99Pledges is a bare donation-page platform: near-zero fees, and every participant gets a personal page to share. Read-A-Thon is a structured reading fundraiser — students read and log minutes, sponsors donate, and the program brings incentives, materials, and a coach. 99Pledges fits groups that already have a reason to give and the reach to spread it. Read-A-Thon fits schools that want that engine built in.
99Pledges vs. Read-A-Thon at a glance
These are two different kinds of product. 99Pledges sells you the cheapest possible pipes; Read-A-Thon runs the whole event through them. The figures below are as published on 99pledges.com (captured August 2026).
| 99Pledges | Read-A-Thon | |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | No platform fee; card processing 3.49% + $0.49 per gift. Groups keep ~96–98%. | Keep 75% (prize store) or 80% (self-run rewards) |
| What students do | Share a personal donation page and ask | Read and log minutes; sponsors give for the reading |
| What is included | Donation pages, sharing tools, reporting | The reading program, prize store, materials, and a coach |
| Best fit | Groups with a built-in reason and a motivated base | Schools that want an engagement engine, not just pages |
Read the fee rows honestly: on a pure-donation basis 99Pledges keeps more money in the school than a Read-A-Thon does. The question is not which fee is lower — it is what happens after you have the page.
When 99Pledges is the better choice
For the right group, 99Pledges is genuinely hard to beat on price, and that deserves to be said plainly.
- You want the most money kept. With no platform fee, nearly every online dollar stays with the school. If margin is the only thing you are optimizing, this wins.
- You already have the reason and the reach. A booster club with a passionate parent base and a clear cause often does not need an activity to rally around — they just need pages and a send button.
- You want to run it your way. 99Pledges hands you the tools and steps back. If you would rather design your own campaign than follow a program, that freedom is a feature.
If that is you, the lower fee is real money — take it.
What a reading program adds for the few points of margin
The gap between "keep 97%" and "keep 75–80%" is the price of an engine, and it buys things a blank donation page cannot:
- A reason donors can feel. "Sponsor my child's reading" converts better than "please donate," because the ask is tied to a specific, wholesome activity a family can picture.
- Participation, not just pages. A page only earns if a student shares it. Reading gives every child something to do first, which is what actually moves participation — and teachers back a literacy activity in a way they never back a bare ask.
- Incentives handled for you. Readers earn store credit they spend in an online prize store; you never source or ship a prize. On 99Pledges, motivation is your job.
- A coach and the materials. Templates, reminders, and a real person to call. The few points of margin are, in effect, a done-for-you campaign.
Put simply: 99Pledges is cheaper if you bring the engagement yourself. Read-A-Thon builds the engagement in.
How to choose
- Do you already have a reason families rally behind? If yes, 99Pledges' pages may be all you need. If you are starting from a cold "please give," an activity earns its keep.
- Who is running the push? 99Pledges assumes you drive it. Read-A-Thon supplies the plan, the reminders, and a coach.
- Is a few points of margin worth a turnkey program? On a $10,000 event that gap is a few hundred dollars — weigh it against the volunteer hours and participation lift.
If the reading model fits, setup is free and takes about ten minutes. Start for free, or see how a Read-A-Thon works. If you want the cheapest possible pages and will bring your own campaign, 99Pledges is a fair pick.