# Give Lively

> US 501(c)(3) nonprofits seeking a fully underwritten, no-cost fundraising toolkit - campaign pages, text-to-donate, peer-to-peer, and events - backed by philanthropist founders rather than platform charges.

A philanthropist-funded US fundraising platform for 501(c)(3) nonprofits, founded in 2015, offering campaign pages, donation widgets, text-to-donate, peer-to-peer, and events at no cost to members.

## Editorial score: 5.9 / 10

## The review

Give Lively is a US fundraising platform founded in 2015 with an unusual model: it is built and run by philanthropists who cover the company's operating costs so that member nonprofits are never charged for the software. It serves only US 501(c)(3) organizations, reviewing each membership application, and reports thousands of active member nonprofits.

Because its founders underwrite operations, Give Lively does not levy platform charges on nonprofits; it is sustained instead by voluntary donor tips. Payment processing is handled through partners including Stripe, Shift4, PayPal, and DAFpay by Chariot, and donors can opt to cover processing costs so organizations retain the full value of each gift, with rapid disbursement and no holding period.

Give Lively's strength is cost: a genuinely underwritten toolkit lets nonprofits keep more of what they raise, and its feature set - campaign pages, donation widgets, text-to-donate, events, peer-to-peer, and team fundraising - covers the essentials well. The trade-off is strict eligibility: membership is limited to US 501(c)(3) nonprofits aligned with the founders' values, so individuals, non-US organizations, and for-profits cannot use it. For qualifying US nonprofits this is compelling; for everyone else it is simply unavailable.

The platform has helped members raise well over a billion dollars and emphasizes the savings members realize versus paid fundraising software. Operations are US-based, including support on US time and US-oriented payment processing, so it offers no European local payment rails and is not designed for cross-border fundraising.

## What’s good

- Underwritten by philanthropist founders, so member nonprofits are not charged for the software.
- Full toolkit: campaign pages, donation widgets, text-to-donate, peer-to-peer, team fundraising, and events.
- Donors can opt to cover processing, helping organizations keep the full gift.
- Rapid disbursement with no holding period.
- Multiple processing partners (Stripe, Shift4, PayPal, DAFpay by Chariot).

## What’s not

- Eligibility is restricted to US 501(c)(3) nonprofits that pass a values-aligned review.
- Not available to individuals, for-profits, or organizations outside the US.
- US-based operations and processing, with no European local payment rails.
- Sustainability depends on continued philanthropic funding rather than earned revenue.

## Fees

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Headquartered in | US |
| Funding model | Optional tip |
| Platform fee | 0% + tip |
| Payment processing fee | 2.2% + $0.30 |
| Recipient gets | $97.50 / $100 |
| Data residency | US |
| Countries | 1 |
| Languages | 0 |
| Trustpilot | 3.3 / 5 (1) |
| Last updated | 2026-06-03 |

## Coverage

**Countries:** US

**Languages:** —

**Payment methods supported:** Card, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo

**Website:** https://www.givelively.org


## FAQ

### What does Give Lively charge?

Give Lively charges a 0% platform fee with an optional voluntary donor tip on top, plus 2.2% + $0.30 in payment processing per donation.

### Where is Give Lively based?

Give Lively was founded in — and is headquartered in US. Data residency is US.

### Which countries does Give Lively operate in?

Give Lively operates in 1 countries including major European markets and English-speaking markets.

### Is Give Lively suitable for nonprofits?

Give Lively’s primary audience is individual fundraisers and groups; nonprofits can use the platform but may find specialized alternatives better suited.