Event Fundraisers
Fundraising for an event: a wedding, a reunion, or a gathering
Some things are worth getting everybody in one room for, and most of them cost more than one household can carry. That's true of a wedding, a family reunion that pulls four states together, a class reunion or a church banquet, and a retreat nobody can afford the venue for. Fundraising for an event on GiveSendGo is how the people who want to be there help pay for the room they'll be sitting in.
You don't need a nonprofit and you don't need an EIN. Anyone can start a fundraiser. Log in, click Start a GiveSendGo, pick the recipient's country, set a goal, write what the gathering is and what the money covers, add a photo, and share the link. Be specific, because a fundraiser has to be transparent about how the funds will be used, and "$22 a plate for 90 people" gets further than a round number.
Work out three things before you publish:
- The real total, line by line: the venue, the food, the chairs, the deposit due first.
- Who the recipient will be, since one person or organization receives the money.
- When that deposit is due, because it sets how early you publish.
Who receives the money when a group is organizing
The recipient must be 18 or older, live in the fundraiser's country, and have a bank account there. If their country isn't supported, a trusted adult in a supported country can be named as recipient and pass the funds along. Every recipient completes identity verification before any transfer. The recipient's country can't be changed after the fundraiser is created.
For a committee, a church, or a reunion group, the funds don't have to sit in somebody's personal account. Whoever fills out the recipient's bank details can choose the Business account type, which takes the legal organization name and the organization's own bank details, so the money lands in the group's account. One person still stands behind it. An authorized representative, 18 or older, completes that form with a government-issued photo ID, a tax ID, and a bank account in the fundraiser's country. In the US, make it a checking account, since savings accounts can be rejected.
What GiveSendGo charges
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.
| 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 |
Two different optional amounts get called the tip. Every giver sees a suggested tip to GiveSendGo at checkout that they can set to any amount, including zero. Separately, you can send GiveSendGo a percentage of what you raise, and if you set that at creation it's added on top of each gift and shown to your givers at checkout, so some read it as a platform fee. That one is editable anytime in Settings.
The gatherings listed further up this page are raising right now. Back one of them
Having the money in hand by the date
Deposits come due long before the day itself, so publish earlier than the math suggests.
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 set transfers to go out weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, or request them manually from the Transfers tab. A manual transfer sends your whole available balance, and after one is approved you wait 24 hours before requesting another. Minimum transfer amounts vary by country. Verification of the recipient's ID and bank setup typically finishes in 1 to 2 business days, but it doesn't begin until the first gift lands, so that clock starts with your first giver rather than the day you publish.
Keeping a wedding or a family gathering out of public search
Not every celebration belongs in a public feed.
You can set your fundraiser to private: it stays out of GiveSendGo search results and category listings, so only people you send the link to will find it. Your name still shows to anyone who opens it.
GiveSendGo is a public platform, so creator and recipient names always display. Private keeps the fundraiser out of search. It doesn't hide who set it up.
What makes an event fundraiser work
Post updates while people are still giving, because an update brings a giver back a second time. Share the link more than once instead of counting on one post. One account can run more than one fundraiser, so a committee that does this every other year can start fresh each time.
A public fundraiser can take up to 48 hours to appear in GiveSendGo's search, and it joins a category listing here once it has been published 5 days and raised $100 USD in online gifts. Your own link works right away, so send it to the guest list yourself.
Common questions
Can I raise money for a wedding on GiveSendGo?
Yes. Anyone can start a fundraiser, and a wedding is a normal reason to run one. Say what the money covers. A fundraiser has to be transparent about how funds will be used.
Can we raise money for a family reunion, a class reunion, or a retreat?
Yes. Reunions, retreats, banquets, conferences, and anniversary celebrations all work the same way as any other fundraiser. No nonprofit status and no EIN are needed to publish one.
What does GiveSendGo charge?
Nothing. GiveSendGo doesn't take a cut and 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.
Who gets the money if a committee is organizing the event?
One named recipient does, and they must be 18 or older, live in the fundraiser's country, and have a bank account there. For a group, that person can choose the Business bank account type, which takes the legal organization name plus the organization's own bank details, so the funds land in the group's account rather than a personal one. They complete identity verification before any transfer.
How soon can we get the money out to pay a deposit?
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, and minimum transfer amounts vary by country.
Are gifts toward our event tax-deductible for the people who give?
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.
Can we keep a wedding fundraiser off public search?
Yes. You can set your fundraiser to private: it stays out of GiveSendGo search results and category listings, so only people you send the link to will find it. Your name still shows to anyone who opens it. GiveSendGo is a public platform, and creator and recipient names always display.
Is the money we raise for an event taxable income?
In most cases funds raised are 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 the event involves a business or gives givers something in return, the IRS may treat it differently. Take that one to a tax professional.
