donateway.com

Overview

DonateWay is an online fundraising and donation collection platform operated by Paypath, LLC, designed for individuals, political campaigns, and non-profit organizations. Rather than serving as a general payment gateway, its core revolves around a fundraising workflow: "create fundraising pages – collect payments – manage donation data – track campaign performance," with Stripe handling the underlying merchant processing.

Core Capabilities

The platform offers customizable, mobile-friendly fundraising forms, allowing users to create multiple fundraising pages and track progress by campaign. Key features include allowing donors to voluntarily cover processing fees, supporting pledges (commit now, pay later), "Raisers" (personal peer-to-peer fundraising pages for supporters), and custom short links. On the data side, users can view donation lists, refund records, and export data to spreadsheets, making it ideal for organizations requiring reporting and campaign management.

Payments, Settlement, and Compliance

The documentation explicitly states that accounts are set up via Stripe to accept credit cards. Onboarding requirements include the organization's EIN, address, website, principal's name, date of birth, and the last four digits of their SSN, indicating a strong focus on US-based entities. For settlements, the first payout takes 7 days, with subsequent payouts arriving within 2 business days. Security-wise, DonateWay uses SSL, and Stripe is a PCI Level 1 service provider; however, DonateWay's own payment licensing is not disclosed.

Pricing and Pros & Cons

Pricing information is inconsistent: one section states 2.1% plus Stripe fees, while another mentions 5% + 30 cents per transaction; however, both agree on no setup, monthly, or annual fees. Pros include a low barrier to entry, relatively fast payouts, easy form configuration, and the option for donors to cover processing fees. Cons include the need to clarify the exact fee rates, limited disclosure of payment methods, insufficient API/SDK information, and potential onboarding restrictions for non-US entities.

Who It's For & Access from China

DonateWay is ideal for US non-profits, grassroots political fundraising, personal projects, and campaigns requiring peer-to-peer fundraising by supporters. The accessibility for users in China cannot be determined from the available text; additionally, Stripe's requirements for US tax/identity documentation may limit direct use by mainland China entities. If you need a more internationalized platform or broader payment options, consider alternatives like Donorbox, Givebutter, Classy, GoFundMe Charity, or simply using Stripe Payment Links directly.