Pledge
US-based individuals, nonprofits and purpose-driven companies that want a free-to-start fundraiser with a wide range of giving methods - cards, ACH, PayPal, Venmo, stock, donor-advised funds and crypto - plus Shopify and API-based embedded giving.
A US-headquartered, no-platform-fee donation platform operated by Pledgeling Technologies, funded by optional donor tips, with a broad set of giving methods spanning cards, crypto, stock and donor-advised funds.
- Funding model
- Optional tip
- Platform fee
- 0% + tip
- Payment processing fee
- 2.9% + $0.30
- Recipient gets
- $96.80 / $100
- Data residency
- US
- Countries
- 1
- Languages
- 1
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Our overall editorial assessment. Full weights are published in the methodology.
The review
Pledge, operated by San Francisco-based Pledgeling Technologies, Inc., is a fundraising and donation platform serving individual fundraisers, nonprofits and companies. It markets itself as a free fundraising platform and pairs consumer-facing donation tools with corporate and e-commerce giving, including a Shopify "Give & Grow" app that lets online stores collect donations at checkout.
Donations are received and regranted through the affiliated Pledgeling Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, and the company maintains fundraising registration across the US states that require it. There is no mandatory platform fee: Pledge relies on optional donor tipping, with an alternative model that applies a 5% fee when donors or partners cover costs. Card processing runs at 2.9% + 30c, lower-cost ACH bank transfers are supported, and a $5 monthly disbursement fee applies.
Pledge's standout strength is breadth of giving methods. Alongside cards and ACH it accepts PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, stock donations, donor-advised-fund grants and a range of cryptocurrencies, all converted and disbursed to nonprofits in US dollars. This suits US-based campaigns and brands that want modern, tax-efficient giving options. European organizations should note its US data residency and US-dollar settlement, which may not fit donors expecting local rails or euro payouts.
Beyond core donations, Pledge offers peer-to-peer fundraising, donation matching, recurring gifts, text-to-donate and QR flows, and a large verified-nonprofit database. For developers it exposes embedded-giving APIs and widgets, plus integrations with AI assistants, making it a fit for companies that want to build charitable giving directly into their own products and checkout flows.
What’s good, what’s not.
- ✓No mandatory platform fee - funded by optional donor tipping, with most donors choosing to cover the fees.
- ✓Exceptionally broad giving methods: cards, ACH, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, stock, donor-advised funds and cryptocurrency.
- ✓Donations are regranted through the Pledgeling Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, with multi-state US fundraising compliance.
- ✓Shopify "Give & Grow" app and embedded-giving APIs and widgets for e-commerce and product integrations.
- ✓Corporate-giving tools including donation matching and a large verified-nonprofit database.
- ✓Lower-cost ACH bank transfers alongside standard 2.9% + 30c card processing.
- −US data residency and US-dollar settlement may not suit European organizations or donors expecting euro payouts.
- −No native European payment rails such as iDEAL, Bancontact or SEPA Direct Debit.
- −A $5 monthly disbursement fee applies, and several methods (crypto, donor-advised funds, stock, offline) carry a 3-5% cut.
- −Crypto and some gifts are converted to US dollars before disbursement, which can add conversion costs for non-US nonprofits.
Where each $100 actually goes.
Fees vary by payment method. We default to Credit card because that’s the dominant method in the United States.
1 countries · 1 languages · 10 payment methods.
Better-fit alternatives to Pledge.
Our curated shortlist — the platforms we’d actively recommend instead of Pledge for fundraising in the United States, with the figures behind the call. For the full, neutral index of every side-by-side, see Compare with below.
Pledge keeps donor data in US; WhyDonate is EEA-resident and GDPR-native, so personal data never leaves the region.
Zeffy lets more of each donation through than Pledge — $100.00 reaches the recipient per 100, against $96.80.
JustGiving lets more of each donation through than Pledge — $97.80 reaches the recipient per 100, against $96.80.
See how Pledge stacks up head-to-head.
Frequently asked questions
What does Pledge charge?
Pledge charges a 0% platform fee with an optional voluntary donor tip on top, plus 2.9% + $0.30 in payment processing per donation.
Where is Pledge based?
Pledge was founded in — and is headquartered in —. Data residency is US.
Which countries does Pledge operate in?
Pledge operates in 1 countries including major European markets and English-speaking markets.
Is Pledge suitable for nonprofits?
Pledge’s primary audience is individual fundraisers and groups; nonprofits can use the platform but may find specialized alternatives better suited.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.