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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.
Nonprofit organizations often struggle with managing relationships and communications effectively, a problem that can cause some major setbacks, like losing donors.
In this blog, we'll cover the best free CRMs(or customer relationship management) for nonprofits so your organization can find the right tool for managing donor relationships
Plus, what platforms are really free for nonprofits? Though some platforms claim to be completely free, they charge lots of hidden fees or have limited free plans.
Best CRMs for Donor Management in 2025 at a glance
CRM (donor management)
Best for
Standout feature
Pricing
Capterra rating
Zeffy
Small and medium-sized nonprofits looking to manage and engage with the right supporters at the right time
Organize all donor information in one place
100% free - no hidden costs
4.8/5
HubSpot
Larger nonprofits or NPOs scaling cross-team operations
Lots of nonprofit software platforms claim to be free, but don't offer transparent pricing, often charging organizations processing or platform fees. The best CRMs for nonprofits don't charge anything and offer unlimited contact records.
Access all donor activity, including donations, purchases, and tax receipts. This is essential for garnering donor insights, targeting major donors, and more.
Filtering options
Your software solution should be able to create and use custom filters to search for specific donor segments of your donor database.
Create and assign tags
The right CRM will allow you to label donors based on campaign, giving history, etc.
Contact importing and exporting
Some platforms charge extra for importing or exporting data. Choose a platform that allows you to manage this for free, on your own.
Integrate with other tools
Sync your CRM with your favorite payment processor, accounting app, volunteer management tool, fundraising platform, or other existing apps viaZapier
Attendee lists
Access attendees and donor databases for specific campaigns or events.
Recurring donation management
Monitor regular donors and check to see which recurring donors have lapsed.
Send custom links to donors
Send prefilled forms by email to simplify donations and transactions.
Reporting capabilities
Your CRM provider should offer robust functionality around creating reports so your team can gather information, understand it, and share it easily.
1. Zeffy: Best 100% free CRM for small and mid-sized nonprofits
When it comes to an all-in-one fundraising and free donor management platform, Zeffy is the clear winner. Unlike other competitors, Zeffy is the best CRM platform for small and medium nonprofits, offering a one-stop shop for fundraising, managing donors, running events, and so much more. Trusted by hundreds of nonprofits in North America, Zeffy helps organizations make more impact, for less.
Is Zeffy really free?
Zeffy is the only zero-fee fundraising and donor management 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 every other platform takes fees away from your mission, Zeffy delivers 100% of it to your nonprofit. With Zeffy, they give $100, you get $100. With every other platform, they give $100, you get $97 or less.
Import and export data
Filter and export donor lists
Add notes
Use segments
Access receipts for all campaigns
Record and track offline donations
Send and track support emails for optimal donor engagement
Send pre-filled forms
Pros:
Easy to use, no technical expertise needed
Customizable
100% free
Offers a full suite of other fundraising tools
Cons:
Only available for registered nonprofits in the US and Canada
Zeffy's testimonial:
“Because we are such a small nonprofit organization, when our last donor management system eliminated free accounts, we couldn't afford to continue with them. Zeffy's model is specifically for nonprofits, and they don't take a cent from any funds passing through their system. Instead, they ask each individual donor for a small donation.” —Susan W.
2. HubSpot CRM – Best for nonprofits managing cross-team workflows with AI support
HubSpot CRM is a powerful, AI-driven CRM platform used by sales, marketing, service, and operations teams. While originally designed for for-profit businesses, it’s increasingly adopted by growing nonprofits that need centralized data, task tracking, email tools, and donor pipeline visibility — all in one dashboard. Its intuitive interface and integrations make it appealing for nonprofits looking to scale their donor or partner engagement.
Is it really free?
Yes, HubSpot offers a free CRM plan with core features like contact management, email templates, meeting scheduling, and an AI assistant (Breeze Copilot). You can store up to 1,000 contacts that never expire, which may work for smaller teams.
But once you need more advanced tools—like marketing automation, team permissions, or custom reports—you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. These features are often essential as nonprofits grow, meaning the “free” plan has limits that organizations can outgrow quickly.
Pros:
Built-in AI assistant for smarter workflows
Appointment scheduling and email templates
KPI dashboards and donor pipeline tracking
Modern, intuitive interface
Cons:
Free plan limited to 1,000 contacts
Core fundraising features require external tools or a paid upgrade
Can feel complex or overbuilt for small nonprofits
Best for:
Nonprofits with dedicated teams across fundraising, marketing, and service, or those scaling operations, who need a CRM to support working across multiple teams.
3. Funraise: Best CRM for automation
From donor relationship management to campaign optimization, Funraise simplifies complex tasks. The platform's analytics and reporting tools provide valuable insights, enabling nonprofits to make data-driven decisions and cultivate lasting supporter relationships.
Is it really free?
Funraise has a limited free plan and does not publicly list any of its paid plan prices. However, there is a 0% platform fee, and processing fees of up to 2.9% + $0.30.
Funraise does not publicly list its paid plan prices, free plan has limitations.
Pros:
Automated tasks for team management or other stakeholders
Automated emails and marketing automation
Donor portal app for optimizing donor engagement efforts
Texting tools
Cons:
Limited free plan
Best for:
Nonprofits looking to automate workflows and tasks as part of their core CRM features.
Testimonial:
“Funraise allows us to track donations better and analyze donor data while finding ways to improve fundraising mechanisms and techniques. To a great extent, implementing these has allowed us to increase our organization's performance and effectiveness.” – Carmel D.
DonorDock is a nonprofit CRM platform designed to amplify donor relationship management. With a focus on simplicity, this platform helps customers organize, understand, and engage with their supporters effectively. DonorDock's user-friendly interface and customizable features make it an ideal choice for a nonprofit CRM software.
Is it really free?
DonorDock offers a limited free plan. Access to other online fundraising tools costs $99 - $299/month (but you can save 20% by subscribing to an annual plan). Additionally, donors are asked to cover 5% + $0.30 of their transaction.
Pros:
Task management
Custom reminders
Activity tracking
Integrations
Tags
Security
Cons:
Limited free plan
Best for:
Nonprofits looking for automatic reminders and task management tools.
Testimonial:
"Managing donors is our primary utilization of the software, and it does that very well. It allows us to easily communicate with donors from sending receipts to emailing and notifying them about campaigns. It also allows us to easily tag and track our donors so we can target communication when appropriate.” — Isaac C.
5. Giving Fuel: Best CRM for basic donor management features
GivingFuel serves as a simple CRM platform. Its user-friendly design facilitates seamless donor interactions, while the platform's features cover everything from donation tracking to campaign analytics. GivingFuel empowers nonprofits to effortlessly manage their fundraising initiatives and build lasting connections with supporters.
Is it really free?
GivingFuel offers a limited free plan and charges $59-$349 /month for access to premium features, as well as up to 4.99% + $0.25 in processing fees.
Pros:
Data exporting
Integrations
Create tasks
Activity tracking
Custom profiles
Cons:
Limited free plan
Only offers basic functionality
Fees for additional features and support
Best for:
Nonprofits that need a simple, easy-to-use CRM with basic features for managing donors.
Testimonial:
“It is really easy to take donations, register for events, & manage recurring donors. Our donors can easily access their giving and update their information.” — Cassie F.
6. RallyUp: Best CRM for flexible payment methods
With diverse campaign options and customization tools, the RallyUp platform offers nonprofits the ability to tailor their fundraising strategies to any of their needs. Real-time analytics and integrated social sharing make it a go-to platform for organizations looking to create engaging and successful fundraising campaigns.
Is it really free?
RallyUp is free with donor tipping — without, nonprofits must pay a 7.5% per-transaction platform fee. Nonprofits also must pay for premium features such as "Donation Pages" or "Donor Profiles" — paid plans start at $99/month.
Pros:
Detailed profiles
Activity tracking
Custom donor communications
Security
Integrations
Flexible payment methods
Cons:
Limited free plan
Only basic CRM functions
Best for:
Nonprofits that want to give their donors multiple ways to give.
Testimonial:
“Using RallyUp these past couple of years to facilitate our fundraising events has been an absolute breeze! With all of the current amazing features and all of the new features that keep evolving- It was almost as if this software was made and tailored specifically to what we needed!” —Stephanie B.
Choosing the right nonprofit CRM for your organization is essential to make the most impact as possible. From sending custom email marketing campaigns to automating tasks and creating detailed contact profiles, the right platform can help you build connections that last.
With Zeffy, nonprofits can take advantage of all of the best CRM and donor management tools available in the industry, without paying a cent. With easy filtering and segmenting, data import and export, plus a whole suite of other fundraising tools available right on the platform, Zeffy helps nonprofits do more for less.
Frequently asked questions about free CRMs for nonprofits
Understanding whether your nonprofit needs a CRM system boils down to your organization's goals and scale. If you're handling a substantial amount of donor information, managing relationships, and tracking interactions, a CRM can be a game-changer.
The cost of a nonprofit CRM can vary widely based on factors like features, scalability, and user capacity. Some platforms offer free versions with basic functionalities, while more robust systems with advanced features may come with a monthly or annual subscription fee.
Yes—Zeffy is one of the only truly free CRM tools for nonprofits, with no platform or transaction fees.
The best CRM depends on your goals and team size, but for small nonprofits that want simplicity, affordability, and features built for fundraising, Zeffy is a top choice. It combines donation tracking, event management, email receipts, and more—all in one place, with zero fees.
That depends on your needs. The free plan is a solid starting point, but can be limiting for some nonprofits. The DonorDock free plan:
Limits to 500 contacts
Only allows one user
Offers basic donor management features
Doesn’t have automation or integrations
If you need multi-user access, advanced reporting, or automation tools, the upgrade may be worth it—but Zeffy offers many of these features for free, with no cap on contacts or users.
A good CRM helps you build stronger relationships with donors by:
Tracking donor history and giving patterns
Sending personalized thank-you messages and updates
Reminding you of key dates like donor anniversaries
Segmenting donors for targeted outreach
Automating follow-ups and campaigns
With Zeffy, small nonprofits can stay connected with donors in meaningful ways—without paying extra for the tools that make it happen.
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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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