Fundraising FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers for schools, sports teams, and booster clubs on getting started, how fundraising works, pricing and fees, payments, data security, and support.

Getting Started How It Works Pricing & Fees Payments Privacy & Security Support
2M+
Families Trust Us
$175+
Raised Per Student
0%
Platform Fee
MINUTES
To Launch
THOUSANDS
Of Schools Nationwide
Getting Started

New to PledgeStar?

How much can we raise with PledgeStar?
Schools using PledgeStar see students raise an average of $175 each. Because every participant can reach family and friends by email and text instead of relying on door-to-door asks, schools typically raise significantly more than with traditional paper-based fundraisers.
Why do schools raise more with PledgeStar than other fundraising methods?
PledgeStar makes it fast and easy to ask family and friends for donations. Schools encourage each student to enter at least ten contacts, and the platform sends an automated, personalized pledge request by email or text on their behalf. On average, over half of those requests turn into a donation, so instead of one or two gifts per family, a PledgeStar campaign often brings in five or more.
Our event is only a few weeks away. Can we still get up and running in time?
Yes. We recommend launching at least two weeks ahead of your event, but PledgeStar can usually get your fundraiser live within two days. We also provide ready-to-use promotional language for pledge packets and email campaigns. To get started, call 1-888-598-7510 or email info@pledgestar.com.
What do we need to do to launch our fundraiser?
Setup takes just a few steps. Register your event, invite families to create a personalized fundraising page for each student, and add contacts so pledge requests can go out by email and text. Most schools are fully live within a day, and our support team is available to help at every step.
Is there a contract or long-term commitment?
No. There is no annual contract or long-term commitment. You choose to run a fundraiser whenever it makes sense for your school, and you are never locked into future events.
How It Works

Fundraising, Simplified

Do we need to hold a specific event to fundraise with PledgeStar?
No. PledgeStar supports both event-based fundraisers, like Jog-A-Thons, Walk-A-Thons, Fun Runs, and Read-A-Thons, and Pledge Drives that require no event at all. You can launch a Pledge Drive at any point in the school year and run it for as long as you like.
Can participants continue using paper pledge envelopes for offline donations?
Yes. In fact, we recommend offering both options. Some supporters will always prefer to give the old-fashioned way, and PledgeStar charges no platform fee on pledges collected offline by check or cash. On average, though, most participants and donors end up preferring the speed of digital fundraising.
Can a participant upload their contacts automatically instead of typing them in?
Yes. Families can easily import an existing email contact list and choose which contacts should receive a pledge request. Donors can also be entered manually at any time.
Do participants have to re-enter their contacts every year?
No. As long as a family uses the same email address, their donor contact list carries over and is ready to use for the next fundraiser.
Does PledgeStar support per-lap or other per-unit pledges?
PledgeStar supports both flat pledges and per-unit pledges. For a Jog-A-Thon, Walk-A-Thon, or swim event, a unit might be a lap completed. For a Read-A-Thon, it might be a page or chapter read. After the event, PledgeStar automatically emails family and friends who made a per-unit pledge to let them know how many units were completed, with a link to pay on the participant's fundraising page.
What if a family has more than one child participating?
No problem. PledgeStar sends a single pledge request that covers every participating child in the family, so friends and relatives are not asked more than once. Donations are then split evenly among the participating children. For example, a $60 donation made on behalf of three siblings is recorded as $20 for each child.
Can we offer prizes or incentives for top fundraisers?
Yes. Pledges themselves are simple flat or per-unit donations, but many schools layer incentive prizes on top, such as merchandise, gift cards, or recognition, for students who raise the most or hit a milestone. PledgeStar's reporting makes it easy to see who qualifies for each prize.
Pricing & Fees

What Does PledgeStar Cost?

PledgeStar offers two simple plans. There are never any setup fees, monthly fees, or long-term contracts.

FREE Plan New
$0 platform fee

Use the entire platform at no cost. Donors are simply given the option to add a small amount at checkout to keep the platform free, so many schools pay nothing at all.

Standard Plan Popular
7% fee, capped at $1,195

A low 7% fee that never exceeds $1,195 per campaign, no matter how much you raise. With Donor Fee Coverage, donors can choose to cover that fee at checkout, so your school can keep 100% of what's raised.

Is PledgeStar free to use?
It can be. PledgeStar offers a FREE plan with no platform fee at all. Donors are given the option to add a small amount at checkout to keep the platform free.
What is the difference between the FREE plan and the standard plan?
With the FREE plan, there is no platform fee, and donors can choose to add a small amount at checkout to keep the platform free. With the standard plan, PledgeStar charges a low 7% fee that never exceeds $1,195 per campaign, and Donor Fee Coverage lets donors optionally cover credit card and platform fees at checkout so your school keeps 100% of what's raised. Either way, funds deposit directly into your own account right away.
What is Donor Fee Coverage?
Donor Fee Coverage is a feature of the standard plan (the 7% fee capped at $1,195). It's an optional prompt shown to donors at checkout, asking if they would like to add a small amount to their donation to cover credit card and platform fees. Many donors say yes, which means more of every dollar goes directly to your school instead of being deducted from the total raised.
Is the $1,195 cap on the standard plan really a hard limit?
Yes. On the standard plan, the 7% fee stops accumulating once it reaches $1,195 for a single campaign, regardless of how much more you raise beyond that point. This means larger fundraisers pay a much lower effective rate.
Are there setup fees, monthly fees, or other hidden costs?
No. PledgeStar does not charge setup fees, monthly subscription fees, or cancellation fees on either plan. The only possible charge is the plan fee described above, and even that can be fully offset by Donor Fee Coverage.
Do credit card processing fees apply to donations made by check or cash?
No. Checks and cash go directly into your own account with no processing fee at all. Checks typically account for close to a fifth of the donations collected through PledgeStar campaigns. Only online credit card donations are subject to standard payment processing fees.
Which plan should our school choose?
Most schools start with the FREE plan, since there's no platform fee to pay and many schools end up paying nothing at all. With the FREE plan, donors can't cover a fee since there isn't one, but they can optionally add a small amount to help keep the platform free. Larger fundraisers, or schools that prefer a predictable, capped fee, often choose the standard plan with Donor Fee Coverage. Our team is happy to help you decide which option best fits your goals.
Can we switch plans for a future campaign?
Yes. If your needs change from one fundraiser to the next, just contact our support team and we can help adjust your plan for your next campaign.
Payments & Money

Getting Your Funds

How do we actually get our money?
PledgeStar does not hold or transfer your funds. To accept online donations, we help you set up your own free merchant account with an approved credit card processor, so donations deposit directly into your own account right away. If your school already has a compatible merchant account, we can connect to it directly. You never have to wait for PledgeStar to release your funds, and there are no setup or monthly charges for the merchant account itself.
What if family and friends want to pay by check instead of online?
Easy. Donors who choose to pay by check receive instructions on how to do so, and PledgeStar will even send a friendly reminder if the check has not arrived yet. Because PledgeStar knows a check is coming, it makes it simple to confirm receipt, and donations from multiple family members can be automatically split evenly among participating siblings.
How does PledgeStar handle donation accounting and prize tracking?
Online credit card donations deposit into your account automatically, so there is nothing to count or deposit yourself. For offline donations, PledgeStar provides a quick online entry form that your counting staff can use at the same time to record checks, bills, and coins from pledge envelopes. PledgeStar then generates a deposit report covering both online and offline donations, along with a worksheet that breaks down totals by student for determining prize winners.
Can donors give from out of town or internationally?
Yes. Donors can give from anywhere in the world using a credit or debit card. Everything is handled online, so no stamps or mailed checks are required for out-of-town family and friends.
Privacy & Security

Keeping Data Safe

What does PledgeStar do with the data it collects?
PledgeStar does not use or disclose the data collected through the website beyond what is needed to send pledge requests, collect donations, send notifications, and provide reports. We never share, sell, or otherwise make participants' or donors' data available to anyone else, period.
Is online payment information secure?
Absolutely. PledgeStar uses industry-standard SSL encryption so credit card information cannot be intercepted over the internet, and we never store credit card data internally.
Support

We're Here to Help

Who can we contact if we need help?
We are always here to support your event staff, parents, and family and friends. You can reach our toll-free support line at 1-888-598-7510 or email info@pledgestar.com.
Is there support available if we get stuck during setup?
Absolutely. Our support team is available by phone and email to guide you through anything, from setup to launch to reporting.
Does PledgeStar work for organizations other than schools?
Yes. In addition to schools, PledgeStar is used by youth sports teams, high school booster clubs, and other community organizations. If your group runs fundraisers throughout the year, PledgeStar can support any of them.
Can I use the PledgeStar platform to run fundraisers for my company?
Yes. PledgeStar offers an affiliate program for organizations interested in running fundraisers through our platform. Contact us by email or phone for more information.

Start Raising in Minutes

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Join 2M+ Families

Why Schools and Teams Choose PledgeStar

Thousands of groups trust PledgeStar to run their "a-thon" fundraisers with less work and bigger results, all without paying platform fees.

$450M+
Raised by Our Community
50%
More Raised on Average
Minutes
To Launch Your Event
  • No platform fees, ever. Donors can optionally help cover costs.
  • Automated emails and texts do the asking for you.
  • Real-time dashboard to track every donation as it comes in.
  • Dedicated support team to help you launch and grow.
What Happens Next
1 Fill out the form to set up a test fundraiser in minutes. Take a look around, then activate it whenever you're ready, no pressure.
2 You share it with your community by email, text, or social media.
3 Donations roll in and funds are transferred straight to your account.