Which donation processor is right for your race?
Electbase builds your website, but donations run through a processor you choose — ActBlue, Anedot, Donorbox, and others. Here's which one fits your race, what they charge, and how your site connects to it.
The short version: Electbase builds your website, but the money never touches us. Donations go through a processor — a company like ActBlue, Anedot, or Donorbox that takes the card payment, handles the receipt, and deposits the funds into your committee's bank account. You pick the processor; we connect your site to it. Which one fits depends on what kind of race you're running.
Processor eligibility rules and fees change, and campaign-finance requirements vary by state. Confirm current terms with the processor and your treasurer or counsel before you commit.
Start with your situation
You're a Democrat running for federal office (Congress, Senate). ActBlue is the ecosystem standard — donors recognize it, and their saved-payment "express" accounts make giving nearly frictionless. Federal campaigns can also embed ActBlue forms directly on their Electbase page. Fee: 3.95% per donation.
You're a Democrat running for state or local office. ActBlue still works well — but note that embedded forms are reserved for federal campaigns and certain nonprofits, so your site will use a donate button that opens your hosted ActBlue page. (That's the standard pattern, not a downgrade — see our ActBlue article.) ActBlue is not available in Connecticut. Anedot and Donorbox are also strong choices here, and both support true on-page embeds at every race level. Numero is a Democrats-only option that uses hosted donation pages you link out to.
You're in a truly nonpartisan race (many school board and municipal races), or you want a processor with no partisan vetting. ActBlue and Numero serve Democrats and progressives only, so look at:
- Anedot — nonpartisan, embeds work for every race level. Political rate: 4% + 30¢ per donation.
- Donorbox — explicitly supports political campaigns and PACs, with a "Political Campaign or Committee" organization type and FEC-compliant report templates. Embeds available. Donorbox charges a tiered platform fee that depends on your plan, on top of payment-processing fees — check their current pricing page for exact rates.
- Raise the Money — nonpartisan, embeds available. Fee: 4.9% + 25¢ per donation.
Anedot and Raise the Money are widely used across the political spectrum, including by Republican campaigns. For a nonpartisan race that's usually irrelevant; if your supporters would care, factor it in.
You're a PAC. Donorbox supports PACs explicitly. ActBlue serves Democratic and progressive committees (with the same federal-only embed rule). Anedot and Raise the Money serve committees without partisan vetting. Confirm your committee type is supported during signup — every processor asks.
Fees at a glance
| Processor | Fee (political) | Embeds on your site? | Who they serve |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActBlue | 3.95% | Federal campaigns + 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) only; everyone else links out | Democrats & progressives (not in CT) |
| Anedot | 4% + 30¢ | Yes, all race levels | Nonpartisan |
| Donorbox | Tiered platform fee + processing | Yes, all race levels | Nonpartisan; explicit political/PAC support |
| Raise the Money | 4.9% + 25¢ | Yes, all race levels | Nonpartisan |
| Numero | Not published — contribution forms come with its platform subscription; confirm the current processing rate with Numero directly | No — hosted pages only | Democrats only |
Fees shift over time; treat this table as a starting point and confirm on the processor's own pricing page.
What Electbase does — and doesn't do
Electbase never processes, holds, or touches donation money. We add the donate button or embedded form to your site, make sure your "Paid for by" disclaimer appears on the page (the page that asks for money is exactly the page regulators care about), and — where the processor supports it — sync donation records back into your supporter list. The financial relationship is entirely between your committee and the processor.
The bottom line
Federal Dem: ActBlue. State/local Dem: ActBlue (linked), Anedot, or Donorbox. Nonpartisan race: Anedot, Donorbox, or Raise the Money. PAC: Donorbox or ActBlue, depending on your alignment. Whichever you choose, your Electbase site connects to it — see our setup guides for ActBlue and Anedot and Donorbox.