CROWDFUND YOUR EVENT

Raise Funds for Your Next Event

Turn your community into co-organizers. Set a goal, share a link, and watch donations settle directly to your Stripe account — in real time, with full transparency.

Scroll to explore

WHY CROWDFUND

01 Fund What Matters

Not every event pays for itself through ticket sales. Weekenders need deposits, community socials need venue rent, scholarship dancers need flights. Crowdfunding lets your community chip in before the doors even open.

Donors give any amount they choose. You track progress live. Funds settle directly to your Stripe account — no escrow, no waiting period, no all-or-nothing risk.

Inspired by the KUA team. This feature exists because they showed us what community-funded events can look like when organizers and dancers chip in together — thank you for the spark.

Live Campaign

$8,420raised

of $10,000 goal

84% funded62 backers

PERFECT FOR

02 What You Can Raise For

Crowdfunding events work best when the community has a stake in the outcome. A few examples from the Kizomba world.

Festivals & Weekenders

Pre-fund venue deposits, artist bookings, and production costs before ticket sales even open.

Community Socials

Keep local weekly socials and practice nights alive when venue rent, DJ fees, or insurance get tight.

Scholarships & Travel

Send emerging dancers to major congresses or competitions by pooling support from your community.

Special Projects

Fund documentaries, music commissions, teacher tributes, or one-off showcases that ticket revenue alone can’t cover.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

03 Built for Campaigns

Every crowdfunding event ships with the tools organizers actually need. No custom development, no plugins.

Funding Goal

Set a clear target in your event currency. A live progress bar shows donors exactly how close the campaign is.

Stretch Goals

Unlock up to 10 stretch milestones that reveal as supporters raise the total — second-day add-ons, extra artists, bigger venues.

Flexible Donations

Donors choose any amount from preset chips ($25 / $50 / $100 / $250) or enter their own custom contribution.

Public Backer Wall

Thank your supporters publicly. Donors can opt to stay anonymous — they still count toward the total.

Fee Cover Option

Donors can choose to absorb the processing fees so your full donation amount reaches the campaign.

Refund Expectation

Supporters indicate whether they’d want a refund if the event is cancelled — you plan accordingly.

Track Net-to-Organizer in Real Time

The progress bar shows what actually lands in your Stripe account after processing fees — so the target you set is the target you hit, not an inflated gross number.

HOW THE MONEY FLOWS

04 Transparent by Default

Every donation is a direct Stripe Connect charge to your account. Funds are available the same way your regular event payouts work — no separate wallet, no platform-held balance.

The only fees are Stripe's standard processing rate and our $0.50 per-donation platform fee. Donors can optionally cover these so your net equals their intended gift.

Keep what you raise. Crowdfunding events don't use all-or-nothing escrow. You receive funds as donors pay — even if you don't hit your goal.

Per-Donation Breakdown

Stripe Processing

Standard card processing rates (lower in EUR: 1.5% + €0.25).

2.9% + $0.30

Platform Fee

Flat fee per donation — what keeps Kizomba Foundations running.

$0.50

Organizer Pays

No upfront cost. Fees only apply when donations actually settle.

Free to launch

Donors can absorb the fees so 100% of their intended gift reaches you.

FOR DONORS

05 Support, Your Way

The donate widget is designed to respect donor intent — from amount to identity to what happens if plans change.

Explore Events

Donor Controls

Give any amount

Preset chips for quick support or a custom amount if you want to contribute more (or less) than the suggested tiers.

Cover the fees

One-tap option to absorb Stripe + platform fees so 100% of your intended donation reaches the organizer.

Stay public or private

Opt out of the backer wall and your name is masked to "Anonymous" — you still count toward the campaign totals.

Refund if cancelled

Flag whether you’d want a refund if the event doesn’t happen. Organizers use this to plan responsibly.

FOR ORGANIZERS

06 Launch a Campaign

From account to live campaign in minutes. Free to publish, pay only on donations.

Connect Your Stripe Account

Crowdfunding campaigns require Stripe Connect for real-time donation tracking and direct payouts. If you already accept payments on Kizomba Foundations, you’re set.

Create a Crowdfunding Event

Go to Events › Create Event and choose Crowdfunding Campaign as your event type.

Set Your Funding Goal & Stretch Goals

Pick a realistic target, add optional stretch goals that unlock as the total grows, and pick the preset amounts donors will see.

Stretch goals are re-computed live — a refund that drops the total below a milestone will re-lock it.
Suggested amounts feel most natural when they span one order of magnitude (e.g. $25 → $250).

Publish for Free

Unlike competitions, crowdfunding events publish at no cost. You only pay standard Stripe fees plus our $0.50 platform fee when donations settle.

Share the Campaign

Every crowdfunding event gets a public page with progress bar, stretch goal timeline, donate widget, and live backer wall. Share the link.

Funds Arrive in Real Time

Donations settle directly to your connected Stripe account as donors pay. The progress bar tracks net-to-organizer — what you actually receive after fees.

No escrow, no all-or-nothing hold. Keep what you raise.

Start a Campaign

QUESTIONS WE GET

07 Refunds, Fees & the Fine Print

Everything organizers and donors ask before launching or contributing — including what cancellation actually costs.

For Donors

Thinking about contributing?

Is my donation tax-deductible?

No. Kizomba Foundations is not a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and campaigns on the platform are not nonprofit fundraisers by default. Your contribution is a personal gift to the event organizer, not a charitable donation. Consult a tax advisor if you need documentation for your own records.

Will the organizer see my name even if I donate anonymously?

Yes. The “Donate anonymously” option only hides your name from the public backer wall — the organizer still sees your full purchaser information for their records, receipt, and refund processing. If you’d prefer a fully private contribution, reach out to the organizer directly.

What does “cover the processing fees” actually do?

When you opt in, the amount you pay is grossed up so the organizer nets your intended donation after Stripe and platform fees. Example: a $100 donation with fees covered charges about $103.30; the organizer nets ~$100. It’s always optional and your choice is shown transparently at checkout before you confirm payment.

What happens to my donation if the event is cancelled?

That depends on the organizer and your preference at checkout. If you checked “Refund me if the event is cancelled” (default on), the organizer is expected to refund you — but Kizomba Foundations does not hold funds in escrow or guarantee the refund. If you left the box unchecked, the organizer may keep your contribution as a donation. Refunds are at the organizer’s discretion; reach out to them first for any cancellation claim.

How do I get a refund if I need one?

Contact the event organizer directly. They have the tools to issue full or partial refunds through their Stripe account. Kizomba Foundations does not process refunds on the organizer’s behalf and cannot override their decision — funds settle directly to them, not to us.

Is my payment secure?

Yes. Payments are processed by Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment provider. Kizomba Foundations never sees or stores your card details. All checkout happens on Stripe-hosted pages over TLS-encrypted connections.

For Organizers

Thinking about launching?

What happens if my campaign doesn’t hit the goal?

Nothing changes for the money already raised. Crowdfunding campaigns on Kizomba Foundations use a “keep-what-you-raise” model — donations settle to your Stripe account as they come in, and they stay with you whether you reach the goal or not. There is no escrow and no all-or-nothing hold.

If I cancel the event and refund donors, what does it actually cost me?

Stripe’s processing fee and our $0.50 platform fee on each original donation are non-refundable. Refunding the full amount to a donor means the refund comes out of your Stripe balance at 100% of what they paid, but the fees Stripe and the platform already took are not returned. Example: on a $100 donation the organizer received about $96.70 net. Refunding the full $100 costs $100 out of your balance — you end up ~$3.30 in the red on that single transaction. Multiply by every donor you refund to estimate the total.

How do I know which donors will actually want a refund?

Every donor checks a “Refund me if the event is cancelled” box on the donate widget (default on, but they can opt out). In your Attendees view, donors who opted out show a “No refund required” badge next to their name. That lets you forecast the worst-case refund cost before you commit to cancelling — and avoid refunding people who would rather you keep the gift.

Can I still refund donors who didn’t request one?

Yes. The “No refund required” badge is just a preference. You can issue a full or partial refund to any donor from the Attendees dashboard regardless of what they selected. The same fee rules apply — the original Stripe + platform fees stay with Stripe and the platform.

Do refunds affect the public progress bar?

Yes, in real time. The progress bar tracks the net amount actually available to the organizer. Full refunds decrement both the raised total and the backer count; partial refunds decrement only the raised total (partially-refunded donors stay on the backer wall). If a stretch goal was previously hit and a refund drops the total below it, the goal re-locks.

When do the funds actually reach my bank account?

Donations settle to your Stripe Connect account in real time. Stripe then pays out to your bank on whatever schedule you have configured (usually 2 business days in the US, longer for some regions). Crowdfunding doesn’t change your payout cadence — it uses the same rails as your regular event ticket sales.

Can I change my goal or stretch goals after publishing?

Yes. Open the event, go to the Funding Goal step, and save. Stretch goals and suggested amounts can also be edited at any time. Donors who already contributed aren’t affected.

Do anonymous donations still show up in my records?

Yes. The donor’s name is only masked on the public backer wall — you see the full purchaser info in your Attendees dashboard and Stripe records, so you can still thank them or process refunds.

READY TO BEGIN?

Let Your Community Fund the Next One

Free to launch. Transparent by default. Funds settle directly to you.

Get Started Free Create a Campaign