Frequently asked questions

About RaiseHQ

Who is RaiseHQ for?

RaiseHQ is built for Democratic, progressive, and nonpartisan campaigns at every level — federal, state, and local candidates, ballot measure committees, PACs, and chartered Democratic clubs. It's for campaigns that want to keep their own donor relationships, own their data, and have their money go straight to their own account instead of sitting with a third party. No subscription, no commitment: connect Stripe, build a form, and start taking donations.

Try it — no card, no commitment →

Who builds RaiseHQ?

We're a small team who've raised money for campaigns — building donor lists, hitting goals, running events, sweating the end-of-quarter close. We built RaiseHQ to be the platform we wished we'd had: simple, all-in pricing, donors who stay on your URL, events and tap-to-pay built in, and clean data that flows where you need it.

How do I get support?

Email [email us]. Every campaign gets the same access — there's no premium support tier. We read every message and respond as quickly as we can.

Can I see RaiseHQ before I commit?

Yes. There's no cost, no subscription, and no commitment — you only pay processing fees once you start taking donations. Explore the dashboard, build a donation form, and see exactly how it works before you publish anything.

Can I switch from another platform?

Yes, and at your own pace — there's no exclusivity and no minimums, so you can run RaiseHQ alongside your current platform while you move over. Point new donations to your RaiseHQ form and invite recurring donors to restart their monthly gift on RaiseHQ (saved cards can't transfer between processors on any platform, so a quick re-signup email is the standard move). No exit fee, no lock-in.

Money & payouts

Where does the money go?

Straight into your campaign's own Stripe account, then to your bank account on Stripe's payout schedule — typically two business days after each donation.

RaiseHQ never holds, routes, or has access to your funds. We're not a conduit PAC, a treasurer of record, or a money transmitter.

Do I need a Stripe account already?

No — you set up Stripe as part of RaiseHQ onboarding. If you already have a Stripe account, you connect it; if you don't, you create one right in the flow. Either way it's your own account, which is how your money reaches you directly. Most standard committees verify within minutes.

Can I match bank payouts to individual contributions?

Yes. Every Stripe payout that lands in your bank account is matched to the individual contributions it contains, right in the Exports tab. Your treasurer can see exactly which donations make up each deposit — no spreadsheet detective work at filing time. If a payout ever fails, your treasurer gets an email flagging what to check.

What if a donor needs a refund?

When a donor needs a refund, your dashboard links you straight to the right screen in your Stripe account to issue it in a couple of clicks. RaiseHQ then reflects the refund in your records automatically, so your exports and reports stay accurate. The refund typically reaches the donor within 5–10 business days, and they receive an automatic confirmation email.

What's the minimum or maximum I can raise?

There's no minimum or maximum on what your campaign can raise in total, and no cap on the number of donations. Individual gifts start at $1. Per-donor contribution limits are set by your jurisdiction and election cycle, and RaiseHQ enforces those automatically at the moment of donation.

Can I export my data?

Yes, any time. Export your full donor list, contribution history, and recurring subscriber list whenever you want — no waiting period, no exit fee, no data lock-in. Your Stripe account stays with you regardless. Your data is yours.

Cost & pricing

What does it cost to use RaiseHQ?

No subscription, no setup fee, no minimums. Campaigns only pay per-transaction processing fees, which vary by payment method. Rates are all-in — there's no separate platform fee on top.

Card (online)3.4% + $0.30
In-person tap-to-pay3.2% + $0.15
ACH bank transfer~1.3% all-in, and lower on larger gifts (the processing portion is capped)
Are there extra fees for any features?

No. Recurring donations, event ticketing, on-site tap-to-pay, role-based team access, exports, integrations, and every other feature in RaiseHQ are included — no subscription, no added fees.

Who pays the transaction fees — the campaign or the donor?

By default, fees come out of the donated amount and the campaign nets the donation minus fees. You can enable a "cover the fee" prompt on your donation form, which lets donors opt to add the fee on top of their contribution. The choice is visible to donors but not the default.

Start free — you only pay when you start taking donations →

Donations

What can donors pay with?

Credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe Link one-click checkout, ACH bank transfer, and in-person tap-to-pay at events. Apple Pay and Google Pay appear automatically on any device that supports them — and because RaiseHQ embeds directly into your site rather than loading inside an iframe, those native wallets actually work, so mobile donors can give in a couple of taps.

Can donors set up recurring contributions?

Yes. Donors can choose a recurring contribution right on your form, then manage it themselves through a secure donor portal — pause or cancel — without contacting your campaign. They receive an email receipt for every charge and a confirmation when they cancel.

Can I pre-fill donor info in my fundraising emails?

Yes — it's called SmartLinks. Generate personalized links in your dashboard and drop them into your email tool, and known supporters land on your form with their information already filled in, ready to give in one click. Less typing means more completed gifts.

Events & in-person

Do you support paid events and ticketing?

Yes — and it's built in, not a separate paid add-on. Multi-tier ticketing, attendee tracking, and free RSVPs are part of the core platform, and contribution limits apply automatically to the full ticket purchase. No extra product to buy, no separate fee.

How does tap-to-pay work at events?

Take contactless donations at the door on any phone or tablet your volunteers already have — no card reader, no Stripe Terminal hardware, no separate app to install. Your volunteer collects the donor's info on the Entry Mode form, the Stripe Dashboard app takes the tap, and RaiseHQ matches the two into one complete, compliant record. In-person giving is a first-class part of RaiseHQ, not an afterthought.

Security & donor data

How secure is donor payment data?

Payments run on Stripe — the same infrastructure trusted by millions of businesses worldwide — certified to PCI-DSS Level 1, the highest level in the payments industry. Card data is collected and tokenized inside Stripe's Payment Element and never touches RaiseHQ's servers: RaiseHQ sees the contribution record (amount, donor name, address) but never the raw card number, CVV, or expiration. And because funds settle directly into your own Stripe account, RaiseHQ never holds or has access to your money in the first place.

Do you sell or share donor data?

No. RaiseHQ does not sell, rent, or share donor data. We use it only to process contributions, run the features you turn on, and produce your exports. We do not operate a cross-campaign donor network — your donors give on your URL, and their relationship is with your campaign, not with us.

Who owns the donor data — the campaign or RaiseHQ?

The campaign owns the data — always. That's a deliberate difference from some large legacy platforms, where donors join the platform's shared donor universe. On RaiseHQ, your donor list is yours to export any time, with no lock-in.

How is donor data protected at rest and in transit?

Donor records are encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest. Access is logged and restricted by role, so team members only see what their role allows.

Who on my team can access what?

You invite team members and assign a role — from full access down to read-only, with levels in between for treasurers, organizers, and event hosts. Treasurers see full financial detail; staff see donor contact info but not payment details; event hosts see only their assigned event. Invitations expire if unused, and you can revoke access at any time.

Exports & data

What does "limits enforced for your state" actually mean?

At the moment a donor tries to contribute, RaiseHQ checks the gift against the per-donor contribution limit for your jurisdiction and election cycle. Contributions that would exceed the limit are blocked before they're charged. Required fields like employer, occupation, and address are collected based on your state's rules, so the data is complete and accurate from the start.

This happens at transaction time, not as a separate review later — so over-limit contributions never enter your books.

What kind of exports do you offer?

Customizable exports built for the systems campaigns actually use:

  • Generic CSV (full field mapping)
  • Netfile (CAL 2.01) for California
  • NGP VAN CSV
  • ISPolitical CSV (matches ISPolitical's documented import template)

Choose your date range, filter by form, pick your fields, then import the file into your own filing software (FECFile, NGP VAN, ISPolitical, or your state's system) — the filing software produces the actual filing.

Do you have integrations with other tools?

Yes. Donor and contribution data can sync automatically to:

  • Mailchimp
  • Action Network
  • Google Sheets

Plus webhooks and a REST API for anything custom. (Exports to NGP VAN and ISPolitical are file-based — see the exports question above.)

My state or jurisdiction isn't listed. Can I still use RaiseHQ?

Yes. Let us know you'd like us to add your state or jurisdiction — email [email us] — and we can add most within a few days. For states without a proprietary filing format, the generic CSV export works immediately.

Does RaiseHQ handle my compliance filings?

No — and that's deliberate. RaiseHQ is not compliance or filing software. Filing remains your campaign's responsibility, handled through your existing compliance vendor or filing software.

What RaiseHQ does: collect the right donor data at the moment of contribution, enforce your jurisdiction's contribution limits at transaction time, and produce clean exports that load into the systems your filer already uses.

Setup & onboarding

How long does setup take?

The flow is: connect Stripe, configure your committee details and jurisdiction, then embed the donation form on your site. No approval queue on our side, no waiting period.

Stripe's ID verification typically completes within minutes for standard committees, though it can take 1–3 business days for committees with complex structures or unusual filings. You can complete the rest of your RaiseHQ setup in parallel while Stripe processes.

Do I need a developer to embed the donation form?

No. The embed is two lines of code that drop into any HTML page — Squarespace, WordPress, Webflow, or a custom site. Paste them where you want the form to appear and you're done.

What if I don't have a website yet?

No problem. Every campaign gets a hosted donation page at a RaiseHQ-managed URL you can use immediately and share by link or QR code. Once your site is up, switch to the embedded form so donors stay on your own URL.

Can I customize the donation form to match my brand?

Yes — set preset amounts, recurring ask behavior, brand color, logo, headline, and the thank-you redirect or message. The embedded form can inherit your site's font so it feels native, and you can preview it before publishing.

Does RaiseHQ integrate with my ad tracking?

Yes. RaiseHQ supports Meta (Conversions API) and Google Ads conversion tracking, fired server-side — so your conversions still count even through ad blockers and iOS privacy restrictions. Enter your IDs in the dashboard and RaiseHQ handles the rest.

Question we didn't answer? Ask us directly.