EquipNet vs Modern Day Missions: Which Missionary Fundraising Platform Is Better?

EquipNet and Modern Day Missions are two of the most established names missionaries come across when looking for a missionary fundraising platform outside a traditional sending agency. Both are registered 501(c)(3) organizations, both act as a fiscal sponsor so donors receive a tax deduction, and each has served missionaries for nearly two decades or more.

They’re built differently, though, and the differences show up in fees, how often funds reach you, and what you need in place before you apply. This article was first published on August 7, 2026, and updated on October 26, 2026. Every figure below reflects each organization’s published information at the time of writing.

The Two Organizations At A Glance

Getting To Know EquipNet

EquipNet is a 501(c)(3) religious public charity started in early 2000 by Bob Norsworthy, whom EquipNet describes as a 40-year career missionary, entrepreneur, and missiologist. At the time of writing, its homepage reports more than 2,500 missionaries, over 50 partner ministry organizations, and about 33,000 donors giving roughly $14.1 million a year.

EquipNet provides the back-end support a missionary would otherwise need a sending agency for: donation processing, instant receipting, year-end statements, and gifts of appreciated stock. Each missionary has an individual giving page, and EquipNet also hosts giving pages for ministry projects. Its 5% admin fee has held steady for nearly twenty years, according to its About page.

Getting To Know Modern Day Missions

Modern Day Missions is an interdenominational organization founded in 2008 by Elias Reyes to provide fundraising support services to Christian missionaries. At the time of writing, its About page reports that it has served over 1,800 missionaries in 100 nations since 2008, and its Become a Missionary page lists more than 1,200 currently active. It describes itself as the largest independent missionary organization in North America.

Modern Day is accredited by the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). Missionaries give through its own DonorGive platform, with a customizable profile page, a unique giving link, real-time donation tracking, and a daily digest email after each donation. Approved missionaries can also raise for specific trips and approved projects. Modern Day pairs all of this with a dedicated fundraising coach, a podcast, a newsletter, and a library of resources for missionaries.

Accountability And Credibility

Donations through either organization are tax-deductible for US donors. Modern Day Missions also holds ECFA accreditation, which means a third-party body reviews it on financial accountability and governance. EquipNet’s site doesn’t list an equivalent accreditation.

Winner: Modern Day Missions, for its third-party ECFA accreditation.

What Each One Costs

On published rates, EquipNet costs less on both of the payment methods most donors use. On a $100 card donation, an EquipNet missionary receives $92.00 and a Modern Day missionary receives $91.30. On a $100 ACH donation, EquipNet applies only its 5% admin fee, so the missionary receives $95.00, while Modern Day’s 6% admin fee plus 1.2% processing leaves $92.80.

Donor fee coverage narrows the gap in practice. Modern Day reports that about 25% of its donors cover the admin fee, which, together with its large gift policy, brought the average missionary’s admin fee down to 4.28% in 2025. EquipNet lets donors add its 5% admin fee with a checkbox, and its FAQ notes that donors can add the card processing amount manually if they’d like to cover that too. Modern Day also charges a one-time $60 application fee, and EquipNet’s published materials don’t list one.

Winner: EquipNet, on published rates, though Modern Day’s effective average admin fee brings the two closer for many missionaries.

Ways Supporters Can Give

Both organizations accept credit cards, ACH bank transfers, mailed checks, and gifts of appreciated stock, and both settle stock gifts through a Charles Schwab brokerage account. EquipNet also lets recurring donors pick the day of the month their donation runs.

Winner: Tie. Donors have essentially the same options on either platform.

How Often Funds Reach You

EquipNet deposits online donations twice a month. Donations received from the 1st through the 15th are deposited on the 20th, and donations from the 16th through month-end arrive on the 5th of the following month. Its published materials don’t describe a monthly cap.

Modern Day Missions processes monthly payments by the second business day, with funds typically arriving by the fifth. Missionaries with a US bank account and a gross balance of $1,000 or more by the 15th also receive a mid-month payment. Early payouts and reimbursements are processed every Tuesday and Friday; these requests go through Modern Day’s finance committee and usually include documentation such as receipts. Modern Day uses a monthly disbursement cap of $4,000 for single missionaries and $5,000 for married couples, and missionaries who expect to need more on a regular basis can submit a budget increase for approval.

Winner: EquipNet for missionaries who want no published cap, and Modern Day Missions for missionaries who want more ways to access funds between scheduled payouts.

Who Can Apply

Both organizations ask missionaries to have accountability in place before they join. EquipNet looks for an accountability structure such as a mission agency, local church, advisory group, or team, along with two references from spiritual leaders and affirmation of its statement of faith. Independent applicants who aren’t joining through an existing EquipNet ministry partner have a phone conversation with the team before enrollment continues.

Modern Day Missions says its application requires a ministry covering and accountability structure through a church or nonprofit, and applicants also engage with its statement of faith. Its process runs in three steps, pray, apply, and begin, with most applications reviewed and approved within about two weeks.

Winner: Modern Day Missions, for a clear, published approval timeline.

Finding Your Fit

• If you want the lowest published fees and twice-monthly deposits with no published cap, EquipNet is a strong fit.
• If you want ECFA accreditation, a dedicated fundraising coach, and a clear approval timeline, Modern Day Missions is a strong fit.
• If you expect large or irregular donations, either can work. EquipNet doesn’t publish a cap, and Modern Day releases anything above its cap the following month. Modern Day missionaries can also request a budget increase, which needs approval, or early access to held funds, which goes through its finance committee and usually requires documentation such as receipts.
• If your donors want to give appreciated stock, both organizations accept it.

Common Questions About EquipNet And Modern Day Missions

Is Modern Day Missions accredited? Yes. Modern Day Missions is an accredited member of the ECFA, which reviews member organizations on financial accountability and governance.

Which has lower fees, EquipNet or Modern Day Missions? On published rates, EquipNet is lower on both card and ACH donations and doesn’t list an application fee. Modern Day’s average missionary paid an effective 4.28% admin fee in 2025 after donor coverage and its large gift policy.

Does either organization cap monthly payouts? Modern Day Missions has a monthly cap of $4,000 for singles and $5,000 for married couples, with budget increases and early access available on request. EquipNet’s published materials don’t describe a cap.

Do I need an accountability structure to join? Yes, for both. EquipNet asks for an accountability relationship and two references, and Modern Day Missions says it requires a ministry covering through a church or nonprofit.

Where Sowfund Fits In

If you’re weighing these two, Sowfund is one more fundraising platform for missionaries to put alongside them. Like both, it’s a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor that makes donations tax-deductible for US donors. At the time of writing, a few things set it apart:

• There’s no application fee and no monthly withdrawal cap. You withdraw whenever you choose, with a $100 minimum.
• Its 5% service fee plus 2.2% + $0.30 card processing comes out lower than both organizations on Visa and Mastercard donations above about $40, and its flat 3.5% Amex rate is lower than Modern Day’s at every amount.
• Every missionary gets a customizable profile page. Your public profile lives as a short link, sow.fund/yourname, and comes with a built-in QR code for in-person support raising.
• Donors can cover every fee in one step at checkout. About 85% chose to as of August 2026.
• Donors can give by card, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, mailed check, donor-advised fund grant, or IRA qualified charitable distribution.

For a closer look at each pairing, see EquipNet vs Sowfund and Sowfund vs Modern Day Missions.