GivebearGetting started
Set up a new organization in Givebear, verify with Stripe, and take your first donation.
This tutorial takes a brand-new organization from an empty workspace to a live giving page. You sign in, finish onboarding, publish a fund, make a small test gift, and share your link.
By the end you will have a public page where donors can give, with money flowing to your own Stripe account.
You move faster if you have a few things ready first.
Gather these before you start: your organization name, a short page address you like, a contact email, your website, your mailing address, your US EIN (employer identification number), a bank account Stripe can pay out to, and the name, date of birth, home address, and last four SSN digits of a person who represents your organization.
You need to be an owner or admin of the organization to complete these steps. For more on roles, see Settings, roles, and billing.
Finish onboarding
When you create or open a new organization, Givebear walks you through a four-step setup wizard. Work through it in order. You can leave and resume later: the dashboard keeps a setup checklist that remembers where you stopped.
Add your organization details. Enter the public name donors see, a contact email, and your page address (the part after givebear.io/@). The address must be 3 to 40 lowercase letters, numbers, or dashes. Add a logo and accent color if you have them.
Add your business information. Enter your website, mailing address, and EIN. Choose your tax status. To claim 501(c)(3) tax-deductible receipts, you must enter a valid EIN so Givebear can verify it.
Tell Givebear what you do. Pick the cause that fits best. Givebear uses it to turn on a helpful starter bundle of add-ons, and you can change it anytime. Each option shows how many starter add-ons it includes, so pick a simpler category if you want to keep setup minimal. See the Add-ons reference.
Verify with Stripe. Stripe collects your identity and bank details in an embedded form so payouts can reach you. Your tax ID and bank details go straight to Stripe: Givebear never sees them. Finish the form, then select "I've finished verification".
When verification clears, Givebear shows a celebration screen with your live public link and share tools, ready to copy.
New organizations start on the Free plan, so there is no plan step to finish before you go live. Upgrade anytime from billing: see Settings, roles, and billing, or compare plans and fees on the pricing page.
Do not share your giving page with donors until you finish Stripe verification. Givebear blocks real payments until your Stripe account is activated, so a gift made before then will not go through.
Create your first fund
A fund is a single cause donors can give to, like a General Fund, a building project, or a meal program. Publish one fund first. It gives you one known-good donor path and one place for finance to reconcile early gifts.
Go to Funds in the dashboard and select Create your first fund.
Give the fund a clear, donor-facing name. Add a short description of what the money supports. Givebear starts you with suggested giving amounts you can edit.
Review the details, then publish. Nothing is public until you publish, so take your time.
For when to use funds versus campaigns, events, or website embeds, see the Fundraising guide.
Test your giving page
Confirm the donor path works before you announce it.
Open your public page at givebear.io/@your-url, using the page address you chose in onboarding.
Make a small real donation to your published fund. Use a card you control.
In the dashboard, open Transactions and confirm the gift appears. Check that the donor receipt arrives as expected.
Refund the test gift from the transaction if you want to return the money. See Donations and finance.
Share your link
Once a transaction shows up and the receipt looks right, you are ready to announce. Copy your public link from the celebration screen or your dashboard, then send it to supporters by email, social media, or your website.
Your page lives at givebear.io/@your-url. Share that exact link so staff and donors never guess the address.
Where to go next
You have a live giving page. Build on it with the guides below.
Fundraising guide
Plan funds, campaigns, recurring gifts, and website embeds.
Donations and finance
Track transactions, refunds, payouts, and reports.
People and outreach
Manage contacts and reach donors by email.
Kiosks and devices
Add in-person giving with a Givebear kiosk.
Events and community
Sell tickets and run registrations and check-in.
Settings, roles, and billing
Invite staff, set roles, and manage your plan.