Frequently asked questions

In order to get started you first need to create an account with Spendenaktion. 

Please follow these steps:

1. Click on the green 'Start your fundraiser' button at the top of the website.
2. Fill in your name and e-mail address and click on Continue. You will immediately receive a confirmation email.
3. Click on the 'Activate account' button in the e-mail.

Your Spendenaktion account is now activated and you can immediately start building your crowdfunding page!

Prepare your fundraising campaign in advance and activate it only when you a good and ready to go.

You can start setting up a fundraiser right away. As long as you do not activate it, the campaign is offline (but visible to you in your dashboard!). You can adjust the campaign until you are satisfied with your fundraiser page. As soon as you are ready to start, activate the fundraiser and it will be online and you can start sharing. 

By the way, you can still edit and change the fundraiser anytime after activation.

To create an account you first simply register with your first and last name. One person is the campaign organisor, also for registering a organisation, team, or group.

Once you are logged in, you can enter an organisation, team, company, or another group in the dashboard of your Spendenaktion account and link it to your fundraiser. You can do this under the heading 'Organisation' in your dashboard.

Here you can enter the organisation's name, a description, the logo, and its social media pages

A separate text block 'Fundraiser organised for:' will appear on your crowdfunding page, containing the name, logo, description, and social media of your group, organisation or team.

Of course, you can also let your organisation, team, or group be the campaign organisor. In that case, you register with the name of your organisation, group, or team.

Please note: the Profile field is intended for the registration of persons. An organisation, group, or team must fill in its name in the fields the first name and/or surname.

1. Header photo/image: Add a compelling header photo or image that immediately captures the essence of your cause. This is your main visual expression of your fundraiser. One image says more than a 1000 words!
2. Title: Come up with a strong catchy title for your fundraiser.
3. Short description: give a short and concise description of what it is you are raising funds for.
4. Story: tell the story behind the cause and the necessity of the fundraiser in a more detailed description. A personal story creates more involvement and willingness to donate.
5. Additional images and video: Add additional photo’s, images, graphics or even a YouTube video that can further clarify the action and make it attractive and understandable for readers.
6. Profile picture: add a profile picture of yourself. This makes your fundraiser more personal and credible. Donors like to see the face and person behind the fundraiser.
7. Organisations or groups: is the fundraiser for an organisation, group or team? For example, a club, association, school, class, team, foundation, charity, company, church, non-profit organization, etc. Add the group or organisation and link it to your fundraiser. This makes the fundraiser more credible and gives donors more understanding of where thier money will be going to.
8. Target amount and end date: Set a target amount and an end date (not compulsory!). Fundraisers with a target amount and/or an end date receive more donations than fundraisers without. You can change both the target amount and the end date during the course of the fundraiser.
9. News/updates: post news updates: donors are more likely to participate if they can regularly read news updates about your fundraising campaign. This creates more involvement and the chance that they will share the fundraiser with others, become a collector or even donate again.

A great header photo or image is the most important visual of your action page and should convey your goal or cause in en eye blink. If you do not have a suitable photo or image yourself, you can search for a suitable image on the internet. Make sure that the image can be used freely. A good source of photos and images that you can freely use is the Unsplash website. You can search for a suitable photo via the search bar. Click here for the Unsplash website. Beter to have a generic stock photo then none at all!

365px by 189px.

Yes, you can. In your dashboard, go to Fundraisers -> Edit fundraiser. Choose the 'Images and video' tab. Here you can add extra images and/or a link to a Youtube video.

Youtube video: Note: only put the unique code after the '=' sign. What comes before it in the link has already been filled in by Spendenaktion.  

Don't have a YouTube video but another video format? First place your video on YouTube. Then you have a YouTube link that you can place on your campaign page as described above.   

You can add the extended description in several languages which will then appear as different tabs on your fundraiser page.

To do so, click on + Add language. A second input block will appear where you can choose the language and fill in the translated extended description in that language. 

You can add up to three languages. These languages will then appear as clickable tabs next to the extensive description on your fundraiser page.

We recommend the internet translation machine DeepL which gives very accurate translations. This translation machine is free to use and can be found here: https://www.deepl.com. DeepL does not have all languages. If your desired language is not included, please use Google Translate.

Share, share, share! Get the word out! The most important thing is to share your crowdfunding page with as many people as much as possible. Via personal messages containing the link to your crowdfunding page (email, WhatsApp, Messenger). By posting the fundraiser on social media. Don't just ask people to donate, but also to share and spread the fundraiser further. Contact the news media. The media is usually very receptive in placing fundraising campaigns! And invite collectors (e.g. team members) who can help you spread your fundraiser even further.

Also make sure that the layout of your page looks great and has all the elements to make it a professional presentation of your cause. A strong and credible presentation is important to convince donors. These are our tips to make your campaign page looks great!:

1. Header photo/image: Add a compelling header photo or image that immediately captures the essence of your cause. This is your main visual expression of your fundraiser. One image says more than a 1000 words!

2. Title: Come up with a strong catchy title for your fundraiser.

3. Short description: give a short and concise description of what it is you are raising funds for.

4. Story: tell the story behind the cause and the necessity of the fundraiser in a more detailed description. A personal story creates more involvement and willingness to donate.

5. Additional images and video: Add additional photo’s, images, graphics or even a YouTube video that can further clarify the action and make it attractive and understandable for readers.

6. Profile picture: add a profile picture of yourself. This makes your fundraiser more personal and credible. Donors like to see the face and person behind the fundraiser.

7. Organisations or groups: is the fundraiser for an organisation, group or team? For example, a club, association, school, class, team, foundation, charity, company, church, non-profit organization, etc. Add the group or organisation and link it to your fundraiser. This makes the fundraiser more credible and gives donors more understanding of where thier money will be going to.   

8. Target amount and end date: Set a target amount and an end date (not compulsory!). Fundraisers with a target amount and/or an end date receive more donations than actions without. You can change both the target amount and the end date during the course of the fundraiser.

9. News/updates: post news updates: donors are more likely to participate if they can regularly read news updates about your fundraising campaign. This creates more involvement and the chance that they will share the action with others, become a collector or even donate again.

Use the handy share buttons under the main photo on the fundraiser page. The Facebook share button is there also. Clicking on it will open the 'Share to Facebook' window. Here you can choose how and where you want to share the fundraiser page on Facebook. Don't forget to click the blue button at the bottom 'Post to Facebook'.

Do you have a Facebook business page? You can place the link to your fundraiser page in a message and then pin it to the top of your page. This way, your fundraiser will always remains at the top of your page and be visible and in the spotlight for all followers and visitors of your Facebook page. You do this by first posting the message and then clicking on the three dots at the top right and then choosing 'Pin to top of page'.

Place the link to your fundraiser page (you can add a message) in relevant Facebook groups (sometimes you must first apply for membership). E.g. if you have a fundraiser for an animal you can look up relevant Facebook groups centered around animals and post the link to your fundraiser. 

A few general Facebook groups regarding crowdfunding are:

Crowdfunding und Spenden: Deutschland
Spenden /Ehrenamtliche Hilfe /Geschenke/Crowdfunding
Spenden, Helfen, Glücklich machen - Traumspender Community
Spendenaufrufe für Kleinstspender
Crowdfunding Deutschland
Spenden und Hilfe für Menschen
Helferengel, Hilfe für Menschen in Not. Crowdfunding/Hilfe/Spenden 

We won't bore you with why Facebook does this. More importantly, there is a solution. Click on the 3 dots at the top right of the message. Then click on 'Refresh attachments'. Then refresh the Facebook page in your browser.  

Another way is as follows: You copy the link from your action page and paste it to the Facebook Debugger. Click on Debug and your new image will now load properly. 

Instagram is image-based so you will need to take a screenshot of your fundraiser page and post it on your Instagram page.

If you want to add the link of your fundraiser page to the Instagram post, you have to copy the link address of your fundraiser (you can also click on the Instagram icon under the header image), go to the Instagram post you just made, click on edit and paste it in as text. Unfortunately, people cannot click on the link.

You can, however, add a clickable link to your fundraiser page in the bio. Keep it there for as long as your fundraiser is up and running. 

Tip: Make use of relevant hashtags (#). Hashtags are invaluable on Instagram. But how do you use hashtags to reach more people and create a stronger page? These should relate to the content of your post. Also look at which hashtags are trending. If your post has something to do with one of these trending hashtags, be sure to add it! Instagram allows you to add up to 30 hashtags.

Use the handy share buttons under the header photo/image on your fundraiser page. There you''ll find the Whatsapp button. If you click on it, you will immediately be taken to WhatsApp. You only have to choose the person or group to whom you want to send the fundraiser and click on send. Tip: first create a group on WhatsApp to whom you would like to send the link to your fundraiser. This way you can send your fundraiser to several people in one go. 

Use the handy share buttons under the main header picture on your fundraiser page. There, you'll find the Twitter button. Clicking on it will take you to the Twitter share window. Then click on Tweet. Your message is sent and will appear on your Twitter page. Of course, you can also just copy-paste the link of your fundraiser page if you prefer.

Tip: Use relevant hashtags (#). Hashtags are invaluable within Twitter. Many pages have grown thanks to the correct use of hashtags. But how do you use hashtags to reach more people and create a stronger page? These should relate to the content of your message. Also, look at which hashtags are trending. If your post has something to do with one of these trending hashtags, be sure to add it! 

Pinterest is a social curation website for sharing and categorizing images found online. The site is described in its own content as a visual bookmarking site. Users can browse or search for image content and can follow the boards of other users and can “like” or repin other users' pins.

Although not as important for your fundraiser as other social media platforms, Pinterest can generate awareness and help to share your fundraiser further.

And sharing on your Pinterest page is really easy. Use the handy share buttons under the main header picture on your fundraiser page. There, you'll find the Pinterest button. If you click on it, the 'Pinterest' window opens. Here you can choose on which board you would like to 'pin' your fundraising page.

Use the handy share buttons which you can find under the main photo or image on the fundraiser page. There you'll find the LinkedIn button. If you click on it, you will be taken to the LinkedIn sharing pane. Here you can choose whether you want to post the fundraiser to your LinkedIn page or send it as a message. 

You can then pin the message to the top of your page. This way, your action remains at the top of your page and in the full glare of the spotlight. Click on the 3 dots at the top right and choose 'Pin to top'.

The QR code is a handy image in which the link to your promotion page is encrypted. Use the handy share buttons under the header photo.image on your fundraising page. There you'll find the red QR code button. If you click on it, a window will open with the QR code. You can then copy and share this. People only need to scan the QR code with their mobile phone camera and they will automatically be directed to your fundraising page.

Contact editors of the local and national news media. These are usually very interested in placing news regarding fundraisers. Every fundraiser has a story to tell that is newsworthy. It is often thought that 'my story is not interesting enough'. That is certainly not true. The news media is always looking for content. 

It's a great way to get your fundraiser in the spotlight and you will reach a much larger audience then you can by sharing with your own network. Make sure that the link to your fundraiser page is mentioned in the article to be published. Most news media have an online edition in addition to a print version. Make sure that the link is 'clickable' so that readers can reach your action page with one click on the link in the article.

Approaching the news media with your fundraiser is a great idea! Getting your fundraiser published in the news media (local, regional and national / print, online, radio and TV) will provide a lot of publicity and therefore more donations.

Editorial email addresses can often be found on the websites of the relevant media. Usually in the colophon or on the contact page. 

We won't bore you with why LinkedIn does that. More importantly, here is the solution. You copy the link from your action page and paste it into the LinkedIn Post Inspector. Click on Inspect and your new image will now load properly. 

A great way to reach a greater audience is by placing a so-called website widget of your fundraiser on other websites and blog pages.

A website widget is a piece of code that can be pasted into any website or blog and which ensures that the donate button of your fundraiser is shown. Visitors to your website or blog can then donate to your campaign with a single click.

There are 3 different widgets available: large, medium, and small. Don't have knowledge or access to your website's code? Ask the website administrator if he/she can do that for you.    

You can add a bank account number (private or business) in the Bank Account section of your dashboard.

Go to Dashboard > Bank account and click the blue Add bank account button.

For more information on adding a bank account, please read the following article from our Support Centre: https://spendenaktion.tawk.help/en-gb/article/adding-a-bank-account

For information on pay out click here: https://spendenaktion.tawk.help/en-gb/article/payout

Dashboard > Payout
 

Donations are paid out weekly on Wednesdays. All donations received until Monday midnight 24:00 will be processed for payout. All donations received after Monday midnight 24:00 will be paid out on Wednesday the following week.

In your dashboard under Payout, you can track your payout. As soon as the payment is created, the status of your payment changes from Open to In Progress.

The payment is made before midnight on Wednesday. As soon as the payment has been confirmed, the status changes from In Progress to Paid.

Depending on your bank, the payment will be received within 1 to 3 business days later on the bank account that is linked to your fundraiser.

Costs are automatically deducted from the amount to be paid and can be viewed 24/7 in your dashboard in the Payout section. You can download an invoice with VAT specification, per payout date, here.
 

Please note: payment can only take place if a bank account has been added and verified. 

Do you prefer to receive the money all at once at the end of the fundraising campaign? Or at another desired moment?

This is possible by pausing the payout. Go to bank account in your dashboard and turn off Weekly payout. As soon as you want to be paid out again, you can turn this function on again. Payout will then take place on the following Wednesday.

The donations received will accumulate in your Steunactie account and are always visible 24/7 in your dashboard.

Yes. We always pay out weekly. Setting a target/goal amount and/or reaching a set target amount does not affect the weekly payout.

Please note that some platforms increase thier commission if the target/goal amount is not reached. We don't do that at Spendenaktion.

You can add a bank account from a large number of countries around the world. We support payout to more than 70 countries worldwide. Payouts are always made in the local currency with a few exceptions.

Dashboard > Bank account

For bank accounts located in countries that have Euro as currency, there are no extra costs involved with the payout. After all, there are no conversion costs and the bank account falls within the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) area.

For payouts to bank accounts located in countries with a currency other than Euro, payouts are made in the local currency. There are additional variable (%) conversion fees and fixed payout fees per payout. 

These additional fees are shown immediately when you add a bank account from a non-Euro country and are automatically deducted from the payout.

For payouts in currencies other than Euro, we recommend that you only pay out at the end of your fundraising campaign - in one go - to minimise the extra (fixed) costs.

The outstanding balance in your account, after deduction of costs, should be sufficient to be able to pay out.

Countries not (yet) supported
If you add a bank account from a country that is not yet supported, this is immediately shown on the screen. We will then submit a request to our payout partner. You will receive an e-mail as soon as the request is approved with the applicable variable (%) conversion fee and fixed payout fee or rejected.

Countries we do not pay out to
Payouts to certain countries are not possible due to international embargo/sanctions or other reasons including North Korea, Syria, Iran, Cuba, Russia, Crimean region of Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk and more. When entering a bank account from a country that cannot be paid out to, this message will appear on the screen. 

For more information and overview of all possible payout countries, please visit the following article from our Support Centre.

Go to Dashboard > Bank account and click the blue Add bank account button.

For more information on adding a bank account, please read the following article from our Support Centre: https://spendenaktion.tawk.help/en-gb/article/adding-a-bank-account

For information on pay out click here: https://spendenaktion.tawk.help/en-gb/article/payout 

The bank account you add and link to your fundraiser is not visible to donors.

Dashboard > Payout
 

Donations are paid out weekly on Wednesdays. All donations received until Monday midnight 24:00 will be processed for payout. All donations received after Monday midnight 24:00 will be paid out on Wednesday the following week.

In your dashboard under Payout, you can track your payout. As soon as the payment is created, the status of your payment changes from Open to In Progress.

The payment is made before midnight on Wednesday. As soon as the payment has been confirmed, the status changes from In Progress to Paid.

Depending on your bank, the payment will be received within 1 to 3 business days later on the bank account that is linked to your fundraiser.

Costs are automatically deducted from the amount to be paid and can be viewed 24/7 in your dashboard in the Payout section. You can download an invoice with VAT specification, per payout date, here.
 

Please note: payment can only take place if a bank account has been added and verified. 

Yes, It is possible to start without a bank account. You can start your action without adding and/or linking a bank account. The received donations will accumulate in your account and will only be paid out once a bank account has been added and linked. The donations received will accumulate in your account and will always be visible in your dashboard 24/7.

Do you prefer to receive the money all at once at the end of the fundraising campaign? Or at another desired moment?

This is possible by pausing the payout. Go to bank account in your dashboard and turn off Weekly payout. As soon as you want to be paid out again, you can turn this function on again. Payout will then take place on the following Wednesday.

The donations received will accumulate in your Steunactie account and are always visible 24/7 in your dashboard.

Yes, you can immediately start setting up your fundraiser. As long as you don't activate it, the fundraiser remains offline. Once you are ready to start sharing and receive donations, activate your fundraiser. You can do this in your dashboard: Fundraisers > Active Button (turn it on to green).

Yes, you can make changes to your fundraiser anytime you like. 

No, setting an end date is not mandatory. However, we do recommend setting an end date if appropriate. People are more likely to see the need/urgency to make a donation if an end date is known.

No. However, we do recommend setting a target/goal amount. People are more likely to see the need/urgncy for a donation if a target/goal amount is known. If it turns out during the course of your fundraiser, that your target amount is either too low of too high, you can adjust it at any time.

The progress bar shows the progress of the incoming donations against your target/goal amount.

If you have not set a target/goal amount, no progress bar will be shown.

Yes. We always pay out weekly. Setting a target/goal amount and/or reaching a set target amount does not affect the payout.

Please note that some platforms increase thier commission if the target/goal amount is not reached. We don't do that at Spendenaktion.

If you want to, you can set it up so that donations are no longer possible once the target amount has been reached. You can do this in Settings. But this option is not mandatory.

Donors can choose one of the following payment methods when making their donation:

• PayPal (worldwide)
• Credit Card*: Mastercard, VISA, AMEX (worldwide)
• Manual SEPA-bank transfer (Europe)
• Trustly (Europe)
• EPS (Austria)
• P24 (Polen)
• iDEAL (Netherlands)

You can find an overview here.

Donations are credited as soon as the payment is received by us. For most payment methods this is almost immediate and the donation is immediately visible in the list of donations on the campaign page. 

For a manual SEPA bank transfer, it generally takes a few days before the payment is received by us and visible in the list of donations.
 

For donations made with Credit Card*, there may be some time between a successful donation and its actual receipt by Spendenaktion. Although the donation is immediately credited to the list of donations, it can only be paid out once Spendenaktion has actually received the payment.
 

* 3D Secure mandatory

This can be done from 2 different places:

1. Go to your Dashboard and then to the Collectors page. Click on your fundraiser and then on the Invite Collector button.
2. Go to your Dashboard and then to the Fundraisers page with an overview of your fundraisers. Click on the black Collectors button. Then click on the Invite Collector button.

Yes, that's possible. But you can also set that collectors must first request and receive permission from the organisor before being accepted as a collector. Go to Fundraisers → Edit Fundraiser → Settings

We only allow legitimate actions on the platform. We are committed to ensuring that the platform remains secure and reliable. In addition to our own control, visitors may report abuse if they believe the fundraiser is fraudulent or misleading. If we can determine that there is indeed abuse, the fundraiser will be taken offline.

Yes. In addition to the standard open donation amount whereby donors can choose thier donation amount themselves, it's also possible to add suggested donation amounts with an accompanying description. In this way donors can donate more specifically for something concrete instead of a general contribution to the entire fundraiser You can set up to 5 suggested donation amounts. You don't have to use all 5. An open donation will always be possible, where the donor determines how much he/she will donate. 

You can set suggested donation amounts in your Dashboard under Fundraisers > Edit Fundraiser > Settings > Donations

The status bar shows the progress of the received donations against the target amount. If you have not set a target amount, no status bar will be displayed.

To set a target amount go to Fundraisers > Edit fundraiser > Basic info tab. You can always change a target amount. Reaching or not reaching a target amount has no effect on the payout. 

In order to get started you first need to create an account with Steunactie. 

Please follow these steps:

1. Click on the green 'Start your fundraiser' button at the top of the website.

2. Fill in your name and e-mail address and click on Continue. You will immediately receive a confirmation email.

3. Click on the 'Activate account' button in the e-mail.

Your Steunactie account is now activated and you can immediately start building your crowdfunding page!

We send an automated email to donors to thank them for their donation. This is sent by Spendenaktion on behalf of the fundraiser's organiser.

The text of this email is as follows:

Dear <name donor> ,

Thank you for your donation! Your contribution is truly appreciated.

With kind regards,

Spendenaktion

On behalf of <name fundariser's organiser>

You can change and edit the text of this thank-you e-mail by going to Dashboard > Fundraisers > Edit fundraiser > Settings and turning on the Use my own thank you e-mail function. A text field will appear in which you can edit the default text.

You can stop your fundraiser at any time, take your fundraiser offline, delete your account or just deactivate the donating possibility.

Stopping manually:

If your fundraiser is completed and/or you want to end it, the fundraiser organisor has the choice to:

1. deactivate the fundraiser:

Turn off the Active slider button. This will take your fundraiser offline. The fundraiser page can no longer be visited. However, the fundraiser continues to exist. You can do this in your dashboard under Fundraisers. You can reactivate the fundraiser in the future and/or create another fundraiser. Your account will continue to exist.

Dashboard > Fundraisers > Active button (turn it off)

2. disable donating but keep the fundraiser online (deactivate the button DONATE NOW):

In your dashboard, go to Fundraisers > Edit Fundraiser > Settings and turn on the Switch off donating function.

Dashboard > Fundraisers > Edit fundraiser > Settings > Switch off donating (turn it on)

3. remove the fundraiser completely:

Click Delete fundraiser. The fundraiser is permanently deleted. You can do this in your dashboard under Fundraisers. Your account will remain intact. You can create another fundraiser in the future.

Dashboard > Fundraisers > Delete fundraiser
 

4. delete your account completely:

You can do this in your dashboard under Account > Settings. All data, including your profile, will then be deleted.

Your account will be permanently deleted. You will have to log in again and create a new account if you want to start a new fundraiser in the future.

Dashboard > Account > Settings > Delete account

Automatic termination (preset your action to stop automatically):

1. End date: stop automatically when you reach a pre-set end date

Fundraisers > Edit fundraiser > Settings > The fundraiser has an end date

This is set to off by default. If you enable this button and have entered an end date, the fundraiser will still be online after this end date, but the DONATE NOW button will be deactivated. Visitors to your campaign page will no longer be able to donate when the end date is reached.

2. Target amount: stop automatically when a preset target amount is reached

Fundraisers > Edit fundraiser > Settings > Disable donating when target amount is reached 

The default setting is off. If you enable this button and you have entered a target amount, the campaign will still be online after reaching the target amount, but the button DONATE NOW will be deactivated. Visitors of your campaign page will no longer be able to donate when reaching the target amount.

The safety and reliability of the platform and payments are paramount at Spendenaktion.

SSL: The security of the Spendenaktion platform is guaranteed by the so-called SSL certificate. SSL literally stands for Secure Sockets Layer which means that a secure layer is placed between a server and an internet browser. With SSL, confidential data is sent encrypted so that it cannot be intercepted. A website is secured by SSL if there is a small lock in front of the URL in the address bar.

PSD2: The security of donations is guaranteed as we work with Mollie, one of Europe's best-known payment service providers (PSP) and PayPal. Both Mollie and PayPal hold a PSD2 licence. PSD2 is an abbreviation for Payment Services Directives 2 and is a European directive regulating payment services in the European Union. Learn more about PSD2. 

The security of payouts is guaranteed as we work with Payaut, which handles our payouts. Payaut also holds a PSD2 licence. 

Escrow account: Donations and payouts go through the escrow accounts of the pay-in and pay-out payment service providers we work with (Mollie, PayPal and Payaut). Donations and payouts are therefore strictly separated from Sponsor Europe (owner of the platform). Even in the unlikely event of Sponsor Europe going out of business, your donations and pay-outs are always safe. 

KYC verification: KYC stands for Know Your Customer. We are required by the applicable regulations to identify and verify our customers so that the platform cannot be misused.

SCA: Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is a requirement of the revised EU directive (PSD2) on the security of payment services. It adds additional layers of security to electronic payments. (such as a password or PIN). All payment methods offered comply with SCA's guidelines.

3DS: 3D Secure (3DS) is a protocol that adds extra security to online credit and debit card payments. It ensures that a form of online identification is added to the authorisation of a financial transaction with a credit card. Only credit card donations secured with 3DS are accepted on the platform.

2FA - Two-factor authentication: Two-step verification, also known as two-factor authentication (2FA), allows you to add extra security to your account. 2FA is an extra layer of security used to ensure that only authenticated users can access your online account. We strongly recommend using 2FA with your account.

Abuse monitoring: Spendenaktion only allows legitimate fundraising campaigns on the platform. Fundraising campaigns suspected of being illegitimate and/or having wrong intentions are investigated and removed. In addition to us monitoring this ourselves, every visitor can report (suspected) abuse. This way, the 'crowd' can also keep an eye on things. All fundraising campaigns must also comply with the guidelines set out in our general terms and conditions.

No, there are no costs for donors upon donating. Nor do we ask for an extra 'fee' or 'tip' from donors as some other platforms do. Platform and transaction costs are deducted from the donations upon payout. Click here for the rates. 

€5,-. 

Donors can choose one of the following payment methods when making their donation:

• PayPal (worldwide)
• Credit Card*: Mastercard, VISA, AMEX (worldwide)
• Manual SEPA-bank transfer (Europe)
• Trustly (Europe)
• EPS (Austria)
• P24 (Polen)
• iDEAL (Netherlands)

You can find an overview here.

Donations are credited as soon as the payment is received by us. For most payment methods this is almost immediate and the donation is immediately visible in the list of donations on the campaign page. 

For a manual SEPA bank transfer, it generally takes a few days before the payment is received by us and visible in the list of donations.
 

For donations made with Credit Card*, there may be some time between a successful donation and its actual receipt by Spendenaktion. Although the donation is immediately credited to the list of donations, it can only be paid out once Spendenaktion has actually received the payment.
 

* 3D Secure mandatory

Donations are added to the list as soon as payment is received by us. For most payment methods, the donation is almost immediately visible in the list of donations on the fundraiser page. For a manual SEPA bank transfer, it usually takes a few days before the payment has reached us. As soon as it has, it will be visible in the list of donations.

No, donors do not need to register and can even donate anonymously if they wish. They can choose whether they want to register. The advantage of a registration is that they can also set up a fundraiser for themselves or register as a collector for an existing fundraiser.

Yes. We work together with Mollie, one of the largest and best-known payment service providers in Europe. Mollie complies with all regulations and is in possession of the necessary permits. Your donation will be settled through Mollie and is safe, secure and guaranteed.

Please contact us and we will make sure that a donation is set to anonymous.

Sometimes, incorrect or unpleasant comments are added to a donation. This can be disruptive to your campaign. You can easily delete these comments in your Dashboard under Donations. Simply look up the donation in the list and click on the bin next to the comment. The comment is then deleted. 

Yes, if a donor has not donated anonymously you can see his/her email address in the Donations section of your Dashboard.

Dashboard > Donations

In your dashboard, you can manage your donors. Go to Donations. Here you can see a list of your donors, your email address (if not donated anonymously), the amount donated, the date and the comment on the donation.

You can:

• download a list of your donors (e.g. to thank them personally),
• delete a comment (e.g. if an unpleasant comment has been posted)

You become a collector by either clicking on the ‘Become a collector’ button (if it is shown on the fundraiser page) or by receiving an invitation from the organiser. 

Please note that the fundraiser organiser must enable the 'Become a collector' button on his/her fundraiser page. If the organiser has not done so, this button will not be shown on the fundraiser page. You can then only become a collector by being invited by the organiser. If the 'Become a collector' button is not shown on the fundraiser page, and you would like to become a collector of a fundraiser, please send the organiser a request. You can do so by using the contact button next to the organiser's name on the fundraiser page.

Yes. By registering, a collector can easily register on the fundraiser page, create a collector account and share his personalised fundraiser page with his/her own network.

Yes, you can always stop being Collector for a fundrasier Go to your dashboard and to Fundraisers. There you will see the fundraisers(s) for which you are collecting. Below the fundraiser in question, you will see the Stop collecting button. Click this to Stop collecting. The organisor is automatically notified that you are stopping as a collector for his/her fundraiser.

No. As a collector you don't have to transfer any money. All donations collected by you go directly to the account of the fundraiser's organiser. So no hassle with transferring money!

Spendenaktion is one of the most affordable crowdfunding & donation platforms out there. Setting up and starting a Spendenaktion is completely free. Fees will only be charged for received donations. No cure no pay! We do not ask for an extra contributions or tips from donors and we pay out every week.

Platform fees

Spendenaktion charges a fee of 5% including 21% VAT (4.13% excluding VAT) on successful donations. Minimum donation is €5,-.

Transaction fees

The fixed transaction costs are €0,50 including VAT (€0.41 excluding VAT) per donation. This amount covers the costs of receiving and processing (via Mollie), managing and paying out the donations on a weekly basis. 

Some payment methods charge additional variable transaction costs. For an overview of the payment methods and the costs click here

Platform and transaction fees are deducted automatically from the amount to be paid out. You always have insight into the donations and transactions via the dashboard in your account. We do not ask for a contribution or tip from your donors!

Donors can choose one of the following payment methods when making their donation:

• PayPal (worldwide)
• Credit Card*: Mastercard, VISA, AMEX (worldwide)
• Manual SEPA-bank transfer (Europe)
• Trustly (Europe)
• EPS (Austria)
• P24 (Polen)
• iDEAL (Netherlands)

You can find an overview here.

Donations are credited as soon as the payment is received by us. For most payment methods this is almost immediate and the donation is immediately visible in the list of donations on the campaign page. 

For a manual SEPA bank transfer, it generally takes a few days before the payment is received by us and visible in the list of donations.
 

For donations made with Credit Card*, there may be some time between a successful donation and its actual receipt by Spendenaktion. Although the donation is immediately credited to the list of donations, it can only be paid out once Spendenaktion has actually received the payment.
 

* 3D Secure mandatory

For more information on taxes, please consult our Help Center: please read the following article regarding the need to declare donations for tax purposes. 

For more information on taxes and deductions, please consult this article in our Help Centre.

A gift/donation is a contribution from generosity. There is no direct quid pro quo. Because you do not provide anything in return for a gift/donation/gift, you do not have to pay VAT on gifts/donations.

Our rates include 19 % VAT (subject to German Tax). This applies to both the platform costs and the transaction costs.

You can request an official attest certificate by contacting the fundraiser organiser. You are not donating to the platform but to the fundraiser or organiser. The platform only facilitates the transaction and as such, does not issue receipts, invoices or any other documents proving donations. 

You can contact the organiser by clicking on the contact button next to the organiser's name on the fundraising page.