Fundraising for Small Nonprofits and Community Groups

By Lindsay Doyle, Founder of A Better Gift · Updated October 2026

Nearly 60% of American nonprofits run on less than $50,000 a year. Almost everything written about nonprofit fundraising is written for the other 40% — the ones with a development director, a donor database, and a grants calendar.

Source: Candid

The scenario

The walk-in freezer at a volunteer-run food pantry failed on a Tuesday. It holds most of what they give out to 120 families a month. The repair company quoted $3,200 for a new compressor.

There is no development director. There are eleven volunteers, a board that meets quarterly, two churches that run food drives, and a hardware store on Main Street that has donated something every year since 2019. The holiday drive starts November 15.

Nobody needs a campaign. Somebody needs $3,200 and a way to ask.

The people who give to a small organization are the people already in it

This is the part that makes small-group fundraising different, and most advice misses it.

A large nonprofit has donors and volunteers as two separate populations, which is why it needs a database to tell them apart. A small one usually doesn't. The people who'd cover that freezer are the eleven volunteers, the two churches, the hardware store, the board, and the twenty-odd people who've driven a van or sorted cans in the last two years.

You already have that list. It's in a spreadsheet, a group text, or somebody's phone. That's the whole requirement.

What the group keeps	100% of every contribution. The 6.9% fee is added at checkout and paid by the contributor, not taken out of what you receive.
When it arrives	Standard payouts reach the bank in 2-3 business days.
Who sees it	Only the people you send the link to, unless you choose to make it public. Nothing is listed or searchable by default.

The arithmetic

The $3,200 compressor is thirty-two contributions of $100.

For an organization with eleven volunteers, a board, two partner churches and a few local businesses, thirty-two is not a stretch — it's most of the people who already show up. That's the scale this works at: a specific repair, a specific number, sent to people who already know why it matters.

How it works

Describe the one thing. New compressor for the walk-in freezer — $3,200. Attach the repair quote.
Send it to the people you choose. Email or text, your own list.
The money goes to your bank account. 2-3 business days after each contribution.

What it costs

Nothing to create a request. Nothing to send it. The only fee is the 6.9% a contributor pays on top of their own contribution — a $100 contribution costs the giver $106.90 and your organization receives $100.00.

What this is built for

One specific thing with a number on it. A repair, a piece of equipment, a season of supplies. The clearer the thing, the easier it is to say yes to.

Groups that already have a list. Volunteers, board members, partner organizations, the people who turn up. That list is the requirement, and most small groups already have one.

Contributions start at $100. That's the scale this is built for — a board member covering a tenth of a freezer, a partner church covering a quarter of it. Thirty-two people, and the compressor is paid for.

The traditional ones still work

Keep them running. They bring in people your list doesn't reach.

Benefit dinners and trivia nights · Yard and rummage sales
Restaurant nights · Silent auctions
Fun runs and walkathons · Giving days
Workplace matching programs · Grant applications

A request is for the thing that comes up between them, with a date attached.

Questions

What is the 80/20 rule in fundraising?▼

That 80% of money comes from 20% of donors. For a small organization it's usually more concentrated than that — closer to everything coming from people somebody on the board knows personally. That's not a weakness; it's why a direct ask works better than a broad campaign.

What's the most profitable fundraiser?▼

Over a year, an annual event or a grant usually brings in the most, because they reach beyond your own people. A request brings in less in total and keeps all of it, and it takes an afternoon instead of a season.

Do we need to be a registered 501(c)(3)?▼

No. There's no EIN, no nonprofit status, and no application. Registered nonprofits, unincorporated groups, mutual aid networks, and neighborhood associations all use it the same way.

Who creates the request — the organization or a person?▼

The person who creates it receives the money, so it should be whoever normally handles the group's funds — a treasurer, a director, a board chair.

What happens if we don't reach the goal?▼

You keep everything contributed. Each contribution reaches the bank in 2-3 business days whether the total is met or not.

Who can see our request?▼

Only the people you send the link to. Requests are private by default — not published, listed, or indexed by search engines unless you choose to make yours public.

Related resources

Start a request for your organization

Start a request