Can the app accept card donations directly?

Technically yes through a processor like Stripe, but it is a much bigger project than the tracker: you need onboarding and identity checks for each fundraiser, payout handling, refunds, and in many countries proof of charitable status. Version one should record donations that arrive elsewhere and link out to an existing donation page.

Do in-app purchase rules apply to donations?

Apple and Google both allow charitable donations to be collected without their in-app purchase systems, provided the money goes to the cause and not to unlocking app features. Keep the two strictly separate: donations flow through your payment path, and any paid app features use standard in-app purchase.

How to Build a Charity Fundraiser App with AI

What a charity fundraiser app needs

Campaign with a goal, deadline, and live progress thermometer
Log donations by hand (cash, cheque, transfer) alongside online ones
Supporter records with gift history and thank-you status
Shareable campaign link and image for social posts
Export a donation report for the treasurer or auditor

The screens

Screen	What it does
Campaign	Progress bar, total raised, days left, recent donations
Add Donation	Amount, supporter, method, gift-aid or matching flag
Supporters	People, totals given, and who still needs a thank-you
Share	Generated campaign card and link to send to contacts
Report	Totals by method and date, with CSV export

The data model

Campaign: title, story, goalAmount, deadline, organiserId, coverImageUrl
Donation: campaignId, supporterId, amount, method, receivedAt, isAnonymous
Supporter: name, email, phone, totalGiven, thankedAt
Update: campaignId, body, postedAt

The build prompt (copy this)

Paste this into ShipNative and it becomes a working React Native app with these screens, navigable in a live preview, in about two minutes:

“A fundraising app for a small campaign organiser. The main screen is a campaign with a goal, deadline, story, and a live progress thermometer showing total raised. The organiser logs donations manually — cash, cheque, bank transfer — as well as recording online ones, each tied to a supporter. A Supporters screen lists everyone who has given, their total, and whether they have been thanked, with a one-tap thank-you. A Share screen produces a campaign card and link. A Report screen totals donations by method and date with CSV export. Screens: Campaign, Add Donation, Supporters, Share, Report. Needs accounts and a shared backend so co-organisers see the same numbers.”

Then iterate with small, screen-specific prompts (“make the primary button bigger”, “add an empty state”), preview on your own phone, and export the full Expo project whenever you want. The full method: how to build an app with AI.

How it makes money

Charge the organiser a flat subscription ($8–15/mo) or a per-campaign fee — do not take a percentage of donations. Skimming charitable giving is a reputational problem and, in several jurisdictions, a regulated one. Be equally clear that taking card payments in-app means a payment processor, real KYC on the organisation, and a charity registration check — most solo builders should start with the tracking app and let donations arrive through an existing processor.

Implementation and the revenue math for every model: how to make money from an app. When you’re ready to ship: App Store and Google Play publishing guides.

Build it now

The prompt above is free to run at shipnative.dev — working charity fundraiser app on your phone today, full code export, no credit card.