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Nonprofit software

Top 9 Fundraising Apps for Nonprofits in 2024 (Free & Paid)

November 14, 2024
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fyFundraising apps can be game-changers for nonprofits that want to boost their campaign success and fundraising strategy at a low cost. These apps simplify the donation process, engage supporters, and provide valuable insights to help you make data-driven decisions. 

Finding the best free fundraising platform can be challenging with so many options available. We've ranked the top 9 fundraising apps in 2024 to save you time and effort, considering features, pricing, and user reviews. 

Whether you're a small or large nonprofit, this guide will help you choose the perfect app to drive impact and elevate your fundraising.

What is a Fundraising App?

A fundraising app simplifies fundraising by bringing all the activities onto a single platform and making them easier to manage. It includes donor management, creating online fundraisers, hosting events, and collecting donations. 

If you are just starting a fundraiser, you can send emails and messages to inform supporters about the event. You can also track the progress of fundraising events as they unfold and thank donors. After the event, nonprofits use the data to gauge how it went. 

9 Best Fundraising Apps of 2024 at a Glance

Best Fundraising Apps of 2024 at a Glance
Fundraising App Transaction/Processing Fees Platform Fees Fees for Donors Ratings
Zeffy 0% - No hidden charges! $0 0% - Donors have the option (but are never obliged) to contribute to Zeffy 4.8 out of 5
Qgiv Processing fee:
  • + 3.95% (Qgiv + Merchant)
  • + 4.95% (peer-to-peer only)
  • + $0.30 per transaction
  • eCheck fee:
  • + 1.95% (Qgiv + Merchant)
  • + 2.95% (peer-to-peer only)
  • + $0.95 per transaction
  • AMEX fee : + 1% per transaction
    $0 - $259
    (5 different pricing plans available)
    N/A 4.7 out of 5
    GivingTech
    • Platform fee: 2.9% + $0.20 per transaction
    • Credit card fee: 1.2% + $0.20 per transaction
    • ACH fee: 0.8% + $0.20
    2.9% + $.20 per transaction Donors can choose to cover the platform fees of 2.9% 4.8 out of 5
    Evergiving Different plans (check detailed pricing below):
    Pay as you go
    Pre-purchase credits
    NA NA NA
    CauseVox 2.2% to 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction $0 - $200 per month
    (2 plans available)
    Donors can choose to cover the fee 4.7 out of 5
    Bloomerang 1.8% - 3.2% + $0.30-$0.49 per transaction $125 Donors can choose to cover the fee 4.7 out of 5
    Givebutter Up to 2.9% + $.30 per transaction in processing fees
    • 1% Donation forms
    • 3% Fundraising page
    • 5% Event/auction
    Donors can choose to cover platform and processing fees 4.8 out of 5
    GoFundMe Up to 2.9% + $0.30 in transaction fees $0 Donors can choose to cover fees 4.3 out of 5
    NonProfitEasy (formerly Fundly) 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction $0 N/A 3.8 out of 5

    Top 9 Fundraising Apps to Boost Nonprofit Fundraisers

    1. Zeffy

    Zeffy is an all-in-one online fundraising platform that offers an excellent experience for donors and nonprofits. As a zero-fee platform, it allows organizations to collect donations, engage supporters, and run effective campaigns without any costs. 

    Zeffy is the only free fundraising app. Whether it's crowdfunding, donor management, or peer-to-peer campaigns, Zeffy's user-friendly fundraising tools and donation forms make it easy to tailor fundraising efforts. 

    Zeffy’s Standout Features:

    • Straightforward online donation page with customizable forms
    • Events ticketing, raffles, and lotteries 
    • Peer-to-peer fundraising and capital campaigns
    • Donor data and memberships management
    • Recurring donation campaigns
    • Auction events
    • Tap-to-pay option
    • eCommerce and online store to sell branded merchandise

    Pricing and Fees

    Zeffy is 100% free,  with no hidden fees.

    Why Choose Zeffy?

    Trusted by thousands, Zeffy is the only 100% free online fundraising platform for nonprofits seeking an all-in-one solution. With its user-friendly interface and customizable donation forms, Zeffy empowers organizations to create targeted, branded campaigns that resonate with donors. 

    2. Qgiv

    Qgiv supports nonprofits in turning online fundraising initiatives into success with flexible donation-raising options. The easy-to-use fundraising reports help understand campaign performance and strategize based on analytics to convert more website visitors into donors. 

    Qgiv’s Standout Features:

    • Campaign management
    • Peer-to-peer fundraising 
    • Recurring donations
    • Automation tools for donation receipts and marketing
    • Post-auction reports
    • Donor database and interaction tracking

    Pricing and Fees

    1.95% per transaction and $0 - $259 platform fee based on five plans

    Why Choose Qgiv?

    Qgiv is an excellent choice for nonprofits seeking a comprehensive online fundraising platform. It provides a range of tools to support various fundraising initiatives, making it versatile enough to meet organizations' diverse needs. 

    3. GivingTech

    GivingTech simplifies nonprofit operations by automating time-consuming and resource-intensive tasks. Its powerful donor management fundraising tool identifies and cultivates new donor relationships, segments audiences, and engages supporters with personalized outreach. ‍

    GivingTech’s Standout Fundraising Features:

    • Recurring donations
    • Fully customizable crowdfunding and peer-to-peer campaigns
    • Donation forms
    • Email marketing
    • Smooth payment processing and card updater
    • AI that can chat with donors and offer insights

    Pricing and Fees

    2.2% + $0.30 per transaction and 2.9% platform fee

    Why Choose GivingTech?

    GivingTech helps nonprofits looking for automation tools to improve their donation drives. 

    4. Evergiving

    Evergiving is a fundraising solution that caters to the end-to-end needs of charities and individual fundraisers. The app empowers organizations with excellent donor communication tools and data-driven analytics. 

    Evergiving’s Standout Features:

    • Regular giving fundraising solution
    • SMS-based donor communications
    • Campaign logistics and donor management
    • Support for face-to-face donor acquisition

    Pricing and Fees

    There are 2 models:

    • Pay monthly for credits
    • Pre-purchase credits

    For face-to-face fundraising, the pricing is as follows: 

    • For monthly credit usage: $2 per credit
    • For pre-purchase: Different packs are available from 15,000 credits for $1.50 per credit.

    For call center services, the pricing is as follows:

    • For monthly usage: $1 per agent hour
    • For pre-purchase, packs start from 15,000 agent hours at $0.95 per hour.

     

    Why Choose Evergiving?

    Evergiving is excellent for organizations that use face-to-face and call center-based donor acquisition. 

    5. CauseVox

    CauseVox is a digital fundraising app that helps organizations launch crowdfunding campaigns, accept donations (one-time and recurring), and create fundraising pages. CauseVox's tailored tools simplify event planning and offer flexible and embedded donation forms to simplify the giving process. ‍

    CauseVox’s Standout Fundraising Features:

    • Customizable campaign pages
    • Donation processing, including recurring donations
    • Easy-to-use donor management
    • Fundraising tools like progress meter
    • Event ticketing
    • Built-in tools for social sharing

    Pricing and Fees

    A free plan is available. Premier plans start at $200 per month.

    Why Choose CauseVox?

    CauseVox is an excellent fit for small and medium nonprofits looking for a user-friendly way to fundraise and connect with supporters.

    6. Bloomerang

    Bloomerang was first a donor-tracking platform, but it now serves as an online fundraising platform. It offers tools like donor management, helping you understand their preferences, trends, and engagements. 

    Bloomerang’s Standout Features:

    • Online giving forms
    • User-friendly interface
    • Tools for donor engagement and retention
    • Email marketing for campaigns
    • Detailed analytics and reporting
    • Connects with payment processors like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, etc.

    Pricing and Fees

    1.8% - 3.2% + $0.30/$0.49 per transaction and $125- $775/month + 1% of funds raised as platform fee.

    Why Choose Bloomerang?

    Bloomerang is an excellent choice for nonprofits that prioritize donor management. While it excels at helping organizations cultivate donor relationships, It also provides a comprehensive suite of fundraising capabilities. 

    7. Givebutter

    Givebutter offers online donation tools, including customizable donation forms, event ticketing, and peer-to-peer fundraising. It lets you run campaigns and manage donor information, segment lists, build custom reports, and target groups for specific missions. 

    Givebutter’s Standout Features:

    • Smooth and user-friendly interface
    • Quick and friendly customer service
    • Fun gamification tools for peer-to-peer fundraising
    • Personalized donor engagement tools
    • Donor management
    • Donations from templates and receipts
    • Auctions and event fundraising (live, hybrid, and in-person)

    Pricing and Fees

    Givebutter is an inexpensive option for users but not 100% free. The platform fee (1-5%) can be waived if you enable optional tips from donors; otherwise, the fee will apply.

    A 2.9% + 30¢ processing fee per transaction will also be taken from the donation or purchase total, which donors also have the option to cover.

    Platform fees:

    • 1% Donation forms
    • 3% Fundraising page
    • 5% Event/auction

    Why Choose Givebutter?

    Givebutter is an all-in-one solution for small nonprofits, offering fundraising, donor management, and event planning features in one platform.  This innovative approach helps maximize the organization's donations while providing transparency to supporters. 

    8. GoFundMe 

    GoFundMe is a popular online fundraising app known for its crowdfunding capabilities. Individuals, nonprofits, and charities use this platform to raise funds through peer-to-peer fundraising. 

    The GoFundMe app helps you manage your fundraiser and monitor progress. Its extensive reach and targeted social sharing tools make this platform popular among people who want to raise money in crisis. 

    GoFundMe App’s Standout Features:

    • Short and simple process to set up fundraising campaigns
    • Easy campaign management on the go
    • Easy-to-use social share tools

    Pricing and Fees

    Up to 2.9% + $0.30 in transaction fees

    Why Choose GoFundMe?

    The GoFundMe app is best for individuals to seek donations for personal and charitable needs.

    9. NonProfitEasy (formerly Fundly)

    Nonprofits and individuals use NonProfitEasy for crowdfunding campaigns. The platform is similar to social media platforms, allowing users to simply post photo-rich updates on Facebook, YouTube videos, and images for engaging campaigns. 

    It offers donation forms embedded directly on Facebook like you'd share photo or text updates. This format makes it easy to send thank you messages to donors directly on the platform. 

    NonProfitEasy’s Standout Features:

    • Pre-made templates to send emails to supporters
    • Embed the donate button, donation form, and campaign card with ease
    • Event pages with customizable fields for tickets
    • Peer-to-peer fundraising
    • Automated receipts for donation

    Pricing and Fees

    2.9% + $0.30 per transaction

    Why Choose NonProfitEasy?

    NonProfitEasy is best for more niche nonprofits that need a crowdfunding solution, as it offers access to millions of social media accounts.

    How to Choose the Best Fundraising App for Nonprofit Organizations 

    The ideal fundraising app for an organization depends on its unique requirements, size, fundraising strategies, and donor management needs. 

    Key Considerations Before Selecting a Fundraising App 

    What are your fundraising goals?
    Understand whether you're raising funds for a charity’s internal needs or specific campaigns. Needs can change, so analyzing previous fundraising activity and its impact is important to identify your goals.

    Who is your target audience?
    Different fundraising apps offer specialized features for specific fundraisers. If an app doesn’t align with your NPO’s interests and preferences, how will it help you raise funds?

    How do you engage and communicate with donors?
    Learn about donor engagement strategies to determine which fundraiser app will help you achieve your goals. Understand the communication preferences and the personalization level needed to engage with the donors. 

    Evaluate Essential Features and Functionality

    Donor Management and Engagement Tools

    Ensure the fundraising app offers tools to ease your communications with donors. Does it include features like personalized emails, automated thank-you letters, and donation receipts?

    Look for platforms that provide email templates to save time and effort. It removes the fear of a blank page and gives you a framework to craft a message that will inspire others to give. 

    Customization Options

    Customization allows nonprofits to offer a more relevant and engaging donor experience. Search for apps that provide customizable campaign pages, allowing you to tell your story effectively and engage supporters.

    Fundraising Tools

    Peer-to-peer fundraising, event management, crowdfunding, recurring donations, auctions with mobile bidding, and social sharing capabilities are crucial to successful campaigns. 

    Remember to check whether the platform supports multiple campaigns, and allows donors to choose their payment method especially if they're using a mobile device to access an online fundraiser.

    Donor Management Features

    A fundraising tool should have donor management features or CRM software to help unify donor information all in one place. That way, you can track data and access reporting analytics such as donor retention and build a strong relationship with supporters. 

    Access actionable insights within donor profiles and giving history to create better fundraising strategies. A powerful fundraising app makes tracking donor engagement, trends, and fundraising campaign performance easy. 

    Payment Processing

    Payment processing options, fees, and security measures are crucial to ensuring that the funds you raise go directly to creating impact. Uninterrupted payment processing helps you make the most of a fundraising campaign. 

    Support, Resources and Timely App Notifications

    Check if the fundraising app has quick customer support options, like email, phone, and live chat support. It's important to know about UX improvements, and various bug fixes that can change the way your team utilizes the app to raise money.

    Online resources such as FAQs, tutorials, and guides help understand the fundraising features and get the most out of the available tools. 

    In addition to these resources, you would want the app to offer educational resources like actionable tips, best practices, and case studies. As updates happen, you want to be aware of that with timely app notifications that keep you on top of things.

    Cost and Fees

    Before finalizing options, compare pricing structures, including platform fees and additional charges. Ensure that charges align with your budget and fundraising goals. 

    Case Study: How Reasons To Smile Foundation Raised Over $79,000 with Zeffy's Online Fundraising Platform

    Reasons To Smile Foundation Inc., dedicated to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, revolutionized its fundraising approach by partnering with Zeffy's online fundraising platform. Through its online donation form alone, the foundation raised $51,000 while saving $2,550 in fees typically charged by other platforms. 

    Their annual Spring Gala proved equally successful, generating $28,500 and saving $1,425 in event-related fees. Using Zeffy's user-friendly tools, the foundation streamlined its fundraising process and redirected more resources directly to its mission.

    Best Apps for Fundraising Success FAQs

    Many nonprofits look for fundraising apps that provide comprehensive features, user-friendly interfaces, and affordable pricing. One of the top fundraising apps is Zeffy - the only 100% free fundraising platform. These apps offer tools for online donations, event management, and donor engagement, helping nonprofits maximize their fundraising efforts.

    Yes, free fundraising apps are available for nonprofits, but most apps have processing or platform fees. Zeffy is a popular option because it does not charge platform or transaction fees, allowing organizations to keep 100% of the donations.
    Zeffy stands out as the best free fundraising app for nonprofits. Other apps may offer free plans, but features are limited, and they often charge fees for premium services.

    Asking for donations is about convincing donors to support your cause. Here’s how you can raise more funds:

  • Identify prospects and target people who show interest in your cause.
  • Use powerful fundraising apps to invite donors to participate in the mission.
  • Let people know how exactly you plan to use their contribution amount.
  • Send email newsletters to engage donors.
  • Build your brand identity to gain trust and show credibility.
  • Share success stories of previous fundraiser events to inspire more donations.
  • Use creative fundraising ideas to attract more donors.
  • Start fundraising with Zeffy for free today!

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