I spent the last few months researching FlipGive to see if it actually delivers on its promise of easy, passive fundraising. The platform let’s your supporters shop at regular stores and earn cashback for your team or organization without selling anything or asking for donations.
That sounds perfect for busy PTA volunteers and coaches who are tired of traditional fundraisers.
The concept works well when it works, but there are some serious concerns about getting your money that you need to know about before your organization commits time and energy to this platform.
What Is FlipGive and How Does It Actually Work
FlipGive is a cashback shopping app designed specifically for fundraising. Your team creates a group account, shares it with supporters, and then those supporters shop through the app at participating retailers. When they make purchases, a percentage comes back as cashback that goes into your team account.
The platform partners with over 900 brands including major retailers you already shop at. Walmart gives 7% back, Under Armour offers 15%, and Sephora provides 3% cashback.
Your supporters can buy gift cards, shop online, dine at restaurants, or book travel, all while generating funds for your cause.
FlipGive claims to serve more than 900,000 families across North America and has been around since 2016. In September 2025, RaiseRight acquired the platform and promised to combine it with expanded resources and technology.
The main selling point is simple. Your community shops where they already shop, and your organization gets money without running a single bake sale or car wash.
The Real Appeal for Time-Strapped Organizations
Traditional fundraising exhausts volunteers. You need to coordinate events, manage inventory, recruit sellers, and deal with logistics.
Fundraising fatigue is real, and asking the same parents for money or participation over and over creates uncomfortable situations.
FlipGive removes those barriers completely. Nobody has to sell anything. Nobody feels pressured to donate.
Your supporters just redirect their normal shopping through the app, and your organization benefits from purchases they were making anyway.
For schools, sports teams, PTAs, and nonprofits with engaged communities, this creates a background revenue stream that needs minimal effort after the initial setup. You send out reminders occasionally to use the app, and the money accumulates automatically.
The platform takes no fees from your earnings. Every dollar of cashback goes to your team.
That matters when you’re comparing it to other fundraising platforms that take 5-15% off the top.
If your organization has 20-30 committed families who regularly shop at major retailers, the collective purchases can add up throughout the year. One parent coordinated a group of roughly 25 people who shopped through FlipGive over a year, combining their purchases toward a common goal.
Ready to explore FlipGive for your organization? Check out FlipGive here to see if it matches your fundraising needs.
The Critical Issue You Cannot Ignore
The concept works. The execution has serious problems, specifically around actually receiving your money.
Multiple teams have submitted payout asks and encountered delays lasting months, customer service that doesn’t respond, technical errors, and funds that simply disappear. These complaints span from 2023 through 2025, both before and after the RaiseRight acquisition.
One organization submitted a payout ask in April 2025 and still hadn’t received funds by September despite repeated follow-ups. Another team had their payout approved, then watched their bank account get locked during transfer tries, ultimately waiting four months for a promised check that never showed up.
A third group requested their payout in June 2025 with a confirmation showing delivery within 20 days, but the check still hadn’t arrived two months later.
The pattern repeats across different organizations. Your account shows the confirmed balance and approved payout status, but the actual money doesn’t reach your bank account or mailbox. Meanwhile, customer service is largely unavailable.
Teams report full voicemails, emails that go unanswered, and chatbots that close conversations without solving anything.
For volunteer-run organizations that already told parents the money is coming, these delays create impossible situations. You can’t explain why funds that show as “approved” aren’t available for the team trip or equipment you promised.
Other Problems Teams Have Encountered
Beyond payout delays, some supporters made purchases that showed cashback confirmation, only to have a reduced amount actually credited to the team account. Sometimes only half the expected amount appeared, with vague explanations about why the full cashback wasn’t honored.
Technical glitches have prevented teams from requesting payouts through the normal process. Some organizations claim they never deleted their accounts but found them terminated anyway, resulting in lost balances and unusable gift cards.
Certain products have restrictions that aren’t clearly disclosed upfront. Some teams purchased gift cards for items like Nintendo products only to find out about limitations after the fact, with refund asks denied.
FlipGive recently announced new security measures including two-factor authentication and deletion confirmation emails. That suggests these operational problems are ongoing and significant enough to need additional safeguards.
Breaking Down the FlipGive Fundraising Review Numbers
| Feature | FlipGive Details | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Fee | 0%, no fees taken | Your team keeps 100% of cashback earned |
| Participating Brands | 900+ retailers including Walmart, Target, Under Armour | Wide selection for everyday shopping |
| Cashback Range | 3–15% depending on retailer | Higher percentages at specialty stores |
| Payout Methods | Direct deposit or check | Limited options compared to competitors |
| Customer Service | Email, chat, phone (reported as unresponsive) | Major concern based on user complaints |
| Time to Payout | Officially 20 days for checks, varies for direct deposit | Reality shows delays of 3–6+ months for many teams |
| Setup Difficulty | Easy: create account, share link | Low barrier to start |
| Ongoing Effort | Minimal, periodic reminders to supporters | Good for busy volunteers |
Who Should Consider FlipGive (And the Conditions That Matter)
Your organization might consider FlipGive if you have a small, highly committed group of supporters who shop often at major retailers and will remember to use the app consistently. The platform works best for teams that don’t have urgent, time-sensitive funding needs.
You need to be comfortable with uncertainty around payout timelines. If your budget needs funds by a specific date for a trip, equipment purchase, or event, FlipGive creates real risk.
You might watch money accumulate in your account for months without being able to access it when you actually need it.
The platform fits organizations that view it as supplemental, background income as opposed to a primary fundraising source. If you’re testing passive fundraising methods and can afford to have money tied up, it might be worth experimenting with a small group of dedicated supporters.
The RaiseRight acquisition in September 2025 theoretically brings improved infrastructure and resources, but the timing is too recent to confirm whether operational changes have actually fixed the payout and customer service problems.
Want to see how FlipGive compares to other options? Explore FlipGive’s current offerings and check user reviews before committing.
Better Alternatives for Reliable Fundraising
If your priority is passive fundraising with reliable payouts, RaiseRight operates the original scrip fundraising model and has processed funds for organizations for 30 years. They have established systems for handling large volumes of transactions and more accountability around payment timelines.
For organizations that want active campaigns with clear timelines, GoFundMe for sports teams and schools offers zero platform fees and automatic bank transfers. You’ll need to run actual fundraising campaigns as opposed to relying on passive shopping, but you control the timeline and can access funds predictably.
Givebutter provides cleaner fee structures and better communication around payments. They charge slightly higher fees than some competitors, but teams report more responsive support and reliable payout schedules.
The fundamental problem with this FlipGive fundraising review comes down to execution. A cashback model only works if money actually reaches your organization when you need it.
What You Should Do Right Now
Skip FlipGive until the operational issues get resolved and proven at scale. The payout problems are too consistent, too recent, and too well-documented across multiple sources spanning several years.
You could spend months building supporter engagement, watch funds accumulate in an account, and then face an unpredictable wait to access that money. Your leadership team will burn energy chasing customer service responses that may never come.
Start with RaiseRight directly if you want the cashback fundraising model with decades of operational history. The parent company that acquired FlipGive processes substantially larger volumes for nonprofits and has established systems for reliable payouts.
If you prefer simpler, more active fundraising, look at platforms like Givebutter that have transparent payout schedules and responsive support teams.
The promise of passive, efficient fundraising means nothing if your organization can’t reliably access the funds when your team needs them. Your community deserves better than a platform that shows balances you can’t actually spend.
Ready to find a reliable fundraising solution? Check current FlipGive status and updates or explore proven choices with better track records.
The Bottom Line on This FlipGive Fundraising Review
FlipGive has the right concept but fails at the most critical point, actually delivering your money. The platform works well for generating cashback through everyday shopping, and the network of 900+ retailers covers most of what your supporters buy anyway.
Setting up a team account takes minutes, and the ongoing effort is minimal.
But none of that matters if you can’t get your funds when you need them. The documented problems with delayed payouts, unresponsive customer service, and technical failures create real operational risks for volunteer-run organizations operating on tight budgets and fixed timelines.
Wait to see if the RaiseRight acquisition brings meaningful improvements. Give them at least 6-12 months to prove the operational issues are fixed. In the meantime, use established platforms with track records of reliable payouts and responsive support.
Your PTA, team, or nonprofit deserves fundraising tools that actually work when you need them. FlipGive isn’t there yet.
Want to stay updated on FlipGive improvements? Visit FlipGive to check their current status, or explore more reliable fundraising choices for your organization today.