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 i
- Optional tip
- Platform fee i
- 0% + tip
- Payment processing fee i
- 2.9% + $0.30
- Recipient gets i
- $96.80 / $100
- Data residency i
- US
- Registered entity i
- Pledgeling Technologies, Inc. d/b/a Pledge
- Refund policy i
- Charitable donations are final / non-refundable
- Payout speed i
- Slow
- Countries i
- 1
- Languages i
- 1
- Domain Rating i
- 76 / 100
- Transparency i
- 4 / 5
- 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 Kingdom.
Pledge doesn’t process payments in GBP. Pricing is shown in USD, its native currency.
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 Kingdom, with the figures behind the call.
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 the United States.
Which payment methods does Pledge support?
Pledge accepts Card, ACH, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Crypto, Stock, Daf, Check Wire.
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.