EquipNet vs Modern Day Missions vs Sowfund: Comparing Missionary Fundraising Platforms

EquipNet, Modern Day Missions, and Sowfund all do the same job: they act as a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor so a missionary can collect tax-deductible donations without becoming their own nonprofit. Past that starting point, the three platforms look quite different, especially in how much of the experience is built around modern, self-serve technology versus a more traditional back-office model.

Here's a direct, three-way comparison, fees, eligibility, and the platform itself, including where the technology gap between them actually shows up.

Quick Comparison

What Each Platform Is

EquipNet is a 501(c)(3) religious public charity founded in the early 2000s. It serves roughly 2,500 missionaries and more than 50 partner ministry organizations through a searchable Missionary Directory, and it accepts gifts of appreciated stock through a direct brokerage transfer.

Modern Day Missions is an interdenominational 501(c)(3) founded in 2008, serving roughly 1,700 missionaries in 100 nations. It's accredited by the ECFA and gives missionaries an online giving platform with a customizable profile page, a unique giving link, and fundraising coaching.

Sowfund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit built specifically for individual Christian missionaries. Every missionary gets a public profile automatically, with a custom short link at sow.fund/yourname, built-in QR codes, project-specific fundraisers, and a dashboard where they can view all donations, donation breakdowns, donor notes, and make withdrawals, all in one login.

Where the Technology Gap Shows Up

All three platforms handle the legal and financial basics: tax receipts, recurring donations, and a way for a donor to find and give to a specific missionary. Where they diverge is in how much of the day-to-day experience, for both the missionary and the donor, is built around modern, self-serve tools.

A Shareable Profile, Not Just a Listing

EquipNet's missionaries appear as an entry in a searchable directory rather than having their own dedicated, branded page. Modern Day Missions gives each missionary a unique giving link and a customizable profile page, a real step up from a directory listing. Sowfund goes further still: every missionary's profile lives at a consistent, predictable short link (sow.fund/yourname), with editable fields for a profile picture, bio, personal story, ministry focus, where they've served, photo snapshots, and social links, all customizable depending on what the missionary wants to display.

QR Codes for In-Person Giving

Sowfund is the only one of the three that publishes a built-in QR code feature, available on every missionary profile and every fundraiser page. Neither EquipNet's nor Modern Day Missions' platform have an equivalent feature. For a missionary standing in front of a church or a small group, that's the difference between saying "visit this 40-character URL" and holding up a code donors can scan on their phones.

Full Fee Coverage at Checkout

On Sowfund, a donor can cover the full combined fee, service fee plus card processing, so the missionary receives the entire gift. On EquipNet and Modern Day Missions, donors can only cover the platform fee itself, 5% and 6% respectively, which means the missionary is still charged the 3% or 2.7% processing fee even when a donor chooses to cover the platform fee.

A Public Roadmap, Not a Static Platform

Sowfund runs a public roadmap at sowfund.org/vote, where missionaries can submit feature ideas and vote on what gets built next, and every update is tracked on its changelog. Neither EquipNet nor Modern Day Missions publish anything resembling a public roadmap or feature-voting system. It's a small detail that says something larger: Sowfund is being actively built around what current missionaries are asking for.

On-Demand Withdrawals vs. Fixed Payout Schedules

EquipNet deposits funds automatically twice a month, on a fixed schedule, with no published cap. Modern Day Missions pays out monthly, with an optional mid-month payment for larger balances, but caps disbursements at $4,000 for single missionaries and $5,000 for married couples, holding anything above that until the following month. Sowfund works differently: funds sit in the missionary's wallet until they choose to withdraw, on their own schedule, with no monthly cap. That's real control over when a donation counts as income, not just how fast it arrives.

Digital Wallets and a Mobile-Ready Checkout

Sowfund's donation flow supports Apple Pay and Google Pay alongside standard cards, and a native mobile app is currently in development. Neither EquipNet nor Modern Day Missions offers digital wallet payments or a mobile app.

Fees Side by Side

On a $100 card donation, before any donor fee coverage: Sowfund nets a missionary $92.50, EquipNet nets $92.00, and Modern Day Missions nets $91.30. Sowfund is the cheapest of the three on the payment method most donors use.

On a $100 ACH or eCheck donation: EquipNet nets $95.00 (its flat 5% admin fee, no separate ACH charge), Sowfund nets $94.20 (5% plus 0.8%, capped at $5), and Modern Day Missions nets $92.80 (6% plus 1.2%). This is the one payment method where EquipNet's flat-rate model comes out ahead of Sowfund.

Modern Day Missions is the only one of the three that charges a separate application fee, a one-time $60 charge. Neither EquipNet nor Sowfund charge an application fee.

Who Can Join

EquipNet requires an existing accountability relationship (a mission agency, local church, advisory group, or team), two references from spiritual leaders, and affirmation of a detailed evangelical Protestant statement of faith. Independent applicants without an existing EquipNet ministry partner go through a phone interview before enrollment can proceed.

Modern Day Missions describes a simpler three-step process, pray, apply, begin, with most applications reviewed within about two weeks, with no requirement for an existing accountability relationship.

Sowfund's review happens internally: a missionary applies, completes identity verification through Stripe, and Sowfund's team reviews the application, typically within 72 hours. Sowfund states it welcomes missionaries across a broad range of Christian traditions, including Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, non-denominational, Orthodox, and Pentecostal, without requiring a pre-existing accountability relationship or a doctrinal statement as a condition of approval.

Which Platform Fits You?

• Missionary who wants the most modern, self-serve platform, QR codes, a branded short link, real-time fee transparency, and on-demand withdrawals: Sowfund.
• Missionary who wants the cheapest possible ACH gifts and a fixed twice-monthly payout with no cap: EquipNet.
• Missionary who wants ECFA accreditation and a fast application without an existing sending relationship: Modern Day Missions.
• Missionary who wants to give or receive appreciated stock: EquipNet or Modern Day Missions, Sowfund doesn't currently offer this.

The Bottom Line

All three platforms are legitimate 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsors, and each has a genuine strength: EquipNet's flat ACH rate and long track record, Modern Day Missions' ECFA accreditation and simple application, and Sowfund's technology.

That last point is the real story here. Sowfund is the clear technology leader of the three: the only platform with built-in QR codes, a public feature roadmap missionaries can vote on, full fee coverage at checkout, digital wallet support, and on-demand withdrawals with no monthly cap. It's also the cheapest of the three on card donations, the payment method most missionary support is received through.

For a missionary deciding where to build their support-raising presence today, that combination, modern tools, competitive fees, and a platform that keeps shipping new features, is why Sowfund is the strongest overall choice among the three.