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7 Best Fundraising Platforms for Schools and PTOs [2024-25 Year]

7 Best Fundraising Platforms for Schools and PTOs [2024-25 Year]

From supporting extracurricular activities to funding classroom projects, school fundraising 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.

With so many fundraising platforms available, knowing which is best and offers the features you need to create successful campaigns can be hard. 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 software for schools and PTOs.

The Importance of Finding the Right Fundraising Software for Schools

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: Helps schools communicate with donors from all over the world, expanding their reach and increasing their chances of success. Many school fundraising software programs also include social sharing features to help spread the word and reach a broader audience.

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

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 knowledgeable customer success representatives and an online help center 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
  • PayPal
  • 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 allowing donors to leave a tip in the checkout process. See details on our pricing plans here.

Best School Fundraising Ideas

Best School Fundraising Ideas

Fundraising is a way of life for many school students. Whether the Freshman or Senior class, booster clubs, 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 them out here:

More Great Fundraising Platform Options for Schools

DonorsChoose

Who are they?

DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose is a popular fundraising platform founded in 2000 by Charles Best, a Bronx public high school teacher. The platform helps teachers fund classroom projects and initiatives and allows them 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. Since they do not send cash, 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 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 potentially reach 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

Booster is a fundraising platform designed specifically for schools and educational organizations. It is dedicated to pledge-based fundraising campaigns for K-12 schools and offers 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 pep rally 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?

Rally Up is a free option for schools

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 popular fundraising platform for schools

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 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

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 works well for private schools

DonorPerfect is a comprehensive fundraising software streamlining 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 students or alumni through preferred methods, such as class lists and phone-a-thons, keeping them updated with school events and news.
  • Online payments: DonorPerfect streamlines payment collection, making it easier for alumni and supporters to donate or pay dues.

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 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.

Lisa Bennett

About Lisa Bennett

Lisa is the Sales Director at DoJiggy. She joined DoJiggy in 2006 and loves her job. Prior to working with DoJiggy, she worked at several non-profits and managed special event fundraising.

See other posts from Lisa Bennett

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