Creative Fundraisers
What people raise for in Creative
Creative fundraisers are for the work that has no budget behind it yet, whether that's an album that needs studio time, a documentary that needs one more shoot, a first novel, a stage run, or a podcast that has outgrown a laptop microphone. The people who give are usually the ones already waiting for it: the mailing list, the room at the last show, the friends who have heard the rough mixes. You aren't starting cold, and that changes what your page has to do. It only has to give the people who already believe in the work one place to put money and one place to watch it get made.
Say plainly what the money covers, because a short breakdown does more work than a long pitch: studio days, mixing, mastering, artwork, festival fees, the printing bill. When givers can see where the money goes, they give more readily. Then write the reason behind the work in your own words. You're not filling in a grant application, so don't wait for perfect language.
How to start an online fundraiser for a creative project
Setup runs about ten minutes, and there's nothing to apply for. Create an account, open My Fundraisers, and click Start a GiveSendGo. From there you'll pick the recipient's country, set a goal, choose a category, write your title and story, and add a photo or a short video before you publish. Your title can run up to 50 characters and your story anywhere from 200 to 10,000, so there's room to write properly. If a blank page is what's stopping you, MICA, GiveSendGo's AI writing assistant, will draft a story from a short description and you can edit it from there.
What tends to separate a fundraiser that moves from one that stalls:
- A goal that matches the real budget rather than a round number.
- A breakdown of what the money covers, item by item.
- Photos that look like the work, or a short video where you speak straight to the camera.
- A direct ask, written in your own words.
- Updates as things happen, and sharing that keeps going after the first post.
What it costs to run one
GiveSendGo doesn't take a cut. There's no platform fee. What's deducted is the payment processor's fee: 2.7% + 30¢ per gift for US fundraisers, 3.5% + 30¢ outside the US. On a $100 gift to a US fundraiser, $97 reaches you.
On the gifts you're most likely to see, that works out like this:
| Gift | US (2.7% + 30¢) | Non-US (3.5% + 30¢) |
|---|---|---|
| $25 | $24.03 | $23.83 |
| $50 | $48.35 | $47.95 |
| $100 | $97.00 | $96.20 |
| $250 | $242.95 | $240.95 |
Non-USD fundraisers may also see currency exchange fees set by the payment processor.
One more setting to know about before you publish. When you create a fundraiser you can pledge a percentage of what you raise to GiveSendGo, and if you set it, that amount is added on top of each gift and shown to your givers at checkout, so some read it as a platform fee. It's editable any time in your fundraiser Settings, and it only applies to gifts that come in after you change it.
When the money reaches you
Your first gift becomes available 5 days after it's received. Every gift after that becomes available on a rolling 3-day basis. Once you request a transfer, it typically lands in your bank within 2 to 3 business days. Non-USD transfers can take longer.
Request a transfer from your fundraiser's Transfers tab whenever funds are available, or switch to scheduled transfers that go out weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. A manual transfer sends your whole available balance, and once one is approved you wait 24 hours before requesting another. There's no extra fee for taking several smaller transfers instead of one large one. If you're in the US, connect a checking account rather than a savings account, because US transfers go out as checking transactions and a savings account can be rejected by the bank.
Who receives the money
The recipient must be 18 or older, live in the fundraiser's country, and have a bank account there. That can be you. Every recipient completes identity verification before any transfer, which begins once the ID is uploaded and the first gift has come in, and typically finishes 1 to 2 business days after that.
Four things to settle before you publish:
- You don't need a nonprofit or an EIN. Anyone can start a fundraiser.
- Choose the country carefully, because the recipient's country can't be changed after the fundraiser is created.
- Pick the Business bank account type if the money should land in a band's or a production company's account rather than a personal one.
- Upload the ID early, since verification has to clear first.
After the first gifts come in
Post updates as the work moves, whether that's the studio booked, the edit locked, or the proof copy finally in your hands. Thank the people who gave, in a comment reply or in an update, and set a custom thank-you message so everyone hears something back. Share the fundraiser more than once, and ask the friends closest to the work first, because early support is what tells everyone else this is real.
If you came here to support somebody else's work instead, the projects listed above are open now.
Common questions
How do I start a fundraiser for a creative project online?
Create a GiveSendGo account, then go to My Fundraisers and click Start a GiveSendGo. You'll pick the recipient's country, set a goal, choose a category, write your title and story, add a photo or video, then publish or save it for later. Setup takes about ten minutes.
Can I raise money for my own album, film, or book?
Yes. You can be your own recipient as long as you're 18 or older, live in the fundraiser's country, and have a bank account there. There's nothing to apply for and no nonprofit status involved. What GiveSendGo does require is that you're transparent about how the funds will be used, and fundraisers that mislead givers aren't allowed.
What does GiveSendGo charge?
GiveSendGo doesn't take a cut. There's no platform fee. What's deducted is the payment processor's fee: 2.7% + 30¢ per gift for US fundraisers, 3.5% + 30¢ outside the US. On a $100 gift to a US fundraiser, $97 reaches you. Non-USD fundraisers may also see currency exchange fees set by the payment processor.
When can I actually get the money?
Your first gift becomes available 5 days after it's received. Every gift after that becomes available on a rolling 3-day basis. Once you request a transfer, it typically lands in your bank within 2 to 3 business days. Non-USD transfers can take longer. You can request manually from the Transfers tab, or set scheduled transfers weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
Do I need a nonprofit or an EIN?
No. Anyone can start a fundraiser.
Can the money go to my band's or production company's bank account?
Yes. When the recipient sets up bank details they can choose the Business account type, entering the legal business name and the business's own bank details, so funds land in the organization's account rather than a personal one. The person filling that out is still an individual, 18 or older, who completes identity verification as the authorized representative.
Is money I raise for a creative project taxable income?
In most cases no. Funds raised are generally treated as personal gifts rather than taxable income, as long as nothing is given in exchange for the gift, and GiveSendGo doesn't issue 1099s to recipients or report gifts to the IRS. If your fundraiser involves a business, or you're giving givers something in return, the IRS may treat it differently. That's a question for a tax professional, not for us.
Is a gift to my project tax-deductible for the person giving?
Nothing given on GiveSendGo is tax-deductible unless it goes through GiveSendGo Charities, the 501(c)(3). That includes the Giver Army, which is Charities' recurring giving program. The one exception is a recipient that is itself a verified 501(c)(3). GiveSendGo itself is not a 501(c)(3), does not verify any recipient's tax status, and does not issue tax receipts for a personal fundraiser. When the recipient is a nonprofit, the receipt comes from them, not from us.
Which category should I choose, and why isn't my fundraiser listed in Creative yet?
Pick the closest match. Category doesn't affect how well a fundraiser can do, and you can change it later. A fundraiser appears in its category listing once it has been published for 5 days and has raised $100 USD or the equivalent in online gifts. Offline gifts don't count toward that. Newly published fundraisers can also take up to 48 hours to show up in GiveSendGo search. Until then the direct link works fine, signed in or not.
Can I run more than one fundraiser?
Yes. One account can run more than one fundraiser, so the record and the tour don't have to share a page.
