The first thing that a U.S. company needs to understand about issuing securities (e.g., selling stock, debt or SAFEs) is that the federal and state governments regulate the issuance of securities. The federal government, for instance, requires a company to share a lot of information with the public if it wants to issue securities, subject to certain exceptions. The most popular exception used by tech start-ups, Rule 506, allows a company to issue securities to preexisting contacts (i.e., no widespread communication about the offering) who are accredited investors (i.e., wealthy and high-income individuals, investment funds and the founders themselves).
Federal securities law allows, under Rule 504, for a company to raise up to $10M dollars from pre-existing contacts who are non-accredited investors over a 12-month period. However, state securities laws differ over the legality of issuing securities to non-accredited investors. Before relying on Rule 504 for an exemption from federal securities regulations, you should talk with a lawyer to ensure that your planned fundraise doesn't create issues under state securities laws.
Another option to raise funds from non-accredited investors is through the exemption provided by Regulation CF. Regulation CF allows a company to sell securities to unaccredited investors online through an SEC-registered funding portal. Using an online crowdfunding portal, however, can be costly and requires the company to publicly disclose a certain amount of information in connection with the fundraise.