Donorbox

Donorbox is a technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Established in 2014, the company provides an online fundraising platform enabling individuals and nonprofit organizations to facilitate online donations. The platform is utilized by various types of organizations, including charities, religious institutions, schools, animal welfare groups, political campaigns, among others.

Donorbox
Screenshot
A screenshot of a 2018 fundraiser
Type of site
Crowdfunding
Available inEnglish
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
,
United States
Founder(s)Charles Zhang
URLdonorbox.org
CommercialYes
Launched2014

Background

Donorbox was established by Charles Zhang in 2014, initially launching as a free WordPress plug-in incorporating PayPal and Stripe functionality.[1][2][3] For data security, the platform uses 256bit SSL/TLS encryption and is PCI compliant.[4][2] By 2018, the company expanded its payment options, adding Apple Pay for nonprofit organizations.

Donorbox requires no start-up costs, monthly fees, or contractual agreements. It offers features designed to streamline the donation process, such as Ultraswift Pay, which provides swift payment processing via various services including Mercado Pago, Venmo, PayPal Checkout, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. This feature minimizes the need to enter personal details and can be integrated into emails and web pages via a customizable Donate Button.[5]

Other key features of Donorbox include a text-to-give option, allowing donations via text message, Repeat Donation, Peer-to-Peer and Crowdfunding capabilities, enabling supporters to create personalized campaign pages, encouraging donor engagement, and providing campaign insights. Donorbox also facilitates memberships, event management, and the automatic generation of tax-deductible receipts.[5]

Donorbox is used in 96 countries[5] and territories, with a user base that includes organizations such as Truthout,[6] MAP International,[7] Habitat for Humanity, Code for America,[8] and National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.[9]

Reception

Donorbox was cited in the book Freedom of the Press as a simple solution to process and manage online donations.[10] In the book Fundraising for Dummies, the author, Beverly Browning recommended the platform for new organizations to easily receive donations.[11] The 42 Strategies website noted Donorbox's use of pre-filled custom amounts with descriptions, allowing donors to understand their contributions' impacts. [2] Double the Donation acknowledged the simplicity of the site's user interface.[12] Natalie De Vincenzi of Lykke commented on the no-cost nature of the service.[13] WPDean highlighted the platform's design as being responsive and adaptable for mobile use.[3] WP Villa also made reference to Donorbox in blog posts.[14]

In December 2018, Donorbox faced controversy when it temporarily suspended, then reinstated, the account of far-right activist Tommy Robinson.[15][16][17] In August 2019, the company updated its Terms of Service to prohibit promoting "unlawful violence" based on race, religion, and other characteristics.[18][19] This followed a brief period during which the company removed its anti-hate speech clause, which saw an increase in its use among extreme right-wing groups.[20]

Far-right activist James Goddard and several other figures, such as Jolene Bunting and Raheem Kassam, have used the platform.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] Several users have been banned for violating the company's Terms of Service, including groups like the English Defence League and Der Dritte Weg, and individuals like Colin Robertson.[28][29][30]

See also

References
  1. Captain, Sean (2017-05-09). "Activists Are Pushing Back Against Tech Platforms That Quietly Empower Hate Groups". Fast Company.
  2. 42 Strategies staff (21 July 2017). "Best Ten Online Donation Gateways For Nonprofits". 42 Strategies. 42Strategies.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  3. WPDean (5 May 2017). "8 Best Non Profit WordPress Donation Plugins". WPDean. WordPress. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  4. "How To Receive Donations Online". The Pioneer. 2020-08-19.
  5. Dawes-Chatha, Sandra (2022-10-28). "The Top 5 Fundraising Platforms to Use". MUO.
  6. "Truthout Case study - Donorbox Donation Software". Donorbox. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  7. International, M. A. P. "MAP 2019 Provide Life Changing Medicines". www.map.org. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  8. MENAFN. "Donorbox Exceeds $200M in Donation Processing". menafn.com. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  9. "Support the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline". suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  10. Karpan, Andrew, ed. (2019). Freedom of the Press. Green Haven. pp. 156–157. ISBN 9781534506190.
  11. Browning, Beverly (2022). Fundraising for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 339–340. ISBN 9781119912767.
  12. Double the Donation staff. "The 15 Best Online Donation Tools For Nonprofits [Reviewed]". Double the Donation. doublethedonation.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  13. De Vicenzi, Natalie (27 October 2017). "18 Discounts and Free Services for Non-Profits You Probably Didn't Know About". Lykke. Lykke LLC. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  14. "7 Best Donation Plugins for WordPress 2019". WP Villa. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  15. 'Tommy Robinson Has Been Kicked Off A Crowdfunding Site For Raising Money For A Teenager Accused Of Assaulting A Syrian Refugee' in Buzzfeed 1 December 2018
  16. Cleary, Tom. "Bailey McLaren: Teen Arrested After Syrian Refugee 'Waterboarded' on Video". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  17. Asher Mcshane (2018-11-28). "'Syrian refugee' bullied in shocking video: Huge outpouring of support for Huddersfield schoolboy as well-wishers donate over £30,000 | London Evening Standard". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  18. "Donorbox Donation Platform - Terms and Conditions for Nonprofits". Donorbox. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  19. "Tommy Robinson Is Now Reliant On This US Crowdfunding Platform". Buzzfeed.com. 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  20. "British 'yellow vest' leader wanted to 'ban Islam from the west'". The National. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  21. Peter Walker Political correspondent. "Pro-Brexit activist said all Muslims should be removed from UK | Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  22. Lizzie Dearden Home Affairs Correspondent @lizziedearden (2019-01-08). "Facebook and PayPal delete 'yellow vest' organiser James Goddard's accounts after abuse of MPs outside parliament". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  23. 'James Goddard: Yellow vest organiser arrested in London' in The Independent (UK newspaper), 12 January 2019
  24. "Donorbox". Donorbox. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  25. "#TeamRaheem | Raheem Kassam (Powered by Donorbox)". Donorbox.org. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  26. "Support Me". Mattforney.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  27. "Donorbox". Donorbox. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  28. "EDL Donate page | English Defence League (Powered by Donorbox)". donorbox.org. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  29. "CONFIRMED: @Donorbox has banned neo-Nazi group Der Dritte Weg from their payment platform". Trendsmap. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  30. Captain, Sean (2017-05-09). "Activists Are Pushing Back Against Tech Platforms That Quietly Empower Hate Groups". Fast Company. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.