the users to easily access and understand the different features and tools of the platform.
BetterWorld is a beautifully designed platform that works seamlessly on any device, including phones, tablets, and laptops.
It's designed by keeping the user experience in mind, which allows it to be super intuitive for nonprofits and easy to navigate for potential donors.
Customization Options
Customization options are important to consider when choosing a fundraising platform. Nonprofits should be free to personalize and design their fundraising campaigns and donations to create a unique and branded experience for their community.
This includes the freedom for personal branding, such as the nonprofit’s logo.
A good online donation system should also allow community members to create their own personalized fundraising page. This will make peer-to-peer fundraising easier for all the people involved. Moreover, it's a great way to boost donor engagement and attract new donors.
The platform should allow the users and community members to share the causes they feel the most passionate about. They can share the link with their loved ones to connect with them, attracting more donors.
Payment Processing Options
The main purpose of any nonprofit is to raise and collect funds, which is an extremely time-taking and complex process because of the various payment modes.
Different donors are comfortable with different payment modes. This is why it's important to consider the payment options of the fundraising platform before choosing it.
The platform should have a wide mode of payment options so donors can have one central platform where they can pay from their desired payment mode.
This makes it easy for the nonprofit to collect donations, view the total amount, and issue receipts.
BetterWorld accepts major credit and debit card options such as Visa, Mastercard, etc, and bank transfers. It also provides donors to donate through their Stripe account.
Integration With Other Tools
Before opting for a fundraising platform, consider whether that platform offers integration with any tools your nonprofit organization uses. These tools can include CRM software, apps like WhatsApp, Google, or email marketing platforms.
The best fundraiser platform should sync with all the tools and apps your nonprofit is already using. A seamless integration will allow the nonprofit to leverage all the existing data and settings, enhancing your customization and data management options.
This is also where you should consider what tools you will be using in the future because the last thing you need is to try out innovations and discover your platform doesn't support them.
BetterWorld lets you easily manage every campaign your nonprofit runs because of its integrated system.
Security and Compliance
The most important factor to consider is the security and safety features of the fundraiser platform. As a nonprofit, it's your top priority to ensure a safe donation process for the donors and keep their financial information guarded.
Therefore, ensure that the fundraising platform uses a secure payment processing system and encryption technologies to protect the financial information of donors during transactions.
You can look for HTTPS in the website address or secure payment logos. The last thing you need is exposing your user data and donor’s financial info, which can result in a huge disaster.
BetterWorld is a secure fundraising software that is PCI-compliant. This means all the financial data is encrypted to PCI DSS Level 1 standards. Therefore all the data is secure with 100% security.
Understand Your Fundraising Needs
Fundraising Goals
Before choosing a fundraising platform for your nonprofit, determine the specific goals of your fundraisers and campaigns, such as what the fundraiser activity will be like and will the platform support it.
Different fundraising platforms have different focuses. Therefore, understanding and knowing your fundraising goals is important before choosing a platform.
It's also important to know if the technology of the platform helps your fundraising goals. Does the technology make it easy for donors and supporters? Research and look for real-life experiences as examples.
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Campaigns and Events You Plan to Run
You should also consider what type of events and campaigns your nonprofit plans to run. Different platforms specialize in different event types, such as some support peer-to-peer fundraising and charity auctions, while others focus on a broad range of options.
Determine if you will be organizing a one-time fundraising event, ongoing fundraising initiative, or crowdfunding campaign, and then decide if the platform you choose supports those event types or not.
BetterWorld offers a wide variety of events and campaign ideas for your fundraiser, including different types of virtual, hybrid, and in-person events.
Target Audience
A fundraiser is nothing without its supporters and donors. This is why it's important to keep the needs of your target audience in mind. Consider the needs of your supporters and donors, such as how tech-savvy they are and what payment options they are comfortable using.
Digital fundraising is all about making it as convenient as possible for donors to donate through your fundraising platform.
Think about the audience your nonprofit is targeting. If they are the younger generation, design and select a platform according to their needs and likings to attract them.
The younger generation likes contactless and cashless payment options, which is great if the platform offers various payment modes.
Tips for Maximizing Success With a Platform
Request Demo and Trials for Performance Analysis
You can determine how well a fundraising platform works by requesting demos and trials. It can help your nonprofit select the right platform for its fundraiser. You can directly assess the performance and user interface of the software by requesting a demo or trial.
Many fundraising platforms offer free demos or trials, such as BetterWorld. This can allow you to explore the platform's features and functionality, which gives you a better understanding of how well it aligns with your fundraising goals or needs.
Lastly, you can evaluate the user experience for the community members, donors, and organization team members. Make sure to analyze the following features:
- Ease of navigation
- Clarity of instruction
- Overall usability
- Layout and interface
Explore Customer Support Options
Good customer support can enhance the supporter's experience and help the organization address any issues or concerns arising during the fundraising campaign. Therefore it's important to explore the customer support options the fundraising platform provides.
This way, you can determine if these features meet your organization's requirements and facilitate the successful execution of campaigns.
BetterWorld offers a great customer support option that lets the user contact the support team any time through chats or emails.
See Training Resources Available
Many platforms offer free training resources for nonprofit members which provide guidance and support, particularly to those members who are new to the platform and need assistance in maximizing its features for the fundraising campaigns.
These training resources can include video demonstrations, tutorials, or user guides that can help members become familiar with the platform's features, interface, and overall functionality.
These consist of step-by-step instructions on how to navigate the platform, set up a campaign, manage donations, and utilize the features which the platform offers.
Platforms that offer training resources are a big help because this can save money and time.
Read Reviews and Testimonials
It's important to read reviews and testimonials of the fundraising site you intend to use because they can provide insight and feedback from past or current users who have first-hand experience with the platforms.
Reviews can shed light on the fundraising platform’s reliability and performance. They can also highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the platform because users often discuss useful details or drawbacks they have encountered.
You can even learn about the technical issues and transaction processing speed of the fundraising platform.
All of this information can help you decide if a certain platform delivers a smooth and reliable user experience or not.
Conclusion
Fundraising platforms can help your nonprofit set up a campaign, collect donations, track your fundraising progress, and provide many helpful resources in just one space. With the right fundraising platform, you can increase your fundraiser’s chances of success.
Choose BetterWorld for your nonprofit's fundraising needs. The platform ticks all the boxes: cost-effective, easy to use, customizable, integrated with other tools, and secure.

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