About PledgeAthon
Zero-fee fundraising for schools, churches, teams, and organizations.
Our Story
In 2020, my son went into a coma. He was in that coma for five months. During that time, hundreds of people donated through GoFundMe to help our family. Millions of people prayed. Our son had his 13th birthday while he was still unconscious, and we sat beside him and read him over 3,000 birthday cards that people sent from around the world.
That experience changed how I think about community. When people come together to support someone, whether it's a family going through the worst time of their lives, a kid raising money for their school's walk-a-thon, or a church running a pledge drive for a new roof, it matters. It changes things. Not just financially, but in ways that are hard to put into words.
I built PledgeAthon because the tools available to organizers running these fundraisers haven't kept up. Outdated designs. No SMS reminders even though every parent reads their texts. Processing fees that quietly eat into what schools actually keep. The people using these tools are doing something that matters, and they deserve software that works as hard as they do.
— Matt Staton, Founder
What We Believe
- Zero platform fees. Every dollar raised should go to your school, team, or church. The only cost is standard Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30).
- SMS actually works. Email open rates are 20%. Text message open rates are 98%. We include free SMS reminders because they make a real difference in how much you raise.
- Simple beats complicated. You should be able to set up a campaign in 60 seconds. Upload a CSV, share links, collect pledges. That's it.
- Modern design matters. Your fundraiser page represents your school. It should look professional, load fast, and work perfectly on every phone.
How PledgeAthon Makes Money
We offer donors the option to leave a small voluntary tip when making a pledge. This keeps the platform completely free for organizers. Donors always have the choice to skip the tip. Your organization keeps 100% of every donation.
Get in Touch
Questions? Ideas? Just want to say hi?
Email: support@pledgeathon.io
Support hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm EST