Snap Raise fees explained: Is the 20% worth it?

You work hard to raise $10K for your school's soccer team, but only $8K lands in your account. What gives? Snap Raise keeps the rest—a full 20%.

For tight team budgets, every lost dollar means fewer jerseys, rides, or tournaments. Is Snap Raise worth it? 

In this guide, we'll unpack the notorious Snap Raise fees, show what you get for the cost, and offer some Snap Raise alternatives to help you make the smartest choice for your school fundraising.

What is Snap Raise?

Snap Raise is online fundraising software built for youth sports teams. Often styled with an exclamation point as Snap! Raise, the platform offers 28-day fundraising campaigns designed to help teams raise funds more quickly and reduce the need for those time-consuming door-to-door campaigns of the past. 

Snap Raise is one feature of the Snap! Mobile One platform, which offers additional features for teams in three tiers, including a mobile app, online store, roster management, and messaging.

How does Snap Raise work?

The platform pairs each team with a sales rep who handles the logistics of launching an online fundraising campaign. To motivate students and free up coaches’ time, Snap Raise also offers incentives like personalized team gear, participation prizes, and championship banners.

Before diving in, however, it’s important to ask yourself:

• Does my team want to run more than one fundraiser annually or collect donations year-round?
• Will I need additional software to sell tickets? 
• Do I want to accept multiple payment methods?
• Can I store and track donor information in a CRM for future engagement?
• Do I want to communicate with donors via email or text?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, a more long-term, all-in-one fundraising solution may be what you’re looking for. 

The most helpful aspect of Givebutter was how easy the platform was to use. In the past, our nonprofit used platforms like Snap Raise, which took about 20% of all funds raised. With Givebutter, we could put the fee on the donor, so 100% of the funds went to our mission. Any questions we had were answered quickly, and we could easily modify the campaign at our fingertips. — Amanda B., Givebutter user

What are the Snap Raise fees?

Simply put, Snap Raise pricing can be prohibitive for many schools, sports teams, and nonprofits. While the site says the platform does not charge upfront costs, fundraisers typically keep only 80% of what they raise. If participation goals aren’t met, the fee increases (though specific percentages are not publicly available).

Here’s how it works:

• If you meet your campaign's participation goal, you keep 80% of what you raise.
• Participation is calculated as the number of participants who receive at least one donation, divided by your total roster size.
• If you fall short of your goal, you are charged an additional fee. (Again, the exact amount isn’t publicly disclosed.)

While Snap Raise promotes “no more paying a 3% credit card fee,” that small savings is often overshadowed by having to pay 20% or more of the funds raised.

When compared to other platforms the cost difference is hard to ignore. 

Givebutter pricing, for example, is 100% transparent, with no hidden costs. Thanks to optional donor tips, Givebutter’s core fundraising, donor management, and engagement features are free to use. Donors are given the option to cover transaction fees—and over 95% do—so your team brings home more of what you raise. In fact, the average campaign on Givebutter keeps 99.5% of funds. 

Snap Raise may appear to save you time, but it likely won’t save you money.

Families dislike the 20% charge taken out. They want their full donation to go to the program. This turns them away when they are aware of that charge taken out. — Snap! Raise user

 A closer look at Snap Raise features

Snap Raise’s fundraising pages are fairly well-equipped. Users get trackable team pages, video support, a secure platform, and built-in tools to email, text, and post on social media about your fundraiser. Just keep in mind that these communication tools are more for campaign-specific outreach, not long-term donor engagement. 

Here's a rundown of some of Snap Raise’s current features:

• Guided onboarding: Streamlined fundraiser setup and campaign management​
• Roster importing: Easily import participant details from previous fundraisers or registration lists
• One-click acknowledgments: Quick and easy completion of necessary acknowledgments​
• Branding and customization: Access to brand colors, logos, and media to customize fundraiser pages
• Automated reminders: Send email reminders to participants for task completion and progress updates
• In-app messaging: Easily facilitate communication among team members

Here's what one user had to say:

I love how quickly you can start the fundraiser and get donations flowing in immediately. I really like how the emails get sent out automatically once a week after the original send. This helps us to generate more donations as the month goes on. I also like how the fundraiser time can be customized. I wanted a shorter time frame for the donations, and my rep was able to do that for me. — Shaun P., Snap! Raise user

Missing features in Snap Raise

While the “set it and forget it” mentality is certainly appealing, it’s not always effective when it comes to building a sustainable community of support for your team. 

No matter what you’re fundraising for, you can’t simply set up a fundraising page and hope donors will find it, click the donate button, and make a financial contribution. In today’s world of constant distraction, just having a page isn’t enough to capture donors’ attention or drive results.

Unfortunately, Snap Raise lacks a number of key features needed for sustainable fundraising success:

• Engagement features: No live supporter feed with social media-style updates
• Custom donation forms: Only supports one-time donations—no recurring giving options—and offers limited customization
• Modern payment options: Doesn’t integrate with Apple Pay, Venmo, and other digital wallets, nor does it offer text-to-donate
• Event ticketing: Lacks ticketing features and event pages

Thinking long-term: Is Snap Raise built to last?

Fundraisers focused on sustainability will eventually ask: What about next year?

If the fundraising platform you used last year is still available and effective for the next, it could save your team hundreds—or even thousands—over time. That’s a smart investment.

The key? Find an affordable, high-quality platform that helps you scale your fundraising process.

Snap! Raise’s model focuses on short-term fundraising wins, not long-term growth.

Even with unlimited users, every time you start a new Snap! Raise campaign, you’re starting from scratch—donor data is erased and you lose track of who raised what. That means more time spent rebuilding—and more money gone.

With Givebutter’s free, built-in CRM and marketing software, your team can:

• Keep automatic records of each participant’s fundraising history
• See which supporters donated last time
• Build on previous success without starting over
• Foster lasting relationships that generate even more support

Snap Raise makes these tasks nearly impossible, which can be a significant challenge for any team or program looking to build sustainable fundraising efforts

Raise better with Givebutter

So, is Snap Raise really worth the 20% fee? If you’re looking for a short-term solution with basic donor engagement features, maybe.

But if you’d prefer to raise more, build lasting supporter relationships, and enjoy affordable, straightforward pricing, Givebutter might just be the Snap Raise alternative you’ve been searching for.

Ready to save more of your campaign's funds? Create your free Givebutter account and start fundraising today!

Snap Raise FAQs

Is Snap Raise legit?

Yes, Snap Raise is a legitimate platform. Since 2014, it has supported millions of participants and donors with its simple and dependable fundraising services.

Does Snap Raise have a mobile app?

Yes, users can use the Snap! Mobile app to access their fundraiser on the go, chat with participants, shop the Snap Store, and share schedules and updates. 

Who is Snap Raise built for?

Snap Raise is an online fundraising platform built to help high school coaches, group leaders, district administrators, boosters, and athletic directors reach their fundraising goals quickly and easily.

Are there Snap Raise fundraiser complaints?

No tool is 100% perfect. For Snap Raise, the main downside is the high processing fees. Snap Raise fundraiser reviews on G2 highlight processing fees as a main downside.