Fundraisers and donations for nonprofits and charities

EventLive has built-in fundraising powered by Pledge. Choose one or more nonprofits for your event, and viewers can donate right beside your live stream, on the replay, and on the ticket page of a paid event. Donations go to the charity, not to EventLive, and every donor gets a tax receipt by email. It suits any charity event or fundraiser: galas and award nights, walkathons, telethons and giving days like GivingTuesday, benefit concerts, auctions, faith services, memorial funds, school nights and more.

How donations work

• Pledge processes every donation. Gifts are made to Pledgeling Foundation, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3). It emails each donor a tax receipt right away and passes the funds on to the nonprofit — by check each month, or by direct deposit if the organization sets it up in Pledge's Impact Hub.
• The nonprofit doesn't need a Pledge account to receive donations. Someone from the organization can sign up for Pledge's Impact Hub at any time to see donor details or switch payouts to direct deposit.
• Any organization listed on Pledge can receive donations. You find it by name or EIN.
• Donors don't need an account or an app. They give in any browser, right on your event page.

Set up a fundraiser for your event

Fundraising is set up in EventLive on the web at broadcaster.eventlive.pro, on a computer or in your phone's browser. The iPhone and Android apps don't show the Fundraising screen yet, but you can still go live from them.

1. Open your event and select Fundraising in the event menu. When you create an event with a business account, you can also turn on Raise donations for a nonprofit, which takes you straight to the fundraiser setup once the event is created.
2. Under Organizations, search by name or EIN (the organization's Employer Identification Number). Check the EIN and address to make sure you have the right one, then select Add organization. You can add up to 20 organizations.
3. Under Donation options, choose what to turn on:
   • Show donations on the event page — the donation form or Donate button next to your video.
   • Show the live donation tracker on your stream — a bar on your video with the amount raised.
   • Show donations in the guestbook — thank-you entries in the guestbook or live chat.
4. Optionally, set a Button label (up to 50 characters; "Donate" by default), a Fundraising goal (USD), and a Suggested donation (USD) that is preselected on the form ($100 if you leave it empty).
5. Select Save fundraiser. When you see Fundraiser saved, open your event link to check what guests see.

You can change the organizations and options at any time; your event link stays the same.

Can't find your nonprofit?

Newly added organizations can take a few days to appear in search, so try the full name or EIN again later. To ask Pledge to add an organization, go to eventlive.pro/nonprofit, select Can't find your organization? and enter its EIN. Pledge usually adds organizations within 24 hours.

What donors see

On the event page

• On a computer, "Support your organization" appears beside the video with Pledge's donation form: a compact form when the guestbook is on, the full form when it's off.
• On phones, when the guestbook is on, a Donate button sits under the event details and opens the donation form. The guestbook or chat scrolls in between, with Sign the Guestbook (or the chat box) always at the bottom of the screen. When the guestbook is off, the full donation form appears under the video.
• After the event, the donation form stays on the replay page, so people can keep giving.
• If your fundraiser has a text-to-donate keyword, the page also shows "Text KEYWORD to 707070 to donate".

On the donation form

Pledge's secure form lets donors:

• choose an amount (your suggested donation is preselected) and give once or monthly;
• choose which organization gets the gift, or split it, when you've selected more than one;
• pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo or bank transfer (the options depend on the donor's device and country);
• add an optional tip. Tips help cover the cost of running the Pledge and EventLive platforms, and donors can set the tip to zero;
• tick Don't share my name and email address with the nonprofit and EventLive, and Don't show my name in the public donor feed.

If a viewer has already given their name and email on your event page — by signing the guestbook, turning on reminders or registering for the event — the form fills them in for them in that browser. Donors can change them before they give.

On a ticketed (pay-per-view) event

The ticket page shows "Can't attend? You can still support your organization." with a Donate button right under Get tickets, so people who can't attend can still donate. A donation doesn't include a ticket. Inside the event, ticket holders see the Donate button beside the video. Learn more about selling tickets.

Donations in the guestbook and live chat

With Show donations in the guestbook on (and the guestbook turned on for your event), each completed donation appears as a highlighted entry, for example "Donated $50" with the donor's name, so you can thank donors in real time.

• The name is the one Pledge shows in its public donor feed. Donors who chose Don't show my name in the public donor feed appear as "Anonymous".
• The amount is the donation itself, without the tip.
• Only completed payments appear. Bank payments show up once they clear; failed or refunded payments never appear.

Live donation tracker on your stream

With Show the live donation tracker on your stream on, EventLive adds a bar along the bottom of your video with the amount raised and the number of donors. If you set a fundraising goal, it also shows the goal and a progress bar. It updates by itself as donations come in, and it tells viewers to donate on the event page (or to text your keyword, if you have one).

• It works whether you stream from the EventLive app or an RTMP encoder such as OBS — there's nothing to install.
• Turn it on before you go live. Changes apply the next time you go live, so stop and go live again to apply a change during an event.
• Test streams don't show the tracker.
• The tracker is part of the video, so it also appears in the replay and the downloaded recording, with the totals from that moment. Turn it off if you'd like a clean recording.
• If the tracker can't load, your stream still goes out as usual, just without it.

Text-to-donate

Supporters can also give by text message when your fundraiser has a text-to-donate keyword. "Text KEYWORD to 707070 to donate" then shows under the Donate button and on the tracker. Keywords are set up with Pledge; contact us to request one for your fundraiser.

Nonprofit offer: free streaming through December 31, 2026

• Who qualifies: US-registered 501(c)(3) organizations that are listed on Pledge and turn on fundraising for their EventLive event.
• How to get it: sign up through eventlive.pro/nonprofit. Find your organization, confirm it and create your EventLive account. Your account becomes a business account for your nonprofit, and every event you create by December 31, 2026 is unlocked automatically — even if the event takes place in 2027. The app confirms it with "Streaming is free for events you create before Jan 1, 2027 — thanks for fundraising with Pledge".
• Waiting for Pledge: if Pledge still has to confirm your organization, the app says "We'll unlock free streaming as soon as Pledge confirms your organization, usually within 24 hours".
• Already have a business account for your nonprofit? Setting up fundraising for a Pledge-listed organization, with Show donations on the event page on, turns on the offer as well and unlocks the event you saved.
• Good to know: free events can't be exchanged for event credits or refunds, and deleting one doesn't return a credit. After the offer ends, or for events without fundraising, standard EventLive pricing applies. Eligibility is subject to verification, one organization per account, and EventLive may change or end the offer at any time.

Fees

• EventLive: standard pricing, or free under the nonprofit offer above.
• Pledge: Pledge's fees are listed on Pledge's pricing page.
• Donors can add an optional tip, and can always set it to zero.

Donor privacy

Donors decide whether their name and email are shared with the nonprofit and EventLive, and whether their name appears publicly. EventLive doesn't give hosts a list of donors. The nonprofit can see the details donors chose to share in Pledge's Impact Hub.

Tips for a successful fundraising stream

Share your event link early and remind supporters on the day. Set a goal so the tracker shows momentum, run a quick test stream beforehand, and thank donors by name as their gifts appear in the guestbook. Afterwards, share the replay — it keeps raising donations.

Troubleshooting

• I don't see Fundraising. Open your event on the web at broadcaster.eventlive.pro. The iPhone and Android apps don't show it yet.
• A donation isn't in the guestbook. Check that the guestbook is on for your event and that Show donations in the guestbook is on. Bank payments appear once they clear.
• A donor shows as "Anonymous". They chose not to show their name in Pledge's public donor feed.
• The tracker isn't on my stream. Turn it on, select Save fundraiser, then stop and go live again. It doesn't appear in test streams.
• The form didn't fill in the donor's name and email. It only does when the viewer signed the guestbook, turned on reminders or registered for that event in the same browser.
• My event is still locked (nonprofit offer). Events are unlocked when they're created. If you created one before Pledge confirmed your organization, open its Fundraising settings and select Save fundraiser to unlock it, or contact us.

Questions from donors

Do I need an account to donate?

No. Donate from the event page in any browser — no app or login needed.

Is my donation tax-deductible? Where is my receipt?

Donations are made to Pledgeling Foundation, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3), which emails your tax receipt right away.

Can I donate if I can't attend, or after the event?

Yes. On a paid event, use the Donate button on the ticket page — no ticket needed. After the event, you can donate on the replay page.

Can I give monthly?

Yes. Choose Give monthly on the donation form.

Why does my donation show as "Anonymous"?

You ticked Don't show my name in the public donor feed on the form, so EventLive shows your gift without your name.

How do I change a donation, get a refund or ask about a receipt?

Donations are handled by Pledge. Contact Pledge's support through the Pledge Help Center (live chat Monday to Friday, 6am to 6pm Pacific). If you're not sure, contact us and we'll help.