99pledges
99Pledges is a free, US-only peer-to-peer fundraising platform that helps schools, youth sports teams, and community organizations run a-thon campaigns and monetize only through optional donor tips.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What 99pledges does
99Pledges LLC is a privately held, self-funded software company founded in winter 2011 by Brad Dowhaniuk and Vinay Anne and headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company operates a free, web-based peer-to-peer fundraising platform purpose-built for US schools, sports teams, and youth-oriented organizations to run "a-thon" events such as jog-a-thons, read-a-thons, dance-a-thons, and hit-a-thons. Each participant receives a shareable individual donation page distributed via email, text, Facebook, and X, with real-time administrative dashboards tracking participation, leaderboards, and goal progress. The platform accepts credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, and additionally provides free tracking for offline cash and check donations, with funds remitted to organizations within one business day of campaign close.
The underlying product is a self-serve SaaS application accessible via 99pledges.com and app.99pledges.com, augmented by a free white-glove setup service and dedicated fundraising coaches assigned to each campaign. 99Pledges does not charge organizations platform fees, subscriptions, or minimums; its only direct revenue lever is optional donor tips at checkout, while standard credit card processing fees of 3.49% plus $0.49 per transaction are passed through to card networks. The platform is COPPA-compliant, US-only, and serves elementary schools, high schools, youth sports leagues, booster clubs, scout groups, Greek organizations, and churches. Per the company, organizations using 99Pledges raise 2–3x more than with prior methods, and online donations are approximately 25% larger than offline donations on average.
The go-to-market motion is product-led growth with content marketing — an extensive blog with 55+ fundraising guides, segment-specific landing pages, and competitor comparison pages against Zeffy, GoFundMe, and Givebutter drive organic search acquisition. The company reports serving thousands of organizations annually that have collectively raised hundreds of millions of dollars since inception. No external venture capital has been raised, no acquisitions have been completed, and no patents or AI capabilities are disclosed; the organization remains a small (1–10 employees), profitable, vertically focused niche player.
99pledges firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 99pledges
- Legal name
- 99Pledges LLC
- Website
- https://99pledges.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 99Pledges is a free, US-only peer-to-peer fundraising platform that helps schools, youth sports teams, and community organizations run a-thon campaigns and monetize only through optional donor tips.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
99pledges industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Software
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Fundraising & Crowdfunding Platforms (Recurring/Project-Based) (MPACAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments (MPACAFAB)
Keywords
Where 99pledges is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
99pledges business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Optional donor tips: 99Pledges is free to all organizations. The platform is funded through optional tips that donors can choose to add at checkout. This is the primary revenue stream that allows the company to operate without charging organizations platform fees.
- Credit card transaction fees (passed through): Organizations pay a standard transaction fee of 3.49% plus 49 cents per transaction, which is charged by credit card companies for secure online donations and is automatically deducted at the end of each fundraiser. 99Pledges itself charges no fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free platform for all organizations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
99pledges product offering
Product offeringCore offering
99Pledges provides a free online peer-to-peer fundraising platform that enables schools, youth sports teams, and nonprofit organizations to host "a-thon" events (walk-a-thons, jog-a-thons, read-a-thons, hit-a-thons, etc.). Each participant receives a personal, shareable donation page, and the platform accepts credit/debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, plus free tracking for cash and check donations, with no platform or startup fees charged to the organization.
Product overview
99Pledges is a free, unified online peer-to-peer fundraising platform designed for schools, sports teams, youth organizations, and nonprofits. The core platform provides automated setup of 'a-thon' fundraising campaigns with individual participant donation pages. Key platform features include real-time reporting dashboards, leaderboard tracking, cash/check donation tracking, and dedicated fundraising coach support. The platform accepts multiple payment methods including credit/debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. The company offers various fundraiser types including Walk-a-thon, Dance-a-thon, Read-a-thon, Hit-a-thon, Color Run/Fun Run, Jog-a-thon, Spell-a-thon, Math-a-thon, Basketball Shoot-a-thon, Baseball Hit-a-thon, Football Lift-a-thon, and Band Rehearse-a-thon, all supported through the same unified platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 99Pledges Online Fundraising Platform A free online peer-to-peer fundraising platform that enables schools, sports teams, youth organizations, and other nonprofits to host a-thon fundraising events. The platform creates a dedicated donation page for each participant, accepts credit/debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, offers free cash and check tracking, provides real-time reporting and leaderboards, and includes a dedicated fundraising coach and free staff setup.
Quantifiable outcome
- Organizations raise 2–3x more with 99Pledges compared to prior fundraising efforts
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use 99pledges
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
99pledges technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
99pledges partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
99pledges competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Zeffy: Zeffy is a zero-fee fundraising platform for nonprofits and schools that, like 99Pledges, monetizes through optional donor tips rather than platform fees. It is explicitly named as a comparator by 99Pledges and serves the same SMB customer base with overlapping peer-to-peer campaign functionality.
- Givebutter: Givebutter is a free online fundraising platform for nonprofits that offers donations, events, peer-to-peer campaigns, and auctions. It is explicitly compared against 99Pledges and competes head-on in the zero-fee nonprofit fundraising category.
- GoFundMe Charity: GoFundMe Charity is the nonprofit-focused arm of GoFundMe offering peer-to-peer fundraising for schools, teams, and nonprofits. 99Pledges directly compares against GoFundMe in its SEO strategy, and both serve the same school/youth-sports donor base.
- PledgeStar: PledgeStar is a peer-to-peer fundraising platform specializing in a-thon fundraisers for schools and youth sports teams — directly overlapping 99Pledges' core a-thon use cases (walk-a-thons, jog-a-thons, read-a-thons).
- Donorbox: Donorbox is an online donation and fundraising platform serving nonprofits and schools with recurring giving, peer-to-peer campaigns, and donation forms. It targets the same customer base with a similar SMB and self-serve onboarding motion.
- Funraise: Funraise is a nonprofit fundraising platform providing donation forms, peer-to-peer campaigns, events, and CRM-like functionality for charities — a comparable offering to 99Pledges but typically targeting mid-market and larger nonprofits.
- RallyUp: RallyUp is an online fundraising platform for nonprofits and schools offering auctions, peer-to-peer campaigns, ticketed events, and donation pages. It competes with 99Pledges for the same school and youth organization customers.
Broad incumbents
- Bonterra: Bonterra (formerly Network for Good / JustGiving) is a large established provider of fundraising, CRM, and grant management software for nonprofits. It serves the same end customer (nonprofits and schools) but as part of a much broader portfolio than 99Pledges' focused a-thon platform.
- Blackbaud: Blackbaud is the largest incumbent provider of fundraising, CRM, and financial software to nonprofits, schools, and foundations. While not a direct SMB a-thon competitor, it is the broad incumbent whose enterprise customers include many of the same schools and youth organizations that 99Pledges serves.
- Bloomerang: Bloomerang is a donor management and fundraising CRM platform for small and mid-sized nonprofits. It overlaps with 99Pledges on nonprofit fundraising workflows but is broader in scope and focuses on retention analytics rather than peer-to-peer a-thon campaigns.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
99pledges social profiles
Digital presence99pledges financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
99pledges leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
99pledges funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
99pledges M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 99pledges
What does 99pledges do?
99Pledges provides a free online peer-to-peer fundraising platform that enables schools, youth sports teams, and nonprofit organizations to host "a-thon" events (walk-a-thons, jog-a-thons, read-a-thons, hit-a-thons, etc.). Each participant receives a personal, shareable donation page, and the platform accepts credit/debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, plus free tracking for cash and check donations, with no platform or startup fees charged to the organization.
Is 99pledges a public or private company?
99pledges is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 99pledges founded?
99pledges was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 99pledges based?
99pledges is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does 99pledges make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Optional donor tips are the primary driver. The others are credit card transaction fees (passed through).
Who are 99pledges's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Zeffy, Givebutter, GoFundMe Charity, PledgeStar, Donorbox, Funraise and RallyUp. Broad incumbents are Bonterra, Blackbaud and Bloomerang.
Does 99pledges have an API?
No public API is recorded for 99pledges.
What industry is 99pledges in?
99pledges's product category is Online Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAFAJ, Creator Fundraising & Crowdfunding Platforms (Recurring/Project-Based), with a secondary code of MPACAFAB, Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments. Its SIC code is 7900.