# Donation crowdfunding · Finland

Why Finland's Money Collection Act decides who is even allowed to fundraise — and what the platforms, payment rails and tax office expect from donors and fundraisers.

Finland is unusual in Europe: open public fundraising is licensed. Under the Money Collection Act (rahankeräyslaki), asking the public for money with nothing given in return generally requires a money collection permit from the National Police Board (Poliisihallitus) — and permits are granted to registered associations and foundations, not to private individuals. A lighter route, the small-scale collection, lets you raise up to €10,000 over a maximum of three months after notifying the police at least five working days in advance. This shapes everything about donation crowdfunding here: the credible platforms are the ones built around licensed nonprofits.

On payments, Finns pay by bank. Online bank payments (verkkomaksu) and the mobile wallet MobilePay carry the bulk of online giving — MobilePay alone passes two million users and drives the majority of mobile donations for major charities such as UNICEF Finland and the Finnish Red Cross. Cards (Visa and Mastercard) and the re-launched instant rail Siirto round out the mix. Bank-based rails settle cheaply, so platforms that pass those costs through deliver more of each euro to the recipient than those routing donations over card rails.

Financial services and crowdfunding fall under Finanssivalvonta (FIN-FSA); fundraising permits under the National Police Board; donor data under the EU GDPR (tietosuoja). Tax is administered by Vero, the Finnish Tax Administration — and Finland gives donors almost no deduction, which is the headline of the donor section below.

## Facts

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Currency | EUR |
| Regulators | National Police Board (Poliisihallitus), Finanssivalvonta (FIN-FSA) |
| Payment methods | mobilepay, online-banking, card, siirto, apple-pay, paypal |

## Platforms

1. **4fund.com** — £100.00/£100 · Individuals, charities, and small organisations across the EEA who want a multilingual, no-commission fundraiser backed by an established Polish crowdfunding operator with EU payment-institution licensing.
2. **WhyDonate** — £98.35/£100 · EU nonprofits — 0% fee, MobilePay + bank, GDPR-native
3. **iRaiser** — £97.85/£100 · Established European nonprofits, foundations, hospitals, and cultural institutions that want branded, self-hosted fundraising tools — forms, peer-to-peer, crowdfunding, and events — under their own identity.
4. **GoFundMe** — £96.80/£100 · Personal causes — broad brand reach
5. **Donorbox** — £94.55/£100 · Embeddable forms for Finnish nonprofits
6. **Fundraise Up** — £93.50/£100 · Mid-size and large nonprofits running international online fundraising that want to maximize donation conversion with modern wallets, local payment rails, and multi-currency checkout.
7. **GoGetFunding** — £92.80/£100 · Individual fundraisers running personal, medical, or emergency campaigns who prefer a fundraiser-paid platform fee over donor tipping, with broad international country availability.
8. **Chuffed** — £92.20/£100 · Nonprofits, social enterprises, and community-cause organisers in 29 supported countries who want a 100%-free, tip-funded platform and are willing to complete identity verification before launching.
9. **StartSomeGood** — £92.10/£100 · Nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, and changemakers running social-impact crowdfunding campaigns who want a flexible 'tipping point' funding model rather than strict all-or-nothing.
10. **Leetchi** — £90.85/£100 · Group collections and informal pots
11. **Steady** — £87.10/£100 · European creators, independent journalists, podcasters, and publishers who want recurring income from paying members rather than one-off donation campaigns.
12. **Mesenaatti.me** — £84.00/£100 · Finnish artists, associations, nonprofits, and startups running reward-based or donation crowdfunding in euro who want a domestic platform that handles Finnish fundraising-permit requirements.

## FAQ

### Do I need a permit to fundraise in Finland?

Usually, yes. Under the Money Collection Act, asking the public for donations generally requires a money collection permit from the National Police Board, which is granted to registered associations and foundations. A small-scale collection — up to €10,000 over three months — is possible after notifying the police five working days in advance. A private individual cannot run an open donation collection without one of these routes.

### Which platforms work in Finland?

The platforms in the table above operate in Finland and support local rails. Because fundraising is licensed, the strongest fit is usually a platform built around registered nonprofits, with MobilePay and online bank payments native and EEA data residency.

### Are donations tax-deductible in Finland?

For private individuals, almost never. There is no general charitable deduction; the only one is for gifts of €850–€500,000 to a publicly funded university or higher-education institution for science or the arts. Companies can deduct certain donations under separate rules.

### Will I be taxed on money I raise?

If you are an individual receiving gifts, gift tax (lahjavero) applies once gifts from the same donor reach €7,500 or more over three years (2026). Registered charities collecting under a permit follow charity rules. Giving goods or services in return can make it taxable income or VAT instead.