How Dream Funnel™ compares
to the platforms you already know.
Every dollar that pays a platform is a dollar that didn't reach the person you're trying to help. Here's the honest math — with the places we win, tie, and lose. No cherry-picking.
What arrives on a $25 gift
The most common donation size on peer-to-peer platforms is $25. Here's what actually lands with the recipient after everyone's fees:
| Platform | Platform fee | Processing fee | "Tip" prompt | Recipient nets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dream Funnel™ | $0.10 flat | ~$1.03 | None | $23.87 |
| GoFundMe | $0 | ~$1.03 | Default ~15% ($3.75) | $23.97 (no tip) · $20.22 (with tip) |
| GiveButter | $0 | ~$1.03 | Default ~15% ($3.75) | $23.97 (no tip) · $20.22 (with tip) |
| Fundly | 4.9% ($1.23) | ~$1.03 | None | $22.74 |
| Classy | ~5% ($1.25) | ~$1.03 | None | $22.72 |
| ActBlue / WinRed | 3.95% ($0.99) | Included | None | $24.01 |
Processing fee ~2.9% + $0.30 is charged by Stripe / the payment network on every online donation industry-wide. Nobody escapes it. "Tip prompt" columns reflect default UX — donors can override, but most people leave the default.
Same math on a $100 gift
| Platform | Recipient nets | Effective loss |
|---|---|---|
| Dream Funnel™ | $96.70 | 3.3% |
| GoFundMe (default tip left on) | $81.80 | 18.2% |
| GoFundMe (donor removes tip) | $96.80 | 3.2% |
| Fundly | $91.80 | 8.2% |
| Facebook donation pages (nonprofit only) | $100.00 | 0% (Meta covers processing) |
Where Dream Funnel wins
- Small donations ($5–$50)
A flat $0.10 fee crushes any percentage-based platform at small dollar amounts. On a $5 gift the recipient nets $4.55 with us vs $4.06 on Fundly — a 12% difference that adds up across dozens of small donors.
- No 'tip' guilt-trip
GoFundMe and GiveButter default the donor's tip slider to 15% of the gift. Most donors don't notice and end up paying an extra ~15% on top of what they meant to give. We charge you 10¢ once — no upsell to the donor.
- Payout speed for individuals
Direct Stripe payouts land in your bank in ~2 business days. GoFundMe individual campaigns can hold funds 3–7 days for review. Facebook's individual donation feature was sunset in 2024.
- Peer-to-peer community giving
Our model is built for many small gifts from your immediate community. Every scan of your QR is direct — no algorithmic feed deciding whether your cause "goes viral."
- Recipient dignity
Nobody else builds a mini-site with a printable QR designed to replace a cardboard sign. That's a use case we invented — nobody's second-place at it.
Where we tie — or lose — and why
- Very large single donations ($1,000+)
On a $1,000 gift the flat 10¢ becomes negligible. Every platform ends up at roughly the same $967 recipient net. At that scale, brand trust and donor recognition matter more than fee arbitrage — GoFundMe still wins on pure name recognition.
- Approved 501(c)(3) nonprofits raising through Facebook / Meta
Meta covers all processing fees for approved nonprofit organizations. That's a 0% total cost we cannot beat. If your organization qualifies, use both — them for Facebook-native reach, us for QR-code + peer-to-peer.
- Brand recognition & organic search traffic
GoFundMe has 20 years and hundreds of millions in ad spend behind it. When someone searches "help my family," they land on GoFundMe. Our differentiator is the fee model and the QR-code use case — you'll need to share your Dream Funnel link, not rely on people finding you by searching.
- Employer donation matching
Big platforms have integrations with corporate matching services (Benevity, YourCause). We don't yet. If your donors' employers do matching, GoFundMe's integration will multiply their gifts and beat our fee savings.
The honest verdict
Use Dream Funnel when:
- You want to raise donations for an individual (person, family, small classroom, community group)
- Your donors are your immediate community, not strangers on the internet
- Physical presence matters — you'll be handing out QR codes in person
- Every dollar counts and you resent giving 8% to a platform
Use someone else when:
- You're an approved 501(c)(3) planning a Facebook-heavy campaign (use Facebook's nonprofit donation feature, 0%)
- Your primary distribution is going viral on social media, not in-person QR (GoFundMe's brand helps)
- You need employer donation matching integration
Start a cause in about 90 seconds. If it doesn't work for your situation, close it and walk away — no fees, no lock-in.