WhyDonate
European nonprofits and individuals who want a transparent, low-fee, GDPR-native crowdfunding platform with broad multilingual and multi-currency support.
An EU-headquartered donation crowdfunding platform with a 0% platform fee and full EEA data residency, built for nonprofits, schools, and individual fundraisers across Europe.
- Founded
- 2014
- Headquartered in
- NL
- Audience
- Nonprofits, Individuals, Schools, Sports clubs, Medical
- Funding model
- Keep What You Raise
- Platform fee
- 0% + tip
- Payment processing fee
- 1.4% + NZ$0.25
- Recipient gets
- NZ$98.35 / NZ$100
- Data residency
- EEA
- Countries
- 115
- Languages
- 19
- Trustpilot
- 4.9 / 5
- Last updated
- 2026-06-09
WhyDonate is the parent company of Givingplatforms. We’ve included WhyDonate in this comparison because it operates in the same market — read our methodology for how we mitigate bias. Read the methodology →
Our overall editorial assessment. Full weights are published in the methodology.
The review
WhyDonate is an Amsterdam-based donation crowdfunding platform founded in 2014 with the goal of making fundraising globally accessible to nonprofits, schools, sports clubs, and individuals. The platform operates on a 0% platform-fee model funded by voluntary donor tips, so the recipient organization keeps everything except the unavoidable payment-processing fee charged at cost by the underlying payment provider.
The platform is fully GDPR-compliant with EEA data residency, which matters for European nonprofits handling donor data under European privacy law. WhyDonate supports a broad range of local and global payment methods — iDEAL in the Netherlands, Bancontact in Belgium, SEPA Direct Debit across the Eurozone, Klarna across Europe and the US, plus country-specific rails like Twint (CH), Swish (SE), MobilePay (DK/FI), Vipps (NO), Blik and Przelewy24 (PL), Cartes Bancaires (FR), Satispay (IT), MultiBanco / MB Way (PT), EPS (AT), and Billie (NL) — alongside global options like cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, Link, and Revolut Pay.
Verified nonprofits can access reduced rates and additional tools for recurring giving and donor management. The interface is available in 19 languages (English, Dutch, Spanish, German, French, Bulgarian, Greek, Italian, Hungarian, Danish, Polish, Swedish, Finnish, Romanian, Portuguese, Slovak, Croatian, Czech, Ukrainian) and the platform processes donations in 27 currencies, with fundraisers accessible in 116 countries worldwide.
WhyDonate competes most directly with GoFundMe in the European market on the strength of its EU-native payment rails, transparent pricing, and GDPR compliance — three properties that matter more to European organizers than to the average US-based fundraiser.
What’s good, what’s not.
- ✓Zero platform fee with a transparent voluntary-tip model
- ✓EEA data residency and GDPR-native compliance
- ✓Broad coverage of local European payment rails (iDEAL, Bancontact, Klarna, Twint, Swish, MobilePay, Vipps, Blik, Cartes Bancaires, Satispay, MultiBanco, EPS) plus global rails (cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, Link, Revolut Pay)
- ✓19-language interface and 27 supported currencies for cross-border fundraising
- ✓Fundraisers accessible in 116 countries worldwide
- ✓Dedicated nonprofit verification with reduced payment rates
- −Smaller global brand recognition than US-based competitors
- −Newer entrant relative to legacy platforms
- −Smaller review base on Trustpilot than competitors (though strongly positive)
Where each NZ$100 actually goes.
Fees vary by payment method. We default to Credit card because that’s the dominant method in New Zealand.
| Payment method | Per transaction | Of NZ$100, recipient gets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| iDEAL | — | NZ$99.65 | iDEAL & Bancontact: flat EUR 0.35; 0% platform fee. |
| Bancontact | — | NZ$99.65 | iDEAL & Bancontact: flat EUR 0.35; 0% platform fee. |
| SEPA Direct Debit | 1.9% + NZ$0.25 | NZ$97.85 | Standard 1.9% + EUR 0.25 rate; 0% platform fee. |
| EPS | 1.9% + NZ$0.25 | NZ$97.85 | Standard 1.9% + EUR 0.25 rate; 0% platform fee. |
| TWINT | 1.9% + NZ$0.25 | NZ$97.85 | Standard 1.9% + EUR 0.25 rate; 0% platform fee. |
| Credit card | 1.9% + NZ$0.25 | NZ$97.85 | 1.9% + EUR 0.25 on EUR/GBP cards; 2.9% + USD 0.30 on USD cards; 0% platform fee. |
| PayPal | 1.9% + NZ$0.25 | NZ$97.85 | Standard 1.9% + EUR 0.25 rate; 0% platform fee. |
| Apple Pay | 1.9% + NZ$0.25 | NZ$97.85 | Standard 1.9% + EUR 0.25 rate; 0% platform fee. |
| Google Pay | 1.9% + NZ$0.25 | NZ$97.85 | Standard 1.9% + EUR 0.25 rate; 0% platform fee. |
115 countries · 19 languages · 24 payment methods.
Better-fit alternatives to WhyDonate.
Our curated shortlist — the platforms we’d actively recommend instead of WhyDonate for fundraising in New Zealand, with the figures behind the call. For the full, neutral index of every side-by-side, see Compare with below.
Raisely lets more of each donation through than WhyDonate — NZ$98.30 reaches the recipient per 100, against NZ$97.85.
See how WhyDonate stacks up head-to-head.
Frequently asked questions
What does WhyDonate charge?
WhyDonate charges a 0% platform fee with an optional voluntary donor tip on top, plus 1.4% + NZ$0.25 in payment processing per donation.
Where is WhyDonate based?
WhyDonate was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in NL. Data residency is EEA.
Which countries does WhyDonate operate in?
WhyDonate operates in 115 countries including major European markets and English-speaking markets.
Is WhyDonate suitable for nonprofits?
Yes. WhyDonate explicitly targets nonprofit organizations and offers verified-status workflows.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.