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MailChimp is a trusted email marketing platform for both nonprofits and for-profit companies alike.
For verified nonprofits, the platforms offer a 15% discount. Plus, the platform offers a free plan.
However, the free plan is restrictive: it only offers 1 user, email support for 30 days, and up to 1,000 email sends/month. Plus, the free plan restricts customization and segmentation capabilities, too.
For lots of organizations, this can be quite limiting. In this blog, we’ll cover some of the top alternatives for nonprofits to consider if they’re in need of more robust feature access, and support — without the price.
8 MailChimp Alternatives for Nonprofits Compared
Why should your nonprofit consider a MailChimp alternative?
Though MailChimp is a popular email marketing tool that offers nonprofit discounted pricing as well as a few free perks, the platform can be restrictive. Nonprofits might consider an alternative that offers better:
- Cost: MailChimp's pricing can get steep as your contact list grows or as your need for features increases.
- Customization: Nonprofits might require more flexibility in email design and segmentation to effectively engage diverse audiences. Some alternatives offer more customizable templates and advanced segmentation options compared to MailChimp.
- Nonprofit-specific features: MailChimp only offers email marketing tools. Other platforms offer a variety of tools and platforms for fundraising, event management, and donor relationship management.
- Customer support: Nonprofits, especially those with limited technical expertise, benefit from robust customer support and training resources. With MailChimp, users have to pay for personalized assistance.
What makes the best MailChimp alternative for your nonprofit?
When looking for a MailChimp alternative for your nonprofit, be sure to consider:
- Affordability: Look for a platform that offers pricing plans tailored to nonprofits or provides generous discounts. Ensure that the pricing aligns with your budget and offers scalability as your email list grows.
- Ease of use: Opt for a user-friendly interface with intuitive email editors, automation workflows, and reporting tools. Nonprofits often have limited time and resources, so a platform that is easy to navigate and doesn't require extensive training is essential.
- Customization: Choose a platform that allows you to create emails that reflect your nonprofit's branding and messaging.
- Integrations: Consider a platform that integrates seamlessly with other tools and software your nonprofit uses, such as CRM systems, fundraising platforms, and event management software.
- Automations: Look for robust automation capabilities that enable you to set up automated email campaigns, such as welcome series, donation reminders, and event follow-ups.
- Analytics and reporting: Choose a platform that provides comprehensive analytics to track the performance of your email campaigns. Metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates help you understand what resonates with your audience.
- Customer support: Select a provider that offers excellent customer support tailored to nonprofits, including live chat, email support, and extensive knowledge bases or resources.
8 MailChimp Alternatives for Nonprofits
1. Zeffy: Best free email marketing tool for nonprofits
Zeffy is an all-in-one fundraising platform that offers nonprofits a full suite of tools for free: peer-to-peer campaign creation, raffles and lotteries features, donor management, and email marketing.
With Zeffy, nonprofits can send targeted, personalized emails right from the platform — without paying a cent. Unlike other email marketing tools, organizations can send as many custom and targeted emails they need, and even automate them, too. Plus, Zeffy has it’s own built-in CRM so nonprofits can rest easy knowing that all of their data is synced and up-to-date.
Standout features:
- Automatically generate and send tax receipts
- Create custom lists for emailing
- View stats like: open rate, clicks and unsubscribes
- Set up automated reminder emails
- Send emails to custom lists and segmented donors
- Add Pre-filled fundraising form links to your emails
Cons/limitations:
Zeffy is 100% free—there are no platform or transaction fees. While every other platform takes fees away from your mission, Zeffy delivers 100% of it to your nonprofit
User testimonial:
Rating: 4.9/5
“Zeffy is very easy to use and ensures that every dollar donors have given to our small and recently set up nonprofit quickly gets into our account so we can do our important work. Minimizing costs is important for every nonprofit, but especially those just starting up. A huge help to our work!” — Nathan C.
2. Hubspot: Best for A/B testing
HubSpot is an all-in-one email marketing software, sales, and customer service platform that offers a suite of tools for managing email marketing, CRM, social media, content management, and more. It's known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features designed to help businesses and nonprofits attract, engage, and delight customers.
Standout features:
- Customizable templates and personalization features
- Integrated CRM system for managing contacts
- Content management system (CMS) for creating and managing content
- Advanced analytics and reporting features
Cons/limitations:
The platform can be expensive, especially for nonprofits with limited budgets — the free plan limits users, analytics insights, support, and the number of emails sends a month. Meaning, users have to pay more as they grow.
Nonprofit pricing:
HubSpot offers 40% off discounted pricing for eligible nonprofits through its HubSpot for Nonprofits program.
User testimonial:
Rating: 4.4/5
“I'm the first email marketing manager for our organization, and I'm thrilled to have Hubspot on my side to thoroughly track conversions and meet & exceed email marketing goals across our various audiences including donors, members, ticket purchasers, and community leaders.” —Tiffany C.
3. Givebutter: Best for fundraising and donor engagement
Givebutter is a fundraising platform that specializes in helping nonprofits, schools, teams, and clubs raise money online. It offers a variety of tools for collecting donations, selling tickets, and organizing fundraising events, all in one place.
Standout features:
- Automated email communication
- Seamless integration with event management, ticketing, and registration
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- Native Canva integration for email design
- Templates
- Custom domains
Cons/limitations:
While Givebutter is free to use, it requires that fees be covered by donors.
Nonprofit pricing:
Givebutter is free to use.
User testimonial:
Rating : 4.7/5
“Our organization recently transitioned to Givebutter and the platform has served us well. It's user friendly for our whole team. I especially appreciate the free email and texting features. The Givebutter platform is constantly improving features that help us to cultivate and nurture our donors. I would highly recommend to any friends, family, or colleagues who receive donations.” —Alyssa D.
4. Mailerlite: Best for small and medium-sized nonprofits
MailerLite provides a user-friendly platform tailored for nonprofits to execute effective email marketing automation and donor communications. With its intuitive interface and affordable pricing, it offers essential features to engage donors and drive conversions.
Standout features:
- Drag-and-drop email editor
- Segmentation and personalization tools
- Automated workflows
- Real-time analytics
Cons/limitations:
While Mailerlite has a free plan, it caps users at 3,000 emails, offers few templates compared to paid plans, and doesn’t offer support or analytics.
Nonprofit pricing:
Mailerlite offers 30% off for qualifying nonprofits.
User testimonial:
Rating: 4.7/5
“The free version is perfect for a small nonprofit like ours because our mailing list is still small and our budget is so small, that we need every penny we can save for our programs. The resources you provide (how-to's, etc) are great as well.” — Pamela L.
5. Sendinblue/Brevo: Best for CRM access
Sendinblue (now Brevo) is an all-in-one CRM and email marketing solution offering robust email marketing tools tailored for nonprofits to enhance donor communications and engagement. Its affordability and ease of use make it an attractive option for organizations seeking to maximize their outreach efforts.
Standout features:
- User-friendly email editor
- Unlimited contacts
- Customizable templates and personalization options
- Automation workflows
- Integration with CRM for seamless donor management
- SMS marketing capabilities to complement email communications
Cons/limitations:
Brevo’s free plan offers limited support, no A/B testing, no automation, and limited access to other features.
Nonprofit pricing:
Brevo offers nonprofits a 15% discount on the Enterprise license.
User testimonial:
Rating: 4.5/5
“We were looking for a marketing tool that would accomodate our need to have everything available in 12+ languages. It's also a great marketing tool for SMS and Email campaigns on its own. We are switching from other marketing tools and Sendinblue seems to perform better on every aspect. Workflows and automation are reliable and do not have a strong delay.” — Nikita V.
6. Campaign Monitor: Best for AI integrations
Campaign Monitor is an email marketing platform that specializes in helping organizations create, send, and track engaging email marketing campaigns. It offers a user-friendly interface, customizable templates, and advanced features to communicate with donors, supporters, and volunteers effectively.
Standout features:
- Customizable email templates
- Segmentation and personalization
- Analytics and reporting
Cons/limitations:
Users have to pay to get access to Campaign Monitor’s full suite of tools and features.
Nonprofit pricing:
Campaign Monitor offers a nonprofit discount of 15% .
User testimonial:
Rating: 4.1/5
“Campaign Monitor is your tool to manage a few lists and send simple emails with the drag-and-drop template editor. It can be an excellent first tool to start marketing campaigns.” — Karl L.
7. Constant Contact: Best for email marketing support
Constant Contact is a widely-used email marketing platform offering intuitive tools for nonprofits to create, send, and track engaging campaigns. Its user-friendly interface and extensive support resources make it an accessible choice for organizations of all sizes.
Standout features:
- Drag-and-drop email editor
- Automation features
- Integration options with CRM platforms
- Real-time reporting dashboards
- Extensive support resources, including tutorials, webinars, and community forums
Cons/limitations:
Constant Contact doesn’t offer a free plan
Nonprofit pricing:
The platform offers nonprofits a 20% 6-month prepay discount and 30% for a 12-month prepay.
User testimonial:
Rating: 4.0/5
“Constant Contact truly is one of the best CRM platforms. Our small nonprofit uses Constant Contact for monthly newsletters, e-blasts, reminders, giving campaigns and so much more! We cannot recommend it enough! Customer support is top notch and always willing to help when needed.” — Anne-Harrison L.
8. ConvertKit: Best for automations
ConvertKit is a specialized email marketing platform designed for creators and bloggers, offering powerful tools to engage audiences and drive conversions. While not explicitly tailored for nonprofits, its features can be effectively utilized for donor communications and outreach efforts.
Standout features:
- Visual automation editor
- Tagging and segmentation features
- Customizable email templates
Cons/limitations:
ConverterKit’s free plan only allows for up to 1,000 subscribers. Plus, free plan users don’t have access to integrations or advanced reporting.
Nonprofit pricing:
ConvertKit does not offer a discount for nonprofits.
User testimonial:
Rating: 4.4/5
“The main application of this tool is that it helps users to create and manage email campaigns, build landing pages, automate email sequences, and build Email lists. The platform is easy to use, allowing users to create beautiful and engaging emails without coding knowledge. Users can create email sequences using a drag-and-drop editor and also use a wide range of templates and customization options.” —𝕋𝕖𝕛𝕒𝕤𝕧𝕚
How Community Music School of Santa Cruz saved $2,000 in fees with Zeffy
After their last donor management system eliminated their free version, Community Music School of Santa Cruz — a nonprofit focused on music education — was left scrambling to find a replacement that would help them keep in touch with donors. They wanted a platform that was powerful and intuitive — without having to pay any platform or transaction fees.
That’s where Zeffy comes in.
The 100% fee-free fundraising platform for nonprofits, Zeffy was the perfect tool: the platform let them conduct all of their fundraising activities, including email marketing, without having to pay a cent. They were able to track donations, sell tickets, and keep in touch with supporters all in one place.
The result? The Community Music School of Santa Cruz saved over $2,000.00 in fees.
“I love the ability to quickly email people who’ve attended any one of our past events—it’s simple and the “from” line in the customer’s email is our name, so there’s no confusion. I also appreciate the ability to embed the donation form or ticketing form into our website—it gives us a professional look. Finally, I couldn’t ask for better customer service. My questions are always responded to promptly, and the team always seems to welcome suggestions for future improvements.” - Susan Willats, The Community Music School of Santa Cruz
Alternatives to MailChimp FAQs
Is MailChimp free for nonprofits?
MailChimp has a free plan that nonprofits can use. Nonprofits can also take advantage of a 15% discount that the platform offers to verified charities.
Is there a free alternative to MailChimp for nonprofits?
Zeffy is a completely fee-free alternative to MailChimp for nonprofits. Users can send unlimited emails, create unlimited signup forms, and get access to other premium email marketing features for free.
Unlike other platforms, Zeffy believes that nonprofits should have equal access to powerful fundraising and marketing technology without paying a cent. From running raffles and lotteries to sending automated emails to supporters, Zeffy lets changemakers do more for less.
While every other donation platform takes fees away from your mission, Zeffy delivers 100% of it to your nonprofit. That means you can raise money and run successful campaigns all for free.
Here’s how it works: When someone makes a donation on your fundraising form, they have the option (but are never obliged) to give to Zeffy. Not everyone gives every time and that's okay. Enough donors, though, leave a contribution that covers overhead and fees, so nonprofits never pay a cent.
Zeffy also ranks pretty high when it comes to free software for nonprofits for a variety of different reasons — peer-to-peer, donor management, and more.
What makes a good MailChimp alternative?
A good MailChimp alternative for nonprofits should offer several key features to meet the specific needs of nonprofit organizations. These features include customizable email templates, segmentation and personalization options, automation workflows, integration capabilities with other tools and platforms used by nonprofits, and affordable pricing plans or discounts for nonprofit organizations. Additionally, strong customer support and compliance with data privacy regulations are important factors to consider when choosing a MailChimp alternative for nonprofits.
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