Raise money for a social cause, with almost no bureaucracy

Do you need an association or a company?

No. Any person of 18 or over can start a campaign with an email or a Google account. There's nothing to register with us, no document to upload and nobody who approves the campaign first.

If a group is behind the cause, agree first who runs the campaign and receives the funds, and write their name on it. Backers trust a cause with a face.

What kind of cause can you fund?

Anything concrete with a cost you can name: a community garden, kennels for a shelter, new kit for a youth team, a neighbourhood festival, a school trip, a ramp for a local hall. Specific beats general: "a van to take 40 rescued dogs to the vet" raises more than "help the shelter".

Each of these has its own guide in everything you can fund. So does a protest or a march, as long as it is peaceful: how to fund a peaceful protest.

Why does all or nothing suit a cause?

Because backers see their money go to the thing itself, or come back. Pledges wait in escrow until the deadline, and a campaign that misses its goal pays nothing to its creator.

If the goal isn't met by the deadline, you take your pledge back from escrow with one tap, and nobody has to approve it. What comes back is the amount held for you: your pledge minus the fees taken when you backed (the platform fee, the flat fee, any tip and any share reward the campaign pays).

So set the goal at what the project really needs to happen, not at a hopeful round number.

What rewards can a cause offer?

Symbolic ones work well. What matters is that backers feel part of it:

• Their name on a wall, a plaque or a sponsor board.
• A thank you video or a photo from the day it happens.
• An invitation to the opening, the planting or the first match.
• A tree, a brick or a seat with their name.
• A personal message once the goal is reached. Every backer is already told at 25, 50, 75 and 100% of the goal.

How do you reach backers?

Start with the people closest to the cause: members, neighbours, parents, volunteers, local businesses. Ask each of them to share the link with one group they belong to.

You can also pay a share reward, so whoever shares the campaign earns part of each pledge they bring. For a cause, many creators keep it low or at zero. How to share your campaign, from the free course, covers the first week.

What does it cost?

Opening a campaign costs $5 on the free plan. Each pledge pays 1.5% plus a flat $0.99, taken from the pledge, and any share reward you set.

The percentage fee on a pledge follows the plan of the account making it. It's taken when the pledge is made, so it isn't returned if the campaign misses its goal. Paid plans aren't on sale today, so the published fee is the free plan's fee.

The fee calculator shows what reaches the cause from any goal.

Are there any rules?

Yes. Almost no bureaucracy doesn't mean anything goes: you must be 18 or over, and nobody may use CoFunders for fraud, money laundering or anything else unlawful. The Terms of Service set out every rule. Nobody vets a campaign before it goes live, so say clearly who you are and what the money pays for.

How do you start?

1. Sign up in the app with email or Google.
2. Write what the cause needs, the goal, the deadline and your rewards.
3. Choose a share reward, or none, and publish.
4. Share the link with the people closest to the cause first.

Less paperwork in general: raise money without the paperwork. Every other question is in the answers.