ScaleFunder
ScaleFunder is a digital fundraising platform serving U.S. higher education institutions through customizable crowdfunding and giving-day solutions, distributed exclusively via partner Ruffalo Noel Levitz under the RNL Giving Day and RNL Crowdfunding brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ScaleFunder does
ScaleFunder is a digital fundraising platform purpose-built for higher education institutions. Founded in 2012 and based in Los Angeles, the company operates as the technology layer within Ruffalo Noel Levitz, LLC (RNL), an Iowa-domiciled higher education services firm founded in 1998. ScaleFunder powers two core product lines distributed by RNL: RNL Crowdfunding, a fully customizable, mobile-responsive platform that has fueled more than 5,000 successful fundraising projects, and RNL Giving Day, which combines dynamic storytelling with volunteer management for 24-hour giving-day campaigns. The underlying platform architecture supports campaign creation, donor engagement workflows, and PCI DSS 4.0-compliant payment processing, and is enhanced by QuadMail, an AI-driven email personalization engine that tailors content to individual alumni and donor profiles. ScaleFunder reaches its end customers exclusively through RNL's enterprise direct sales team and consulting practice, which market the platform alongside RNL's enrollment management, student success, and fundraising consulting services. The company's revenue model combines platform subscription/licensing fees from RNL with transaction-based fundraising economics tied to donations processed through the platform. Pricing is quote-based enterprise with multi-year contracts; specific contract values and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.
ScaleFunder firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ScaleFunder
- Legal name
- Ruffalo Noel Levitz, LLC
- Website
- https://ScaleFunder.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ScaleFunder is a digital fundraising platform serving U.S. higher education institutions through customizable crowdfunding and giving-day solutions, distributed exclusively via partner Ruffalo Noel Levitz under the RNL Giving Day and RNL Crowdfunding brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ScaleFunder industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education Fundraising Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Fundraising & Crowdfunding Platforms (Recurring/Project-Based) (MPACAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments (MPACAFAB)
Keywords
Where ScaleFunder is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
ScaleFunder business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Platform Subscription/Licensing: ScaleFunder powers RNL's digital fundraising solutions, generating revenue through platform licensing arrangements with RNL for use by higher education institutions
- Transaction-based Fundraising: Platform facilitates donation collection during giving days and crowdfunding campaigns, with revenue derived from transaction processing and campaign success
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based enterprise pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
ScaleFunder product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ScaleFunder is a digital fundraising software platform that enables higher education institutions to launch and manage crowdfunding campaigns and 24-hour giving day events. It powers RNL's RNL Crowdfunding and RNL Giving Day product lines, providing customizable mobile-responsive campaign sites, AI-driven donor email personalization (QuadMail), and PCI DSS 4.0 compliant donation processing. The platform has facilitated more than 5,000 successful fundraising projects for colleges and universities.
Product overview
ScaleFunder is a digital fundraising platform acquired and integrated into Ruffalo Noel Levitz's (RNL) higher education fundraising solutions. The platform operates as a core technology layer powering two primary product offerings: RNL Crowdfunding and RNL Giving Day. RNL Crowdfunding is an innovative platform that has fueled more than 5,000 successful fundraising projects, allowing institutions to create fully customizable, mobile-responsive crowdfunding sites. RNL Giving Day combines dynamic storytelling and volunteer management into one easy-to-use digital fundraising tool. Both products are enhanced with AI-powered personalization for donor engagement and email content tailoring, enabling hyper-personalized outreach to students, alumni, staff, parents, and other donors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RNL Giving Day: A giving day platform powered by ScaleFunder that combines dynamic storytelling and volunteer management for higher education fundraising campaigns.
- RNL Crowdfunding
Products and services
- RNL Crowdfunding An innovative digital fundraising platform that enables higher education institutions to create fully customizable, mobile-responsive crowdfunding campaigns reflecting institutional branding, message, and goals. The platform has powered more than 5,000 successful fundraising projects for colleges and universities.
- RNL Giving Day A giving day platform that combines dynamic storytelling and volunteer management into a single digital fundraising tool for 24-hour giving day campaigns at colleges and universities, paired with strategic assessments, omnichannel marketing, and stewardship services.
- ScaleFunder Platform The underlying digital fundraising platform technology that powers RNL's Giving Day and Crowdfunding solutions, providing technical infrastructure for campaign creation, AI-powered donor engagement, hyper-personalized email content (QuadMail), and PCI DSS 4.0 compliant giving experiences for higher education institutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 5,000 successful fundraising projects powered by the platform
Companies that use ScaleFunder
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ScaleFunder technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
ScaleFunder partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL)coreRNL (Ruffalo Noel Levitz) distributes and markets ScaleFunder's digital fundraising platform under the RNL Giving Day and RNL Crowdfunding product lines. ScaleFunder powers RNL's giving day and crowdfunding solutions, which are integrated with RNL's broader higher education platform covering enrollment management, student success, and fundraising consulting services. RNL's sales team and consulting practice recommend and implement ScaleFunder-powered solutions for higher education institutions.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ScaleFunder competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GiveCampus: Higher education-focused crowdfunding and fundraising platform that enables giving days, crowdfunding, and peer-to-peer campaigns for colleges and universities. Direct overlap with ScaleFunder's core use cases.
- Classy (GoFundMe Pro): Online fundraising platform for nonprofits offering branded campaign sites, recurring giving, and event management. Comparable in digital fundraising infrastructure for nonprofits and institutions.
- Funraise: Nonprofit fundraising platform with donation forms, giving days, peer-to-peer campaigns, and CRM functionality. Closely comparable to ScaleFunder's product offering.
- DonorPerfect: Donor management and online fundraising software for nonprofits, including campaign pages, event management, and donation processing. Comparable in serving small-to-mid nonprofit fundraising needs.
- QGive: Online giving and event platform serving higher education and nonprofit institutions with branded donation forms and event fundraising tools. Overlaps with ScaleFunder's giving day model.
Broad incumbents
- Bonterra: Suite of nonprofit fundraising and donor management software (Network for Good, JustGiving, etc.) serving nonprofits broadly. Overlaps with ScaleFunder in digital fundraising and donation processing.
- Blackbaud: Large incumbent provider of fundraising, CRM, and financial management software for nonprofits and higher education institutions. Overlaps with ScaleFunder as an enterprise fundraising technology vendor.
- Ellucian: Large higher education technology incumbent providing SIS and student success solutions. Comparable as a tech vendor to higher ed institutions that ScaleFunder also targets through RNL.
Emerging players
- iWave: Fundraising intelligence platform for nonprofits and higher education focused on prospect research and donor analytics. Complementary to ScaleFunder's campaign execution products.
- Givebutter: Modern online fundraising platform with giving pages, events, auctions, and donor management for nonprofits. Increasingly competing in the digital fundraising space ScaleFunder occupies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ScaleFunder social profiles
Digital presenceScaleFunder compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ScaleFunder financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ScaleFunder leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ScaleFunder funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ScaleFunder 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 ScaleFunder
What does ScaleFunder do?
ScaleFunder is a digital fundraising software platform that enables higher education institutions to launch and manage crowdfunding campaigns and 24-hour giving day events. It powers RNL's RNL Crowdfunding and RNL Giving Day product lines, providing customizable mobile-responsive campaign sites, AI-driven donor email personalization (QuadMail), and PCI DSS 4.0 compliant donation processing. The platform has facilitated more than 5,000 successful fundraising projects for colleges and universities.
Is ScaleFunder a public or private company?
ScaleFunder is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ScaleFunder founded?
ScaleFunder was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ScaleFunder based?
ScaleFunder is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does ScaleFunder make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Platform Subscription/Licensing is the primary driver. The others are transaction-based Fundraising.
Who are ScaleFunder's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GiveCampus, Classy (GoFundMe Pro), Funraise, DonorPerfect and QGive. Broad incumbents are Bonterra, Blackbaud and Ellucian. Emerging players are iWave and Givebutter.
Does ScaleFunder have an API?
No public API is recorded for ScaleFunder.
What industry is ScaleFunder in?
ScaleFunder's product category is Higher Education 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 NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7372.