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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.
How to Accept Donations Online for Free | Step-by-Step
April 21, 2026
⚡TL;DR — The Short Answer
Verdict: Zeffy is the best way for nonprofits to accept donations online — it's the only platform with zero fees, so every dollar reaches your mission.
What works: A fast setup (under 3 minutes), customizable donation forms, recurring giving options, and zero transaction fees funded by optional donor tips.
What doesn't: Platforms that charge 2–3% per transaction quietly drain thousands from your annual fundraising total.
Best for: Nonprofits of any size that want to collect donations online without losing money to platform or processing fees.
Worth considering if: You need more than donations — Zeffy also handles ticketing, raffles, memberships, peer-to-peer campaigns, and donor management, all at no cost.
Launching a successful fundraising campaign requires more than passion. You need a donation page that's easy to set up, easy to share, and doesn't eat into every gift you receive. This guide walks you through seven essential steps and ten tips for accepting donations online — plus a fee comparison so you can see exactly what each platform costs.
You don't need a developer, a card reader, or a contract to start collecting donations. Here's how to get your first donation page live today:
1. Sign up free at zeffy.com — no credit card, no contracts
2. Create your donation form — customize colors, set suggested amounts, add recurring giving options
3. Share your link — embed on your website, post on social media, or send via email
100K+ nonprofits | $2B+ raised | $0 in fees
Every dollar donors give goes directly to your cause. No platform fees, no transaction fees, no surprises. Zeffy is funded entirely by optional donor tips — so your budget stays intact.
Most nonprofits don't realize how much they're losing to fees until they do the math. A platform charging 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction takes $32 from every $1,000 raised. Over a year, that adds up fast — especially for small and mid-sized organizations with tight budgets.
Fees don't just reduce revenue. They reduce what you can do. Every dollar that goes to a payment processor is a dollar that doesn't fund a program, hire a staff member, or serve a person in need. That's the real cost of "affordable" fundraising platforms.
Zeffy works differently. Donors are invited to leave an optional tip to support Zeffy when they give. That tip covers operating costs — not your nonprofit's budget. The result: 100% of every donation reaches your mission. Not 97%. Not 98%. All of it.
This model has helped 100K+ nonprofits raise $2B+ with $0 in fees. It's not a promotional offer or a limited tier. It's how Zeffy is built.
7 steps to accept online donations for your nonprofit
1. Set up a website
One of the first things a new nonprofit needs is a website. While a Facebook page and other social media accounts can help spread awareness of your organization, you must have a website as a central online location for potential donors to visit.
Nonprofits can not only collect donations on their websites but also use them to share their organization's history and program details, volunteer opportunities, fundraising events and campaigns, and more. Use a nonprofit website builder to create your own, encourage online giving, and convert visitors into donors.
Pro Tip: When you formed your nonprofit, you had to fill out your organization's purpose on your state's Articles of Incorporation and when filing as a 501(c)(3) organization with the IRS. This purpose is why you decided to start a nonprofit in the first place. It can also help you develop a compelling mission statement for your organization. Once you have that mission statement, state it clearly on your website.
A nonprofit mission statement tells potential donors who you are, what you hope to achieve, and how you plan to do it. This statement can be the primary reason many donors support a nonprofit.
2. Choose a payment processor to collect donations
There are a host of online payment processors for nonprofits. As you visit their websites and research each option, there are several features you must be aware of:
Online security: Payment processors must be PCI compliant. Many also offer additional fraud detection features like SSL encryption.
Multiple payment options: Donors want flexibility. Zeffy accepts credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH, PAD, and cheque.
Mobile optimized: Many donors give from their phones. Your payment processor must offer a smooth mobile experience.
Pro Tip: The cost of an online payment processor can vary significantly. Zeffy is the only 100% free fundraising platform. Nonprofits can use Zeffy to create online donation pages, sell event tickets, raffle tickets, and products, encourage membership, run peer-to-peer campaigns, and collect donor data.
3. Create donation pages
Donation forms and pages are the best way to collect donations online. Fundraising sites allow nonprofits to create separate online donation pages for campaigns and events. When creating a donation form, add your organization's branding — logo, colors, font, and content. Share compelling stories and images to inspire donations.
Campaigns succeed when they inspire urgency and community. Here are a few ways to do that:
Recurring donations
Nonprofits rely on recurring donations to plan ahead. Many online fundraising platforms allow donors to give one-time, monthly, or annual recurring gifts. Nonprofits can develop memberships or recurring donor benefits that entice more supporters to give regularly.
Corporate matching gifts
Many businesses match employee donation amounts as part of their benefits. Online platforms like Double the Donation allow nonprofits to add a link to donation pages that list companies offering this perk — effectively doubling donor impact at no extra cost.
Matching gift challenges
A matching gift challenge creates urgency. Find a major donor or sponsor to match donations up to a set amount. Promote the challenge via email, social media, and peer-to-peer campaigns to compel immediate action.
Pro Tip: Make your donate button obvious and easy to find. Use bright colors and direct language like "Donate Now" or "Give Today."
4. Promote donation opportunities
If you hope to achieve fundraising success, create a multi-channel campaign. Fundraising strategies like social media campaigns, email newsletters, and events are excellent ways to spread the word and raise funds.
Stay transparent about how you use donations. Donors have more options than ever, so transparency is necessary to earn their long-term trust. Share impactful stories and updates about your programs and fundraising progress before, during, and after campaigns.
Pro Tip:Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns let your supporters fundraise on your behalf. Adding a peer-to-peer element to your next campaign helps you reach new donors through trusted personal recommendations.
5. Express gratitude
The best way to boost donations is by expressing gratitude. Treat donors as partners and share your mission and fundraising goals before and during your campaign.
Pro Tip: If the only time you contact donors is after they give, they'll feel like an ATM. Collect personal details and add them to your donor management platform. Send birthday and anniversary greetings throughout the year to strengthen relationships.
6. Track donations and create online fundraising reports
Monitor your donations after every campaign. Track donations and donor engagement to see where your fundraiser succeeded and where you need to improve. Use reports to understand donor behavior and inform future strategies.
Pro Tip: Before you track success, define your goals and set key metrics:
Donation conversion rates
Average donation size
Total donations received
Donor retention rates
These KPIs give you a fuller view of your campaign's performance and highlight areas for improvement.
7. Make improvements to your fundraising campaign
Send donor surveys via email and social media to collect essential feedback. Once you ask for opinions, listen and adjust your online donation forms when necessary. These changes prevent you from repeating the same mistakes and help your nonprofit save time year over year.
10 effective tips for accepting donations online
1. Craft compelling stories
Nonprofit stories raise awareness, create connections, and inspire action. The hero of your nonprofit story is usually someone who has received your organization's services. Donors take the role of guide — essential to helping the hero reach their goals. Effective storytelling explains the need for your organization and directs potential donors toward meaningful ways they can help.
Donors respond best to campaigns that share tangible results. Use statistics and success stories to show impact. Organizations that share these details on social media see more visitors convert into donors.
4. Utilize social proof of online donations
Build trust with testimonials. People are much more likely to give to an organization reviewed by a real person. Add testimonials to your nonprofit website, your donation forms, and your email campaigns.
5. Include calls to action
A clear call to action is essential. Add donation buttons throughout your content. Make them visible, use bright colors, and use direct language: "Donate Now" or "Give Today."
6. Link to segmented online donation forms
Personalized donation appeals remind visitors of their connection to your mission. Segment donors by demographics, program interests, and giving capacity. Creating a segmented donation form for different donor types increases engagement and helps you reach your goals.
7. Simplify the donation process
A complicated donation page stops donors before they give. Reduce the number of clicks required to complete a gift. Remove unnecessary questions and keep the form focused on the action you want donors to take.
8. Optimize how supporters make donations online
An optimized donation form directly impacts gift completion. Before going live, check these:
Does your page explain why donors' support matters?
Is your form loading quickly?
Are there any broken links?
Have you run A/B tests on text, images, and stories?
9. Build relationships while collecting online donations
When thanking donors, show genuine appreciation and share how their gifts made an impact. Involve donors in your mission. Update them on campaign progress. Treat them as partners, not transactions.
10. Promote other ways to help and boost online donations
After acknowledging a donor's gift, share volunteer opportunities and upcoming events. Rarely ask for another gift in your acknowledgment letter. Instead, educate donors about additional ways to connect with and support your organization.
Platform fee comparison: what you actually pay
Fees are easy to overlook when you're setting up a fundraising platform. But they compound quickly. Here's what each major platform actually charges per transaction:
Platform
Transaction Fee
Nonprofit Discount
Monthly Fee
Zeffy
$0 (zero fees)
N/A — always free
$0
PayPal
1.99% + $0.49
Yes (standard rate)
$0
Square
2.9% + $0.30
None
$0
Classy
Custom pricing
Contact for quote
Varies
Assuming 100 transactions averaging $100 each on a $10,000 campaign: PayPal's 1.99% + $0.49/transaction nonprofit rate equals $199 in percentage fees plus $49 in per-transaction fees — $248 total. Square's 2.9% + $0.30/transaction rate equals $290 in percentage fees plus $30 in per-transaction fees — $320 total. Zeffy: $0.
Fee structures change. Always verify current rates on each platform's pricing page before you commit. The table above reflects publicly available rates at time of writing — Zeffy's $0 rate is permanent by design.
What are the best online fundraising platforms to get donations?
Zeffy
Zeffy is the only 100% free online fundraising platform. Nonprofits can use it to accept online donations, organize events, sell raffle tickets, sell products, and run peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.
Key Features:
Zero-fee fundraising
Mobile-friendly
Customizable donation forms
Fundraising event management
Donor management tools with segmentation and personal notes
Reporting and analytics
Accepts credit and debit cards, ACH/PAD, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cheque
Recurring membership billing
Automatic tax receipts
Pricing:
100% free
Review:
It was extremely easy to set up our account with Zeffy and create different forms for different fundraising activities. Customer service has been terrific. The platform's ability to allow easy communication with donors has been especially helpful. It has exceeded all my expectations." -Rochelle H.
PayPal is one of the most widely used payment processors online. It wasn't built for nonprofits, but it has added donation capabilities and online giving features over time. With its acquisition of Venmo in 2013, PayPal now offers more payment options than before.
PayPal is a recognized and trusted platform for making/taking payments. It's great that they have a really good charity function that allows us to take donations via eBay for our cause. Also excellent that you can set up collection pots for causes or for group costs that people can put money into quickly and easily." -Ruth H.
Square
Square offers financial services and tools to businesses of various sizes. It has enabled nonprofits to accept payments, manage sales, and handle business operations with its donation tools.
Anyone can run the devices and collect payments with ease. This functionality is a major bonus for nonprofit events that rely heavily on volunteers. You do not need a super savvy staff member to manage this." -Megan N.
Classy
Classy is an online fundraising platform that gives nonprofits and social enterprises tools to create campaigns and manage donor engagement.
Unlimited donation forms, event pages, and peer-to-peer campaigns
Recurring giving
Integration with third-party apps
Marketing analytics
Scaled customer support
Pricing:
Classy doesn't publish pricing publicly. Contact them directly for a custom quote.
Review:
Its functionality is very unique compared to what other sites offer and it's simple and easy to learn. I also love the access to support and customer service lines that help us help our donors fairly immediately." -Leslie R.
Ready to start accepting donations online?
Mastering how you raise money online is vital for nonprofits looking to make a lasting impact. From establishing an online presence with a purpose-driven website to choosing the right payment processor and crafting a compelling donation page, each step matters. Here's a quick recap:
Setting up a website
Choosing a payment processor
Creating donation pages
Promoting donation opportunities
Expressing gratitude
Tracking and reporting
Making improvements
Keep every dollar you raise. No platform, transaction, or credit card fees. Zeffy is funded entirely by optional donor tips — and 100K+ nonprofits have already raised $2B+ with $0 in fees.
Zeffy is the top choice for nonprofits. It's the only platform with zero fees — no transaction percentage, no monthly cost, no platform charge. If a donor gives $100, your nonprofit receives $100. Zeffy includes customizable donation forms, recurring giving, event ticketing, in-person giving with Tap to Pay, automated tax receipts, and donor management tools. It's trusted by 100K+ nonprofits and has helped raise $2B+ with $0 in fees.
Sign up for a free Zeffy account at zeffy.com. Then create your donation form — customize suggested amounts, branding, and recurring giving options. Finally, share your link by embedding it on your website, adding a donate button, or sending it via email and social media. Zeffy handles payment processing, security compliance, and receipt generation automatically.
Most platforms charge 1.5–3% per transaction. Zeffy is the exception. It charges zero fees to nonprofits — ever. Zeffy covers its operating costs through optional donor tips, not platform fees. That means your fundraising budget stays intact and every dollar you raise goes to your mission.
Yes. Zeffy lets donors set up monthly or annual recurring gifts directly on your donation form. Recurring donors are typically your most valuable supporters — they give more over time and require less re-engagement effort than one-time donors.
You don't need a website. Zeffy gives every nonprofit a hosted donation page with its own shareable URL. You can post that link on social media, include it in email campaigns, or share it directly with donors. No coding or website required to get started.
Zeffy accepts credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH bank transfers, PAD (for Canadian donors), and cheque. Offering multiple payment options reduces friction and helps you reach donors who prefer different methods.
The only 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits
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Keep reading :
Nonprofit guides
Expert Guide to Recurring Donations for Nonprofits
Boost donor retention and revenue with recurring donations. Use these proven strategies to launch a successful recurring giving program for your nonprofit in 2024.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
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