Crowdfunding vs a donation page: what is the difference?

A donation page is a permanent place anyone can give; crowdfunding is a time-limited push with a goal and a deadline. Here is how to choose for your charity.

A donation page is a permanent place on your website where anyone can give to your organisation at any time. Crowdfunding is a time-limited campaign with a specific goal, a target amount and usually a deadline, in which you ask many people to make a project possible together. You often use them side by side, not instead of each other.

At a glance

They differ on four points: duration, purpose, reach and reward.

Donation page: permanent, for your general work, accepts any amount and often a monthly gift.
Crowdfunding: temporary, around one project, with a target, a story and a deadline.
Reach: a donation page lives off people you already know; crowdfunding also tries to reach your supporters' networks.
Reward: in donation-based crowdfunding there is usually no return. In reward-based crowdfunding the giver gets something (a product, a thank-you).

What exactly is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding means many people each give a small amount to one project or idea. Several forms exist: donation-based, reward-based, lending and equity. In the European Union the lending and investment forms mainly fall under the European crowdfunding regulation; ordinary gifts to a charity do not. Belgium's regulator, the FSMA, explains which forms are regulated.

The regulation applies to offers of up to €5 million per project owner over 12 months. For a non-profit collecting gifts, you are usually dealing with the simplest form.

What is a donation page?

It is a page (or a form on your own site) where visitors choose how much to give, fill in their details and pay. It runs all year and is for people who support you when no special campaign is running. It is usually the first thing people look for after hearing about you.

When do you choose which?

Choose by what you need: a project with an end date, structural income, the help of supporters or a combination.

Do you have a clear project with an amount and a date? Run crowdfunding. A goal and a deadline create urgency.
Do you want structural income for your work? Build a good donation page with a monthly option.
Do you have volunteers and supporters who want to help? Let each start their own fundraising page under your campaign. This is called peer-to-peer fundraising.
Do you want both? Use the donation page as the base and create a crowdfunding campaign per project that links back to it.

What to watch for

Pay most attention to total costs, your own control, your data and the tax receipt.

Costs. Look at the total: platform fees, payment fees and what the platform keeps if you miss your goal (some work all-or-nothing).
Control. On a general platform your cause can vanish among thousands of others. On your own donation page you set the tone.
Data. Know who your donors are and whether you may use their details to ask again. It matters for retention.
Tax receipt. Check whether a gift can be tax-deductible and who issues the certificate. Rules differ by country.

In Belgium, a gift of at least €40 a year to a recognised institution earns a tax reduction of 30%. That applies to income years 2025 and 2026, according to FOD Financiën. Other countries have other amounts and percentages.

An example from practice

Say a neighbourhood association wants to renovate a playground. It sets up a crowdfunding campaign with a target amount and an end date, shares the story of the children who play there and lets residents start their own page. At the same time, the donation page on the website stays open for those who want to support the work all year round.

Afterwards the association thanks everyone, shows the new playground and invites givers to keep giving monthly. The project is finished; the relationship is not.

That last part matters: according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, in the United States 32.1% of donors who gave once in 2023 gave again in 2024, against 86.8% of those who gave seven times or more. That is a link, not proof that an invitation causes that loyalty.

In WeGlow

WeGlow combines both. Your organisation gets a donation form with one-off and monthly gifts and your own amounts, and you can set up campaigns and events where supporters start their own fundraising page. Payment can be by Bancontact, iDEAL or card, through payment partners such as Mollie, Stripe and Payconiq.

For Belgian gifts, your organisation can send tax certificates to eligible donors with one click; this is not automatic.

Is crowdfunding cheaper than my own donation page?

Not necessarily. Compare the total costs of the platform and payment methods, not just the percentage on the homepage.

Does my cause need an end date?

For crowdfunding it often helps; for a donation page it does not. A deadline adds pressure and makes the ask concrete.

Can I use both at once?

Yes, and that is often best: a permanent donation page as the base and temporary campaigns for projects.

Does my fundraiser fall under the European crowdfunding regulation?

Ordinary gifts to a charity do not. Regulation (EU) 2020/1503 covers crowdfunding through loans or securities, with a threshold of €5 million per project owner over 12 months. If you doubt a reward-based or investment form, ask the FSMA for advice.

Sources

FOD Financiën, gifts: minimum of €40 a year and a 30% tax reduction for income years 2025 and 2026.
Fundraising Effectiveness Project, Q4 2024 report (AFP): donor retention in 2024 by number of gifts, American panel.
Regulation (EU) 2020/1503: European rules for crowdfunding services for business.
FSMA: Belgian regulator, information on regulated crowdfunding.
GivingTuesday: examples of community campaigns.
WeGlow features: checked in the WeGlow code on 2 October 2026.