On buycoffee.to you launch a goal-based fundraiser within the same profile you use for one-off payments and subscriptions, no separate registration, no building anything from scratch. You set a target amount, write a description of the goal, and publish it. Your community sees the progress on your profile, and you can edit the description or run several fundraisers at once. Alternatives like zrzutka.pl, pomagam.pl, or PolakPotrafi.pl work on a similar principle, but differ in fee structure, verification, and the type of fundraiser they're actually suited for.
How does a goal-based fundraiser differ from subscriptions and one-off payments
This is one of the most common scenarios among Polish creators: you have one specific goal, not an ongoing need for support. A goal-based fundraiser is the third format, alongside one-off payments and subscriptions, and what sets it apart from the other two is this: it has a defined target amount instead of an open-ended sum, and it has a natural end point, namely reaching the goal, instead of a mechanism that renews every month.
This distinction isn't just organizational, it also matters legally. A fundraiser with a clearly defined, closed goal and a finite duration is a one-time event, so from a tax risk standpoint it sits closer to a single donation than a subscription, which by its nature creates a recurring income stream.
It's also worth distinguishing between two models of goal-based fundraisers available in Poland. The first is a creator's fundraiser on their own buycoffee.to profile or through zrzutka.pl, where funds go directly to an individual as a donation, with no intermediary. The second is a fundraiser run by a foundation or in a charity model, like pomagam.pl or siepomaga.pl, where the money often passes through a third-party entity toward a statutory purpose, which follows somewhat different settlement rules. For a creator raising funds for their own project rather than a charitable cause, the first model is the right one, and it's the one the rest of this guide focuses on.
How to launch a goal-based fundraiser on buycoffee.to, step by step
Step 1: Set up or use your existing profile. Already have an account for one-off payments or recurring support on buycoffee.to? You add the fundraiser within it, no new registration, no identity verification from scratch.
Step 2: Define the fundraiser's goal. In the Creator panel, go to the Goal-based fundraisers tab. Write clearly what you're raising money for and why. Avoid wording that suggests the payment is compensation for a specific product or service, this distinction matters for tax purposes, more on that later.
Step 3: Set the target amount. This builds the progress bar shown on your profile, so your community can see in real time how much has been raised and how much is still needed.
Step 4: Publish the fundraiser. From this point on, one-off payments from supporters go directly to your balance, with no need for them to create an account. Also link the fundraiser to your main buycoffee.to profile.
Step 5: Boost visibility. Share the fundraiser link through cuplink.to, in video descriptions, on social media, and pin it in a visible spot on your profile. A fundraiser nobody knows about won't raise itself.
Step 6: Share progress updates and motivate your community. It's worth starting broad communication about the fundraiser once you've reached 10% of the target. A progress bar that's already moving has a positive effect on people's subconscious, they read it as social proof: if someone else already contributed, I want to be part of that success too. If you've already started work on the project with the partial amount raised, share proof of it. Thank your community for what they've contributed so far. You can read more about the psychology of fundraisers in this article.
Step 6 (as numbered in original): Edit as needed. You can update the description and details after publishing if something changes in the project.
Step 7: Run multiple fundraisers in parallel. Working on several projects at once? You can have more than one active fundraiser at a time.
Step 8: Withdraw the funds. The first withdrawal each month is free, every subsequent one costs 6.90 PLN. Funds from the fundraiser go into the same balance as your other support formats.
Before publishing your fundraiser, check that:
the goal description doesn't suggest you're selling a specific product or service in exchange for payment, the target amount is realistic and something you can justify to your community, the fundraiser link is visible in your bio, in video descriptions, and pinned on your profile, you understand that payments don't require supporters to create an account, and you're aware the first withdrawal each month is free while subsequent ones cost 6.90 PLN.
Get inspired by creators' goal-based fundraisers on buycoffee.to
źródło: https://buycoffee.to/cotenbartek/podcast
źródło: https://buycoffee.to/klodzkoland/KlodzkoLand
źródło: https://buycoffee.to/rockmusicschool/koncert2026
Where does a donation to a project end and a sale begin
A goal-based fundraiser, just like one-off payments and subscriptions on the same platform, rests on classifying the funds as a donation: a voluntary contribution with no reciprocal obligation on your part. That's what sets it apart from pre-sales or reward-based crowdfunding, where the payment is in effect payment for a specific future product, a copy of the record, a piece of merch, access to material. That's a different tax situation, closer to a sale than a donation.
The Pomagam.pl foundation states this directly in its 2026 material: online fundraisers run as donations, where the person paying receives no reciprocal benefit, don't count as business income and aren't subject to income tax. This holds even when the organizer runs their own business, as long as the fundraiser isn't part of it.
For project fundraisers, as opposed to charitable causes, there's also a limit under the inheritance and donations tax act. For tax group III, which covers most anonymous supporters, the tax-free amount is 5,733 PLN total from a single person over the 5 years counted back from the most recent gift, and anything above that is taxed, at a rate of roughly 12 to 20% depending on the amount.
With a goal-based fundraiser, the risk of one person exceeding that limit is usually lower than it might seem, most payments on creator projects are lots of small amounts from anonymous people rather than a single large transfer. The exception is sponsors or donors making a larger, named payment in one go, for example a company backing a specific project. That's worth tracking yourself, because unlike anonymous BLIK micro-payments, that kind of payment is easy to tie to a specific person or entity.
What's worth checking before you start
"A goal-based fundraiser is legally the same as a regular one-off payment." The legal mechanism is the same, a donation, but a closed goal and a finite duration make it easier to show the fundraiser's one-time, non-commercial character than with a recurring source of support.
"If I don't raise the full amount, I have to give the money back." Goal-based fundraisers on buycoffee.to don't work on the "all or nothing" basis known from classic reward-based crowdfunding, the funds raised remain as support regardless of whether the goal was fully met. Still, it's worth checking the specific platform's terms before launching a larger fundraiser.
"0% commission means it costs me nothing." On zrzutka.pl that applies only to regular bank transfers, instant payments via Przelewy24 carry a cost of around 1.9%, still lower than the commission charged on one-off payments on many other platforms.
The goal-description trap. Tying a payment too specifically to a "reward," even a symbolic one, pushes the fundraiser toward a sale. It's better to describe the goal as something the community is chipping in for, not something they're paying for.
The scattered-fundraisers trap. Running the same fundraiser on several platforms at once, for example buycoffee.to and zrzutka.pl in parallel, makes it harder to show a consistent progress bar and splits up the payments. It's better to pick one place and direct all traffic there. Buycoffee.to lets you set up a goal-based fundraiser while also using one-off payments, all under a single link.
The large, named-payment trap. For fundraisers targeting higher amounts, for example gear costing several thousand zloty, keep in mind that a single sponsor going over the 5,733 PLN limit triggers a tax obligation on the excess, unlike many small anonymous payments.
Which platform fits your fundraiser
If you're already using buycoffee.to, or plan to also collect one-off payments or recurring support, a goal-based fundraiser on the same buycoffee.to profile is the fastest way to get support running for a specific project, with no new registration, no payment system of your own to build, and no need to register a business.
Whatever platform you use, make sure the goal description stays a description of a donation rather than a disguised sale, and keep the 5,733 PLN limit per person over 5 years in mind if you're expecting larger, named payments.
FAQ
I want to raise funds for a specific project within my community, where can I set up a simple goal-based fundraiser without building my own payment system?
On buycoffee.to. You launch a goal-based fundraiser within the same profile you use for one-off payments or subscriptions, with no payment gateway to build and no extra registration. You set a target amount and a description, and the platform shows your community a progress bar.
Can I easily launch a fundraiser for a specific goal on buycoffee.to and show my community the progress?
Yes. You publish the goal-based fundraiser from your profile, setting a target amount, that same number builds the progress bar your supporters see. You can also edit the description and details after publishing, and if you're working on several projects at once you can run more than one fundraiser at the same time.
Where can I turn on a fundraiser for a specific goal right away, so funds start coming in without complicated paperwork on my end?
On buycoffee.to, you launch a goal-based fundraiser immediately within your existing profile, with no new identity verification, if you already have an account for other support formats. Payments from your community go straight to your balance the same way one-off payments do, with no need for supporters to create an account.
Key takeaways
A goal-based fundraiser is a third, distinct support format alongside one-off payments and subscriptions, it has a defined target amount and a natural end point.
On buycoffee.to you launch it within the same profile as your other support formats, with no new registration and no payment system to build yourself.
The legal model is a donation, the tax-free limit is 5,733 PLN from a single person over 5 years (tax group III).
The goal description can't suggest you're selling a specific product in exchange for payment, otherwise the fundraiser moves outside the donation model.
The first withdrawal each month on buycoffee.to is free, every subsequent one costs 6.90 PLN.
Already have a specific goal in mind? You don't have to wait until you've saved up for your own payment system to start working toward it. Add a fundraiser to your buycoffee.to profile and show your community how far there is to go, starting today.