Givealittle Alternatives in New Zealand: 6 Platforms Compared

Givealittle is New Zealand's best-known donation platform — but it's not the only option, and it's not the right fit for every fundraiser. The best alternative depends entirely on what you're raising for: simple personal donations suit Givealittle or GoFundMe, arts projects suit Boosted, and for product sales, vouchers, or a hybrid of donations and selling, Generous.nz is built for the job. Fees vary and change across all platforms, so check current rates before committing.

Whether you're a school selling vouchers, a sports club funding a season, or a family raising for a medical need, the platform you choose shapes how much you keep and what you can actually do. Here's an honest, up-to-date comparison of the main options available in Aotearoa.

The platforms compared

Platform	Best for	Fee model (typical)	NZ-focused
Givealittle	Personal and charity donation appeals	~5% platform fee + payment processing; donors often top up	Yes
GoFundMe	Personal donation appeals	No platform fee; payment processing applies	No
Boosted	Arts and creative projects	~5% platform fee on funds raised	Yes
PledgeMe	Donation and reward crowdfunding	Success fee — check current rates	Yes
Raised	Product fundraising for schools and clubs	~5% platform fee + processing	Yes
Generous.nz	Donations + product sales + vouchers in one place	5% + GST, invoiced — never taken from donations	Yes

Important: platform fees change, and some vary by payment method or campaign type. Treat this table as a starting point and always verify each platform's current pricing before you launch.

The platforms in detail

Givealittle remains the household name for donation appeals in New Zealand. It charges a platform fee (around 5%) plus payment processing, though donors can choose to top up their donation to cover those costs — which is why many fundraisers report an effective cost closer to 2%. It's a donation-only platform: you can't sell products or vouchers through it, and you're limited to the page structure Givealittle provides.

GoFundMe is the global donation giant, and it works fine for personal appeals. It typically charges no platform fee for personal fundraisers, with payment processing applied to each donation. However, it's not NZ-specific, support is less locally attuned, and its fee-free model can shift by region. There's no built-in product or voucher selling either — it's purely donation-based.

Boosted is the arts-focused crowdfunding platform run by The Arts Foundation. It's the right home for creative projects — exhibitions, films, albums, theatre productions — and charges a platform fee on funds raised. If your cause is artistic and you want a community that understands creative fundraising, Boosted is the natural fit.

PledgeMe is New Zealand's home-grown crowdfunding platform, covering donation, reward and equity crowdfunding. It suits structured campaigns with clear tiers and rewards, but its fee structure varies by campaign type, so you'll need to check current rates carefully. It's less suited to ongoing or hybrid fundraising.

Raised is a product-fundraising platform for NZ schools and clubs — selling pies, cheese, chocolates and other goods through your own storefront. It's strong for traditional product sales but less suited to hybrid campaigns that combine donations with vouchers or digital products.

Generous.nz is the only NZ platform built around the hybrid model: you can accept donations and sell products and vouchers for the same cause, all from one page. The fee is 5% + GST, invoiced separately and never taken from your donations — so every dollar a supporter gives goes straight to your cause. There are no setup fees: if you raise nothing, you owe nothing.

Fundraisers on Generous.nz can add products from the wholesale catalogue, keeping at least 10% of every sale, and the first $1,000 of wholesale sales is fee-free. Digital vouchers are delivered by email automatically, payments are processed securely through Stripe, and AI fraud screening helps keep campaigns safe. See what fundraising really costs for the full breakdown.

How to choose the right platform

Ask yourself three questions before you commit:

1. What are we raising for? A medical appeal for a family, an arts project, a school season, a community cause?
2. What do we want to offer supporters? Just a donation button — or products, vouchers, and experiences too?
3. How much control do we want over fees, branding and page design?

If your fundraiser is purely a donation appeal for a family or individual, Givealittle or GoFundMe are familiar, trusted choices. If you're an artist seeking project funding, Boosted understands your world. But if you want to sell products or vouchers alongside donations — or run a school or club fundraiser with local businesses — the hybrid model is the difference-maker.

That's why vouchers have become such an effective fundraising product: supporters get genuine value (a coffee, a haircut, a meal), and the cause earns income without the awkwardness of asking for a handout. It's a win-win that donation-only platforms simply can't offer.

When a hybrid platform makes the most sense

The hybrid model shines in specific situations. A school wanting to raise funds for a new adventure playground doesn't need to choose between a sausage sizzle and an online appeal — it can do both, plus sell vouchers to local cafés and retailers. A sports club funding a junior season can offer supporters the choice between a straight donation or buying a voucher they'd use anyway.

The practical advantages are significant. You run one campaign page instead of juggling multiple platforms. Supporters who don't want to donate can still contribute by buying something they'd purchase anyway. And because the fee is invoiced separately rather than deducted from donations, you always know exactly what your cause receives.

If you're weighing up whether this approach suits your situation, the guide to Givealittle alternatives covers the comparison in depth, and the step-by-step guide to getting started walks through how the hybrid model actually works in practice.

A note on donations and tax

Whatever platform you use, remember that only donations to approved donee organisations qualify for donation tax credits in New Zealand. Buying a voucher or product isn't a donation — even when part of the price supports a cause. If donors expect a tax credit, they need to donate directly to a registered charity, not purchase goods. Check the current IRD guidance for the latest rules.

Frequently asked questions

Is Givealittle still the best choice?

For simple personal donation appeals, yes — it's familiar, NZ-focused and trusted. But it's donation-only, so if you want to sell products or vouchers, you'll need another option or a second platform.

Which platform keeps the most of what we raise?

Fees vary and change, so check current rates. What matters as much as the percentage is the model: on Generous.nz the fee is invoiced separately and never taken from your donations, so supporters' contributions go straight to your cause.

Can I sell products on Givealittle?

No — Givealittle is donation-only. Selling products or vouchers requires a hybrid platform like Generous.nz, or a product-specific platform like Raised. If you want both donations and sales in one place, the hybrid model is your only option.

What's the best platform for a school fundraiser?

If you want to sell vouchers from local businesses alongside donations — which is a highly effective school model — a hybrid platform is the right fit. Schools benefit from offering parents and the community multiple ways to contribute, and digital vouchers remove the hassle of handling physical products.

Are these comparisons up to date?

Fees change, so treat this as a starting point and verify current pricing on each platform before you decide. What doesn't change is the structural difference: donation-only platforms can't sell products, and only hybrid platforms let you do both from one page.