Collecting Donations Online: Crowdfunding for Yourself or Others
You want to collect donations online for yourself or others? We'll explain what you need to consider and clarify beforehand in our blog article.
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Redaktion
GoodCrowd.org
Reading time: 8 min
Updated: 27.03.2025
Financial crises can develop quickly, and not everyone has the resources to set aside money. When money is tight, it's a major stress factor. Many people find it difficult to ask for help in such challenging situations. But it's okay to do so. In times of crisis, the community can often support what we cannot achieve alone. This is also the idea behind crowdfunding. We'll explain what crowdfunding is and how you can easily collect donations online for yourself or others.
What exactly is crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding (or "Schwarmfinanzierung" in German) is a method where many people (the "crowd") contribute money to fund ("funding") a specific idea or urgent needs. Even if individual contributions are small, large sums can be accumulated through a large number of supporters. Don't get confused: Various terms are often used in connection with crowdfunding, but they all refer to the same concept. Whether it's called a donation campaign, fundraising drive, fundraising appeal, or fundraiser - whenever a group of people is mobilized to collect donations for a specific purpose, we're talking about crowdfunding.
There are different models of crowdfunding, not just for personal projects but also for financing companies, for example. GoodCrowd.org is a social crowdfunding platform focused on donation-based crowdfunding, primarily by private individuals. Crowdfunding can serve various purposes. To help you better understand, here are some examples:
- Financial support after a misfortune like a house fire (As in the campaign "Help for family of 5 after house fire")
- Coverage of costs for health limitations and loss of earnings (As in the campaign "Cancer is back - 2 children - 1 fate")
- Financial support for important modifications, like wheelchair access (As in the campaign "Milla becomes mobile")
- Help with disasters like floods and inundations (As in the campaign "Flood help for our friends")
- Money to fulfill last wishes or conduct a personal memorial service or burial (As in the campaign "The Last Journey of Hollywood Hank")
- Financing demonstrations or actions (As in the campaign "Demo: LOUD AGAINST THE RIGHT in Bremen")
- Support for marginalized persons (As in the campaign "Water for Queer Community in Kakuma Refugee Camp")
These are just a few examples; there are many other possibilities to collect money for yourself or others. Feel free to browse our homepage for more ideas. What all donation campaigns have in common: The community helps in difficult situations. Receiving support from many (often strangers) also has a positive psychological effect. Often, donation recipients find new hope and feel seen in their concerns.
For yourself, for others, for organizations: There are many ways to collect money privately
You've already seen: There are many different purposes for which you can start a donation appeal. You can collect money for yourself, for others, or even for organizations or companies. We'll explain the differences and what you should pay attention to.
Collecting donations for yourself
Starting a donation appeal for yourself often requires overcoming some hesitation, as many people shy away from asking for help. However, it's completely okay to do so, and many people might even be happy to support you and your cause. If you're worried about negative consequences of crowdfunding, there's also the possibility to collect donations anonymously. You'll find all the information about this further down in the text.
Transparency is key when it comes to building trust with your donors. Explain openly from the start who you are and what you want to collect money for. Tell your story openly and honestly - people donate to people. Why is it important to support you? If there's a particular urgency for your donation appeal, be sure to mention and explain that.
Set a clear, transparent goal: A specific donation goal motivates potential donors to act. When you transparently break down what you want to collect donations for, it strengthens trust and increases willingness to donate. Important to know: You don't have to reach your goal for the money to be paid out. On GoodCrowd.org, funds are regularly and automatically paid out. And if necessary, the donation goal can still be adjusted afterward.
We have compiled additional helpful information in our blog, such as tips for writing a successful campaign text and what you should consider when selecting your campaign photo.
Collecting donations for others
Of course, you can also collect money for other people. Especially in emergency situations, a donation appeal and the associated work like finding the right wording, selecting an appropriate photo, etc. can be an additional burden for those affected. Often, they are very grateful when someone else supports them in this.
Basically, the same tips apply as when collecting donations for yourself. However, there are some special considerations you should definitely keep in mind when collecting money for someone else:
1. Consider carefully how you want to collect money
1. Consider carefully how you want to collect money
- Option 1: You start a donation appeal in your own name for a third person. It's important that you describe this transparently in the campaign. You collect the money and pass it on to the third person. This can have tax implications if the total amount of the campaign becomes very high - if in doubt, a tax advisor can help you.
- Option 2: The affected person registers on our platform and provides their personal data and bank details. You as a helper can then support with writing texts, selecting images, and responding to inquiries. Important: The information about the collecting person and the person of the registered bank account must match for legal reasons, so unfortunately, a mixture of both options is not possible.
2. Get consent
After deciding on a course of action, you should ask permission from the person or people you want to collect money for. You can then also explain which option from Step 1 you recommend. Only start your crowdfunding for someone else if it's desired. If the person doesn't want it, respect that and consider if you might be able to support in other ways.
3. Coordinate the campaign
If the person or people you're collecting money for agree with the donation campaign, coordinate the text and image next. It's best to also clarify all organizational matters right away: Which account should the money be transferred to? What personal data still needs to be provided?
4. Explain your relationship to each other
In your text, be sure to explain transparently what relationship you have to the person who should receive the money. Feel free to also tell how you know each other or what you appreciate about the person and why you wish for the donation goal to be reached.
After deciding on a course of action, you should ask permission from the person or people you want to collect money for. You can then also explain which option from Step 1 you recommend. Only start your crowdfunding for someone else if it's desired. If the person doesn't want it, respect that and consider if you might be able to support in other ways.
3. Coordinate the campaign
If the person or people you're collecting money for agree with the donation campaign, coordinate the text and image next. It's best to also clarify all organizational matters right away: Which account should the money be transferred to? What personal data still needs to be provided?
4. Explain your relationship to each other
In your text, be sure to explain transparently what relationship you have to the person who should receive the money. Feel free to also tell how you know each other or what you appreciate about the person and why you wish for the donation goal to be reached.
Collecting donations for organizations and companies
You can collect money not only for yourself or others but also for charitable organizations or companies. There are some special considerations to keep in mind:
Collecting donations for charitable organizations
Collecting donations for charitable organizations
If you want to collect money for a charitable organization (often called NGO or NPO), it's best to use our sister organization betterplace.org. Here you can quickly and easily collect donations online - whether for or as a charitable organization. If you're collecting for an initiative that hasn't yet applied for charitable status, you're welcome to use our platform.
Collecting donations for companies
You can also collect money in the name of a company or directly for a company. As a social crowdfunding platform, we place great importance on ensuring that these are social causes. This means that every campaign must serve an immediate social purpose.
We'll give you two examples of what social means in this case:
- You can collect donations for or as a company to offer free yoga classes for those in need.
- A company collects donations after getting into difficulties due to flood damage.
On the other hand, you cannot collect money for profit-oriented topics like starting a business or product development. Because that would not serve a direct social purpose.
Since this topic is very complex, the editorial team is working on a detailed article about this topic. Until then, you can find more information here about whether your campaign idea fits with us.
Collecting donations anonymously
We've mentioned the topic of transparency several times. Therefore, we always recommend collecting donations under your real name, as this builds trust. However, if you are being threatened or if using your real name would put you in danger, we allow collecting money anonymously in exceptional cases. It's not enough that you don't want to appear publicly; there must be concrete objections to running a donation campaign under your real name.
In these exceptional cases, your own name (or the name listed on your ID) will not be published. Important to know: Of course, we at GoodCrowd.org still need the data. However, the personal data will only be stored internally, and you can collect money anonymously on the campaign page by using a pseudonym. You can find more information in our help section.
The most frequently asked questions and answers about collecting donations for myself and others
What do I need to consider when starting a donation campaign for myself?
Starting a personal donation campaign can be challenging. Transparency is crucial to gain the trust of potential donors. Here are the key points:
- Tell your story: Share openly why you need financial support. People often donate because they feel connected to your situation.
- Set a clear goal: Indicate how much money you need and exactly what it will be used for. A detailed breakdown strengthens trust.
- Stay honest and authentic: Honesty motivates donors and shows that you really need the support.
What do I need to consider when collecting money for others?
When starting a campaign for another person, additional considerations apply:
- Get consent: Clarify beforehand with the person if they agree to the campaign and what information can be shared.
- Explain your relationship: State how you are connected to the person so supporters can better understand the situation.
- Choose the right approach: Either collect the donations yourself and pass them on, or have the affected person provide their bank details and personal information while you handle the organizational work.
What can I do if an affected person doesn't want to be publicly visible?
If the person wants to remain anonymous, you can still start a campaign if they agree. Create a campaign in your name, explain in your description why the affected person cannot be named, and describe the situation as precisely as possible without revealing personal details. Alternatively, people whose safety would be endangered by naming them can also collect donations anonymously through us.
What applies when I want to collect money for companies?
Donation campaigns for companies are allowed as long as they serve a social purpose. Examples: help after natural disasters or projects like free yoga classes for those in need. They are not allowed if they are purely profit-oriented, such as campaigns for starting a business or product development.
What applies when I collect donations for charitable organizations?
Ideally, use betterplace.org to collect donations for charitable purposes. The platform offers special features for organizations that make the process easier. If you're collecting for an initiative that will apply for charitable status in the future, you're in the right place with us.
Can I collect money for an organization that doesn't have charitable status?
Yes, if the organization or initiative hasn't yet applied for charitable status, you can collect donations through GoodCrowd.org. However, note that such campaigns cannot issue donation receipts.
