Is crowdfunding trustworthy? How to recognise a reliable fundraiser
Crowdfunding lets you help someone directly. But how do you know whether a platform and a fundraiser can be trusted? With these checks you can quickly judge for yourself.
Crowdfunding makes it possible to help a person, a family, an association, a foundation or another initiative directly. That personal character is exactly what makes crowdfunding powerful. You can often see precisely who the money is being raised for and why help is needed.
But if you do not know the organiser personally, a logical question is: is crowdfunding actually trustworthy?
The short answer is that crowdfunding is simply a way of raising money. Whether it can be trusted depends on two things: the platform you donate through and the fundraiser you want to support.
Fortunately, as a donor you do not need to carry out extensive research. With a few simple checks you can often judge quickly whether a fundraiser comes across as clear and credible.
In this article we explain what to look out for and how we at Steunactie approach trust, safety and transparency.
Trustworthy crowdfunding starts with the platform
Before you look at an individual fundraiser, it is sensible to look at the crowdfunding platform itself first. Who is behind the website? What fees are charged? How are payments and payouts handled? And can you reach someone if you have questions?
A trustworthy platform does not hide that information. At Steunactie we believe that organisers and donors alike should know in advance who they are dealing with. Here are the facts at a glance.
A Dutch company
Steunactie is an initiative of Sponsor Europe B.V., a company registered in the Netherlands.
Made for the Netherlands and Belgium
Aimed at donors and organisers in the Netherlands and Belgium, with local payment methods and Dutch-language support.
Stichting Donateursbelangen
A member of this Dutch donor interests foundation and a signatory of its Donor Promise, which puts the wishes and preferences of donors first.
Website of the Year
Nominated in the Dutch Website of the Year awards, a sign that the platform is used and rated by a wide audience.
In practice, being a member of Stichting Donateursbelangen means that you can clearly see what money is being raised for, how the platform works and what fees are involved. It also means that you decide for yourself how you donate and what information you share.
The experiences of other users say a lot too. Reviews on Trustpilot regularly mention ease of use, clear communication, support and correct payouts.
Of course, no single score, quality mark or nomination tells the whole story. So read a few positive and critical experiences as well. Trust comes from the combination of transparency, accessibility, secure payments and clear information.
A trustworthy platform does not automatically mean every fundraiser is right
This distinction matters.
A crowdfunding platform provides the technical environment in which someone can start a fundraiser and donors can contribute. The content of a personal fundraiser, however, is supplied by the organiser.
That is why it is sensible to look at the individual fundraiser as well. It does not have to be complicated.
1Check who is organising the fundraiser
A trustworthy fundraiser makes it clear who is behind it.
Is the organiser the person who needs help? Was the fundraiser started by a family member, friend or colleague? Or is it an association, foundation or other organisation? The more clearly that relationship is explained, the better you understand, as a donor, who you are giving to.
A fundraiser does not have to be started by the eventual recipient. In the case of illness, a funeral or another difficult situation, it is often someone close to them who takes this on. It does help, though, when it is clearly explained on whose behalf the fundraiser is being organised.
2Check what the money is being raised for
A good crowdfunding campaign has a concrete goal. For example:
- a medical treatment
- vet bills
- a funeral
- temporary accommodation after a house fire
- a wheelchair-accessible van
- support for a sports club
- a local community project
- emergency aid for family abroad
The more concretely it is explained what the money is needed for, the easier it is for you to decide whether you want to support the cause.
Vague wording without explanation does not necessarily mean something is wrong, but it is a reason to take a slightly more critical look.
3Read the whole story
Do not be guided by a title or photo alone. Also read why the fundraiser was started, what happened and what help is needed.
A good story does not have to be long or perfectly written. The key question is whether it comes across as logical and personal, and gives enough information to understand why money is being asked for.
With a personal fundraiser, the story may be emotional. That is not strange. People often start a crowdfunding campaign precisely at a moment when something drastic has happened.
Emotion and trustworthiness are not mutually exclusive.
4Check whether the target amount is explained
A target of €1,000 calls for a different explanation than a fundraiser for €100,000. With larger amounts, it makes sense that you as a donor want to know how that amount was arrived at.
Think, for example, of treatment costs, adaptations to a home, transport, long-term loss of income or different parts of a larger project.
Not every organiser can budget every euro exactly in advance. Especially in medical or emergency situations, costs can still change. But a rough explanation does help you understand the target amount better.
5Look at photos and other information
Photos make a crowdfunding campaign personal. They can show who it is about, what damage has been done or which project is being carried out.
Here too, more is not always better. Especially with illness, accidents and other sensitive situations, privacy and dignity must come first.
The absence of medical documents or other personal evidence therefore does not automatically mean that a fundraiser cannot be trusted. Organisers do not have to make sensitive personal data public to tell a credible story.
6Look at updates during the fundraiser
Updates are a strong sign of involvement.
An organiser might share, for example, that a treatment has taken place, that a first milestone has been reached or that money raised has since been spent on a particular part.
For donors, that is valuable. Not only do you get more insight into the progress, you also see that the organiser remains actively involved. For longer-running fundraisers, regular updates can therefore give extra confidence.
7Be extra alert if someone wants you to pay outside the platform
If you consciously donate through a crowdfunding platform, it is sensible to make the payment through that platform's official donation process as well.
Watch out
Are you unexpectedly asked to transfer money to a different account, to pay via an unknown payment page or to share personal payment details outside the platform? Then take a very careful look at what is going on.
A different payment method does not automatically mean fraud, but you are leaving the payment environment you consciously chose. If in doubt, it is better to contact the platform first.
What about payments through Steunactie?
Steunactie offers an online payment environment for donors and works with professional payment service providers. Various well-known payment methods are available on the platform for Dutch and Belgian donors.
In addition, Steunactie communicates in advance how its fees are made up, and donations received are paid out weekly as standard. The website also states that the platform uses 24/7 fraud monitoring.
For us, all of this belongs to the same foundation: when people raise and donate money online, it must be clear how the process works.
Can you safely donate to someone you do not know?
Yes, you can. Crowdfunding in particular makes it possible to help people outside your own immediate network.
Perhaps you read about a family that lost everything in a fire. A child who needs a mobility aid. A pet that needs an expensive operation. Or a local initiative you had never heard of before.
You do not have to know someone personally to be moved by their story. It is sensible, though, to go through the points above for fundraisers you do not know:
- Who is organising the fundraiser?
- Is the goal clear?
- Is it explained what the money is needed for?
- Are there updates?
- Does the story make sense?
If that information gives you enough confidence, you can then decide for yourself whether you want to contribute.
Are popular fundraisers automatically more trustworthy?
Not necessarily. A fundraiser with thousands of donations can inspire a lot of confidence, but the number of donations alone does not say everything about its content. Conversely, a new or small fundraiser can be entirely trustworthy but still have little reach.
Some fundraisers are shared at lightning speed on social media or make the news. Others remain visible mainly within a family, neighbourhood or club.
So do not only look at how much money has already been raised. The story and the transparency of the fundraiser are at least as important.
And what if you still have doubts?
Then do not donate straight away. Take your time to read the fundraiser again. Look for additional information if needed, or contact the organiser if that is possible.
Do you have questions about the platform, the payment procedure or the way Steunactie works? Then you can get in touch with our support team.
Donating online does not have to be an impulse decision. It is fine to be critical.
Conscious donors ultimately help to keep crowdfunding trustworthy.
See for yourself which fundraisers are running
Read the stories, look at the updates and decide for yourself which cause you want to support.
See all fundraisersTrustworthiness is about transparency
There is no button that lets you establish with a single click whether every crowdfunding campaign is trustworthy. But there are many signals you can look out for.
A trustworthy crowdfunding platform tells you who is behind it, how payments work, what fees are charged and how you can get help.
A trustworthy fundraiser clearly tells you who is raising money, for whom, why, and what the proceeds will be used for.
At Steunactie we try to fulfil that first responsibility as well as we can. As a Dutch crowdfunding platform we are transparent about our organisation and fees, we are a member of Stichting Donateursbelangen, Steunactie has been nominated for the Website of the Year awards and hundreds of users share their experiences on Trustpilot.
The second responsibility lies largely with the organiser. And in the end, you as a donor decide for yourself which story gives you enough confidence to support it.
Discover a Steunactie that moves you
Would you like to see for yourself which fundraisers there are? Browse different fundraisers, read the stories and decide for yourself which cause you want to support.
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Information about Steunactie, its company details, its membership of Stichting Donateursbelangen, payment methods, safety and platform features is based on the current information on Steunactie.nl. The Trustpilot score of 4.5 out of 5 from 744 reviews is a snapshot from September 2026. Review scores and numbers of reviews may change.
Steunactie Editorial
We write about giving, crowdfunding and how donation platforms work, so that you can make an informed choice about how and to whom you give.
