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Nonprofit software

The 9 Best Donor Management Software for Nonprofits in 2025

December 20, 2024

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Donor management software helps nonprofits stay on top of their goals, keep donor relationships, connect with new donor prospects, and retain loyal ones.

In this blog, we'll help you choose the right donor management software by comparing cost, pros, cons, and features of the 9 best solutions for nonprofits.

Top 9 donor management software for nonprofits

  • 1. Zeffy - Best free donor management software for small nonprofits
  • 2. Kindful - Best donor management tool for integrated donor and event management
  • 4. Givebutter - Best donor relationships platform for user-friendly and customizable CRM
  • 5. Classy - Best donor management tool for diverse integrations
  • 7. Givesmart - Best donor management tool for donor and auction management
  • 8. Funraise - Best nonprofits donor management software for automation features
  • 9. Donorbox - Best donor management for basic donor management features

What is a donor management software?

Nonprofits need to keep things organized when it comes to their supporters. Instead of using spreadsheets or doing things by hand, donor management software can act as a central hub where all the information about donors is kept. 

Typically, donor management software helps keep track of who donors are, how much money they've given, and what they're interested in. The donor database software also helps with communication by sending emails or newsletters for donor retention. It can even help organize events and monitor how well they're doing. 

Essentially, the software ensures that everything runs smoothly across donor engagement efforts. It saves time and helps organizations make better decisions with all donor interactions.

Key features to look for in donor management software

When choosing donor management software for your organization, it's crucial to remember a few essential features. Mainly communication and engagement tools, activity tracking and reporting, donor management, and fundraising tools. 

Communication and engagement tools

  • Individual and mass emailing: Connect with donors through personalized emails or mass messages like newsletters or mass email campaigns
  • Data tracking: View stats like open rate, clicks, and unsubscribes.
  • Automated messages: Set up automated reminder emails and donation receipts to contact the right donors at the right time.
  • Lists and segments: Easily send emails to specific groups or supporter lists.

Activity tracking and reporting 

  • View transaction history: Access the donation history of new and repeat donors (donations, purchases, tax receipts).
  • Manage recurring donors and gifts: Keep track of recurring donations and reach out to lapsed donors.
  • Input custom notes: Add payment details from offline transactions, update contact information, or add individual notes or tags.
  • Track payment methods: Monitor giving (such as cash, cheque, in kind, and more) to help organize and simplify your reporting.

Donor management

  • Filters and segments: Access different filters such as transaction date, amount donated, the campaign contributed to, etc.
  • Robust donor profiles: Be sure your contact profiles include contact information, preferences, and the ability to add tags and notes. Plus, the ability to input other demographic data.
  • Importing and exporting: Simple and efficient importing and exporting when it comes to data entry to save your nonprofit lots of time and energy.
  • Receipt information: Easily access receipts for all of your donors.

Fundraising tools

  • Pre-filled custom forms: Add your pre-filled fundraising form, with custom donation amounts, to your emails and website.
  • Payment processing: Allow donors the option to give in multiple different ways, like through Google Pay, Apple Pay, and recurring gifts.
  • Integration with other tools: Ensure your software works well with other important tools like accounting and fundraising software.

Best donor management software at a glance

Software Best for Highlight feature Price

Zeffy

All nonprofits looking for free donation management and fundraising software

All-in-one free solution to manage your donor database

100% free

Kindful

Best for integrated donor and event management

Integration with Bloomerang 

$199+/month, plus 1% fundraising platform fee on all online transactions,  and up to  2.2% + $0.30 in processing fees

Bloomerang

Best for donor retention

Wealth screening

Starting at $99/month, 1% platform fee, and processing fees up to 2.2% + $0.30

Givebutter

Best for user-friendly and customizable CRM

Custom filters, tags, and segments

0% platform fee plus up to 2.9% + $0.30 in processing fees

Classy

Best for diverse integrations



Recurring donation management

Custom quote required

Donorperfect

Best for customization and advanced reporting

Automatic data refresh

Custom quote required, starting at $99/month

Givesmart

Best for donor and auction management

Custom fields and tags

Custom quote required

Funraise

Best for automation features

Donor portal app

Custom quote required

Donorbox

Best for basic donor management features

Custom alerts and notifications

$0–$139+/month, 1.75% platform fee, up to 2.2% + $0.49 in processing fees

1. Zeffy - Best free donor management software for all nonprofits

Zeffy, trusted by 10,000+ nonprofits throughout North America and rated 4.8/5 stars on Capterra, is the only free, all-in-one donor management software and fundraising solution for nonprofits. Zeffy doesn't charge subscription or processing fees, unlike other donor management software platforms. This means 100% of your donations go towards your mission — and not a cent less. 

Designed for any nonprofit looking to better their donor relationships — especially small and medium-sized nonprofits looking for a budget-friendly solution — Zeffy is simple to use and incredibly effective. With prompt and helpful customer support and dozens of tools for and amplifying your fundraising efforts,  Zeffy's 100% free platform can help you do more good for less.

Pros:

  • 100% free
  • Integrate with other funding and event tools
  • Manage donors 
  • Custom data reports
  • Import and export transactions and contacts
  • Segment and filter your contacts
  • Access and re-send receipts
  • Record and track offline donations
  • Send emails to your supporters from your dashboard
  • Create custom email lists to segment donors
  • Send pre-filled forms
  • Automate reminder emails
  • Easy to use
  • Access free support

Cons:

  • Only available for registered nonprofits in the US and Canada 

Best for: Anyone looking for a free all-in-one nonprofits donor management software.

Zeffy pricing: Zeffy is the only zero-fee fundraising platform for nonprofits. With Zeffy, they give $100, you get $100. With every other platform, they give $100, you get $97 or less.

Here's how it works: When someone donates your fundraising form, they have the option (but are never obliged) to add a contribution to Zeffy. Only some give every time, and that's okay. Enough donors leave a contribution to cover overhead costs AND the fees of the thousands of nonprofits that fundraise on Zeffy. 

Zeffy's testimonial:

“Our tiny non profit needs to be able to use every dollar that is donated, and Zeffy is the ONLY one who lets us do that. Not only do they give us the full donation, their tools and webinars have made it very simple to add links and integrate it with our Social Media pages, our Website, and I need to repeat they are so easy to use. I have made a online raffel with huge sucess, I have added a store to our web page, and I cant wait to host an event, and I am not a techy person at all. I can't sing their praises enough!!” —Kristie H.

2. Kindful - Best donor management platform for integrated donor and event management

Kindful is a donor management software that makes it easy to manage comprehensive donor information, organize fundraising campaigns, and manage events all in one place. It's user-friendly and allows nonprofits to customize the platform to fit an organization's needs. Some users say the reports are tricky to figure out, but overall, it's excellent for nonprofits looking for a tool that does it all.

Pros:

  • User-friendly interface for tracking donations
  • Integrated approach to amplify fundraising
  • Integration with Bloomerang to manage relationships

Cons:

  • Learning curve
  • It doesn't offer as many CRM features compared to competitors
  • Price

Best for: Nonprofits seeking an integrated solution combining donor management with fundraising and event management.

Pricing: Starting at $99/month, 1% platform fee, and processing fees up to 2.2% + $0.30

3. Bloomerang - Best donor management platform for large nonprofits focused on donor retention

Bloomerang is a popular go-to donor management software for nonprofits that want to track supporter relationships and donor interactions. It's designed to help nonprofits create better relationships with supporters through targeted communications and comprehensive donor data. 

It's easy to use and provides comprehensive reports to help organizations understand their donors better. Just remember that the price might be a bit high for smaller nonprofits. But if you're all about building strong relationships with your donors and have the budget, Bloomerang could be the perfect fit.

Pros:

  • Robust reporting features
  • Interactive dashboard
  • Constituent timelines
  • Donor engagement meter
  • Wealth screening
  • Segmentation
  • Donor communications

Cons:

  • Price 

Best for: Large nonprofits need a donor CRM that helps boost donor retention.

Pricing: $79–$1299+ /month, 1% platform fee, and processing fees up to 2.2% + $0.30

Givebutter - Best donor management platform for user-friendly and customizable CRM

Givebutter is a well-known one-stop shop for donor management software and fundraising. One of the biggest pros of Givebutter is its ease of use and setup, especially for those who love sharing their causes on social media. 

While it might not have all the fancy features of more significant tools, it's perfect for smaller nonprofits that want something simple and modern for their donor management processes. The intuitive donation management software offers event registration, online giving tools, automated reports, and more.

Pros:

  • Custom filters, tags, and segments
  • Detailed contact profiles
  • Custom notes
  • Data hygiene tools
  • Reporting
  • Receipts and refund tools
  • Tools for fundraising events
  • Email tools for fundraising and marketing efforts
  • Accessible on mobile devices

Cons:

  • Fees

Best for: Small nonprofits looking for a user-friendly and highly customizable nonprofit CRM.

Pricing: 0% platform fee plus up to 2.9% + $0.30 in processing fees

Classy - Best donor management platform for diverse integrations 

Classy is a popular fundraising tool and donor management software among nonprofits of all sizes. The platform is not only a powerful donor management software solution, but it also helps nonprofits run exciting campaigns and events effortlessly. 

Plus, it looks sleek and works well with other tools you might use. Remember that it might be a bit pricier, so it's often best for larger nonprofits that want to organize more significant events and campaigns.

Pros:

  • Integrations and open API
  • Recurring donation management
  • Secure
  • Built-in campaign and event management
  • Robust reporting tools and analytics
  • Marketing automation
  • Filtering, segments, and giving histories
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising tools

Cons:

  • Price
  • Learning curve

Best for: Large nonprofits looking for an all-in-one solution that offers diverse integrations. 

Pricing: Custom quote required

Donorperfect - Best donor management platform for customization and advanced reporting capabilities

DonorPerfect is an incredibly customizable donor management software. Nonprofits can make it work exactly how they want it to. Because of this, the platform is excellent for nonprofits with specific needs. 

But it might take a bit of time to get used to. If you're all about having a tool that fits your unique requirements and gives you detailed reports, DonorPerfect could be your perfect match.

Pros:

  • Advanced batch entry
  • Open API
  • Automatic data refresh
  • Integrated payment processing
  • Integrated marketing and engagement tools
  • Event and fundraising features

Cons:

  • Price
  • Learning curve
  • Interface 

Best for: Nonprofits seeking a customizable solution with advanced reporting capabilities.

Pricing: Custom quote required, starting at $99/month

Givesmart - Best donor management platform for donor and auction management

Givesmart is an excellent donor management software for multitasking. That platform can help nonprofits with online fundraising efforts, managing donors, running events, and even auctions! It's super easy to use, but it might cost a bit more, especially for smaller nonprofits. 

Pros:

  • Reporting and analytics
  • Custom fields and tags
  • Easy activity tracking
  • Integration with event and fundraising tools

Cons:

  • Price 
  • Learning curve
  • Limited customization

Best for: Small nonprofits seeking an all-in-one solution for all your data, communications, and auction management.

Pricing: Custom quote required

Funraise - Best donor management platform for automation features

Funraise's donor management software makes fundraising fun and easy with intuitive software tools. It's not just about managing donors; it helps you raise money online and plan events with style. 

It's simple to use, with great features that help you set up custom fundraising campaigns. While it may be more expensive for more prominent nonprofits, it's perfect for those who want a modern tool that's easy to navigate and helps automate tasks.

Pros:

  • Donor portal app
  • Custom segmentation
  • Household management
  • Activity tracking
  • Detailed donor profiles
  • Easy data migration
  • Integrates with salesforce
  • Automated tasks and supporter communications

Cons:

  • Price
  • Limited free plan
  • Poor mobile optimization

Best for: Nonprofits seeking a modern, user-friendly donor engagement platform with robust automation features.

Pricing: Custom quote required

Donorbox - Best donor management platform for basic donor management features 

Donorbox is an easy-to-use donor management software for nonprofits, especially organizations that rely on online donations. It's simple, affordable, and perfect for smaller nonprofit organizations. 

While it might have some of the fancy features of more significant tools, it's excellent for managing donors and collecting donations online. If you're a small nonprofit looking for a straightforward and budget-friendly option, Donorbox could be just what you need.

Pros:

  • Custom donor communication tracking
  • Custom alerts and notifications
  • Donation receipts
  • Recurring donation management
  • Access to other fundraising and event features

Cons:

  • Price
  • Limited free plan
  • Additional fees per member
  • Costly add-ons like a data migration fee

Best for: Smaller nonprofits need a donor relationships platform with basic features. 

Pricing: $0–$139+/month, 1.75% platform fee,  up to 2.2% + $0.49 in processing fees

Donor management software FAQ

Some examples of donor data you can track with a donor management tool include:

  • Donor names: Personalize outreach and strengthen donor relationships for better engagement and retention
  • Payment data & preferences: Understand donation habits (amounts, frequency, methods) to tailor future requests and optimize fundraising
  • Frequency of donations: Track how often donors give to identify loyal supporters and target lapsed donors for re-engagement
  • Email interactions and communications: Monitor email engagement to improve content and timing, ensuring better communication with donors
  • Event engagement: Analyze ticket sales and event participation to assess impact and cultivate more substantial connections with active donors
  • Tax receipts: Ensure compliance and provide donors with easy access to tax documents, fostering trust and transparency
  • Donor management helps strengthen relationships with donors by tracking their giving history and preferences, enabling personalized outreach and targeted campaigns. It streamlines communication, recognizes donor contributions, and provides data-driven insights to optimize fundraising strategies.
    By segmenting donors and identifying potential major gift supporters, donor management enhances engagement and operational efficiency, ultimately driving more significant and more consistent donations.

    Regarding donor management, nonprofits need a reliable, feature-packed solution that fits within their budget and needs. While some platforms offer more features than others — and some offer cheaper or more expensive pricing packages — only one platform provides an accurate, free solution with lots of tools for managing donors and beyond.
    Zeffy, the only free donor management software and online donation platform for nonprofits, lets nonprofits do everything all in one place — without paying a cent in fees. Organizations can track donors, create detailed profiles, communicate with supporters, and more. With peer-to-peer fundraising tools, flexible payment methods, and even the ability to open an online store, Zeffy is designed to make fundraising easy, fun, and simple — and completely free.

    The only 100% free
fundraising platform 
for nonprofits

    Sign up - it’s free forever!

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