Givebutter is free, polished software for donation forms, events, and simple peer-to-peer campaigns, funded by optional donor tips. Read-A-Thon is a reading fundraiser — an activity students do that gives sponsors a reason to give. Givebutter is the better donation page and event manager; Read-A-Thon is the better engagement engine. For many schools the right move is to use both.
Givebutter vs. Read-A-Thon at a glance
These two are not really rivals — one is where donations land, the other is what makes students want to raise them. Givebutter figures below are as published on givebutter.com (captured August 2026).
| Givebutter | Read-A-Thon | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free donation forms & event software | A reading activity that raises money |
| Fees | $0 platform fee with optional donor tips (about 95% of donors cover fees); 3% if tips are off, plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing | Keep 75% (prize store) or 80% (self-run rewards) |
| Student activity | None — it collects and manages giving | Reading, logged online |
| Drives participation? | You supply the reason to give | The activity supplies it |
Givebutter keeps more per dollar because it is superb, low-cost plumbing. What it does not do is give students something to do — which is what actually moves a school fundraiser.
When Givebutter is exactly what you need
Givebutter is a deservedly popular tool, and for plenty of school jobs it is the right one.
- You need a clean donation page. For a general fund, a giving day, or accepting year-round donations, Givebutter's free forms are hard to beat.
- You are running an event with tickets. Its event and ticketing features handle galas, auctions, and community nights well.
- You want to keep essentially everything. With donor tips on, most schools keep close to 100% of what is raised.
As the place your donations live, Givebutter is an excellent, low-cost choice.
What a reading fundraiser adds on top
The limitation is not the software — it is that software alone does not raise money. Someone still has to make families want to give:
- An activity that creates the ask. A donation form waits for people to arrive. A Read-A-Thon sends every student out with a reason for sponsors to give — their own reading.
- Broad participation, not just your base. Forms tend to capture the families already inclined to give. An activity pulls in the ones who need a nudge and a reason.
- Incentives handled for you. A prize store keeps students motivated across two weeks, with nothing to source or ship.
- A literacy story. "We ran a school reading event" earns classroom buy-in a donation page cannot.
This is why pairing works: run your Read-A-Thon for the activity and the participation, and you can still keep a Givebutter form for general, year-round giving.
How to choose
- Do you need a page, or a campaign? For a place to collect gifts, Givebutter is excellent. For something that makes students raise them, you want an activity.
- What drives your participation? If the answer is "we hope people visit the form," an activity-based fundraiser will out-raise it.
- Can you use both? Often yes — Read-A-Thon as the event, Givebutter for ongoing donations.
To add the activity that drives a school fundraiser, start a Read-A-Thon free or see how it works. For a general donation page, Givebutter is a great companion.