Best donation crowdfunding platforms in Australia
Which platform delivers the most of every Australian dollar to your cause — and what the ATO expects from donors and fundraisers.
On A$100 via Credit card, Zeffy delivers A$100.00 to the recipient.
“For an Australian cause, the strongest pick pairs a low platform fee with automated DGR receipts and local AUD settlement — because with cards dominating, the platform's fee and its DGR receipting matter more than the payment rail.”
Giving in Australia
Dominant payment methods, the local currency, regulators, and the tax regime — the context that decides which platform actually serves a campaign here.
Australia runs on cards. Roughly 41% of online payments are made by debit or credit card, with digital wallets — Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay — adding around 31% and growing fast on mobile. There is no domestic bank-transfer rail like iDEAL that dominates giving, so the per-donation story turns less on payment method and more on platform fees and on one question: does the recipient hold DGR status?
Tax-deductible giving in Australia hinges on Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) endorsement, granted by the ATO. A donor can claim a gift of $2 or more to a DGR-endorsed organisation — but not every registered charity is a DGR, so the donor and fundraiser sides of the tax question are genuinely different, which is why this guide splits them below.
Charities are overseen by the ACNC (the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission); payment and financial services sit under ASIC, with fundraising also licensed state-by-state. Donor data is governed by the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles, so platforms transacting and storing data locally in Australia carry a lighter compliance story than those routing donor data offshore.
Top platforms for Australia
Ranked by how much of every 100 donated reaches the recipient under the local method (switch it to see the ranking move). We exclude platforms without Trustpilot reviews; the full catalogue is on the index.
| # | Platform · best for | Recipient gets · per 100 | Trustpilot | Countries | Residency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | A$100.00 card rate* | 4.5/5 | 4 ctry | CA |
| 2 |  | A$97.80 1.9% + A$0.30 | 4.1/5 | 6 ctry | — |
| 3 |  | A$97.80 1.9% + A$0.30 | 4.9/5 | 115 ctry | EEA |
| 4 |  | A$97.50 2.2% + A$0.30 | 3.3/5 | 20 ctry | US |
| 5 |  | A$94.55 5.15% + A$0.30 | 4.0/5 | 23 ctry | — |
| 6 |  | A$92.80 6.9% + A$0.30 | 4.0/5 | 56 ctry | — |
| 7 |  | A$92.20 7.8% | 4.8/5 | 29 ctry | — |
Donation & taxes
The two questions readers most want answered — laid out as separate tracks so a donor and a fundraiser each find their own.
Tax is the reason many people land here. We split it cleanly: what a donor can deduct, and what a fundraiser might owe.
Researched · verified · 2026-06-02Is my gift tax-deductible?
In Australia a gift is deductible only if it goes to an organisation with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) endorsement — and the gift is $2 or more and is a genuine gift with nothing of value received in return.
- $2 minimum, to a DGR. You can claim a gift of money of $2 or more, but only where the recipient is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient by the ATO.
- Not every charity is a DGR. Many registered charities are not DGRs. Check the recipient on the ABN Lookup DGR listing before assuming a gift is deductible.
- It must be a genuine gift. If you receive a material benefit — a raffle ticket, dinner, or goods — it is not a deductible gift.
- Keep a receipt. Keep the DGR's receipt. For small cash gifts to bucket collections you can claim up to $10 total without one.
| Gift type | Deductible | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Gift of $2+ to a DGR | Yes | Genuine gift; keep a receipt |
| Gift to a non-DGR charity | No | Not DGR-endorsed |
| Gift where you get a benefit | No | Not a gift (e.g. raffle, dinner) |
| Bucket-collection cash (DGR) | Yes | Up to $10 total without a receipt |
- Marginal rate 16%
- ~$16 back
- Marginal rate 30%
- ~$30 back
- Marginal rate 45%
- ~$45 back
Do I owe tax on what I raise?
It depends on the nature of the campaign. The ATO treats a genuine donation-based campaign very differently from one run as a business or one that gives rewards in return.
- Genuine gifts are usually not income. If you are not carrying on a business or profit-making scheme, payments are not recurring, and you give nothing of value in return, donation-based amounts are generally not assessable income — the ATO likens them to receiving a gift.
- Rewards change the answer. If contributors receive goods, services or rights in return, the funds can be assessable income, and GST may apply.
- Running it as a business. If you expect to profit and run the project in a businesslike way, the funds raised are taken into account in working out your taxable profit.
- Charities and DGRs differ. A registered charity's donation income is generally exempt, and DGR endorsement lets it issue deductible receipts.
| Your situation | Likely treatment |
|---|---|
| Individual · genuine gifts, no reward, not a business | Usually not assessable |
| Reward-based (goods/services given in return) | May be assessable income + GST |
| Run as a business / profit-making scheme | Assessable income |
| Registered charity / DGR | Generally exempt |
- GST registration threshold
- $75,000 turnover
- Genuine donations
- Generally outside GST
This isn't tax advice. Crowdfunding situations vary — if your campaign offers rewards, is run as a business, or involves large single gifts, confirm your position with the ATO before you lodge.
Local payment methods
How donors in Australia actually pay — and why the method matters as much as the platform.
The default Australian method online. Percentage-based fees, so larger gifts cost more in absolute terms.
Fast-growing on mobile checkout — each wraps a card, so card fees apply.
Long-popular in Australia for one-off online gifts; fee structure typically sits above card.
Real-time bank-to-bank via PayID/Osko — low cost, used more by larger or older-donor gifts.
Bank-app bill payment offered by some established charities for recurring or larger gifts.
Occasionally offered at checkout; niche for donations and the most expensive path per dollar.
Because cards and wallets dominate, processing fees are broadly similar across platforms in Australia — so the bigger levers are the platform's own fee and whether it issues DGR receipts cleanly, not the payment rail.
Frequently asked
Platform and tax questions, together — because most people arrive with one of each.
Which platforms work in Australia?
Platforms operating in Australia include GoFundMe (live in AU since 2016), the Australian-owned mycause and GiveNow, and Chuffed for social-justice causes. The ranking leans on the platform's own fee and its DGR receipting as much as on processing rates, since cards dominate and processing costs are broadly similar.
Are donations tax-deductible in Australia?
Only when the recipient holds Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) endorsement from the ATO and the gift is $2 or more and is a genuine gift (you get nothing of value in return). Not every registered charity is a DGR — check the ABN Lookup DGR listing first. Gifts to individuals are not deductible.
Will I be taxed on money I raise?
If you are an individual running a genuine donation-based campaign — not a business, no recurring payments, nothing given in return — the ATO generally treats the funds like a gift, so they are usually not assessable income. Reward-based or business-like campaigns can be taxable, and GST may apply. Registered charities are generally exempt.
What's the cheapest way to receive donations here?
Because cards and digital wallets dominate, processing fees are broadly similar across platforms. The bigger levers are the platform's own fee and whether it settles funds locally in AUD and issues DGR receipts cleanly — those move the recipient-gets figure more than the payment method does.
Other countries
Same methodology, different jurisdiction.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.