Sowfund vs DonorSee: Which Platform Is Better for Missionaries?

If you're comparing Sowfund and DonorSee for missionary fundraising, there's an important fact to address upfront: DonorSee stopped accepting donations on January 19, 2026. The platform is no longer active. If you arrived here trying to decide between the two, the decision has been made for you.

But the comparison is still worth doing — both because many missionaries are migrating from DonorSee and want to understand what they're moving to, and because understanding what DonorSee did well and where it fell short helps clarify what to look for in a platform going forward.

What DonorSee Was

DonorSee launched in 2016 as a video-first giving platform for missionaries and aid workers. The core idea was compelling: missionaries posted videos showing donors the direct impact of their gift — sometimes holding a sign with the donor's name in the follow-up footage. That transparency created an emotional connection between donors and the field that most platforms didn't offer.

DonorSee operated as a 501(c)(3), which meant donations were tax-deductible and missionaries didn't need to form their own nonprofit to receive support through the platform. For years, it was a genuine option for story-driven missionaries who wanted to show donors their work visually.

DonorSee's Difficult History

DonorSee's ten-year run was marked by persistent instability. The platform went through multiple periods of fundraising uncertainty, operational challenges, and leadership transitions — most significantly after founder Gret Glyer passed away in June 2022. The company struggled to maintain the same vision and operational consistency after that point.

By late 2025, DonorSee's website had shifted its positioning to describe the platform as a "showcase for recruiters, strategic partners, and potential acquirers" — language that signals a company looking for an exit, not one focused on serving missionaries. Donations stopped flowing on January 19, 2026, and final financial records were distributed to users in early 2026.

For missionaries who had built their support base through DonorSee, the closure meant disrupted recurring giving, broken donor links, and an urgent need to migrate to a new platform.

What Sowfund Is

Sowfund is a 501(c)(3) missionary giving platform built specifically for support-raising missionaries. Missionaries set up a profile page at sow.fund/theirname, share their link with individuals and churches, and receive tax-deductible donations that process through Sowfund's fiscal sponsorship structure.

Every donor receives an automatic IRS-compliant receipt, and recurring monthly giving is fully supported. There's no subscription cost — Sowfund takes a 5% platform fee, and roughly 85% of donors choose to cover it at checkout, so missionaries receive the full intended amount. Missionaries also get a QR code, can accept mail-in checks, and have a dashboard that tracks all donations.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Where DonorSee Was Stronger

DonorSee's video-first model was genuinely different. For missionaries whose ministry lent itself to visual storytelling — field visits, community projects, tangible physical needs — the ability to post a follow-up video that named the donor created donor loyalty that text-based updates don't replicate as easily.

If that specific model resonated with your donors, it's worth being honest that Sowfund doesn't replicate it directly. Sowfund supports profile updates and communication, but its model is more traditional giving-page infrastructure than video-driven micro-impact storytelling.

Where Sowfund Is Stronger

In almost every other dimension, Sowfund is the stronger option — and the only operational one.

Stability. This is the most important factor after DonorSee's closure. Sowfund is actively growing, does not depend on a single founder, and has a business model structured for long-term operation. It is not seeking to be acquired.

Broader giving options. Sowfund accepts card, bank transfer, and mail-in checks. DonorSee never supported check donations, which excluded older and more traditional donors who prefer to give by mail.

Church-friendly structure. Sowfund's 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship satisfies the requirements most church finance committees have for how missionary support must flow. Church giving to missionaries via Sowfund is straightforward, receipted, and properly categorized.

Donor fee coverage. Sowfund's model allows donors to cover the platform fee themselves, meaning most missionaries receive close to 100% of each gift. This wasn't a feature DonorSee offered in the same way.

For Missionaries Migrating from DonorSee

If you were on DonorSee, the practical migration path is:

1. 1
   Create your Sowfund page and get it approved (72 hours)
2. 2
   Email every past donor with your new giving link
3. 3
   Personally follow up with anyone who had a recurring DonorSee gift — their recurring payment ended when the platform closed, and they'll need to re-establish it through Sowfund
4. 4
   Update your support letter, email signature, and any church communications with your new sow.fund link

Donors who gave through DonorSee were giving because they believed in your work. A direct, personal email explaining the transition and offering a new link recovers the vast majority of those giving relationships.

The Bottom Line

DonorSee was an innovative platform that, at its best, gave missionaries a powerful way to connect donors visually to their work. But it is no longer operating, and its history of instability made it a difficult platform to build long-term support on even before the closure.

Sowfund provides the core infrastructure missionaries actually need — tax-deductible giving, recurring donations, a shareable giving page, and no subscription cost — with the platform stability that long-term ministry support requires.