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.
Learn more >

Explore 2025 Give Lively Reviews: Pros, Cons, and Ratings

February 3, 2025

The only 100% free
fundraising platform for nonprofits

Sign up for free

Give Lively ratings 

Give Lively is a fundraising platform for nonprofits that is built as a practical solution that is easy to use. Let’s take a look at Capterra's ratings of Give Lively before heading into some honest reviews:

  • Overall rating: 4.1 /5
  • Customer service rating: 3.9 /5
  • Features rating: 3.5 /5
  • Value for money rating: 3.6 /5

Key features include:

  • Multi-channel fundraising (campaign pages, event ticketing, peer-to-peer, and text-to-donate)
  • Flexible payment options
  • Recurring donations
  • User portal for donors
  • Customizable branding and design
  • Robust security and compliance

Give Lively pros

Text-to-give feature

“I love the text to give an option that is customizable and tied into a campaign and the ability to have multiple campaigns is awesome.” - Ellie B.

Easy set up

“The platform is super easy to use and set up. It makes your giving page look professional and user-friendly.” -  Svetlana I.

Great for small nonprofits

“It's perfect for our small non-profit. It's great that they take only a small percentage of our donations and don't charge huge yearly fees. The donation campaigns you can design with this software look great and it's easy to connect to our website!” -  Maya L.

Give Lively cons

Reporting

“I did not like that it was a bit difficult to run reports and the integration for our walk could have been a little smoother allowing for more people to have access to their team information.” - Jon B.

Customer support

“My biggest issue is the tech support. there was no way to find support once you are logged in. you have to go to the main page not logged in to see the chat option. I did this two different times and both times the response was the same. At one point I was told that "this was a fee product". Does that mean I am to expect it not to work?” - Jeremy W.

Hidden fees

“Free with no catch? NO! Give Lively requires the user to have a stripe.com account which charges for every transaction. Stripe.com has a nonprofit discount but, and i find this just amazing, they will not tell you what the discount is unless you first set up an account with them!” - Richard Y.

Give Lively Pricing

Give Lively is advertised as a free fundraising platform and does not charge a platform fee. However, be aware that every transaction is subject to the following processing fees that are deducted from your donation totals:

  • ACH/Bank transfers: 0.8% (capped at $5 per transaction)
  • Major credit cards: 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction 
  • American Express cards: 3.5% per transaction
  • PayPal: 1.99% + $0.49 per transaction
  • Check: $0.97 per check 

Best Give Lively alternatives

1. Zeffy

Zeffy is the top alternative to Give Lively not only because it’s truly 100% free (without transaction fees) but also because of its robust features and customer service team to help nonprofits succeed. 

Zeffy’s key features include:

  • Mobile giving
  • Point-of-sale tool for in-person donations
  • Event management and raffles
  • E-commerce
  • Crowdfunding campaigns 
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising
  • Membership management
  • Auctions
  • Email automation
  • Recurring donations
  • Fundraising thermometer

2. Givebutter 

Givebutter is another Give Lively alternative that offers a broader range of modernized online giving tools. The platform has no fees, but payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 apply, with an option to allow donors to cover this expense.

Key features of Givebutter:

  • Multi-channel fundraising
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising
  • Event management

3. Classy

Classy is an alternative that larger organizations with a budget for fundraising software might prefer. Classy offers a variety of features for managing the donor experience from start to finish, and custom quotes are required to determine the exact price for your organization.

Key features of Classy:

  • Authentic storytelling and visuals
  • Donor engagement
  • Seamless giving experience

Give Lively reviews: FAQ

Yes, Give Lively is a trusted fundraising platform thousands of nonprofits use. It is backed by philanthropists and designed to provide free, high-quality digital fundraising tools.

Yes, Give Lively ensures security with end-to-end encryption, SSL-protected pages, PCI Level 1 compliance, and secure payment processing through Stripe.

While Give Lively’s platform is free for nonprofits, transaction fees apply on each donation made, which comes at a cost.

The only 100% free
fundraising platform
for nonprofits

Sign up - it’s free forever!

Keep reading :

No items found.

Raise funds with Zeffy. 100% free, forever.

Sign up for free
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

More fundraising tips, straight to your inbox!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Zeffy is the only 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits.

Get tailored fundraising ideas—free AI tool!

Find your ideal grant among thousands—free AI tool!

Start your nonprofit in 3 days—for free.