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. Whether you're a school selling products, a 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 do.

Here's the short answer: the best alternative depends on what you're fundraising for. For simple personal donations, Givealittle and GoFundMe are the familiar options. For arts projects, Boosted. For product sales and vouchers — or a hybrid of donations and selling — Generous.nz is built for it. Fees vary and change, so check current rates before committing.

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 region. Treat the table as a starting point and always check each platform's current pricing.

The platforms in detail

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

GoFundMe is the global donation giant. It typically charges no platform fee for personal fundraisers, with payment processing applied to each donation. It works for personal appeals, but it's not NZ-specific, and its fee-free model can change by region. There's no built-in product or voucher selling.

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

PledgeMe is New Zealand's home-grown crowdfunding platform, covering donation, reward and equity crowdfunding. It suits structured campaigns, but check its current fee structure, which varies by campaign type.

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

Generous.nz is the only NZ platform built around the hybrid model: accept donations and sell products and vouchers for the same cause. The fee is 5% + GST, invoiced separately and never taken from your donations, and there are no setup fees — if you raise nothing, you owe nothing. Fundraisers can add products from the wholesale catalogue, keep at least 10% of every sale, and run everything from one page. See what fundraising really costs for the full breakdown.

How to choose

Ask yourself three questions:

1. What are we raising for? A medical appeal, an arts project, a school season, a community cause.
2. What do we want to offer supporters? Just donations — or products, vouchers and experiences too?
3. How much control do we want over fees and presentation? Platform fees vary, and so does the "feel" of each page.

If your fundraiser is purely a donation appeal for a family or individual, Givealittle or GoFundMe are familiar choices. If you're an artist, Boosted. 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 value, and the cause gets income without the guilt.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Is Givealittle still the best choice?

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

Which platform keeps the most of what we raise?

Fees vary and change — 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.

Can I sell products on Givealittle?

No — Givealittle is donation-only. Selling products or vouchers needs a hybrid platform like Generous.nz, or a product-specific platform like Raised.

What's the best platform for a school fundraiser?

If you want to sell vouchers from local businesses alongside donations — which is the most effective school model — a hybrid platform is the right fit.

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.