Crowdrise Overview
Crowdsourced Fundraising Platform
Founded in May 2010, Crowdrise, a GoFundMe company, was a fundraising platform and payment processor that specializes in crowdsourced funding for individuals and non-profit merchant accounts. It was acquired by GoFundMe in 2017 and subsequently relaunched in March 2018. The company utilizes Network for Good and WePay as its back-end credit card processors. Crowdwise appears to have been fully integrated into the GoFundMe brand. It is now called GoFundMe Charity and no longer maintains a web presence outside of the GoFundMe domain.
Crowdrise Location and Ownership
Jeffrey and Robert Wolfe are the co-founders of Crowdrise, which is headquartered at 333 W 7th St Ste 200 Royal Oak, MI 48067.
Customer Reviews & Sentiment
Low Complaint Total
We are currently able to locate only a handful of negative Crowdrise reviews, none of which describe the service as a ripoff or a scam. These complaints cite varying issues, including but not limited to unclear pricing, poor customer service, delayed deposits, and fraudulent initiatives hosted on the platform. These complaints do not paint a picture of any widespread or persistent issues with Crowdrise’s customer service, and the overall number of complaints is low for a free service. These complaints are also counterbalanced by a few dozen positive testimonials for the company on sites like SiteJabber and CrowdsUnite.
Crowdrise Lawsuits
We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Crowdrise. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Crowdrise Customer Service Options
In general, most Crowdrise users seem satisfied with the service they receive. Crowdrise offers email support, live chat, social media channels, and an FAQ section for its users. Users subscribed to the platform’s “Premium” plan receive feedback from customer support within 4 hours. These contact options are close to what we expect from top-rated processors for great customer service.
Client Satisfaction Ratings
| Product & Service Complaints | 0 |
|---|---|
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 0 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 0 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 0 |
Under 10 Complaints
Crowdrise currently has no rating with the Better Business Bureau and is not accredited at this time. The company has received 0 complaints on its BBB profile.
What Merchants Say
Though Crowdrise hasn’t received any complaints on its BBB profile, the company has received two negative reviews in the past. One review describes a donor being overcharged:
I recently donated using Crowdrise but was charged 5 times for my donation. I have attempted to contact the company 3 times and have not received ANY help or response. No phone number listed, just an email form which they obviously do not pay attention to.
Not Enough Information
We agree with the BBB’s rating, but merchants should note that there are good reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s information.
Card Processing Rates & Fees
Two Pricing Plans
Crowdrise offers two pricing plans: “GoFundMe” and “Essential.” The GoFundMe plan is a free plan that charges 6% per transaction, but it also includes another 2.9% plus $0.30. It offers unlimited fundraising pages, instant access to funds, mobile optimization for donation pages, social sharing tools, and integrated event registration. The Premium plan does not list its monthly fee, but an earlier equivalent plan from Crowdrise was at $50 per month.
The Essential plan charges a reduced platform transaction fee of 5% plus 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction, for a total of 7.9% plus $0.30 per transaction. The Premium plan includes all of the Essential plan’s product features plus a dedicated success rep, a private training session, increased campaign visibility, custom branding, custom emails, double rewards points, and Salesforce integration.
Higher-Than-Average Fees
Crowdrise’s effective transaction fees do not compare favorably to industry averages under either plan. Although the company offers a free monthly plan, the accompanying per-transaction cost of 7.9% plus $0.30 is far greater than even the highest rates charged by most processors. Crowdrise may be appealing for some non-profit organizations due to its easy setup and full feature package, but in terms of basic payment processing, its costs are higher than could be found through a traditional merchant account on an interchange-plus pricing plan. Merchants should consider these cheaper options before signing up for service. There are no complaints that accuse the company of excessive or unexpected fees, so we will take that into account when scoring this section.
Bottom Line
A Great Fundraising Tool
Crowdrise rated as a solid payment processor for fundraisers and non-profit organizations. However, the company is no longer active as it was absorbed by GoFundMe. Non-profit organizations should still compare the service to the value offered by other top-rated non-profit credit card processors.
Crowdrise Rating
