EquipNet vs Sowfund: Which Is Better for Missionary Fundraising?

If you've been researching how to raise support as a missionary, you've probably come across both EquipNet and Sowfund. On the surface they look similar: both are registered 501(c)(3) organizations, both let you collect tax-deductible donations, and both have been used by thousands of missionaries.

But the more you dig into how each one actually works day to day, the differences add up. Choosing the wrong one doesn't just mean a less convenient sign-up, it can mean paying more in fees, having fewer ways to give, or being asked to already have a sending structure in place before you're even allowed to start.

Here's a detailed, side-by-side look at both platforms so you can make the right call.

Quick Comparison

What Is EquipNet?

EquipNet is a 501(c)(3) religious public charity founded in the early 2000s by Bob Norsworthy, a career missionary and missiologist. By its own published numbers, it now serves roughly 2,500 missionaries and more than 50 partner ministry organizations, with about 33,000 donors giving close to $14.1 million a year.

EquipNet describes itself less as a fundraising app and more as a Missionary and Donor Services organization: it takes on the back-office donation processing, receipting, and tax handling that a traditional sending agency would normally provide. It also accepts gifts of appreciated stock through a direct brokerage transfer, and maintains a Ministry Directory for partner organizations to raise funds alongside its individual missionaries. For a missionary already connected to a sending structure who wants an established, low-fee fiscal sponsor, EquipNet is a real option.

What Is Sowfund?

Sowfund is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit built specifically for individual Christian missionaries. Rather than a directory listing, each missionary who's approved gets a public profile with their own short link, sow.fund/yourname, along with the ability to create fundraisers for specific trips or projects, an online wallet to view and manage your donations, and automatic tax receipts for donors, all in one login.

Missionaries apply directly to Sowfund, complete identity verification through Stripe, then Sowfund's team reviews and approves applications, typically within 72 hours. Sowfund is free for missionaries and donors: no subscription, no card on file, and a 5% service fee that keeps the platform running.

Head-to-Head: Where It Really Matters

Tax-Deductibility & Legitimacy

Both platforms clear this bar. EquipNet is a 24-year-old 501(c)(3) religious public charity; Sowfund is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations through either platform are tax-deductible for US-based donors, and both issue automatic email receipts.

Winner: Tie. Both are legitimate, registered 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsors.

Fees

Both platforms charge the same headline admin fee, 5% of each gift. From there, the numbers diverge based on how the donor pays.

• Card donations: Sowfund's 2.2% + $0.30 beats EquipNet's flat 3%. On a $100 card gift, that's a net of about $92.50 on Sowfund versus $92.00 on EquipNet. Since most missionary donations happen by card or digital wallet, this is where fees matter most in practice.
• ACH gifts: This is the one case where EquipNet is cheaper. It charges no separate ACH processing fee, so a $100 ACH gift nets $95.00, versus $94.20 on Sowfund (5% plus 0.8%, capped at $5).
• Covering the fee in practice: On Sowfund, the combined total, service fee plus processing, is calculated automatically and shown to the donor in real time before they confirm. About 85% of Sowfund donors choose to cover it, so most missionaries receive the full gift. On EquipNet, the 5% admin fee is calculated automatically, but EquipNet's own FAQ states it "is unable to calculate or adjust for card processing fees automatically," so a donor who wants to cover the card fee too has to manually add roughly 3% more themselves. That extra step means fewer EquipNet donors likely end up covering the full cost of a card gift.

Winner: Sowfund. Cheaper on the payment method most donations actually use, and structurally easier for a donor to cover the full fee. EquipNet's flat rate only pulls ahead on ACH gifts specifically.

Ways to Give

EquipNet supports credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfer, mailed checks (with no fee beyond the 5% admin fee), and gifts of appreciated stock transferred directly through a Charles Schwab brokerage account.

Sowfund supports credit and debit cards, digital wallets (Apple Pay and Google Pay), ACH bank transfer, and mailed-in checks (a $3 flat fee). It doesn't yet offer gifts of appreciated stock.

Winner: EquipNet. More ways for a donor to give, thanks to its ability to accept gifts of appreciated stock.

Profile, Customization & the Modern Giving Experience

Every Sowfund missionary gets a public profile automatically upon approval, with a custom short link (sow.fund/yourname), editable fields for a profile picture, bio, story, ministry focus, where they've served, snapshots, and social links. Every profile and fundraiser page also ships with a built-in QR code for in-person support-raising, and missionaries can run project-specific fundraisers that cross-link automatically to their main profile. Sowfund also runs a public roadmap where missionaries can submit and vote on new platform features.

EquipNet's missionaries appear as a listing in its searchable Missionary Directory, with project-based fundraising available through a separate Special Projects section. Donors can update or stop a recurring gift from that same giving page, and EquipNet offers a phone line for donors who'd rather not enter payment details online. EquipNet's features don't include QR codes or the kind of deep profile customization Sowfund offers.

Winner: Sowfund. A dedicated, fully customizable profile with a shareable link and QR codes built in, versus a directory listing page.

Who Can Join

EquipNet's FAQ lists four criteria for joining: a clear testimony of Christian faith, active work advancing the Gospel, an existing accountability relationship (through a mission agency, local church, advisory group, or team, explicitly not "operating independently as a lone ranger"), and two references from spiritual leaders who can vouch for the applicant. EquipNet also publishes a detailed statement of faith covering the Trinity, biblical inerrancy, and substitutionary atonement, reflecting a specific evangelical Protestant theological position. Independent missionaries without an existing EquipNet ministry partner go through a phone interview before enrollment can proceed.

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.

Winner: Sowfund. No existing sending organization is required to get started, and a broader range of Christian traditions can join.

Which Platform Is Right for You?

• Individual missionary without an existing sending agency: Sowfund. You can apply and get approved without first securing a mission agency, advisory board, or reference letters.
• Missionary outside EquipNet's specific statement of faith: Sowfund. It welcomes Catholic, Orthodox, non-denominational, and Pentecostal missionaries alongside Evangelical Protestants.
• Missionary who wants a modern, shareable profile with QR codes: Sowfund. The profile, short link, and fundraisers are built for how people actually give online today.
• Missionary already affiliated with a sending agency who wants to accept stock gifts: EquipNet is worth considering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does EquipNet make donations tax-deductible? Yes. EquipNet is a 501(c)(3) religious public charity, so gifts through its platform are tax-deductible for US donors, the same as gifts through Sowfund.

Is Sowfund free to use? Yes, for missionaries and donors. Missionaries never pay a subscription. Sowfund takes a 5% service fee from donations, and about 85% of donors choose to cover all fees themselves at checkout.

Which platform has lower fees? On card donations, the way most missionary support is given, Sowfund is cheaper (2.2% + $0.30 versus EquipNet's flat 3%). On ACH bank transfers, EquipNet's flat 5% is cheaper than Sowfund's 5% plus 0.8%. All figures sourced from each platform's own published fee pages.

Do I need an existing sending agency to join Sowfund? No. Sowfund reviews and approves applicants internally and doesn't require a pre-existing accountability relationship as a condition of approval.

Can I join EquipNet without a home church or agency yet? Only after an added step: EquipNet's team conducts a phone interview with independent applicants, and you'll still need two references from an existing accountability relationship before enrollment can proceed.

The Bottom Line

EquipNet remains a solid option in a narrower set of cases: missionaries already connected to a sending agency who want to accept stock gifts.

But for the broad base of missionaries raising personal support today, especially anyone starting from scratch without a sending agency already in place, or outside EquipNet's specific statement of faith, Sowfund is the more practical, more purpose-built choice. It's cheaper on the payment method most donations actually use, gives every missionary a fully customizable profile built for how people give online today, and doesn't require you to already have ministry infrastructure in place just to sign up.

It handles the legal and financial infrastructure so you can focus on what you're actually called to do.