OpenGiving is a marketplace for goods, digital products and services, and the seller sends a share of each sale to a campaign.
Sellers list items and choose what percentage (10-100%, or 0-100% for a digital item) goes to a campaign. The split is worked out at checkout, and we hold the payment until the delivery is confirmed. No manual transfers.
The Flow
For Sellers
- List an item — upload photos, set a price, write a description
- Choose a campaign — select which campaign receives funds from your sale
- Set the split — decide what percentage goes to the campaign (10-100%, or 0-100% for a digital item)
- Ship when sold — handle shipping directly with the buyer
For Buyers
- Browse the marketplace — find items you want
- Purchase — check out with secure payment
- Receive your item — seller ships directly to you
- Confirm the delivery — we hold your payment until then, and then it's split between the campaign and the seller
Payment Routing
We hold the buyer's payment until the delivery is confirmed. When it's released:
- Campaign portion → credited to the campaign organizer's wallet
- Seller portion → credited to the seller's wallet
- OpenGiving's fee → 9% of the price of a physical item or a service. A digital item pays a flat digital service fee instead
- Payment processing → added to what the buyer pays, so it doesn't come out of the campaign's or the seller's portion
All transactions are recorded on both the buyer's and seller's GivingProfiles.
Why a Marketplace?
Traditional fundraising only accepts cash. OpenGiving opens new channels:
- People with items to sell can contribute without spending money
- Buyers get something they want while supporting causes
- Campaigns reach beyond their immediate network
The marketplace expands what's possible in fundraising.