Three simple steps to get real financial support from the people who care about you — privately, securely, and free for you.
Create Your Request — FreeNo public campaigns. No charity appeals. Just a private link you share with the people you trust.
Sign up for free and describe what you need help with — rent, medical bills, car repairs, moving costs, or anything else. Add photos of bills or invoices to help supporters understand your situation. Set a goal amount or leave it open.
→Every request gets a unique link that only you control. Share it by text, email, or any messaging app with the friends and family you want to know. No public listing, no search engine indexing — only people with your link can see it.
→Supporters contribute directly through your link — no account required on their end. 100% of every contribution goes to you. Funds are deposited to your linked bank account (1–2 business days) or debit card (fast delivery).
A Better Gift is built around one principle: the money people give to you should go to you.
Your request is never listed publicly. It won't show up in Google search results or any directory. Only the people you send the link to can ever see it — as private as a text message.
Link a US bank account or debit card for deposits (1–2 business days). You can change your payout method anytime in your account settings.
Upload photos of your bills, invoices, or situation directly to your request. Showing real proof of your need gives supporters confidence and increases contributions.
Every contribution appears in your dashboard the moment it's made. You always know exactly how much has been contributed and how close you are to your goal.
Your supporters just click your link, enter an amount, and pay. No signup, no app download, no friction. The easier it is for them, the more likely they are to help.
You can have up to 3 active requests at a time — useful if you have multiple ongoing needs. Each has its own unique link and tracks contributions separately.
You never pay a fee. Contributors cover a small processing fee on top of the amount they give — so you receive every dollar.
A few requirements to keep the platform secure and compliant.
You must be at least 18 years old to create an account and receive contributions. This is required by law and our payment processor.
A valid US bank account or eligible US debit card is required to receive contributions. This is how your funds are delivered securely via Stripe.
Yes. You pay nothing to create an account or a request. The 6.9% processing fee is added on top of the contribution amount and paid by the contributor — so if someone contributes $100 to you, you receive $100.
No. Requests are never indexed by search engines, never listed in any public directory, and not discoverable by anyone who doesn't have your link. Only people you personally share the link with can see your request.
No. They click your link, choose an amount, and pay — that's it. No account, no app download, no extra steps. We made it as frictionless as possible to make it easy for people to help you.
Funds arrive in approximately 1–2 business days regardless of payout method (debit card or bank account). We never hold your funds — money moves as soon as a contribution is processed.
You can create a new request anytime. You can have up to 3 active requests at once, so you're never locked out because of one ongoing situation. Each request is independent with its own link and tracking.
Yes. All payments are processed by Stripe, which uses bank-level encryption. Your financial details are never stored on A Better Gift's servers — they go directly to Stripe's secure systems.
GoFundMe is a public crowdfunding platform built for viral reach — campaigns are searchable, indexed by Google, and discoverable by strangers. A Better Gift is a private request network built for the opposite: your request is never publicly listed, never indexed, and only people you personally invite can see it. GoFundMe deducts a 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee from each contribution to you. A Better Gift's 6.9% service fee is paid by contributors on top of their gift — so you receive 100% of every contribution. GoFundMe is built for fundraising from strangers; A Better Gift is built for fundraising from the people who already care about you.
Contributors' card statements show "A Better Gift" as the merchant. This is standard for Stripe-processed payments. The specific request name or recipient name is not visible on the statement — only the platform name. If your contributors have concerns about privacy on their own end, they can let you know and we can offer guidance.
A Better Gift works for any personal financial need — here are the most common ones.
If you've been considering GoFundMe but want a private option, these pages explain how A Better Gift compares for specific situations.
Dig deeper into how private fundraising works and why it's different from public campaigns.
Create your free request in under 2 minutes.
Create Your Request — Free100% free for requesters · Funds go directly to your bank · No public listing
