SignUpGenius vs. RallyUp: Which fundraising tool fits your group?
SignUpGenius and RallyUp both let schools, teams, and nonprofits raise money online. RallyUp is a strong pick for auctions raffles. SignUpGenius fits groups that need to raise money and organize the people who make the fundraiser happen, all from one account.
If you’re a PTA chair, booster club lead, or coach, you’re usually doing both jobs at once. You need donations, and you also need volunteers at the water table, the ticket booth, or the spirit wear tent. This guide walks through how the two tools compare so you can pick the one that fits your event.
SignUpGenius vs. RallyUp at a glance
Here’s how the two platforms line up on the features school and community groups ask about most.
Feature
SignUpGenius
RallyUp
Fundraiser types
Donation drives, product sales, ticketed events, and peer-to-peer campaigns
Donations, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer, auctions, galas, livestreams, and more
Volunteer sign ups
Built in, with shifts, slots, and automatic reminders
Not included
How the platform gets paid
A per-transaction processing fee, the same on every plan. No donor tips.
Donor tips at checkout or a platform fee, depending on the option you pick
Peer-to-peer fundraising
Included on every plan, including Free
Included
Online store
Inventory, sizes, shipping labels, and in-person sales with a card reader or phone
Storefront for online sales
Auctions and galas
Not offered
Online, silent, and live auctions, plus gala tools
Campaign setup
Build it yourself or from a template
Build it yourself or from a template
How fees work on each platform
Fees are where these two tools differ most, so it helps to know how each one works before you launch.
RallyUp gives you two ways to cover its costs. On its free option, donors see a suggested tip at checkout, and that tip goes to RallyUp. Donors can lower it or remove it. On its paid option, donors aren’t asked to tip. Instead, a platform fee comes out of what you raise.
SignUpGenius doesn’t ask donors to tip and doesn’t charge a platform fee on any plan, including Free. You pay a processing fee on each transaction, and it’s the same no matter which plan you’re on. You decide whether your group covers that fee or passes it to donors.
Both models can work. Some groups like a free option and don’t mind a tip prompt. Others want donors to see one clear total with no extra ask.
👉 Comparing total cost
What you keep depends on your average gift size, how many donors tip, and who covers fees. Check each platform's current pricing and run your own numbers before you decide.
SignUpGenius fits best when your fundraiser runs on people as well as money. If you need volunteers, sign ups, and payments, it keeps everything in one account instead of spread across three tools.
Fun runs and a-thons
Give each student a pledge page, then fill course marshal and water station shifts from a volunteer sign up.
RallyUp is built around event-style fundraising. If your big night is a gala with a silent auction, a live auction, or a paddle raise, RallyUp has tools made for that. It also offers raffles, sweepstakes, and livestream fundraising, which SignUpGenius doesn’t.
If your fundraiser is mostly about auctions and event-night giving, RallyUp is likely the better match. If it also needs volunteers, dues, or a store you run all year, look at SignUpGenius.
What a PTA fun run looks like on SignUpGenius
Say you’re the PTA fundraising chair, and the fall fun run is six weeks out. You need pledges from families, 20 volunteers on race day, and a shirt for every runner.
Start with a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Each student gets a page with their own goal, and a leaderboard keeps classes competing. Next, make a volunteer sign up with slots for course marshals, water stations, and the finish line. Reminders go out on their own, so you’re not sending a group text the night before. Then open an online store for event shirts, with sizes and a cutoff date so you can place one bulk order.
Families get links for pledges, volunteering, and shirts, and you track all of it from one dashboard.
Is SignUpGenius free for fundraising? Yes. Fundraisers and Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers are included on every SignUpGenius plan, including Free. There’s no platform fee and no donor tip. A processing fee applies to each transaction, and it’s the same on every plan. Paid plans add things like ad-free pages, more custom questions, and extra admins.
Does SignUpGenius ask donors to leave a tip? No. SignUpGenius never asks donors to tip the platform, on any plan. Donors see the amount they’re giving and any processing fee you choose to pass along. You decide for each fundraiser whether your group covers the fee or your donors do, so the checkout total is always clear.
Can I organize volunteers on RallyUp? RallyUp focuses on fundraising activities like auctions, events, and crowdfunding. It doesn’t include volunteer sign up sheets for shifts or roles. If your fundraiser needs people as well as donations, SignUpGenius lets you run your volunteer sign ups and your fundraiser from the same account.
Does SignUpGenius offer peer-to-peer fundraising? Yes. SignUpGenius Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers support flat donations, product sales, and a-thons. Each participant gets a personal page with their own photo, message, and goal. Team tracking and live leaderboards keep things friendly and competitive. It’s included on every plan, including Free.
Which is better for a school fundraiser, SignUpGenius or RallyUp? It depends on the event. For auctions or a gala night, RallyUp has more event-specific tools. For fun runs, spirit wear sales, or fundraisers that need parent volunteers, SignUpGenius keeps pledges, sign ups, and store orders in one place, which saves the organizer time.
Compare sign up tools
See how SignUpGenius stacks up against other ways groups organize sign ups and events.
SignUpGenius is an absolute godsend. I have been making sign ups for numerous volunteer events for years, and SignUpGenius has simplified my life tenfold. I just found out about this site through another volunteer organization and have already used it four times for PTA and Cub Scouts. I look like the hero! Everyone loves it. Thanks so much.
