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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.
How Does Zeffy Work? Free Fundraising Platform Explained
May 14, 2026
⚡TL;DR — The Short Answer
What Zeffy is: A 100% free fundraising platform built exclusively for nonprofits — no platform fees, no transaction fees, no credit card fees, ever.
Zeffy's stats: 100,000+ nonprofits trust Zeffy. Together they've raised $2B+ with $0 in fees paid to the platform.
How Zeffy stays free: Zeffy is funded entirely by optional donor tips. When donors give, they can choose to leave a small tip to support the platform — it's completely optional, and nonprofits keep every dollar they raise.
Who it's for: Any registered nonprofit that wants to raise more money without losing a cut to platform fees.
What tools it includes: Donation forms, event ticketing, peer-to-peer campaigns, memberships, auctions, raffles, eCommerce, donor management, and in-person payments — all in one free dashboard.
Zeffy is the only fundraising platform that charges nonprofits absolutely nothing. No monthly subscription. No per-transaction cut. No percentage of donations. Nothing.
More than 100,000 nonprofits use Zeffy to run donation campaigns, sell event tickets, manage memberships, and accept in-person payments. Together, they've raised over $2 billion — and every dollar went to their mission, not to platform fees.
Zeffy works for nonprofits of every size and type: food banks, arts organizations, animal rescues, school booster clubs, religious organizations, political committees, and more. If you're a registered nonprofit, Zeffy is built for you.
The platform is web-based. You can access it from any browser, and the free Zeffy mobile app lets you scan tickets and accept in-person payments on your phone — no card reader required.
Zeffy covers 100% of the platform and payment processing costs itself. Here's the simple version of how that works.
When a donor completes a transaction on Zeffy, they see an optional tip prompt before checkout. The tip goes directly to Zeffy to help keep the platform running. The tip is:
Completely optional
Set to a suggested amount by default (donors can change it to zero)
Separate from the nonprofit's donation — the nonprofit receives the full amount regardless
The donor pays the tip. The nonprofit pays nothing. That's it.
This model means Zeffy's revenue comes from donors who want to support the platform, not from the nonprofits who depend on it. It's a deliberate choice. Zeffy is funded entirely by optional donor tips.
Because Zeffy processes over $100 million in transactions every month, even small optional tips across millions of donations sustain the entire operation. No nonprofit subscription fees needed.
What this means for your organization
Other platforms take a percentage of every donation you collect. Those fees add up fast. PayPal charges 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction. Donorbox charges 2.2% + $0.30 in processing fees plus an additional 1.75%–2.05% platform fee on top of that.
On Zeffy, you keep every dollar you raise. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card processing fee. That money stays in your budget and goes to your mission.
Zeffy's fundraising tools
Zeffy isn't just a donation button. It's a full fundraising suite — all free, all in one dashboard. Here's what's included.
Donation forms
Create customizable online donation forms in minutes. Supporters can give a one-time gift or set up a recurring donation. Forms accept credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets. You can embed a form on your website, share it as a direct link, or use a QR code to direct people to it at events.
Every form includes a fundraising thermometer so donors can see your progress toward a goal in real time.
Event ticketing
Sell and manage tickets for any fundraising event. You can set different ticket types, control capacity, and customize the checkout experience. Attendees receive e-tickets by email automatically. On event day, use the Zeffy mobile app to scan e-tickets at the door — no extra hardware needed.
Peer-to-peer campaigns
Turn your supporters into fundraisers. With peer-to-peer campaigns, your donors create their own individual fundraising pages under your main campaign. You get a centralized dashboard showing all activity across every individual page. It's a powerful way to grow your reach without growing your workload.
Memberships
Sell and manage membership programs with recurring payments built in. Members are tracked in the same dashboard as your donors and ticket buyers, keeping everything in one place.
Online store (eCommerce)
Sell merchandise, branded items, or any physical goods directly through Zeffy. Orders and sales are tracked alongside your other fundraising activity in your main dashboard.
Raffles and auctions
Host online or in-person raffles with numbered ticketing handled automatically. Run fundraising auctions where donors bid on items. Both tools are built into Zeffy at no cost.
Donor management
Track donor information, giving history, and contact details in one place. You can import your existing donor list into Zeffy and keep everything organized alongside your fundraising activity.
Tap to Pay
Accept in-person payments on any iPhone or Android smartphone — no physical card reader required. Tap to Pay turns your phone into a zero-fee point-of-sale. It's ideal for events, tabling, and any situation where you need to collect money in person.
How to get started on Zeffy
Getting your first form live takes less than an hour. Here are the five steps.
From your dashboard, choose the type of fundraising form you want to create: donation form, event ticketing, peer-to-peer campaign, membership, raffle, auction, or online store. Follow the setup prompts to customize the form with your branding, goal amount, and any details relevant to your campaign.
Step 3: Complete Stripe verification
Zeffy uses Stripe to process payments securely. Before you can collect funds, you'll need to verify your organization's identity through a quick Stripe onboarding process. This typically requires your organization's legal name, address, and tax ID. The process usually takes a few minutes. For more detail, see Zeffy's help center guide on getting started.
Step 4: Connect your bank account
Link the bank account where you want to receive your payouts. This is where Zeffy deposits your funds on your payout schedule. You'll enter your account and routing number during the Stripe verification step.
Step 5: Share your form and start collecting
Once your form is live, share it. You can:
Copy the direct link and paste it anywhere
Embed the form on your existing website
Generate a QR code and use it on printed materials, at events, or on social media
Share directly to social platforms from your Zeffy dashboard
How payments and payouts work
Accepted payment methods
Zeffy accepts credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets on all online forms. For in-person payments via Tap to Pay, your supporters can tap a card or phone directly on your device.
Zeffy sends payouts directly to your connected bank account on a regular schedule. For current timing details, check the payout schedule article in the Zeffy help center.
All transactions are processed securely through Stripe, one of the world's most trusted payment infrastructure providers.
Integrations
Zeffy connects with tools your team already uses. Zapier integration lets you connect Zeffy to hundreds of other apps, including CRMs, email platforms, and spreadsheets. For a current list of integrations, see the Zeffy integrations page.
Zeffy vs. other fundraising platforms
Most fundraising platforms charge a percentage of every donation you collect. Those fees come directly out of your mission funding.
Platform
Platform fee
Processing fee
Zeffy
$0
$0
PayPal
Varies
2.2% + $0.30
Donorbox
1.75%–2.05%
2.2% + $0.30
Eventbrite
Varies
6% + $0.79
On Zeffy, your donors' contributions go entirely to your cause. No cuts, no surprises on your payout.
Nonprofits using Zeffy: real results
Nonprofits of every size and type use Zeffy to keep more money in their mission. Here are three organizations seeing the difference zero fees makes.
Sacred Portion Children's Outreach
Sacred Portion Children's Outreach uses Zeffy to run donation campaigns and manage donor relationships. Because Zeffy charges nothing in platform or processing fees, every dollar raised by their supporters reaches the children and families they serve directly — none of it lost to platform cuts.
Waggytail Rescue
Waggytail Rescue runs adoption events and online fundraising through Zeffy. Using Zeffy's ticketing and donation tools at zero cost means the rescue keeps funds that would otherwise go to processing fees — money that goes directly toward veterinary care and rescue operations instead.
Jefferson County Democrats
Jefferson County Democrats relies on Zeffy for fundraising compliance and donation collection. The zero-fee model means their donor contributions are not reduced by platform percentages, keeping more resources available for local organizing and outreach.
Yes. Zeffy charges nonprofits nothing. There are no platform fees, no transaction fees, and no credit card processing fees — ever. Zeffy is funded entirely by optional tips that donors can choose to leave at checkout. Those tips go to Zeffy directly and are completely separate from your organization's funds. You keep every dollar you raise.
Zeffy makes money through optional tips from donors. When a supporter completes a donation or ticket purchase, they see a prompt to leave a small tip to help keep Zeffy free. The tip is optional — donors can set it to zero. Because Zeffy processes over $100 million in transactions each month, enough donors choose to tip that it sustains the entire platform without charging nonprofits anything.
Zeffy accepts credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets on all online forms. For in-person payments through Tap to Pay, supporters can tap a card or phone on your smartphone. See the full Zeffy payment methods guide for details.
Yes. Zeffy integrates with Zapier, which connects it to hundreds of other platforms including CRMs, email marketing tools, and spreadsheets. See the Zeffy integrations article for the current list of supported integrations.
Most nonprofits go from signup to a live fundraising form in under an hour. The main steps are: create your account, build your form, complete Stripe identity verification, and connect your bank account. Once those steps are done, your form is ready to share and collect funds.
Yes. You can import your existing donor list directly into Zeffy. The help center has a step-by-step guide on importing donor data to walk you through the process.
Yes. Zeffy's Tap to Pay feature turns any iPhone or Android smartphone into a zero-fee payment terminal. No card reader, no hardware costs, no fees. It's ideal for events, fundraising tables, or any situation where you need to accept payments face to face.
Every dollar you raise should reach your mission. With zero fees and tools for every type of fundraiser, Zeffy makes that possible for nonprofits of all sizes.
The Best Point-of-Sale (POS) for Nonprofits & Detailed Comparison of Options for 2025
Looking for a nonprofit POS that fits your organization’s needs? Learn more about Zeffy’s Tap to Pay and why it's the best and most affordable POS system.
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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