Best School Fundraising Platforms (2026): Fees & Best Fit
Compare school fundraising platforms by published fees, payment flow, setup model, and best-fit use case. See sources and the date each claim was checked.
School fundraising platforms use different fee, checkout, service, and payout models. This guide compares those published facts, then offers a clearly labeled best-fit interpretation for schools, PTAs, booster clubs, teams, and nonprofit groups.
Published by ScanRaise
Reviewed by the ScanRaise Team
Last fact-checked:
Method and ordering
This update covers the nine products already included in this article. It is not an exhaustive market directory and does not name an overall winner.
- Ordering: products are grouped by setup model, broad self-service, school or a-thon self-service, then managed or rep-guided. Groups run from less vendor involvement to more. Products are alphabetized within each group, so the same rule reproduces the order.
- Best-fit labels: these are ScanRaise's interpretation of the audience, workflow, pricing, and service model described on the linked vendor pages. They are not scores or an overall order.
- Fee review: we separate a published platform fee from payment processing when the vendor does. If a vendor combines fees, funds the service with optional contributions, or requires a proposal, the table says that.
- Payment flow: we report only the payout or disbursement process described in the adjacent official source. Missing public details are labeled for confirmation.
- Review criteria: active official pages, adjacent citations, an explicit checked date, reproducible arithmetic, and no unsourced claims about results or unlisted product capabilities.
School fundraising platform matrix
| Product | Best fit | Self-service or managed | Published platform fee | Payment processing | Disbursement model | Source | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad self-service platforms | |||||||
| Cheddar Up | Groups collecting payments, forms, signups, and donations | Self-service | Basic: $0 per month. Pro: $15 per month. Team: $35 per month. Pro and Team are billed annually. | Basic cards: 3.95% + $0.95. Pro and Team cards: 3.59% + $0.59. Payers cover fees by default, and organizers can change that setting. | Organizer initiates a free standard withdrawal to a connected bank account. | Pricing Fee details |
|
| Givebutter | Nonprofits combining fundraising, donor management, and communications | Self-service | Standard pricing with optional tips enabled: 0%. With tips disabled: 3%. | For eligible online transactions under Standard pricing with tips enabled, the Givebutter Guarantee covers processing not paid by donors. Listed exceptions include payment methods that do not support tips and certain recurring plans. With tips disabled: 2.9% + $0.30 for cards and digital wallets, or 1.9% + $0.30 for eligible nonprofit ACH. | Funds become available on a 48 to 72 hour rolling basis. Withdrawals to a bank or debit card are initiated by an account admin. | Pricing Standard pricing scope Payouts |
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| ScanRaise | School and community groups using QR and activity-based fundraising | Self-service | 2.5% for standard fundraising. No setup fee, monthly fee, or contract. | Separate Stripe processing. Stripe lists 2.9% + $0.30 for a successful US domestic-card transaction on standard pricing, with other rates and additions published separately. | Connected Stripe campaigns follow the organization's Stripe payout schedule. Approved platform-mode organizations receive monthly bank or check payouts. | Pricing Stripe pricing Payment flow |
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| Zeffy | Eligible nonprofits choosing an optional-contribution funding model | Self-service | 0% to eligible nonprofit organizations. Zeffy is funded by optional donor contributions. | Zeffy states that it covers transaction and card-processing fees for eligible organizations. | Donations are sent to the verified organization's bank account through Stripe. | Pricing and payment model Eligibility |
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| School and a-thon self-service platforms | |||||||
| 99Pledges | US schools, teams, and organizations running participant-based pledge events | Self-service with vendor-assisted participant-page setup | 0% platform fee and no startup cost. | 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction, deducted at the end of the fundraiser. | Check or bank direct deposit. 99Pledges says it processes a requested payout within one business day, subject to fraud review. | Pricing, setup, and payout FAQ | |
| FutureFund | K-12 groups combining fundraising, sales, memberships, and forms | Self-service | No subscription or platform fee charged to the school. FutureFund adds its published combined fee to the supporter's checkout by default. | Online cards: 4.9% + $0.30 for purchase, fundraiser, and a-thon transactions; 6.9% + $0.30 for auctions. FutureFund labels the combined amount a platform fee. | After a transaction clears, FutureFund transfers the customer balance to the bank account designated during registration. | Pricing Transfer terms |
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| Givebacks | K-12 districts and parent-led groups combining fundraising and school payments | Self-service platform with support resources | Tip model: 0%. Percent pricing: 7.5%. The fundraising pricing page states that there is no additional fundraiser subscription fee. | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, or 3.5% + $0.50 for American Express, under the published fundraising models. | For Direct Funding, Givebacks says net contributions reach the organization's Givebacks-linked Stripe account as contributions are made. Bank payout timing follows that Stripe account's settings. | Fundraising pricing Direct Funding policy Stripe account and processing |
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| Managed or rep-guided platforms | |||||||
| Booster | Schools choosing support from platform-only access through full-service event management | Platform-only, guided, or full-service, depending on the selected plan | Not publicly published; request a quote. Booster says it charges a percentage based on the selected support level. | Not publicly published; request a quote. | Booster states that online funds are deposited directly into the school's account. | Pricing FAQ Payment flow |
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| Snap! Raise | School teams, clubs, and activities choosing a rep-guided online campaign | Rep-guided | Not publicly published; request a quote. Snap! Raise says pricing is tailored to the program and partnership. | Not publicly published; request a quote. | Organizations can select direct deposit or mailed check. For daily or weekly direct deposit, Snap says about 50% of available funds is deposited during the active campaign at the selected frequency, with the remainder released after the campaign closes and transactions finish processing. A lump-sum deposit arrives after campaign close. | Pricing Direct deposit Deposit frequency and hold Settlement methods |
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Best-fit notes by setup model
Broad self-service platforms
Cheddar Up
Cheddar Up's official pricing page offers a free Basic plan and paid Pro and Team plans. The product combines collection pages with forms, signups, peer-to-peer fundraising, and recurring payments. Check the Basic plan's item and form limits and decide who will cover its transaction fees.Sources: Cheddar Up pricing, checked 2026-08-21.
Read the Cheddar Up and ScanRaise comparison →Givebutter
Givebutter describes its core product as fundraising, marketing, and CRM software. Its Standard pricing changes with the checkout choice: optional tips enabled with the Givebutter Guarantee, or tips disabled with a 3% platform fee plus processing. Decide which checkout treatment your organization wants to model.Sources: Givebutter pricing, Givebutter product overview, checked 2026-08-21.
Read the Givebutter and ScanRaise comparison →ScanRaise
ScanRaise publishes a 2.5% platform fee for standard fundraising. Its feature catalog includes printable QR cards, participant pages, activity-based drives, events, auctions, and donor management. It is self-service, so the organization plans and runs its campaign. Optional Fitbit imports require a Fitbit account and app.Sources: ScanRaise pricing, ScanRaise feature catalog, checked 2026-08-21.
Zeffy
Zeffy states that eligible organizations pay no platform or card-processing fee and that donors may choose an optional contribution to Zeffy. Eligibility depends on nonprofit status, country, and an organizational bank account, so confirm that your group qualifies before comparing features.Sources: Zeffy pricing model, Zeffy eligibility, checked 2026-08-21.
School and a-thon self-service platforms
99Pledges
99Pledges publishes no startup or platform fee, a per-transaction card fee, and vendor-assisted participant-page setup. Its FAQ limits service to schools, teams, and organizations in the United States, with an exception for some US military schools abroad.Sources: 99Pledges FAQ, 99Pledges pricing and eligibility, checked 2026-08-21.
Read the 99Pledges and ScanRaise comparison →FutureFund
FutureFund markets specifically to K-12 organizations. Its pricing page publishes different supporter-paid fees for online cards, in-person payments, ACH, auctions, tickets, and memberships. Model the exact campaign and payment method instead of applying one fee to every transaction.Sources: FutureFund product overview, FutureFund pricing, checked 2026-08-21.
Givebacks
Givebacks publishes school payments, fundraising, storefront, and parent-group workflows. For fundraisers, organizations choose a 0% platform-fee tip model or 7.5% percent pricing, plus the published processing fee. Its Direct Funding policy says net contributions reach the organization's linked Stripe account as contributions are made, with bank payout timing controlled by that Stripe account.Sources: Givebacks K-12 overview, Givebacks fundraising pricing, Givebacks Direct Funding policy, checked 2026-08-21.
Read the Givebacks and ScanRaise comparison →Managed or rep-guided platforms
Booster
Booster offers service levels from platform-only access to full-service event management. It says the fee is a percentage based on the selected support level but does not publish that percentage, so a school needs a written quote for its chosen plan, processing, and included services.Sources: Booster pricing FAQ, Booster service model, checked 2026-08-21.
Read the Booster and ScanRaise comparison →Snap! Raise
Snap! Raise says a dedicated expert guides its campaigns and that pricing is tailored to the school and partnership. Its public pricing page does not state one fixed rate, so request an itemized proposal covering the platform charge, processing, any rewards, and payout terms.Sources: Snap! Raise pricing, Snap! Raise service model, checked 2026-08-21.
Read the Snap! Raise and ScanRaise comparison →Illustrative fee example
Assumptions: 40 separate $50 donations, for $2,000 total, all paid with US domestic cards. The organization absorbs every listed fee. No donor tips or fee coverage, refunds, disputes, international cards, or custom processing rates are included.
- 99Pledges: $2,000 x 3.49% = $69.80. Then 40 x $0.49 = $19.60. Published transaction fees total $89.40, leaving $1,910.60 under these assumptions.
- ScanRaise with Stripe standard pricing: $2,000 x 2.5% = $50.00 in ScanRaise platform fees. Stripe processing is $2,000 x 2.9% = $58.00, plus 40 x $0.30 = $12.00. The combined illustrative fees total $120.00, leaving $1,880.00 under these assumptions.
This example demonstrates the published formulas. It is not a prediction of revenue or savings. Actual card mix, account pricing, fee settings, failed payments, refunds, and donor choices can change the result. Tip-funded and supporter-paid models also shift who pays, so compare both the organization's proceeds and the donor's checkout total.
Sources: 99Pledges fee, ScanRaise fee, Stripe US standard domestic-card pricing, checked 2026-08-21.How to choose
- Choose the setup model first: self-service software, vendor-assisted setup, or a managed event.
- Calculate the platform and processing charges for your expected number and size of gifts.
- Include optional tips or supporter-paid fees in the donor's checkout total, even when the organization receives the full intended gift.
- Ask who receives and holds each payment, when it becomes available, and how refunds and disputes affect the balance.
- For quote-based pricing, ask for the platform fee, processing, rewards or product costs, payout schedule, renewal terms, and every condition in writing.
- Confirm accessibility, privacy, school approval, and workflow requirements directly with each vendor before adopting a product.
Change log
- : Replaced the numbered order with a reproducible setup-model order. Added the conflict disclosure, source-adjacent pricing matrix, checked dates, review criteria, worked arithmetic, reviewer line, and updated vendor notes.
- : Initial comparison published.
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