School fundraising can be a challenge year after year. You want to raise the funds you need to help your students make the most of the school year, but it takes a lot of your time and resources to host events, communicate your needs, and ultimately ask for donations. That’s where choosing one of the best fundraising platforms for schools can help you.
We’ve selected seven fundraising websites for schools so that you can start narrowing down your search for a fundraising partner. These sites are designed to help smaller fundraisers like school clubs as well as schools themselves to reach their fundraising goals.
Comparison Pages Help You Compare — Let Your Next Click Decide
You’ve seen top school fundraising platforms side by side. Now launch your auction on a platform built for schools, nonprofit success, and transparent support.
Launch Your School Auction NowPlease keep in mind that platform prices and other details shift frequently: visit each of these school fundraising software vendors for the latest information.
Be sure to check out our pieces on the best general fundraising sites and the best fundraising platforms specifically built for nonprofits, too.
Comparing auction platforms? Take a look at how we stack up against OneCause, Givebutter, Galabid, BiddingforGood (Frontstream Panorama), and Charitybuzz, as well as seven other platforms.
99Pledges
This platform makes it simple to let your team or participants start collecting pledges from family, friends, and the community. Each participant gets their own pledge page they can share out to leverage online and mobile pledges. Leaderboards show how individuals are working towards the school, class, or team’s fundraising goal. Perfect for runs, walks, rides, and other -thons.
Highlights
- With 99Pledges you can still accept and track cash and check donations with this fundraising software for schools.
- 99Pledges allows you to bulk upload participants via a CSV file, for faster setup.
Price
99Pledges claims to be free, but really it is supported by optional donor tips (like many fundraising websites for schools). It also charges processing fees of 3.49% plus 49 cents per transaction.
BetterWorld
BetterWorld isn’t purely a fundraising platform for schools, but it does serve sports teams and clubs as well as schools and PTAs, and it offers alumni engagement solutions. With this platform you can run pledge, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer, ticketing, giveaways, and auctions, to name just a few of their fundraising tools.
Highlights
- BetterWorld makes it easy to integrate videos into your fundraising pages.
- With a library of stock images, BetterWorld makes it easy to setup attractive fundraising pages quickly.
Price
Like many school fundraising platforms, BetterWorld claims to be free, when really it is supported by optional donor tips. This platform also charges 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee per transaction (something your donors can also choose to cover).
Bonfire
This t-shirt fundraiser may not be exclusively for schools, but it’s a great tool to have in your kit. Bonfire makes it easy to upload designs to sell your own fundraising swag, or to leverage peer-to-peer fundraising and allow people to sell tees on your behalf. T-shirt fundraisers are a great way to engage students as you decide on a design, and people will enjoy getting something for supporting your school, class, or team.
Highlights
- Bonfire integrates with other platforms like Classy, so you can keep and maintain donor information.
- Bonfire can help expand your reach by putting your t-shirt in its marketplace where interested buyers can see it and donate to your cause when they buy one.
Price
Your profits are determined by the price you set for your product minus the base cost to make it. Bonfire offers different t-shirt options and pricing guidelines, and you can offer the option for buyers to donate additional money to your cause. Bonfire has a helpful calculator tool that will give you an idea of your profits based on your desired design and projected amount sold.
GiveCampus
GiveCampus can help streamline your donation pages and buttons as well as leverage peer-to-peer, crowdfunding, volunteer management, and events and in-person giving organizational tools. Additionally, GiveCampus can help you increase the efficiency of your gifting leadership and their approach to major gifts.
Highlights
- GiveCampus can help you with text, video, and email communications, to maximize open and response rates.
- GiveCampus offers robust tracking and analytics, so you can leverage data on donor retention and even volunteer engagement.
Price
GiveCampus plans start as low as $1,000 per year. As a one-stop shop for school and higher education fundraising, it makes sense that this platform and its suite of tools comes at a higher price point.
JotForm
JotForm might seem like a niche offering when it comes to fundraising platforms for schools, but we feel the ability to optimize your online forms is crucial. If you maintain a website and need a donation form for it, JotForm offers templates and the ability to make your own. If you know that potential donors are bouncing out of your donation flow, it’s time to fix that issue with a tool like this one.
Highlights
- JotForm has more than 100 donation form templates, including fast donations, item donations (great for organizing your silent auction), blood donation, church donations, and more.
- JotForm integrates with more than 100 partners to help you keep track of your donations and data with ease.
Price
JotForm has several pricing tiers, starting with “Free.” This tier limits the number of forms, form views, and account users, among other things, but might be just what your small team or club needs. Other plans range from $34-$99 dollars per month, with a custom Enterprise plan also on offer.
PledgeCents
This crowdfunding platform for schools can help teams, clubs, classrooms, and parent-teacher organizations raise money with custom fundraising pages. Designed specifically with K-12 education in mind, this platform can help you quickly raise funds for classroom supplies, team apparel, and other important initiatives for your school’s students.
Highlights
- PledgeCents has team members who will help you set up your fundraising page for success.
- PledgeCents will mail a check to you at the close of your fundraiser. This sets it apart from some classroom supply fundraising sites, which send you items (specific to their brand) rather than the money.
Price
PledgeCents has no platform fees, only processing fees of 3% of your total amount raised (as opposed to a certain amount per transaction).
Snap!Raise
Snap!Raise, or Snap!Mobile, is designed to help high school arts and athletics programs fundraise with ease. Anyone running extracurricular activities can see if Snap!Raise is a good fit for them. You can crowdfund on this site by creating a customizable fundraising page. Gone are the days of going door-to-door: instead share your team or club’s page to fund that trip, jerseys, or scholarship.
Highlights
- Snap!Spend can help you keep track of your budget even outside your 28-day fundraiser. You can even connect your bank account and skip making in-person deposits.
- Snap!Connect offers each donor a selection of languages, so every family in the community can stay connected and involved.
Price
Snap!Raise keeps 20% of each fundraiser they host. This covers platform and payment processing fees. Simple to understand, and you keep 80% of what you raise.
CharityAuctionsToday
CharityAuctionsToday has nearly 20 years of experience helping nonprofits and charities to raise more with less, expand their reach, and host successful fundraisers year after year. With fundraising auctions, event management, ticket sales, donation features, and raffles, our platform can help make your live, virtual, or hybrid event a success.
We strive to ensure not only that our platform is the easiest to use, but that it offers the fundraising tools that will provide the most value for the organizations we serve. Most importantly, we have people dedicated to helping you reach your goals.
Who is it for?
We serve charitable causes and nonprofits that have limited resources. The clubs, service organizations, churches, schools, and small nonprofits that power our communities can use our platform to power their fundraising.
Highlights
- Auction Success Managers can answer questions about any feature on our platform and help you set up your fundraising page for success. Our dedicated team is just a call or email away throughout your fundraiser.
- Our auction marketplace allows you to share your auction with a public audience, to expand your reach and help you reach more donors.
- Use our Auction Inventory Catalog to offer your guests a shot at amazing travel packages. These risk-free auction items help you raise more without any upfront costs, and won’t cost you a thing if they don’t sell.
Price
CharityAuctionsToday offers two types of plans designed to offer the most impact for SMB nonprofits. Both plans include processing fees of 3% + $0.30 per transaction.
- Our Flex plan will cost you 5% of your total proceeds. If you don’t raise anything, you don’t pay anything.
- Our Pre-Paid plan costs a subscription fee of $297-$1,500 per year and platform fees of 0%-3%
Read more about Why You Should Choose CharityAuctionsToday
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of online fundraising platforms for schools out there. You might have noticed we didn’t include any of the usual candy, wrapping paper, or popcorn vendors. We don’t have anything against them, of course, but they aren’t digital solutions the way the platforms above are.
As a fundraising platform, we of course believe that your fundraising efforts should include digital pieces. Even if you go old school with a yearly gala or homemade bake sale, offering people an online donation form or page can meet people where they are: on their phones, tablets, and computers.
Leverage technology to boost your profits. As with our fundraising auctions, you might find that you raise even more than you have in the past by taking advantage of fundraising platforms for schools.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a school fundraising platform and why use one?
A school fundraising platform is software that helps PTAs/PTOs and schools run campaigns—donations, auctions, read-a-thons, events, and more. It centralizes pages, payments, communication, and reporting so you raise more with less manual work.
What are seven useful fundraising platform types for schools?
- Donation pages (direct give with monthly options).
- Peer-to-peer / “-thons” (read-a-thon, fun run).
- Auctions & mobile bidding (silent/live, hybrid).
- Events & ticketing (galas, carnivals, concerts).
- Text-to-give / SMS (short codes, quick links).
- Storefronts (spirit wear & seasonal merch).
- Classroom/project crowdfunding (specific teacher needs).
How should a school pick the right platform type (or mix)?
- Match features to goals (participation vs. high-dollar gifts).
- Assess audience (parents vs. broader community).
- Consider volunteer capacity and timeline.
- Start with one core format and add others as you grow.
What features matter most for PTAs/PTOs and school admins?
- Mobile-first pages and wallet pay (Apple/Google Pay).
- Easy QR codes and share links for families.
- Built-in email/SMS updates and progress bars.
- Teacher/team pages and class-level leaderboards (opt-in).
- Reports for participation, revenue, and payouts.
How do we handle student privacy and permissions on platforms?
Use opt-in rosters, avoid publishing full names by default, get guardian consent for photos, and provide non-fundraising participation options. Follow district policies. (General information, not legal advice.)
How do fundraising platform costs usually work for schools?
- Software plan (monthly/annual) and payment processing fees.
- Optional add-ons (texting, advanced reporting, extra admin seats).
- “Cover fees” toggles can offset costs when donors choose to help.
Who owns our data and can we export it easily from the platform?
Your organization should retain ownership. Choose platforms with clear export rights and simple CSV/API exports for donors, gifts, and receipts without extra fees.
Which integrations save time for school fundraisers?
- Email/SMS tools for updates and reminders.
- Donor CRM or spreadsheets for history and stewardship.
- Accounting exports for reconciliation and audits.
- Calendar and check-in tools for events.
How do we ensure the platform is accessible and multilingual friendly?
- Readable fonts, strong color contrast, and keyboard navigation.
- Alt text for images and captions for videos.
- Support for multiple languages or easy translation workflows.
Should we enable monthly (recurring) donations on school pages?
Yes. A monthly toggle with simple amounts builds predictable revenue and reduces dependence on frequent fundraisers during the school year.
Can the platform help us capture employer matching gifts easily?
Look for match prompts on forms and in receipts, plus a simple follow-up email that explains matching steps. Even a basic reminder can double impact.
When should schools choose auctions versus “direct give” campaigns?
- Auctions are great for events and community excitement.
- Direct give is fast, inclusive, and high-margin.
- Combine them: open donations early and showcase top auction items later.
Can platforms reduce lines at school events and auctions?
Yes—QR self check-in, pre-registration with card on file, and self-checkout on phones speed up entry and exit, freeing volunteers to help guests instead of handling paperwork.
What communication tools should come with school-friendly platforms?
- Email and optional SMS with templates for kickoff, updates, and countdowns.
- Progress bars/thermometers to boost momentum.
- Class/team pages with shareable links and QR codes.
Which KPIs show if our school fundraiser is on track?
- Total raised vs. goal and daily pace.
- % family participation and average gift.
- Match utilization and recurring sign-ups.
How long does it take to set up a new platform for a school campaign?
- Week 1: choose format, brand pages, set payment and receipts.
- Week 2: add items/levels, test checkout, recruit sponsors.
- Before launch: run a 20-minute rehearsal with volunteers.
What security practices should school groups look for in platforms?
- MFA for admins and role-based access (check-in, finance, editor).
- Audit logs for exports/refunds and clear data retention controls.
- Secure payment processing and encrypted data. (General information.)
Should we use one all-in-one platform or several specialized tools?
An all-in-one can simplify training and data, while specialized tools may offer deeper features (e.g., auctions or “-thons”). If you mix tools, keep branding consistent, track UTMs, and sync data to one source of truth.
How do we migrate from a previous platform without losing momentum?
- Export donors, gifts, items, and past campaigns.
- Map fields to new pages and test imports.
- Redirect old links and communicate the new flow clearly.
What’s a quick demo checklist for evaluating fundraising platforms?
- Create a campaign page and donate in under 2 minutes on mobile.
- Enable QR codes, wallet pay, and fee cover.
- Send a kickoff email/SMS and view a live progress bar.
- Run a sample report and export data.
- Confirm admin roles, MFA, and data ownership terms.
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