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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.
Check out our complete online fundraising platform overview for nonprofit organizations. In just a few minutes, learn about the best online fundraising solutions, from 100% free options to paid tools to help you ramp up your digital fundraising efforts.
We’ll explore the best peer-to-peer fundraising platforms and explore a wide range of creative, modern-facing strategies for raising money and engaging your community.
We’ll examine and compare various online fundraising platforms to help you find what best suits your needs, focusing on features, costs, benefits, and ease of use.
The state of online fundraising
Online fundraising is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a must for today’s nonprofits. As donor behavior continues to shift toward digital, organizations must keep up with modern expectations or risk falling behind.
Supporters now expect fast, mobile-friendly giving experiences, personalized communication, and easy ways to engage, from monthly giving to peer-to-peer campaigns. With new tools and platforms emerging regularly, staying current isn’t just about adopting the latest tech.
It’s about creating meaningful, seamless experiences that meet donors where they are. Nonprofits that continue to modernize and evolve their online presence are more likely to build lasting relationships and grow sustainable impact.
How do I start fundraising online for a nonprofit?
Getting started with online fundraising might feel overwhelming at first, but the good news is you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. With the right platform and a clear game plan, you can launch a campaign that connects with supporters and raises money.
Online platforms offer a variety of fundraising tools and features, often catering to different fundraising strategies.
These may include customizable donation forms and tracking, peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities, event management tools, and social media integration. This diversity allows organizations to choose and implement the methods that align best with their goals and target audience.
Donation platforms streamline the fundraising process, making it more efficient and cost-effective for both organizations and donors. These platforms automate tasks such as donation processing, receipt generation, and communication, reducing the administrative burden on nonprofits.
Engagement and communication
Online fundraising platforms facilitate direct and immediate communication between organizations and donors. Through email updates, social media integrations, and personalized messages, nonprofits can engage with donors, share success stories, and express gratitude.
Impact assessment
By leveraging detailed analytics, nonprofits can track the performance of individual campaigns, identify trends, and gain a comprehensive understanding of donor behavior over time. This information allows for the segmentation of donors, enabling more personalized communication and targeted fundraising strategies.
Additionally, online donation platforms help measure the return on investment for each campaign, providing essential information for evaluating the financial efficiency of fundraising strategies and making adjustments as needed.
What features should a nonprofit look for in a fundraising platform? Your quick checklist
Use this quick guide to find the right fundraising platform with everything you need to raise more.
✅ Ease of use
The platform's user-friendly interface ensures that nonprofit staff and donors can easily navigate it. This encourages more donations with a variety of campaigns including e-commerce options, auctions, raffles, personal fundraising pages, crowdfunding campaigns, and virtual and hybrid events.
✅ Online donation processing
The platform should support online donations, with fundraising tools that allow supporters to make contributions easily and securely through various payment methods.
✅ Mobile responsiveness
Mobile giving donations have increased by 205% in the past year. That means your chosen platform should provide a seamless and responsive experience on smartphones and tablets, whether through a fundraising app or a mobile-first design for online campaigns.
✅ Peer-to-peer fundraising
In 2022, America’s top peer-to-peer fundraising programs raised $1.05 billion. Your platform should allow custom team and individual fundraising to avoid missing out on this enormous opportunity to raise money.
✅ Donor management
Effective donor management tools help nonprofits keep track of donor information, communication preferences, and giving history.
✅ Integrations
Great fundraising platforms offer integrations with third-party tools like social media platforms, CRMs, a matching gift platform, or other fundraising sites.
✅ Customization options
Fundraising tools to customize donation forms, campaign pages, and communications helps nonprofits maintain a consistent brand identity and meet specific campaign needs. Offering multiple payment methods is another way to tailor the way you gather donations to your specific donor audience.
✅ Event management
For nonprofits organizing events, features such as online event registration, ticketing, and participant management are essential for streamlined event planning and diversified fundraising activities.
✅ Recurring giving
In 2021, recurring gifts comprised 15.4% of organizations' annual revenue. Supporters' ability to set up recurring contributions provides nonprofits with a steady and predictable source of income.
✅ Analytics and reporting
Robust analytics and reporting tools allow nonprofits to track campaign performance, measure success, and make data-driven decisions for future fundraising efforts.
✅ Security and compliance
The platform should prioritize security to protect donor information and adhere to relevant regulations and compliance standards.
How to choose the best online fundraising platform
Step 1: Clarify your fundraising goals
Every nonprofit’s goals, mission, budget, and resources to raise money are different. However, every nonprofit should have a few essential elements in their fundraising platform to make the most impact possible.
As you go through each online fundraising platform overview below, remember what will help you scale this year and into the future.
Start by identifying what your nonprofit truly needs from a platform by asking yourself:
Which type of campaigns do we want to run? (Think the ability to create personalized fundraising pages, monthly giving, auctions, events, accept donations through your website, and more)
Do you need additional donor engagement tools like donor management or email marketing?
What’s your donation volume and average gift size?
How many people will need to access your fundraising software, and will they need to collaborate?
Pro tip: Consider future needs and choose something that can grow with you.
Step 2: Review features to consider in a fundraising platform
When reviewing platforms, focus on the features that will truly support your fundraising strategy—not just now, but as your organization grows. Look for essentials like customizable donation forms, peer-to-peer campaign options, recurring donation tools, and integrations with your CRM or email software.
It’s helpful to consider donor experience too:
Is the platform mobile-friendly?
Does it support multiple payment methods?
Features like event management, real-time analytics, and donor segmentation can significantly impact your long-term success.
Pro tip: Go into your evaluation process with a wish list of features to make it easier to compare platforms side by side.
Step 3: Consider your ideal customer support experience
You can define the level of customer support needed based on your technical expertise and customization preferences. Every fundraising platform has a different support system, with some offering onboarding and support articles for common challenges and others making it hard to get in touch when something goes wrong.
Responsive and knowledgeable customer support is crucial for troubleshooting issues and ensuring a smooth experience for nonprofits and donors. Remember, your ability to solve a technical issue with your fundraising platform’s support team often directly influences the donor experience you can offer (imagine someone’s card is charged twice, they can’t log in, or they have trouble managing their own fundraising pages).
Step 4: Set your budget and understand the full picture of costs
Understanding the platform's fee structure, including transaction fees and subscription costs, is essential for budget planning and maximizing the impact of donations. To make the most impact, consider using a free donation platform for nonprofits, like Zeffy.
Every fundraising platform has a different fee and pricing structure. When choosing the best fit for your nonprofit, check out their charges.
Some platforms charge:
Subscription or usage fees: Some fundraising platforms operate on a subscription model, where nonprofits pay a regular platform fee for access to the platform's features (often in annual or monthly payments). Others may charge based on the volume or value of transactions.
Payment processing fees: Besides the platform fees, payment gateways (e.g., credit card processors) may charge payment processing fees for handling transactions.
Customization or premium features: Some fundraising platforms offer premium features or enhanced customization options that may come with an additional cost.
Training and support costs: While many online fundraising platforms offer essential support, some may provide additional training or premium support services for an extra cost. These organizations may charge setup fees or other onboarding fees.
Integration costs: If a nonprofit requires integrations with other tools or systems (e.g., CRM software), additional fees may be associated with setting up and maintaining these integrations.
Platform switching costs: If a nonprofit decides to switch to a different fundraising platform, there may be costs associated with migrating data, reconfiguring campaigns, and adapting to the new system.
Are free fundraising platforms actually free?
While many platforms advertise themselves as “free,” there’s usually some kind of cost involved, whether it’s transaction fees or premium features behind a paywall (unless you’re using Zeffy’s 100% free platform of course!). The key is understanding what “free” really means, so you can choose a platform that fits your budget and fundraising goals.
The best online fundraising platforms: Detailed comparison
Expertise in the nonprofit industry fuels all of our Zeffy comparison articles and roundups. Using G2, Capterra, and other reputable and credible software sites, our team hand-selects dozens of apps to compare to help you find the best fit for your organization.
Because we know Zeffy is one of the best free fundraising software solutions, we’re not afraid to offer objective, truthful reviews of our competitors.
Platform
Best for
Highlight feature
Pricing & Fees
Target Audience
Zeffy
100% free platform for nonprofits
No fees, extensive features at no cost
Free – no platform or transaction fees
Nonprofits of all sizes looking for full-featured, no-fee fundraising tools
Handbid
Auctions and event bidding
Mobile bidding + QR codes
Starts at $1,396 + up to 3.5% processing fee
Mid-to-large nonprofits hosting galas, auctions, or hybrid events
Bonfire
Custom t-shirt fundraising
Apparel-focused P2P sales
Up to 8% processing fees
Creatives, advocacy groups, small teams engaging with visual, merch-driven donors
Double the Donation
Maximizing matching gifts
Matching gift database
$999/year – $30,000/year
Large orgs and institutions (e.g., universities) focused on corporate match revenue
Tiltify
Livestream & creator fundraising
Interactive donor rewards
Free to custom; ~5% fees + PayPal Giving Fund
Digital-first nonprofits, creators, Gen Z-focused orgs with a livestream presence
Givebutter
Social & peer-to-peer fundraising
Supporter feeds & gamification
~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Youth-focused orgs, campaigns with high engagement goals and social presence
GoFundMe
Crowdfunding
Viral story sharing
~2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee
Individuals or grassroots causes with compelling stories and wide networks
1. Zeffy - The best free fundraising platform for nonprofits
Zeffy is a 100% free online fundraising platform—built by change-makers, for change-makers. Unlike other fundraising software, Zeffy is a true all-in-one solution that offers a full suite of tools. From event ticketing and raffles toauctions and membership management, Zeffy is the only platform that helps you raise money and reach your fundraising goals—without taking a cent of your donations.
Event management: Tools for ticketing, early bird pricing, tiered tickets, and attendee tracking.
Donor management tools: Integrated CRM for tracking donor data, analyzing reports, and building relationships.
Automated tax receipts: Generates tax-compliant donation receipts instantly for donors.
Campaign flexibility: Easily run donation drives, fundraising campaigns, and membership renewals.
Recurring donations: Allows donors to set up recurring contributions to boost long-term support through reliable monthly fees.
Scalable: Works for both small grassroots nonprofits and large organizations.
Data insights: Access reporting and analytics to optimize fundraising efforts.
Disadvantages
Zeffy is only available for registered nonprofits in the US and Canada.
Pricing and fees
Zeffy is 100% free (no platform fee - no transaction fee). While every other platform takes fees away from your mission, Zeffy delivers 100% of it to your nonprofit.
Here’s how it works
When someone donates 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 leave a contribution to cover overhead AND fees.
Nonprofits paid $3 billion in transaction fees last year. Zeffy is ending this with zero fees.
User testimonials
“The ability to create our own form to fit our needs. Customer support was very responsive to my questions and put me at ease before we launched our registration form. We also love the "no transaction fee". It is very difficult to find, if not impossible, to find an option that doesn't require a piece of the pie (so to speak). When it comes to a non profit that 100% goes back to the community, every dollar counts.” - Carrie. B
2. Handbid - The best mobile bidding and auction-specific software
Handbid simplifies the silent auction process with a user-friendly mobile app, allowing participants to bid remotely, track auction items, and receive instant notifications. Ideal for fundraising events, Handbid enhances the auction experience by bringing efficiency and engagement to both organizers and attendees.
Advantages
Mobile bidding
Customizable pages
Easy checkout
Integrations
Bid notifications and alerts
Real-time reporting and analytics
Disadvantages
Limited non-event features for nonprofits
Pricing is costly
Pricing and fees
Packages start at $1,396, processing fees up to 3.5% + $0.30.
“Everyone I've worked with at Handbid has been very helpful and friendly. The bidders in our auction appreciated the service Handbid offers and the ease of easing the website and mobile app.” - Marisa T.
3. Bonfire - The best fundraising platform for custom apparel
Bonfire is a user-friendly t-shirt fundraising platform for creating and selling custom apparel to support fundraising campaigns. Nonprofits and individuals can design and sell custom shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise, with Bonfire handling the production, shipping, and order management. It's a hassle-free way to turn creative designs into tangible fundraising products.
Advantages
No upfront costs
Easy campaign setup and launch
Individual and nonprofit t-shirt selling
Global shipping
Social media integrations
Disadvantages
Merchandise limitations (t-shirts only)
Limited campaign duration
No tools for managing donor relationships
Only suitable for specific charitable organizations
Pricing and fees
Users can see up to 8% in processing fees.
User testimonials
“Ease of use not only for me but also the proposers and my evaluation committees. Bonfire allows the flexibility for me to set up my projects in a way that meets "my needs." It can handle very simple projects to very complex projects. The built-in functions for reports and tabulations removed the risk of "human-error," which creates better success and transparency.” - Keri W.
4. Double the Donation - The best fundraising platform for matching gifts
Double the Donation is a nonprofit fundraising platform that empowers nonprofits to maximize their fundraising potential by providing a comprehensive database of corporate matching gift programs. By integrating this tool, organizations can inform donors about matching opportunities, potentially doubling the impact of their contributions.
Advantages
Easy integrations
Customizable widgets
Analytics and reporting
Robust knowledge/help center
Automated emails
Autosubmission
Disadvantages
Pricing can be costly.
Pricing and fees
Users can expect to pay between $999/year - $30,000/year.
User testimonials
“ We’ve increased our matching gift revenue year over year for consective fiscal years since we started, and from an annual basis, last year we more than doubled our matching gift revenue.” - American Lung Association
5. Tiltify - The best fundraising platform for livestream fundraising
Tiltify is a nonprofit fundraising platform that specializes in charitable live streaming and virtual fundraising. It allows content creators and gamers to raise funds while streaming on platforms like Twitch. With interactive features, Tiltify turns fundraising into an engaging and collaborative experience, enabling supporters to contribute and participate in real time.
Advantages
Donation alerts
Interactive livestream elements
Global audience
Easy integrations
Team fundraising
Incentives and reports for donors
Leader in digital fundraising
Easy to launch a fundraising campaign
Disadvantages
PPGF fees
Learning curve
Limited offline fundraising
Pricing and fees
Annual fees vary from free to custom quotes for feature availability and processing fees on all plans under 5% + PayPal Giving Fund fees
“It's a free software as a non profit is good to have even if not actively engaging. It allows supporters to fundraise for you on ticktok and switch, which is better to have enabled than not.” - Sabal A.
6. Givebutter - The best fundraising platform for crowdfunding
Givebutter is a social and comprehensive fundraising platform that caters to the next generation of donors with tons of online giving tools. It offers a range of fundraising tools to get donations, including customizable donation forms, event ticketing, and peer-to-peer fundraising. With a sleek design and emphasis on user experience, Givebutter injects a sense of fun and community into the fundraising process.
“We are mostly pleased with Givebutter. It's been a stressful experience making this transition and doing all the data work, only to discover that the above mentioned items were not as they were sold to us. We're making it work and enjoying the rest of the Givebutter experience. We really appreciate the free basic plan and the excellent customer service.” - Annalee C.
7. GoFundMe - The best fundraising platform for crowdfunding
One of the leading fundraising platforms, GoFundMe, allows individuals and organizations to raise funds for personal, medical, educational, or charitable causes. With a user-friendly interface and social sharing features, GoFundMe makes it easy for campaigners to tell their stories and garner support from a wide audience.
“Overall, this platform is helpful for those during a tragedy or difficult time of need. The program can be shared on several different social media platforms to spread the word and allow others to donate. If moderators were hired to filter out the “scammy” GoFundMe’s or look in depth into reported GoFundMe’s, the program may be used more.” - Gracie P.
8. 99pledges - The best fundraising platform for schools
99Pledges is a specialized fundraising platform designed to simplify and enhance pledge-based campaigns for schools, sports teams, and youth-focused organizations. The platform streamlines the process of organizing events such as jog-a-thons, read-a-thons, and other activities where participants gather pledges for their efforts.
“In short, we LOVE 99Pledges and enthusiastically recommend them. While there are other companies out there providing a similar product, the big difference is the level of customer service we've received 3 years and counting. Simply put, they have our loyalty because each year they earn it!” - Stacy McConnell, Jerabek Elementary
9. Silent Auction Pro - The best fundraising platform for customer service
Silent Auction Pro is a comprehensive auction software platform that streamlines the management of silent auctions for nonprofits and organizations. It is one of the top online fundraising platforms for auctions and offers tools such as online bidding, customizable auction catalogs, and automated checkout, enhancing the efficiency and success of silent auction events.
Advantages
Customer service
Item tracking
Bidder management
Customizable bid sheets and displays
Mobile bidding
Disadvantages
Cost
Limited features outside of auction management
Pricing and fees
Users pay $449-$899/year + 2.0% of event proceeds. Credit card processing fees are a flat 2.9% with no per transaction fees.
User testimonials
“We've used Silent Auction Pro for at least three events in the last several years as a Mobile Pro client. It is pretty intuitive and keeps our donations well organized, as well as allowing us to communicate effectively with bidders and donors. The ability for anyone to bid online opens our fundraising to the community, not just our school families, helping us raise much more money than we could achieve with paper bidding.” - Erin
10. Eventbrite - The best fundraising platform for events and ticketing
Eventbrite is a versatile event management platform that facilitates event creation, promotion, and ticketing. While not exclusively a fundraising platform, nonprofits often utilize Eventbrite's robust tools to organize and promote fundraising events, such as galas, conferences, and charity runs.
Advantages
User-friendly interface
Versatile event types
Attendee communication
Integrated ticket and payment processing
Disadvantages
Price
Limited customization
Learning curve
Pricing and fees
Users pay $0-$29/month, 3.7% + $1.79 per sold ticket, and up to 2.9% of the total order in payment processing fees
“What I like most is how easy it is to create an event, customize it, and start receiving registrations within minutes. The interface is clear, intuitive, and user-friendly for both organizers and attendees.” - Cristian C.
11. Soapbox Engage - The best fundraising platform for Salesforce integrations
Soapbox Engage is a suite of Salesforce-based applications designed to streamline nonprofit fundraising and engagement efforts. From online donation forms to peer-to-peer fundraising, It provides a range of tools to empower nonprofits in their mission-driven initiatives.
Advantages
Salesforce integration
Peer-to-peer fundraising
Event registration forms
Responsible design
Donor management
Disadvantages
Learning curve
Pricing
Learning curve
Limited for non-Salesforce users
Pricing and fees
Users pay between $59/month - $199/month.
User testimonials
“The software is initiative, creative and flexible. The strengths of the product lay in the basics that's it's designed to be useful and move your company forward, not just an app you use sometimes.” - Christopher P.
What is the best donation platform with zero fees?
Zeffy is the only zero-fee fundraising platform for nonprofits.
While every other platform takes a portion of donations in fees, Zeffy gives 100% of all donations directly to nonprofits. Donors can be reassured that the entirety of their gift is going straight to the cause.
While some fundraising software solutions have low fees, they can add up quite quickly. Nonprofit organizations have historically paid around 3 billion dollars in annual credit card and transaction fees to put that into perspective, that is enough to feed 1.4 million children for a year, plant 60 million trees, or build 20,000 homes.
At Zeffy, we’re trying to eliminate these fees so that the money goes directly to every nonprofit's mission.
How FBQ saved $16,000 by switching to Zeffy—the only 100% free fundraising platform
Food Banks of Quebec, a network of 32 direct members across Quebec, serve more than 1,200 affiliated local community organizations for monthly food aid.
Before discovering Zeffy (formerly Simplyk) in 2020, FBQ used a custom solution to process online donations. Although the system was outdated, FBQ did not rely too heavily on online donations. However, the need to quickly collect online donations has become an urgent priority since the pandemic.
"It's a great advantage to integrate a form into your website,” says Véronique. “I think it's extremely important to minimize the number of clicks to get to the donation, because I don't want to lose my donors along the way!"
Thanks to Zeffy, FBQ saved almost $16,000 in transaction fees. $16,000 more to help provide food aid to people in vulnerable situations.
Which of the online fundraising platforms should you use?
There are many fundraising platforms to choose from. Each offers different pros and cons, and some are even more specialized than others.
Unlike most platforms, Zeffy is the only wholly free fundraising platform for nonprofits—no transaction fees, subscription fees, or monthly payments. Simple to use with unlimited, free customer support plus a whole host of features like peer-to-peer campaigns, membership management, and a free online donation platform, Zeffy makes sure that all of your money goes right to your charity and not a cent disappears.
Join the 10,000+ nonprofits that use and trust Zeffy every single day.
The best fundraiser platform is based on your unique nonprofit’s size, goals, community, and cause. If you’re looking for particular features you’ll want to choose a platform that specializes in the fundraisers you plan to host.
Online giving platforms that help you set up customized donation pages and track key engagement details among your donor database can greatly improve the entire giving process. When you get all the tools you need for fundraising success in one platform, you can make the most out of your online giving software investment.
If you’re looking for more than fundraising and want to make sure you can engage donors and track analytics, you’ll want to look for more scalable online fundraising platforms that is built to support you every step of the way. All of these options might be a great fit, but it’s important to ask what feels like the best option to grow with your long-term vision.
See how Zeffy compares to some of the top fundraising platforms out there.
Many organizations seek GoFundMe alternatives to save on fees or find online fundraising platforms that can support their unique needs. We created a full list of GoFundMe alternatives for this reason, which you can check out here.
Zeffy is the only online fundraising platform that is 100% free with no surprise fees. Most online fundraising tools will claim they are free because they don’t charge a platform fee, yet transaction fees pull well-earned funds from your donations totals and catch up fast as you raise more.
Zeffy makes money exclusively from optional tips that donors can leave, so you can be sure you see every dollar raised go to your mission.
Sign up for Zeffy for free today.
Out of all the fundraising platforms that claim to be free for schools, Zeffy is the only one that’s truly 100% free—no hidden fees or surprise costs. It’s a flexible tool that allows you to sell event tickets, run raffles, offer merchandise, track donor activity, and create custom donation pages for school campaigns.
Whether you're organizing a fundraiser at an elementary school or leading initiatives at a university, Zeffy can help bring your fundraising ideas to life. Explore the top school fundraising platforms
We’ve compiled 10 tips for fundraising campaigns that you may not of heard before, and we’ll dive deeper than what you find in your usual internet search.
