Why the right platform lets anyone fundraise, not only registered charities
When you want to raise money for a cause but you are not a registered charity yourself, one question quickly becomes the deciding one: will the platform even let you take part?
That was where Sharlene started. Based in Ingersoll, Ontario, she first went looking for a fundraising platform on behalf of her sister, who needed a psychiatric service dog.
That search led her to Partners with Paws, a service dog organisation in southwestern Ontario that trains and provides psychiatric service dogs completely free of charge, funded entirely by donations and run entirely by volunteers with no paid staff. Sharlene has now volunteered with them for five years.
For Sharlene, the appeal of the cause was never really about the dogs alone.
"This isn't just about the dogs, it's about the people. It really gives them a second chance."
But because she was fundraising as an individual rather than a registered charity, and because the organisation had no staff to lean on, she needed a platform that was both open to non-charities and simple enough for one volunteer to run.
She needed tools that would let a volunteer, not a charity, raise real money, and that were straightforward enough to manage single-handed.
Over five years, Sharlene ran five fundraisers on GalaBid for Partners with Paws, raising almost $20,000 for fully trained service dogs. As she puts it:
"We've had the opportunity to do five fundraisers with GalaBid and we had great success, and it's been a lot of fun because GalaBid's been super easy and affordable."
In this case study, Sharlene shares why she chose GalaBid as a non-charity fundraiser, how she structured her auctions, and the practical lessons from five years of running them.
When You're Not a Charity, You Need a Platform That Includes You
Many of the platforms Sharlene looked at were built for registered charities only. That was a problem, because her fundraising did not always fit neatly into that box, starting with raising money for her own sister's service dog, and later helping organisations that were not yet charities themselves. GalaBid stood out because it did not put up that barrier.
"A lot of the platforms we looked at were very specifically charity only. With GalaBid, they were able to participate whereas they wouldn't have been able to for other places."
Payments were part of the same story. GalaBid's connection to Stripe meant anyone could set up to receive funds, regardless of their status.
"You don't have to worry about being an organisation, or an individual, or a charity. You could have whatever you needed to be able to do this."
Fundraiser takeaway: If you are raising money as an individual or a group that isn't a registered charity, check that your platform actually allows it. Many don't, and it is far easier to choose one that includes everyone from the start.
Simple Enough for One Volunteer to Run
Because Partners with Paws runs on volunteers, Sharlene took on the job of assembling and managing the whole auction herself. That made simplicity essential. She had no interest in wrestling with code or spending hours on set-up, and during the pandemic she also needed something that could reach people while keeping everyone at a distance.
"I wanted something that would make sense for me to use, that wouldn't be super complicated with coding and all that stuff."
GalaBid's drag and drop set=up, along with its how-to videos, meant she was up and running quickly. It also handled the pieces she would otherwise have had to solve herself, like registering supporters so they could bid, and hosting the auction page.
"I was able to watch the videos from GalaBid and understand almost immediately how to operate the site."
Fundraiser takeaway: When one person is doing everything, the set-up has to be simple. A platform that bundles in the technical parts, from supporter sign-ups to hosting, frees a volunteer to focus on the cause rather than the software.
More Than One Way to Give
Sharlene's first campaign was mostly straightforward auction bidding, but she soon realised how easily she could add other ways to give. She used Buy It Now items and donations alongside the auction to widen participation and lift the total.
She was also deliberate about placement and pricing. The executive director's fundraising book went in as the very first item so no one would scroll past it, and she added Buy It Now donation options at different levels so cost was never a barrier to joining in.
"We put it down as a Buy It Now $25 donation and a $5 donation. Some people could afford the $25 or higher, but some people could afford a little bit less."
Fundraiser takeaway: Not everyone wants to bid, and not everyone can give the same amount. Offering a mix of auction items, Buy It Now options and donations at a few price points invites more people to take part.
A System That Made Handout Day Easy
After a slightly chaotic first year, Sharlene built a simple system that saved her hours when it came time to distribute fundraising items. She listed everything in alphabetical order using an Excel sheet and loaded it in sequence, so an order number lined up neatly with its item numbers.
"It was so much easier than the first year, when we did it kind of scattered."
Fundraiser takeaway: A little structure before you upload your items pays off later. A clear, ordered list makes collection day faster and less stressful, especially when you are handing items out yourself.
Bringing an In-Person Crowd into an Online Auction
Sharlene's first couple of years were run entirely online, raising just over $3,000 in year one and around $2,000 in year two. In year four she tried something different, pairing the online auction with an in-person event while keeping the two separate. She simply printed QR codes linking to the GalaBid auction and handed them out to everyone in the room,
That single change, putting the online auction directly in front of a captive audience, produced her strongest year yet.
"We actually made almost $8,000 that year."
Fundraiser takeaway: If you already have an online auction, an in-person event is a chance to boost it. A printed QR code makes it effortless for guests in the room to start bidding on the spot.
Looking Ahead
Five years and five fundraisers in, Sharlene has a repeatable approach that works, and she is keen to keep building on it. She is interested in newer GalaBid features as they arrive, from tools that make it easier for supporters to give in more ways, to options that streamline how donated items are collected. For a volunteer running everything herself, each of those is a little more time back for the cause.
By choosing tools that were open to a non-charity fundraiser and simple enough to run alone, Sharlene turned community generosity into fully trained service dogs, and the independence they bring to the people who receive them.
Key Lessons for Fundraisers
Choose a platform that includes everyone
Not every fundraiser is a registered charity. Make sure your platform allows individuals and community groups to raise money too.
Keep it simple enough to run yourself
Drag and drop setup, clear how-to videos and built-in hosting let a single volunteer manage a whole campaign.
Offer more than one way to give
Mixing auction items, Buy It Now options and donations at different price points invites more people to take part.
Get organised early
A simple, ordered item list, prepared before you upload, makes collection day far easier.
Make the most of an in-person crowd
A printed QR code turns event guests into online bidders on the spot.
For Sharlene, fundraising for Partners with Paws was never about being a big, staffed organisation. It was about finding tools open and simple enough to let one volunteer turn community generosity into fully trained service dogs, and the second chances they give the people who receive them.
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