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How is Zeffy free?
How is Zeffy free?
Zeffy relies entirely on optional contributions from donors. At the payment confirmation step - we ask donors to leave an optional contribution to Zeffy.
Givebutter is an online fundraising platform designed to help individuals, groups, and users raise more money for various causes and projects. It offers a range of tools and features for creating customizable donation pages, organizing fundraising events, and collecting donations from supporters.
Givebutter is on a mission to power the next billion changemakers.
Is Givebutter legit?
Givebutter is a legitimate platform for managing donors and hosting fundraising campaigns. It has gained recognition and positive reviews from users and organizations for its user-friendly interface, transparent fee structure, and efficient fundraising capabilities.
Givebutter has facilitated millions of dollars in donations for various causes and established partnerships with reputable organizations worldwide.
Givebutter Plus takes the functionality of the free tool and adds automation, deeper insights, and engagement tools. Nonprofits can use these advanced tools to increase productivity, tracking, decision-making, and donor relationship building.
Givebutter Plus features that are not available with Givebutter’s basic plan:
Automated workflows
Task management
Advanced email editor
Texting
Custom reports
Expanded data visualizations
Data hygiene
File uploads
Direct mail at $1.95 per letter (normally $2.95 per letter)
Is Givebutter’s online fundraising platform really free?
Givebutter’s basic option is inexpensive, but not entirely free. The standard 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.
The latest offering of Givebutter Plus charges a monthly fee based on the number of supporters you manage or plan to manage in the future. In addition to the contact-based pricing, nonprofits will be charged the 2.9% + 30¢ processing fee per transaction.
Givebutter and Zeffy are incredibly similar. Thousands of users trust both platforms with features and tools for all-in-one nonprofit management.
However, while both platforms are feature-packed, Zeffy offers a few more bells and whistles that do not come at a cost to users. This includes tools for hosting a lottery, creating an online shop, and managing memberships.
Zeffy also does not have a paid version, so any feature that is available is always free. Givebutter Plus places a lot of the same features behind a paywall.
Givebutter and Classy are both all-in-one nonprofit platforms that offer donor management, marketing and engagement, and fundraising tools that help organizations connect with the community.
However, Classy’s features come with a hefty price tag compared to Givebutter's.
Classy donation fees are 4% per transaction.
Platform fees start at $299 per license each month.
Processing fees of up to 2.9% + 30¢ and a platform fee of 1–5% (which can be covered by donors)
Monthly fee of $29+ for Givebutter Plus
G2 rating
4.4/5
4.7/5
How does Givebutter compare to GoFundMe?
GoFundMe is a great place to raise money and is a perfect tool for sharing a campaign far and wide, empowering millions of individual fundraisers. However, when comparing features, Givebutter has much more to offer. Givebutter includes access to donor management tools, customization features, marketing tools, and more.
Key benefits of using Givebutter for your nonprofit
Givebutter offers nonprofits a user-friendly interface to customize their fundraising experience and raise more money for various causes. There are many features available to create, share, and manage campaigns to help nonprofits maximize donor engagement and money raised.
The downsides of Givebutter
Donors have the option to cover the processing fees for you on the basic Givebutter plan. But if they don’t, the nonprofit gets charged the 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Givebutter claims that 95% of donors cover the processing fee cost.
When optional tips are disabled, nonprofits will additionally be charged a 1-5% platform fee. Givebutter claims that 88% of donors cover those.
Many features that nonprofits use to grow and scale their operations are now only available under Givebutter Plus, which uses contact-based pricing that increases as organizations grow their supporter base.
Prairie Classical aims to provide healing through music in collaboration with world-class artists and local talent. What they quickly learned was that classical music is not exactly related to low overhead costs. To keep up with fundraising needs that support an in-depth list of costs and resources, Prairie Classical sought out supportive and affordable software. After trying five other options, they landed on Givebutter, hoping it would end the long search.
Unfortunately, Givebutter presented additional fees that compromised fundraising totals and made Prairie Classical feel deceived by the organization’s promises of fee-less fundraising. That coupled with a complex backend experiences and lack of customer support sent the nonprofit back on their search for a truly free fundraising solution.
“I was very upset that Givebutter made it sound like they didn’t take fees…only to read the fine print! I felt a bit tricked, despite my high IQ and fine-print-reading level, lol!” Destiny Ann Mermagen
After a switch to Zeffy’s 100% free fundraising solution, Prairie Classical has been able to:
Raise over $16,000
Save over $800 in fees
Fund an entire extra concert in the 2023-2024 season with the cost savings
Collect donations and sell tickets on a platform they trust
“Today givebutter announced givebutterplus - a monthly/annual charge for additional features. I'm really disappointed in some of this. They have tasks, which I can see being an additional charge as we pay for clickup. But they have put PLEDGES behind the paywall. Literally the main purpose of a donor database is to record pledges and then get that money donated.” - Dwesnyc
“I am also appreciative of the small percentage Givebutter takes from our fundraising efforts compared to other platforms.” —Annie B.
“We needed a low-cost, user-friendly fundraising platform to help us reach some financial goals. The structure of Givebutter's processing fee + tips makes it so donors can choose how they want to handle their transactions, and minimizes the overhead we have to pay to raise funds.” —Jillian H.
Customer Service
“But the best part about Givebutter is their team. I've never experienced such top-notch customer service. You can tell they come from nonprofit backgrounds because they all truly care and are so knowledgeable. I can't praise them enough.” —Dana H.
Features
“Considering the amount of features available, I find myself continuously suprised that this is completely free. CRM capabilities, robust donation widgets, campaign pages, custom fields, import/export options, text-to-donate, and a lot more.” —Drew F.
Ease of use
“Super easy to configure, they have an incredible team who help orient new clients to get fundraisers online fast.” —Laura F.
Negative Givebutter reviews from users
“With it being a new platform it does not have all of the bells and whistles of other platforms. If you are looking for more nuanced needs to be met, you might have a better experience with a paid subscription platform.” —Brandy S.
“Fees of the platform are higher than others we've used in the past and there seems to be another fee for every time anything is done through the platform.” —Dylan D.
“I would love more instruction on how to use the campaigns, as it doesn't always feel straightforward. More information on the features available would be helpful.” — Kory M. B.
Givebutter is a great option for small nonprofits who want a platform to fundraise, manage donors, and run events all in one place. Its beloved customer service, easy-to-use interface, and minimal costs (which donors can cover) make it a great fit for nonprofits that want to get started quickly without any of the costs.
Givebutter vs. Zeffy: What’s better for me?
Zeffy offers most of the same powerful and easy-to-use features to collect donations—from customizable donation forms to automated emails and tax receipts. However, it offers a few more bells and whistles, like lottery tools, specific membership management tools, and the ability to create an online shop, allowing donors to engage with your nonprofit.
Compared to other platforms, Zeffy is one of the best fundraising sites available to help your nonprofit feel supported.
Givebutter is a legitimate nonprofit software with recognition and positive reviews for its user-friendly interface, transparent fee structure, and efficient fundraising capabilities. It has facilitated millions of dollars in donations for various causes and has established partnerships with reputable organizations and institutions.
Givebutter is not free for nonprofits, as a 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fee applies, even if an organization chooses to waive the additional platform fee (between 1-5%) by having donors cover it with optional tips. So, the solution is not 100% free.
If you opt out of the optional tips by donors, the following fees apply:
1% platform fee for donation forms
3% platform fee for a fundraising page
5% platform fee for an event or auction
Givebutter has many positive reviews and is used by many organizations that enjoy its features. Before you decide, it’s always a good idea to check in with all reviews and speak to Givebutter’s customer support team to feel comfortable.
Asking about case studies is a great way to confirm how other organizations experience Givebutter and use cases that may align with your needs.
Givebutter has a range of freebies and support resources like free webinars, templates, and guides. They also have Givebutter Academy and the free Butter Blog to talk to help nonprofits raise money.
Givebutter is safe to use. The nonprofit software prioritizes the security and privacy of its users' data. It implements industry-standard security measures.
Givebutter charges processing fees of up to 2.9% + 30¢, which donors can cover. If optional tips are disabled, Givebutter charges a platform fee of 1–5%, which donors can also cover.
Whether donations made through Givebutter are tax deductible depends on the nonprofit status of the organization receiving the funds and the applicable tax laws in the donor's jurisdiction. Many nonprofits registered as 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States are eligible to offer tax deductions for donations. Still, donors should consult with a tax professional for guidance specific to their circumstances.
The only 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits
