Frequently Asked Questions

Creating a campaign on M-Seedly is simple and only takes a few minutes:

1. Click "Start a Fundraiser" at the top of any page
2. Choose your campaign category (Medical, Education, Emergency, etc.)
3. Set a realistic fundraising goal and a deadline
4. Tell your story with text, images, and optionally a video — a compelling story raises 4x more
5. Add your bank account or M-Pesa information for withdrawals
6. Submit for review — our team typically approves campaigns within 24 hours

Once approved, your campaign will be live and you can start sharing it with friends, family, and social media!

We support a wide range of legitimate fundraising causes. Some of our most popular categories include:

• Medical: Surgeries, treatments, medication, and recovery costs
• Education: School fees, tuition, books, supplies, and scholarships
• Emergency Relief: Fire, natural disasters, and urgent personal crises
• Memorials & Funerals: Funeral expenses and memorial funds
• Community Projects: Nonprofits, local initiatives, and social causes
• Creative Projects: Art, music, films, inventions, and business ideas
• Animal Welfare: Veterinary care, rescue operations, and shelters

If you're unsure whether your campaign qualifies, contact our support team — we're happy to help!

Most campaigns are reviewed and approved within 24 hours during business days. During high-volume periods, it may take up to 48 hours. We review every campaign to ensure it meets our community guidelines and to protect donors. You'll receive an email notification once your campaign is live.

No, you don't need to be a registered charity or nonprofit to fundraise on M-Seedly. Individuals can raise funds for personal causes, emergencies, medical bills, education, and community projects. You just need a valid bank account or M-Pesa number to receive your funds.

There is no minimum goal — you can start with any amount. For maximum limits, we recommend setting a realistic goal based on your needs. Campaigns with clear, specific goals tend to raise more money than those with vague or extremely high targets. You can always adjust your goal later from your dashboard.

Yes, you can create a campaign on behalf of someone else — a family member, friend, or community member in need. When doing so:

• Clearly disclose your relationship to the beneficiary in the campaign description
• You may need to provide documentation showing the beneficiary's consent
• Funds will be withdrawn to your bank account, and you are responsible for transferring them to the beneficiary

If you're fundraising for a minor (under 18), the campaign must be created by a parent or legal guardian.

Voting is easy and secure:

1. Browse active competitions on the voting homepage
2. Click on any contestant to view their full profile and details
3. Select the number of votes you want to purchase for them
4. Complete payment via M-Pesa, credit/debit card, bank transfer, or PayPal
5. Your votes are instantly added to the contestant's tally and reflected on the leaderboard

You'll also receive an SMS/email confirmation for your vote purchase.

Vote pricing varies per competition and is clearly displayed on each contestant's voting page before you purchase. Prices can range from as low as KES 10 per vote. We also occasionally offer flash voting deals with bonus votes or discounted bulk packages — keep an eye out for promotions!

Votes are final and non-refundable once cast, similar to purchasing a product. Please review the competition details and contestant profiles carefully before voting. If you experience a technical issue during payment (e.g., charged but votes not added), contact support immediately with your transaction ID for resolution.

You can earn money by inviting friends! Share your unique referral link (found in your dashboard). When someone signs up using your link and casts their first vote, you earn KES 5. There's no limit to how many people you can refer. Track your earnings in real-time on the referral dashboard.

Absolutely! You can vote for as many contestants as you like in any competition. There are no restrictions — you can split your votes across multiple contestants or go all-in on your favorite. Each vote purchase is processed separately for transparency.

We take voting integrity seriously. All votes are recorded in real-time on our secure platform, and the leaderboard updates instantly. We use fraud detection systems to monitor for suspicious voting patterns. Each competition's rules and vote counts are publicly visible, ensuring full transparency for contestants and voters alike.

We believe in complete transparency with our fees. For fundraising campaigns, we charge:

• Platform fee: 5% of each donation (to keep our platform running, secure, and improving)
• Transaction processing fee: Flat KES 30 per donation (covers payment gateway, M-Pesa, or card processing costs)

There are no hidden fees. On average, fundraisers keep approximately 92.5% of each donation they receive. Fees are automatically deducted before funds are added to your campaign balance.

We support all major payment methods popular in Africa and globally:

More payment methods are being added regularly — including Airtel Money and other mobile wallets!

Absolutely. All payments are processed through PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways with bank-level SSL encryption. We never store your full credit card numbers, CVV codes, or M-Pesa PIN on our servers. Your financial data is handled entirely by our secure payment partners (like Safaricom for M-Pesa, Stripe for cards, and PayPal).

We primarily operate in Kenyan Shillings (KES) for local donations. However, we also support international donations in USD, EUR, and GBP through our card and PayPal gateways. Currency conversion is handled automatically at the prevailing exchange rate, with minimal conversion fees. Your campaign dashboard displays all donations in your chosen currency.

Withdrawing your funds is straightforward and can be done anytime:

1. Log in to your M-Seedly account
2. Go to your campaign dashboard
3. Click the "Withdraw" button
4. Select your preferred withdrawal method (M-Pesa or Bank Transfer)
5. Enter the amount you want to withdraw (minimum KES 1,000 per withdrawal)
6. Confirm the request

Withdrawals are processed within 2-3 business days. M-Pesa withdrawals are usually faster (often within 24 hours). You can withdraw as many times as you like while your campaign is active.

Yes, the minimum withdrawal amount is KES 1,000 per transaction. This helps reduce transaction fees and processing overhead. There is no maximum withdrawal limit — you can withdraw your entire available balance at once if you prefer.

Yes! Unlike some platforms that hold your money until the campaign ends, we allow you to withdraw funds as they come in. This is especially helpful for urgent medical needs or ongoing expenses. Your campaign remains active and continues receiving donations even after partial withdrawals.

Unlike some platforms that use "all-or-nothing" models, you keep all funds raised regardless of whether you reach your goal. Every donation goes to your cause — minus the standard platform and transaction fees. Many campaigns even exceed their initial goals and can raise the goal amount from their dashboard.

Yes! You have full control over your campaign even after it's live. You can edit:

• Your campaign story, description, and updates
• Photos and videos
• Your fundraising goal (increase or decrease)
• Campaign deadline

However, the campaign category cannot be changed after approval to maintain transparency with donors. If you need to change categories, contact our support team.

Sharing is the #1 way to boost donations! From your campaign dashboard, you can:

• Share directly to WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and email with one click
• Copy your unique campaign link to share anywhere
• Post campaign updates to keep donors engaged and encourage re-sharing
• Ask supporters to share your campaign with their networks — word of mouth is powerful!

Campaigns shared on at least 3 platforms raise an average of 3x more than those shared on just one.

Yes, you can close your campaign at any time from your dashboard. Once closed, it will no longer accept new donations, but it will remain visible on the platform for transparency. You can also reopen a closed campaign later if needed.

Showing gratitude to donors is important! You can:

• Post public updates thanking all donors from your campaign page
• Send individual thank-you messages through our donor management feature
• Share photos or videos of how the funds are being used

Campaigns that post regular updates and thank donors see 30% more repeat donations.

We take your privacy and security extremely seriously:

• Bank-level SSL/TLS encryption protects all data transmitted to and from our platform
• PCI-DSS compliant payment processing — we never store full credit card numbers
• Two-factor authentication (2FA) is available for all accounts
• Personal data is never sold or shared with third parties
• Our platform undergoes regular security audits

Read our full Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for complete details.

We have multiple layers of protection:

• Manual review: Every campaign is reviewed by a real person before going live
• Identity verification: Campaign organizers must provide valid identification and bank details
• Community reporting: Users can report suspicious campaigns for immediate investigation
• Fraud detection algorithms monitor for unusual activity patterns

If fraud is detected, we freeze the funds immediately, investigate, and refund donors. Our Donor Protection Guarantee ensures that donors are protected against confirmed fraudulent campaigns.

If you come across a campaign that seems suspicious, please:

1. Click the "Report" button on the campaign page
2. Provide a brief reason for your concern
3. Our Trust & Safety team will investigate within 24 hours

You can also email us directly at trust@m-seedly.com. We take every report seriously and take swift action when necessary.

Tax deductibility depends on several factors, including:

• Your country's tax laws
• Whether the campaign is organized by a registered charity/nonprofit
• The purpose of the donation

Most personal fundraising campaigns (medical, education, emergencies) are considered personal gifts and may not be tax-deductible. Donations to registered nonprofits may qualify. We recommend consulting with a tax professional for advice specific to your situation. We provide receipts for all donations through our platform.

Tax obligations vary by country and individual circumstances. In many cases:

• Personal fundraisers (for medical bills, education, emergencies) are often considered personal gifts and may not be taxable income
• Business or for-profit campaigns may be subject to income tax
• Registered nonprofits may have tax-exempt status

We strongly recommend consulting with a qualified accountant or tax advisor in your jurisdiction. We provide transaction records and receipts to help with your tax reporting. M-Seedly does not provide tax advice.

By using our platform, you agree to our:

• Terms of Service — governing your use of the platform
• Privacy Policy — how we handle your data
• Community Guidelines — acceptable campaign types and behavior
• Campaign Organizer Agreement — specific terms for fundraisers (agreed to during campaign creation)

All documents are available on our Legal page and are written in clear, understandable language.