The best online fundraising platforms in Canada for small and medium nonprofits.

As a Canadian nonprofit, it makes sense that you want to find donation software that best supports your fundraising efforts. This online fundraising platform overview will help.

Every nonprofit faces unique realities when it comes to fundraising. Some are focused on events, others peer-to-peer campaigns, donor retention, or raffles. However, one thing they all have in common is the need for an online fundraising platform that’s easy for nonprofits and donors to use and, ideally, is free.

With that in mind, we’ve updated our article on what we think are the best fundraising platforms for small to medium-sized nonprofits. 

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The best donation software for nonprofits Canada 

• 1. Zeffy

• 2. CanadaHelps

• 3. Raisely

• 4. Givebutter

• 5. Donorbox

• 6. DonorPerfect

• 7. Classy

• 8. Network for Good

• 9. Eventbrite

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1. Zeffy 

Topping the list of our online fundraising platform overview for Canadian nonprofits is Zeffy. Zeffy is a 100% free online fundraising and donor management platform built exclusively for nonprofits. 

Since its founding, Zeffy's fundraising tools have empowered over 50,000 nonprofits across the US and Canada to launch 200,000+ fundraising campaigns, raising more than $800 million and saving $40 million in fees.

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Zeffy's pricing

This is going to be quick. At Zeffy, we decided to break the mold and offer nonprofits a 100% free platform. Skeptical? A lot of people are. So, we’re transparent too. We don’t have any hidden fees, third-party transaction fees, or upgrade fees. Nothing. How? Voluntary contributions are just that, voluntary.

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Zeffy’s donor experience

Zeffy’s online fundraising interface is clean, simple, and professional, providing a seamless experience to raise money on desktop and mobile. Zeffy's fundraising platform also optimizes donor conversions by having as few mandatory clicks as possible between the moment a donor decides to make a donation and a successful transaction. This leads to a conversion rate of 130% better than the industry average.

On top of all that, Zeffy also has a donor portal where donors can keep track of their transactions using the Zeffy platform, download tax receipts, and track and edit any fundraising efforts they’re involved in.

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Zeffy features

• Customizable online fundraising tools: Donations, ticketing for virtual and hybrid events, peer-to-peer campaigns, raffles, lotteries, auctions, eCommerce, and membership management.

• Multiple payment methods: Host a fundraising campaign and gather donations in an accessible way.

• Donor management software: Easily manage and track donor data.

• Automated tax receipts: Simplify tax receipt issuance.

• Integration capabilities: Connect with over 11,000 tools and databases using Zapier.

• User-friendly dashboard: Accessible for both organizations and donors.

• 100% free: No fees for nonprofits or donors—always free.

• Transparent fundraising: Ensure compliance with fundraising regulations.

• Scalable platform: Ideal for nonprofits of all sizes and needs.

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Fundraising platform reviews on Zeffy

Capterra: 4.8/5 overall rating

G2: 4.9/5 overall rating

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“Zeffy has changed the way that I do things - it has made my life so much simpler. By having everything on Zeffy, I can take care of so many things in just one place, and in a more intuitive way than some other platforms. The staff have been helpful and friendly. Seriously, Zeffy has saved my sanity and renewed my ability to focus more on the work I do rather than scattering my energy every which way.” - Maude S.

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2. CanadaHelps

CanadaHelps empowers donors to support over 27,000 registered Canadian charities with ease, offering fast fund transfers to charities and innovative tools to enhance their missions. With features like instant tax receipts, donation tracking, and multiple ways to give and raise funds, CanadaHelps simplifies charitable giving for all.

By building a charity profile in the CanadaHelps database, you can reach more donors who visit the site to search for causes to get involved in. This can be a helpful fundraising strategy for organizations who don't have their own donor database.

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CanadaHelps pricing

CanadaHelps charges the following transaction fees:

• Customizable donations forms: 3.75%

• Ticketed events management: 5%

• Peer-to-peer personal fundraising pages: 5.5%

• Security donations: 2-3%

• One-time donations from your charity profile: 4%

• All monthly donations: 3.5%

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Available features for nonprofits on CanadaHelps

CanadaHelps offers a suit of features that are slightly less robust than Zeffy's, but are well-rated by the nonprofit organizations that use it:

• Donor management

• Donation forms

• Events

• Peer-to-peer campaigns

• Monthly donations

• Database listing

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Fundraising platform reviews on CanadaHelps

Capterra: 4.5/5 overall

G2: Not enough reviews at this time

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“The CanadaHelps team has been an incredible partner and a significant resource for our charity. They are personable, responsive and capable. We feel privileged to have a partner that truly "gets" the charitable sector, understands our challenges and promotes our causes.” - Alistair J.

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3. Raisely

Raisely is a purpose-before-profit, all-in-one online fundraising platform. Like Zeffy, It is a BCorp founded to help charities access the technology they need. Since 2016, Raisely has helped over 3,500 charities raise over $400 million.

Although Raisely is not Canadian, tit allows nonprofits toaccept donations in Canadian dollars, issue CRA-compliant tax receipt,s , and conductbilingual campaigns.

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Raisely pricing

Raisely charges a 4% platform fee (with optional donor tips to fund it). However, they do pass on the third-party transaction (credit card) fees to you of 2.2% + 30 cents per transaction.

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Raisely Pro is also available to increase features available for fundraising, with the following cost after a 30-day free trial:

• Monthly plan: $119/month

• Annual plan: $59.90/month

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Raisely features

Raisely offers a suite of services and tools to help nonprofits meet their online fundraising goals:

• Donor management

• Donation forms

• Peer-to-peer campaigns

• Fundraising websites

• Event registration and ticketing

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Fundraising platform reviews on Raisely

Capterra: 5/5 overall rating

G2: 4.9/5

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“Raisely has revolutionised our donation functionality online, as well as our peer-to-peer fundraising, both in general and for specific events. We have raised more than we ever would have without it, I'm certain of that.” - Andre P.

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4. Givebutter

Like Zeffy, Givebutter is used by small to medium-sized nonprofits. Founded in 2016, Givebutter 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.

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Givebutter pricing

Givebutter claims to offer “Free fundraising, forever”. But is it accurate? Well, kind of. 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.

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If you pay monthly:

• $33.80 for 250 or less contacts

• $92.90 for 1,000 contacts

• $150.50 for 2,500 contacts

• Custom pricing for over 5,000 contacts

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If you pay annually:

• $29 for 250 or less contacts

• $79 for 1,000 contacts

• $129 for 2,500 contacts

• Custom pricing for over 5,000 contacts

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There is a 30-day free trial period for Givebutter Plus available for those looking to try it out.

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Givebutter features

• Online & in-person donations

• Donor management

• Event ticketing 

• Auctions

• POS - Tap to Pay (not free)

• Marketing tools

• Automated workflows (with Plus)

• Task management (with Plus)

• Advanced email & text (with Plus)

• Custom reports and data (with Plus)

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Givebutter boasts over 160 features, from donation forms to peer-to-peer fundraising to accepting Google Pay and Apple Pay. Chances are, if you need it, Givebutter offers it—for a fee. (Except for services and forms in French.)

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Fundraising platform reviews on Givebutter

Capterra: 4.8/5 overall rating

G2: 4.7/5

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“I appreciate the user-friendly interface, versatile fundraising options, exceptional customer support, and flexible platforms options. These features make it a standout platform for your fundraising needs!” - Carlos D.

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5. Donorbox

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Donorbox is available in over 96 countries and is used by over 80,000 organizations. To answer the question: Do you have to be a nonprofit to use Donorbox? No, no, you do not. However, Donorbox is a trusted online fundraising platform for many well-known international charities and is a solid choice for nonprofits with a global footprint.

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Donorbox pricing

Donorbox is free to start, and a platform fee of 1.75% for the Standard plan is charged. For the Pro plan, which is $139/month, the cost is further reduced to 1.5%.

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Donorbox features

• Customizable Forms: Branded, mobile-friendly donation forms for web or direct links.

• Recurring Donations: Enable regular weekly, monthly, or annual contributions.

• Donor Management: Organize donor data, track history, and send personalized receipts.

• Secure Transactions: SSL encryption and PCI-DSS compliance for safety.

• Insights & Reporting: Dashboards to track trends, performance, and engagement.

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Fundraising platform reviews on Donorbox

Capterra: 4.8/5

G2: 4.6/5

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“‍Once we were set up, it was easy to use. We like the option to send out yearly receipts in a couple of steps. We also like to option to add offline donations.” - Jeffrey H.

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6. DonorPerfect

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DonorPerfect is a Canadian online fundraising platform that uses over 50,000 nonprofit professionals' software. The platform shares that nonprofits can raise 25% more in their first year using DonorPerfect, and has various paid and free feature options.

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DonorPerfect pricing

DonorPerfect offers three levels of their online fundraising software: Core, Plus and Pro. While specific pricing for platform fees is only available upon a quote on their website, monthly begin around $99/month and transaction fees are not disclosed.

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DonorPerfect features

• Online donation forms

• Fundraising events

• Volunteer management

• Direct mail

• Monthly membership management

• Canadian tax receipts

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Fundraising platform reviews on DonorPerfect

Capterra: 4.6/5 overall rating

G2:

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“We love using DonorPerfect at the Calvert Marine Museum Development Office! It has transformed how we manage donor relationships, making it easier to track contributions, manage campaigns, and analyze our fundraising efforts. “ - Lisa H.

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7. Classy

Classy’s giving platform was, like Zeffy’s, designed exclusively for nonprofit organizations, and organizations need to have 501(c)(3) status to use their services. Classy is a giving platform designed to help nonprofits connect with supporters and simplify online. 

As part of the GoFundMe family, Classy empowers organizations with innovative technology to unlock generosity, create engaging donor experiences, and drive their missions forward within a global community of 150 million philanthropists.

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Classy pricing

Classy is not transparent about their pricing. But, we know there are fees based on nonprofit size and transaction fees vary especially when using their various payment methods like PayPal and Venmo.

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Classy features

• Classy offers a suite of software and services for their nonprofit organizations.

• Donation websites and forms

• Donor management

• Peer-to-peer campaigns

• International fundraising

• Crowdfunding

• Online fundraising events and ticketing

• Auctions and mobile bidding

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Fundraising platform reviews on Classy

Capterra: 4.3/5

G2: 4.⅘

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“Beyond the ease of use and wide array of features, Classy's customer service is outstanding. They always go above and beyond to provide value to the non-profit community. Their toolkits, whitepapers and blog posts are available free to all, and the customer and technical support is always available and helpful. All around great service.” - Mick W.

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8. Network for Good

Founded in 2001 by America Online, Cisco Systems, and Yahoo!, Network for Good offers online fundraising solutions for over 7,000 small nonprofits and has processed over $2.2 billion in transactions.

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Network for Good pricing

Network for Good isn’t super transparent with their pricing, however, we were able to find out that their packages start at $200 per month and 2.9% +$0.30% per transaction.

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Network for Good features

• All-in-one online fundraising platform for online donations, campaigns, and donor communication.

• Easy-to-create, branded donation pages to match your nonprofit's identity.

• Tools to track donor data, engagement, and giving history.

• Simplify tax receipt issuance for donors.

• Manage ticket sales, registrations, and event promotions.

• Access reports and analytics to optimize campaigns.

• Online fundraising coaching and resources to grow your impact.

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Fundraising platform reviews of Network for Good

Capterra: 4.6/5 overall rating

G2: 4.6/5

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“We appreciated the coach at the beginning of our joining Network for Good and now the customer representatives who help when we have a question. Overall, the different aspects of the Fundraising platform meet our needs and give us a clear picture of our fundraising efforts.” - Donna B.

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9. Eventbrite

Nonprofits can use Eventbrite to host online fundraising events, from auctions and raffles to endurance events and Galas. However, the cost of these activities and the management of the attendees are disparate from those of other fundraising activities. 

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Eventbrite pricing

Publishing free events on Eventbrite (no cost of admission) comes at no cost and there are no upfront fees. For other fundraising events that do charge a ticket or entry fee, Eventbrite’s pricing structure is broken out as the following:

• 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket

• 2.9% payment processing fee per order

• Attendees pay fees unless your organization chooses to cover them.

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Additionally, Eventbrite offers discounted ticket fees on donation tickets for nonprofits. Qualifying nonprofit organizations can access Eventbrite Pro plans for 50% off, which will benefit them by sending more event marketing emails and engaging guests.

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Eventbrite features

• Creation of engaging events and event registration forms

• Social media marketing tools

• Custom ticket sales

• Free events available 

• Payment processing capabilities 

• Event management in a recognizable user interface

• Hybrid events, group events, and zoom events

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Fundraising platform reviews  on Eventbrite

Capterra: 4.6/5 overall rating

G2: 4.3/5

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“This is a great tool, especially for smaller nonprofits or groups looking to promote and sell tickets (even free ones). I like the pay-as-you go options that don't lock you into a yearly/monthly commitment. I appreciated that there is still a free option for smaller events.” - Brian H. 

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Trust the best donation software for nonprofits in Canada

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Zeffy’s 100% free fundraising platform was designed with your donors in mind. Lean on features and a customer service team you can rely on, knowing we will never charge fees that take away from your fundraising potential.

Whether you're looking to expand on virtual fundraising, grow fundraising efficiency with a raffle and auction platform, create seamless donor management practices, or launch your online store, Zeffy has your back.

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FAQs: The best donation software for nonprofits in Canada

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