2024’s Top 15 Revenue-Boosting Fundraising Software for Schools

Written by: Kayla Trettel Date: March 7, 2024

School leaders gathered, discussing what fundraising software to use

You often hear the all-too-familiar phrase "children are our future." But when it comes to providing them with the essential tools they need to succeed, like computers and supplies, most schools find themselves with a deficit.

Fundraising is a necessary part of many schools. According to NonProfit Source, 35 percent of schools average between $0 and $5,000 in annual fundraising efforts while around 27.1 percent earn over $75,000.

The right fundraising software for schools can make all the difference in how schools collect and track fundraising. It also impacts how they tabulate and allocate these funds where they are most needed. There are many different types of school fundraising software available, each with its own set of distinct features and offerings.

Choosing the best fundraising software to meet your school's unique fundraising needs is vital. It can help you avoid common fundraising mistakes like poor fundraiser tracking and a lack of organization.

That's why we developed this guide to provide an in-depth look at the top 15 Revenue-Boosting Fundraising Software for Schools in 2024. Keep reading to discover insightful details.

1. Online School Payments

Online School Payments (OSP) is a popular online school payment and registration software platform provided by Elio. Here are some key features.

Payment Methods

OSP features an online store that enables parents to pay for products and activities using credit cards or e-checks. It automatically sends receipts to parents after payments are completed.

OSP also has an Online Mobile Swipe, which allows payments using a smartphone or tablet (versus a web browser).

Tracking

OSP allows parents to track online registrations and payments. It has a ticket feature that lets them produce proof of payment and registration for events. It also lets teachers and staff manually enter cash or check payments using only a secure web browser.

Mobile App

OSP has a mobile app, but many users have reported issues regarding its user-friendliness and reliability. In fact, at the time of this writing, it has an extremely low rating (1.3 out of 5) on the Apple app store.

Users have reported abrupt and repeated crashes. Some users have been unable to log on. Others have reported problems with processing payment information.

This can be frustrating, to say the least. At worst, it could mean a parent fails to meet a payment or registration deadline. It also means your school could fail to receive funds from someone who intended to donate but was unable to.

2. RevTrak

RevTrak is Vanco's online school payment system. It lets schools accept payment for a variety of activities including athletics, food service, class fees, apparel, merchandise, registrations and more.

Key Features

Parents can view balances on different accounts, such as school lunch. They can get notifications when these dip below a certain amount. They can set alerts for specific activities, like large purchases and automate payments for recurring expenses. They can pay monthly fees or reload balances when they get low.
School administrators and teachers can view fundraising or payments in real time and take advantage of RevTrak integration with other software, including your school district's tech stack — such as student information systems — accounting software, meal payment programs and others.

In addition to robust features, RevTrak offers many advantages. Here are the main ones to consider.

Convenience

Students are often involved in many different extracurricular activities. RevTrak's centralized portal for paying fees and completing registrations makes it easy for parents to keep up with transactions.

For instance, they can add lunch money to their child's account, or purchase tickets for a school fundraiser or sporting event. They can contribute to school booster clubs and buy merchandise using the same online school fundraising platform.

All RevTrak's services are cloud-based and available to any end user with an internet connection. The remote nature of registration or payments allows parents to make payments from anywhere and at any time.

This helps avoid situations where parents forget to send money with their child to school. They no longer have to physically visit the school office to complete registration for an event or donate to a fundraiser.

RevTrak can help improve communication between schools and parents as well. Automated reminders can alert parents if a payment is upcoming or overdue.

Going cashless eliminates the need for school staff to keep up with checks or bills. It also keeps them from having to travel to the bank to deposit fundraising contributions.

RevTrak can also make refunding money to parents easier. If there is an error or you permit refunds for school events, the RevTrak platform lets you send these payments to parents' account balances.

Tracking and Reporting

From the administrative standpoint, RevTrak offers many advantages, Including tracking payments for different types of fundraisers and other events is a major one.

The platform also provides an integrated reporting system. It enables up-to-date and accurate financial records for staff and parents alike.

This can help schools meet external financial reporting and accountability requirements. It can also result in greater accuracy and make it easier for schools to show compliance.

RevTrak also provides automatic receipts for users. This can be useful if there is a mix-up with an event registration — because attendees can prove payment using their smartphones.

Efficiency

RevTrak school fundraising software can improve efficiency for parents and school staff. It can reduce the number of calls being made to the school office and the need for staff to field them. It can free up valuable time otherwise spent processing fundraiser payments or completing registrations.

RevTrak also reduces the chance of human error in processing payments. This can also yield better efficiency for event admission or tallying fundraising totals.

Security

In a world with increasing cyber threats, robust security is invaluable. Payments made through RevTrak are extremely secure.

It uses the latest encryption technology to ensure credit card, bank and personal information are kept safe. This gives parents the peace of mind that they can make payments or donate to fundraisers without worrying about security.

3. OneCause

The OneCause fundraising software platform helps empower schools and nonprofits reach more donors and raise more money for their causes. This includes everything from effective event management and auctions to online giving.

OneCause can help you meet your fundraising needs and achieve your revenue goals. Here are some of the specific fundraising software features offered by OneCause.

Auctions

OneCause has designated Mobile Bidding and Auction software. This eliminates the need for disorganized paper bids and spreadsheets. Instead, donors can easily bid from their phones.

Donors can set maximum bids or purchase fixed-priced items. If they are outbid on an item, they will receive automated notifications.

The OneCause school fundraising software implements scoreboards and fundraising thermometers. This helps to fully immerse supporters in the fundraising experience. Gamification can help boost your fundraising goals.

Event Management

OneCause's fundraising software can help you manage and streamline fundraising events. It adapts to in-person fundraisers, as well as virtual and hybrid events.

OneCause allows you to sell tickets and manage online RSVPs. You can offer contactless express check-in and check-out to reduce wait times. You can even send segmented communications before, during or at the event's end.

At the conclusion of your event, you can tap into automatically generated data analytics to see how your fundraiser performed and track revenue goals.

Text-to-Give

OneCause offers an innovative Text2Give® fundraising software feature. With this service, schools can create unique short or long-code keywords or prompts linked to their campaigns. These codes are usually about 15 characters maximum with no spaces or punctuation.

For example, if a school is fundraising for new instruments for their band, they might create the keyword BAND. If a school is also fundraising for its Track and Field team, they may use the keyword TRACKANDFIELD.

This keyword can then be shared with the community. To make donations from their mobile devices, donors text the specific keyword to a designated number. They will then receive a mobile-friendly link to the donation page.

Donors can use debit/credit cards and digital wallets to make donations quickly and easily from wherever they are.

Online Giving

In the modern age, online fundraising helps educational organizations expand their reach even more.

The OneCause Online Fundraising Solution lets schools create fundraising microsites and personalized donation forms and fundraising pages. Peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities enhance traditional fundraising methods by leveraging social media networks to amplify outreach efforts.

OneCause also uses secure SSL/PCI processing that ensures donor information is kept safe. It also assures that you can safely and securely transfer funds to your school's account.

Cost

OneCause offers three different plans.

The Essentials plan is ideal for many basic fundraising functions.
The Professional and Enterprise plans are better suited for moderate to advanced fundraising needs.

OneCause does not list its plan costs up-front on its website. You must contact OneCause directly to learn about their exact prices.

4. JotForm

JotForm is primarily a free online form builder and form creator. However, JotForm offers some features that can complement your school fundraising software needs.

JotForm fundraising software can help you create more compelling, user-friendly donation forms for your online fundraising campaigns. Here's a closer look at what JotForm has to offer.

Fundraising Form Templates

JotForm gives you access to over 10,000 online fundraising forms for free. This makes it easy to design the fundraising forms you need.

For instance, you can select the form that matches your fundraising campaign and revenue goals. Then customize it to your educational institution's unique branding efforts and embed it into your website for easy sharing.

CRM Integration

JotForm offers innovative integration with popular CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot. This makes it easy to track a new donor's contact information in your CRM without resorting to manual entry.

JotForm automatically syncs this information in your chosen CRM database for future reference.

Automated Email Marketing

Thanking your donors and making them feel valued is a surefire way to ensure repeat donations. JotForm allows you to automate and send a thank-you email to each donor that magnifies the impact their donation has made.

Cost

JotForm has different pricing levels depending on your fundraising needs. The Starter is JotForm's free-to-use form builder and gives you access to a limit of five free forms.

Other pricing tiers are the Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, which offer a wider selection of features and range in price from $39 to $129 per month or $34 to $99 when billed annually. Nonprofits and educational institutions receive an additional 50 percent discount on all payment plans, which makes it much more affordable overall.

5. Fundly

Fundly fundraising is crowdfunding software that allows you to collect donations for many different causes from disaster relief to medical bills, travel, and more. Fundly can also be used for education and school fundraising as well.

The crowdfunding aspect can help you attract donors from all over the world, not just your school's specific geographic location. Like other online fundraising platforms for schools, Fundly lets you create individual and organization-specific custom fundraising pages.

Here's a look at some of Fundly's top features and offerings as fundraising software for schools.

Social Media Platform Integrations

Fundly lets you integrate with Facebook to put your school fundraising cause out there for a wide audience to see. The Facebook OpenGraph feature lets you update and display your fundraising activity and track fundraising data in real time. Seeing fundraising progress may inspire campaign viewers to donate.

Multimedia Capabilities

Fundly facilitates the use of multimedia content to create interactive slideshows. Adding compelling videos and engaging photos to your fundraising campaign helps to grab the attention of prospective donors.

For school fundraising efforts, you can embed content from your school's Facebook page or Vimeo and YouTube profiles. This lets you enhance your school's unique branding initiatives.

Mobile Optimization

All fundraising pages on Fundly are automatically mobile-optimized. This ensures that your school's fundraising page is easily viewable from mobile devices. Donations can be made safely and securely.

The Fundly mobile app also allows you to view fundraising data in an instant. You can post updates to the fundraising page's blog post with ease. You can even thank new donors whenever you receive a donation notification.

Funding Options

Fundly lets you keep all the funds you raise. There's no minimum amount required.

Stripe handles fund processing and automatically transfers funds to a linked bank account. Payments are processed and typically available for withdrawal seven days after the initial donation.

Automatic transfers can also be set up to speed up funding transfers.

Cost

Fundly doesn't charge any platform fees to use its fundraising platforms or mobile app. They keep their services free through the generosity of donors.

The only charges users will incur are a 2.9 percent interest fee plus a 30-cent per transaction fee for credit card processing through Stripe.

6. Bonfire

Bonfire product fundraising incorporates merchandising into traditional school fundraising software campaigns. By giving donors the opportunity to receive custom merchandise like a T-shirt with each donation, you're increasing your likelihood of getting more donations.

These T-shirts and other fundraising merchandise also serve to get the word out about your cause. Here's how Bonfire can help you enhance your fundraising merchandise approach.

Digital Storefronts

You can create a merch store on Bonfire to feature your products. Upload an eye-catching header and choose a theme and color overlay to match your branding efforts. This enables supporters to browse through their merchandise options and view size and color choices.

Sell merchandise through an online campaign and Bonfire will ship products directly to buyers. You can also sell merch on YouTube or online through a fundraising campaign.

T-Shirt Design Tools

Bonfire gives you access to comprehensive T-shirt design tools to help you bolster your fundraising merchandise efforts. Add your school's color scheme and logos or specific fundraising cause to T-shirts easily and fast.

Upload your own designs for a quick and simple design process. Bonfire's easy-to-use design studio lets you take advantage of copy-and-paste clipart images if you're not sure how to design from scratch.

Aside from T-shirts, Bonfire lets you create and sell other fundraising merchandise such as:

Mugs
Sweatshirts
Totes
Hats

For nonprofits and school fundraising, merchandising can have a major impact on visibility.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities permit your school to tap into trusted community members to increase your school's fundraising campaign effectiveness.

For instance, you can give the PTA the power to design their own T-shirts. Each T-shirt sold will link back to your school's fundraising revenue goals. Peer-to-peer fundraising is also ideal for raising funds for multiple fundraising campaigns like the band and the robotics club.

Built-In Donor Recognition

Built-in donor recognition is vital for establishing and growing your donor network. Bonfire allows you to quickly send thank-you emails from the Campaign Dashboard.

After donors purchase tees, download their contact information in .CSV format. This lets you reconnect with them for future campaigns and maintain year-round engagement for fundraising.

Cost

Bonfire's fundraising software is free for school use. However, you must factor in the base cost for T-shirt manufacturing as well as sourcing and printing costs.

For example, if you order 160 shirts with one color on the front and one color on the back of a Premium Unisex Tee, your cost would be $20.85 per shirt for a total cost of $3,360.

There is also an 8 percent fee for credit card processing and administrative costs. If your school qualifies for nonprofit status, this fee is lowered to 3.5 percent

7. Snap! Raise

Snap! Raise is a group-based online school fundraising platform. It's particularly useful for raising funds for student organizations.

Snap! Raise fundraising software for schools has helped over 100,000 teams and school groups raise over $700 million to date. These are just some of the ways they can help your fundraising efforts.

Early Fund Access

Most fundraising platforms don't let you access your money until the campaign ends or reaches its desired revenue goals. But Snap! Raise is different.

Snap! Raise offers a unique Early Access tool. This lets you earn a portion of your projected total revenue raised for the year. It can help you cut down on the need for out-of-pocket spending,

This is a great option for clubs and teams in their offseasons that have miscellaneous expenses like new uniforms or equipment. Early Access allows these groups to build a more solid financial foundation before their seasons or semesters begin.

Customizable Web Page

Snap! Raise lets you design a personal fundraising page that helps communicate your school's purpose. You can highlight your fundraising goal with a progress bar.

Your custom web page also allows you to add photos and video content to further evoke an emotional connection. Snap! Raise even allows donors to submit and display messages right on your fundraising page. This documented giving can inspire others to be more generous.

Online Store for Custom Spirit Wear

With Snap! Raise, you can access an online store. This digital storefront is ideal for hosting and displaying your school club or team's spirit wear year-round.

Snap! Raise takes care of everything from accepting orders to managing inventory and processing payments. They'll even print your products and ship them directly to customers for you.

Cost

There are no up-front costs or hidden transaction fees associated with using the Snap! Raise fundraising software platform.

Instead of paying a 3 percent credit card fee per transaction like other online fundraising platforms, Snap! Raise keeps 20 percent of your total funds raised, leaving you with 80 percent. So, if you raise $80,000, Snap! Raise takes $16,000, leaving you with $64,000.

8. ShopRaise

ShopRaise fundraising software for schools is unique because it takes everyday purchases and turns them into funds that can go back to revenue for schools. Up to 10 percent of each purchase goes back to designated schools year-round at no extra cost.

ShopRaise works by using the app and browser extension to shop on the designated sites of participating retailers. There are nearly 1,000 different big-name retailers to choose from like Macy's and Walmart.

Here's how your school can benefit from using ShopRaise for its fundraising needs.

Ease of Use

With ShopRaise, it's incredibly easy to raise the necessary funds needed for schools. As long as you use the app or the browser extension when you shop, your school will get credit for up to 10 percent of your purchase. Over time, this can build up to a sizeable amount.

ShopRaise lets you create a custom landing page for your school that you can share with your community. You can build a reliable system for donations that doesn't require the hassle of planning fundraising events or campaigns.

Custom Marketing Materials

Once you create your customized school landing page, you can develop flyers and emails with your school's logo and messaging to reflect your brand. You also get access to social media posts and web banners.

You can use these materials to get the word out about shopping to support your school through ShopRaise.

Shopping Options

It isn't just online shopping that gives back to school fundraising efforts. Participants can also use ShopRaise's gift card fundraising features. With this option, supporters can buy gift cards from more than 250 gift card retailers and up to 10 percent goes back to your school.

These gift cards can be used for both online and in-person purchases. This flexibility allows participants to shop how they want.

Built-In Reporting

ShopRaise comes with reporting tools built in. This lets you see the impact of your fundraising efforts acquired through the ShopRaise app and browser extension.

You can also easily export fundraising data and donor information to your school's CRM. This makes it simple to send out thank-you messages, which can help improve donor relationships in your school.

Cost

ShopRaise is completely free to use by donors and organizations. Each supporter using ShopRaise can effortlessly raise hundreds of dollars or more for your school. This makes it a great supplementary fundraising tool.

9. PledgeSense

PledgeSense school fundraising software is ideally suited for community-based fundraising. Like other online fundraising platforms such as Fundly, PledgeSense uses crowdfunding platform capabilities.

This puts the fundraising power into the hands of anyone from PTA members to faculty and more. Explore these other features and benefits of PledgeSense.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Entrusting community members with fundraising efforts can raise essential funds for classrooms and other needs while saving educators valuable time.

No matter who is helping you run your fundraising campaign, PledgeSense ensures your school will get the funds it needs. They make out the check to your school and send it to your mailing address when your campaign concludes.

Setup and Support

Anyone can set up a school fundraising page on PledgeSense.

Simply sign up using a work or personal email.
Click Create a Fundraising Page.
Fill out the necessary information and create your fundraising page.
Submit it to the PledgeSense team for approval.

Once your fundraising page is approved, you'll receive an email from the PledgeSense support team. You can also set up a one-on-one call with the PledgeSense fundraising experts who can address any questions you have.

Fundraising Publicity

PledgeSense features all published fundraising campaigns under its Live Fundraisers page. This helps you expand your fundraiser's reach beyond your immediate community to a worldwide audience.

Donors can filter results based on specific categories and organizations as well as time left in the campaign. When they make donations, PledgeSense streamlines the giving process through its seamless giving form.

Social Media Integration

Every thriving fundraising campaign needs visibility to be successful. Built-in social media integrations with PledgeSense make it simple to share your campaign through Facebook and Twitter (X).

PledgeSense also lets you share your fundraising campaign through email. Send your campaign's page's link to your friends and family along with any other supporters to grow your fundraiser's impact and reach your revenue goals quicker.

Cost

PledgeSense doesn't charge any platform fees for its usage. There is a 3 percent fee taken from fundraising earnings, which goes to cover credit card transaction fees through PledgeSense's payment partner Stripe.

10. DonorSearch

Fundraising is a great way to get your school some much-needed funds. However, sometimes it is difficult to get the donations you need in certain areas due to socioeconomic difficulties and other issues.

DonorSearch school fundraising software helps you find the best donors who are most likely to contribute to your campaign. It does this through machine learning and database searches to identify and secure funding from those who have philanthropic interests and a history of community giving.

These are some of the key features of DonorSearch to help you determine the best fit.

Wealth and Philanthropic Screening

DonorSearch's primary function is to search for prospective donors with the key factors that would make them most likely to give.

Wealth and philanthropic indicators help you identify donors with the capacity to make significant contributions. They also help you identify those with the highest probability of supporting your school.

Donor Data Visualization

DonorSearch offers visual representations of donor and prospect data for a comprehensive understanding. These visualizations serve as valuable tools for facilitating insightful analysis and informed decision-making.

This helps your school's fundraising team to assess donor potential and strategies for increasing contributions.

AI Search Capabilities

DonorSearch employs advanced machine learning to recognize giving patterns and understand donor behaviors.

By using predictive modeling, it offers fundraising predictions and recommendations for specific individuals. With this information, you can better guide stewardship efforts.

DonorSearch also boasts an impressive 90 percent to 100 percent accuracy rate. This means you'll always have the most up-to-date donor information.

Cost

For its Gift Search+ solution, DonorSearch has three different pricing options. All plans require a credit card and automatic renewal.

The Month-to-Month plan is $150 per month and allows up to 1,000 searches per month with no annual commitment.
The Annual Plan is $100 per month and permits up to 10,000 yearly searches.
A third option is the Multi-Year Plan for $75 per month and up to 10,000 searches per year. It involves a 24-month commitment.

You can sign up for a free demo on the DonorSearch website.

11. DonorsChoose

Teachers rely on a lot of material to get them through a school year. From art supplies to pencils and musical instruments, buying these items often comes out of teachers' own pockets, which can quickly add up.

DonorsChoose classroom funding allows teachers to get the supplies they need. They can receive monthly or one-time financial donations in the form of a DonorsChoose gift card that they can put toward future classroom projects.

First-Time Fundraiser Gift Matching

First-time teachers using DonorsChoose classroom fundraisers can receive special introductory gift matching. They'll receive a one-time-use Teacher Friends & Family Code.

With this code, teachers receive matching dollar-for-dollar gifts up to $50 max. This offer is good for one week after the initial project goes live. Gift matching helps teachers reach their fundraising goals quickly.

Simple Sign-Up Process

Teachers can set up classroom projects in about 20 minutes or less. DonorsChoose screens and reviews these projects. Projects are then posted online in about three days once they're approved.

Teacher projects can stay posted on the DonorsChoose site for up to 4 months. The track record of DonorsChoose often results in many projects receiving full funding within hours of going live.

Item Delivery and Fulfillment

Once a project is fully funded, DonorsChoose is responsible for purchasing the requested items and shipping them to the teacher directly.

Teachers can expect to receive their items within about two weeks. Teachers can track the status of their orders at any time by logging into their accounts.

Cost

DonorsChoose is free to use for eligible public school teachers to create classroom project fundraisers. Teachers receive 95 percent of the funds raised, with the remaining 5 percent of funds going to administrative costs.

12. Double the Donation

While not exclusively considered fundraising software for schools, Double the Donation helps you maximize school fundraising efforts. Many schools and nonprofit organizations may not be aware of the number of gift-matching programs available out there.

Gift matching is a valuable resource that can help schools double their fundraising efforts for each charitable donation made up to a certain limit through corporations and employers. See how Double the Donation can assist your fundraising endeavors.

Gift Matching Database

Double the Donation works by using its 360MatchPro software to search databases to find eligible matching gift programs.

This allows schools to potentially double or even triple the impact of fundraising donations made. It can be especially beneficial for tapping into corporate gifting programs.

Double the Donation also integrates with existing CRM systems and donation forms.

Automated Emails

Double the Donation sends automated emails to all eligible donors. These emails provide valuable information such as matching gift forms and instructions for sending in these forms.

Educating qualified donors on their potential to submit a matching gift is a great way to boost your fundraising revenue goals. You can customize these emails to match your school's distinct branding. This helps build up a rapport with donors and elevates a level of trust.

Donor Matching Auto Submission

Auto submission donor matching lets donors view their eligibility for matching donations directly from the main donation page. As soon as a donation is made, the donor will be informed of their gift-matching status.

You can add an Employer Search field to your donation forms and embed a Matching Gift Search Tool on your fundraiser's website.

This takes the guesswork out of the gift-matching process. Streamlining a donor's ability to make matching gifts ensures you can increase your overall fundraising impact.

Pricing

Double the Donation has three separate pricing tiers based on usage and fundraising needs.

The 360MatchPro Standard Small Nonprofit Plan is only for organizations with $10,000 in annual matching gift revenue and less than $1 million in annual total revenue, for $999 per year. It has a maximum of 5,000 donation transactions.
The 360MatchPro Standard is the most popular choice. It's recommended for organizations looking to raise more than $10,000 in annual matching gift revenue. Pricing starts at $2,500+ per year.
The 360MatchPro Enterprise plan may not be for many small- to moderate-sized schools. Its pricing starts at $30,000 per year.

13. e-Funds for Schools

e-Funds for Schools (EFS) offers a wide variety of payment solutions for K-12 educational institutions. EFS can be a good option for schools looking for fundraising software.

However, this may depend on certain factors such as the size of your educational institution and budgetary needs. It may also rely on your individual fundraising needs and revenue goals.

Consider the features of EFS for fundraising.

Online Platform

EFS provides a secure online platform for parents and guardians to make payments for various school-related fees. This includes lunches and field trips.

It also encompasses activity fees and even fundraising donations. Donations can also be sent to multiple groups.

EFS eliminates the need to only accept cash or check payments. You can expand into credit and debit cards and direct debits.

EFS software even lets you set up autopay and recurring payments. It can help simplify collection and recordkeeping for schools, as well as students and their families.

24/7 Accessibility

The EFS system is accessible 24/7 through any web-enabled device. This allows parents to make payments at their own convenience, even outside of regular school hours.

A mobile payment function makes it easy for donors to give from a designated app or mobile-optimized web page. EFS uses secure encryption technology to protect financial information.

Automation and Integration

The EFS software can automate many tasks, such as sending payment reminders and reconciling accounts. It can also send payment receipts. This can save schools precious time and resources that can be directed elsewhere.

EFS can integrate with existing school management systems, such as PowerSchool. These integrations help streamline data management and reduce duplicate entries.

The EFS fundraising platform provides detailed reports on fundraising activity. In doing so, it allows schools to track their progress and make informed decisions regarding future fundraising efforts.

Cost

e-Funds for Schools charges a $1.50 transaction fee for each electronic checking payment made. They also charge an average convenience fee of $2.95 for payments made by debit or credit card for each $100 transaction increment.

For those looking to lower the processing cost of payments and donations, the direct debit option can save around 60 percent on fees.

Nonspecified optional fees are also available for payment whenever a parent pays for student fees or funds meal accounts. This may also apply to ticket purchases tickets or when a parent donates to a fundraising cause.

14. MySchoolBucks

The MySchoolBucks payment software primarily focuses on meal payments and payments relating to school fees and activities.

While not exclusively in line with all of the other fundraising software for schools, MySchoolBucks does offer some features that can be helpful for fundraising management.

Here are some ways you can use MySchoolBucks as school fundraising software.

Fundraising Events

If your fundraiser involves an event with limited attendance, you can sell tickets directly through MySchoolBucks. This simplifies ticket sales and tracking while offering parents a convenient payment option.

You can see the projected attendance and track payments made for each ticket. For special school fundraising raffles, you can set up a donation item specifically for raffle entries.

You can then specify the number of entries each donation receives. This makes selling and tracking raffle ticket sales easy and transparent.

Use MySchoolBucks announcements and messaging tools to promote your fundraising drives. You can share information about your fundraising campaign, including any deadlines and special goals.

You can also share links to donation pages through the messaging and announcements portal.

Donations

You can create and set up items specifically for donations. This will allow users to contribute any amount they wish. These donations can be designated toward specific funds or initiatives within the school, such as the band or the football team.

MySchoolBucks customization options let you set a minimum or maximum donation amount. You can choose whether the donation item appears prominently on the MySchoolBucks website. You can also limit its availability to specific schools and grades or homerooms.

MySchoolBucks provides a record of all donations made, including donor information along with amounts and designated funds. This helps you track contributions and monitor progress.

It also keeps a record of donors so you can thank your supporters for the donations they made.

Cost

MySchoolBucks does not list the costs associated with using their software on their website.

MySchoolBucks charges transaction fees for any payments, including donations. You must contact MySchoolBucks to verify any fees up front. Be sure to communicate these fees to potential donors and factor them into your fundraising goals.

15. 99Pledges

99Pledges fundraising software for schools offers a notably altruistic approach to fundraising with its free-to-use services. They aim their efforts at helping schools create "a-thon" style fundraisers such as jog-a-thons and dance-a-thons along with other types of fundraising efforts like color runs.

These are some of the notable features and advantages provided by 99Pledges.

User-Friendly Platform

99Pledges provides a user-friendly school fundraising software platform that is easy for both schools and participants to navigate. 99Pledges will even set up your fundraising campaign for you for free.

All the pledge pages on 99Pledges are mobile-friendly as well. This allows donors to make flat donations wherever they are. They may also be able to make a performance-based pledge for certain fundraisers like $3 per hit or $2 per shot.

Online Fundraising

The platform facilitates online fundraising with powerful and simple real-time reporting. This allows schools to reach a broader audience beyond their immediate community. You'll also have access to a dedicated fundraising coach.

You can accept donations securely through credit card and PayPal and use digital wallet options like ApplePay and GooglePay.

Customizable Fundraising Pages

Schools can create customizable fundraising pages to showcase their specific revenue goals or objectives and see the impact of the funds raised. Each student and participant gets their own dedicated fundraising page.

These pages let you add photos and personalize a header for your cause. They also feature a bio section to tell your fundraising story. Fundraising pages enable you to view top donation contributors and group standings.

Social Media Integration

Social media is one of the top ways to spread the word about your fundraising efforts. The 99Pledges platform integrates with social media like Facebook and Twitter (X).

This allows schools to share their fundraising campaign with family and friends. Embedded widgets connect to share your pledge pages with ease.

99Pledges also makes it easy for participants to easily share their fundraising pages through email. A custom link featured on the pledge page can be copied and pasted into emails.

Cost

99Pledges does not charge a start-up fee or a platform fee for its initial use. They keep their services free through optional donor tips made at the time of a donation.

The only charge is a standard credit card fee of 2.9 percent, with an additional 30 cents per transaction that goes toward credit card company fees.

The 99Pledges software platform also offers free cash and check tracking. This can make it an ideal alternative to more costly fundraising software for schools, especially those on a tight budget.

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