How to Use Venmo to Increase Donations to Your Nonprofit
Venmo is a digital wallet for individuals and businesses. Keep reading to learn how Venmo works, the benefits of using it, and how it can help increase donations to fuel your mission.
Kristine Ensor
Venmo is a digital wallet for individuals and businesses. Keep reading to learn how Venmo works, the benefits of using it, and how it can help increase donations to fuel your mission.
With 92 million active users in 2025, Venmo is a popular digital wallet in the U.S. that is used to transfer funds, pay for goods, and make donations to nonprofit organizations like yours. Offering this popular payment method on your online donation form can help your nonprofit widen the donor pool and bring in even more critical funds.
In this article, we’ll explain how Venmo works, its benefits, and how you can use it to increase donations to your cause.
Venmo is a popular digital wallet and payment app owned by PayPal that allows users to send and receive money, pay bills, and shop.
Individuals and businesses can download the app to their smartphones, create an account, and link their bank accounts or credit/debit cards to start using the service. Users can also transfer money to their Venmo account to make payments.
Your nonprofit can set up a business profile on Venmo and share your QR code with donors so they can donate quickly during events or via your website. However, the best way to use Venmo would be to offer it as a payment method on your online donation form.
Donorbox makes it super easy for you and your donors! Simply connect your PayPal business account with Donorbox and upgrade to PayPal Checkout (more on this below!).
Donors love having multiple ways to give to your cause. If you’d like to offer your supporters even more ways to donate, connect your Donorbox-hosted donation form with both PayPal and Stripe as payment processors to accept payments via credit/debit cards, ACH transfer, digital wallets like Apple Pay and Amazon Pay, and more.
Note that the availability of payment methods offered through Stripe is subject to Stripe’s terms and conditions. If you have any questions about certain payment options and their availability in your country/region, contact Stripe for more information.
Venmo automatically shares transactions with others on the app through its social-media-style feed, providing free publicity for your nonprofit every time someone donates to your cause.
50% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennial donors report using digital wallets to make donations. By offering quick and convenient payment methods like Venmo, you’ll attract a younger generation of donors and boost your fundraising potential.
Nonprofit organizations pay a low transaction fee of 1.9% +$0.10 for donations received via Venmo. There are no setup costs or monthly fees involved. If your registered nonprofit is connecting to Venmo through PayPal Checkout, you’ll follow PayPal’s processing fee structure of 1.99% + $0.49 for every donation received.
Donors who use Venmo often keep extra funds in their accounts that fall outside their monthly budget. If your nonprofit would like to minimize barriers to giving – such as donors who don’t always have the funds to support your cause – offering Venmo to donors can enable more potential donations to fuel your mission.
Venmo is owned by PayPal, which offers industry-leading payment security and protection on the app. If you’re using PayPal Checkout to accept donations via Venmo through your Donorbox donation form, you’re ensuring the most secure donation experience for your donors.
Adding Venmo to your donation form streamlines the process for donors who use this preferred digital wallet. If you haven’t launched a campaign yet, here’s how to start accepting Venmo donations:
That’s it! Eligible donors will automatically be presented with the option to donate to your cause using Venmo.
See how Project Street Vet is collecting Venmo donations through their embedded Donorbox donation form:
Create a Venmo-Friendly Donation Form with Donorbox
Venmo uses QR codes to streamline the payment process. Promote your unique QR code in emails, social media, on your website and donation pages, and during virtual or hybrid events. This makes it easy for donors to scan and give quickly.
Donors accessing your donation form via desktop and using PayPal to give via their Venmo account will be shown a QR code to scan from their Venmo app and complete their donations.
Venmo’s social media feed shares where people are sending money to. When you see a donation, comment on the feed to bring attention to the gift and encourage donors to give and give again.
Another creative way to highlight Venmo donations is by live-streaming the Venmo feed during a virtual or hybrid event. This way, you can promote a different way to give and encourage more donations through social proof.
Venmo allows users to send personal messages along with their gifts. This feature provides another opportunity to connect with your donors. When you receive a donation via Venmo, send a quick personalized response to acknowledge the donation.
Venmo is one of the most popular payment methods in the U.S. and can be used to increase donations to your cause. Donorbox makes it easy to offer Venmo as a digital wallet right on your donation form, simplifying the process for you and your donors.
Sign up to start fundraising with our powerful features designed to maximize your impact and bring in more support for your mission.
Discover more ways to fundraise and engage with your donors on our Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive fundraising tips and resources delivered to your inbox.
Venmo is an excellent way to appeal to younger donors. The simplicity, fast payments, and shareability make it a popular app that millions of younger people already use.
There is no startup fee to use Venmo. Businesses using it to accept payments have to pay a transaction fee of 1.9% + $0.10. But if you’re connecting to Venmo through PayPal Checkout, the charges will be the same as PayPal processing fees, i.e, a 1.9% + $0.49 fee for registered nonprofits.
Venmo doesn’t cost donors anything if they send money directly from their Venmo account, bank account, or debit card. There’s a 3% standard fee for users making payments with credit cards.
Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits. As a nonprofit professional she has specialized in fundraising, marketing, event planning, volunteer management, and board development.
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