{"id":110220,"date":"2024-07-19T17:37:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T22:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snapraise.com\/?p=110220"},"modified":"2025-02-10T22:15:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T04:15:03","slug":"the-cost-of-free-fundraising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snapraise.com\/blog\/the-cost-of-free-fundraising\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cost of \u201cFree\u201d Fundraising"},"content":{"rendered":"

5 Hidden Costs to Consider When Choosing a Fundraising Solution<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Many fundraising solutions are advertising that they are completely free to use. Competitors love to point at our service <\/span>fee<\/span> and <\/span>try to make it out as <\/span>a bad thing<\/span>.<\/span> The simple truth is that you get what you pay for. <\/span>When a fundraiser claims it is \u201cfree<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d there are many hidden costs<\/span> and drawbacks that you need to be aware of as a coach, group leader, athletic director, or parent.<\/span> Here are 5 costs you need to consider when choosing the online fundraising platform you want to work with:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Selling data:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

If <\/span>you\u2019re<\/span> not paying for their service, chances are that <\/span>you\u2019re<\/span> not their customer \u2013 <\/span>you’re<\/span> their product. All businesses need to make money somehow, and <\/span>we\u2019ve<\/span> discovered that many \u201cfree\u201d online fundraisers make their money by selling <\/span>user data. They take the information they get from you, your participants, and your donors and sell it <\/span>to<\/span> advertisers<\/span>, data brokers, and other businesses<\/span>. This is how you end up in random mailing lists or getting endless spam calls. <\/span>It is especially risky behavior for any team or group with participants under the age of 18.<\/span> No child (or any adult, in our <\/span>opinion<\/span>) deserves to have their personal information sold under the guise of fundraising. <\/span>That\u2019s<\/span> why Snap! Raise is committed to never selling or sharing user data. <\/span>And because we have a straightforward service fee, <\/span>we\u2019ll<\/span> never need to<\/span>,<\/span> which means your program\u2019s data is always safe with us.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Co-mingling funds:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Do you know how funds are managed by the <\/span>fundraising <\/span>platform you work with? <\/span>S<\/span>ome Snap! Raise c<\/span>ompetitors<\/span> are known to co-mingle funds. That means that when you raise money with them, <\/span>it goes into a pool with every other team and program they work with all over the country. Then, they pay you<\/span> from that pool<\/span> of funds<\/span>, instead of directly from the donations made to your program. <\/span>This is a safety risk for your funds. <\/span>You <\/span>wouldn\u2019t<\/span> set up a shared bank account with the school next door, so why <\/span>would you do that with your fundraisers? <\/span><\/span>At Snap! Raise, we ensure that the dollars donated to your program are the same ones you receive in your final check. We set up individual<\/span> bank<\/span> accounts for each fundraiser to ensure sec<\/span>urity and clear reporting on the funds you receive!<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

3. No outreach:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Many<\/span> \u201cfree\u201d online fundraisers <\/span>create<\/span> a webpage for your program, but <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> help <\/span>promote<\/span> it or connect you<\/span>r program to donors. <\/span>This means a lot more time and effort on your part to get donations! You <\/span>will <\/span>have to handle all the outreach, write the messaging, and <\/span>share<\/span> the link everywhere. <\/span>P<\/span>articipants will have to use their personal email and phone number to share their fundraiser<\/span>. <\/span>At Snap! Raise, we have a proven approach to fundraising<\/span> that has been fine-tuned over <\/span>a <\/span>decade of working with teams like yours. <\/span>Our dedicated reps help you set up your campaign and guide participants through the process of adding donor email addresses and phone numbers. We handle the rest with automated email and text message outreach and payment collection.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. No support team or dedicated reps:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

No one wants to waste their time chatting with a <\/span>bot<\/span> or waiting on hold with a call center. \u201cFree\u201d fundraisers typically <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> have the funds to have in-house su<\/span>pport teams, dedicated sales reps, or account managers. <\/span>Snap! Raise is known for our high<\/span>–<\/span>quality, responsive su<\/span>pport team<\/span>, made up of <\/span>real people ready to help you<\/span> with your fundra<\/span>iser<\/span>! When you work with us, you also build relationship<\/span>s<\/span> with our sales reps and account managers, who care deeply about your program and getting you the funds you need.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 No improvements:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cFree\u201d fundraising companies are not focused on the longe<\/span>vity of their business or on making improvements for their customers. If the<\/span>y make their money by selling your data, they only need to make it easier for them to get more info from you and your program, so they <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> invest in tech improvements for the customer. Snap! Raise is continually striving to build the best technology for online fundraising. With the release of <\/span>the Snap! Mobile app<\/a><\/span>\u00a0earlier this year<\/span>, <\/span>the <\/span>addition of <\/span>new features like guardian-led fundraisers<\/a> and digital discount cards<\/a>, and improvements to the participant and group leader experience<\/a> in our platform<\/span>,<\/span> we set a high standard f<\/span>or tech innovation in the athletics and activities space that free fundraising c<\/span>ompan<\/span>ies simply <\/span>can\u2019t<\/span> keep up with.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

Value goes beyond price. With how many online fundraising alternatives are out there, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> hard to know the <\/span>real costs<\/span> of some of the cheaper tools<\/span>, but we hope the info we shared<\/span> here<\/span> helps you make the best decision for your program<\/span>. <\/span>C<\/span>hoosing Snap! Raise is the safest, most secure solution that delivers the most bang for your buck<\/span>, and <\/span>we\u2019re<\/span> ready to help you start fundraising today! Connect with one of our fundraising experts to learn more about Snap! Raise.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
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