We use cookies to improve your experience on our platform. By clicking “Accept all cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies required for basic website functionality.
Cookies used to deliver content most relevant to you and your needs.
Cookies used to deliver content most relevant to you and your needs.
Cookies that help understand the performance of the website, how users interact with it and to identify bugs.
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.
Marketing tools are no longer a "nice to have" resource for nonprofits. They have become indispensable for organizations of all sizes. The right marketing software makes a significant difference in achieving your goals, from optimizing campaigns to analyzing performance and automating repetitive tasks.
We'll walk you through the best marketing software solutions for nonprofits in different categories. Read on to understand how to choose the most effective solution.
What are the different types of nonprofit marketing tactics to consider?
Since your supporters will have varying preferences and interests, spreading out your digital marketing efforts ensures that your communications reach as many people as possible.
Some key marketing tactics that you should focus on include:
Event marketing: Highlighting your cause or raising funds through interactive events where people engage directly with your nonprofit
Content marketing: Creating and sharing valuable content (blogs, articles, videos, graphics) to inform and engage your audience about your mission and initiatives
Email marketing: Keeping supporters informed and engaged by sharing newsletters, updates, and impact reports
Paid advertising: Reaching targeted audiences through ads on search engines or social media for fundraising and awareness campaigns
Influencer marketing: Partnering with content creators who have an interest in your cause to promote your nonprofit to their followers
Search engine optimization: Optimizing your website and content to rank higher in search results and drive organic traffic
Analytics and optimization: Collecting and analyzing marketing data to measure campaign performance and inform future strategies
To make the most out of these marketing efforts, check out the tools outlined in the next section based on the stated marketing tactics.
Overview of 10 best marketing tools for nonprofits
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Marketing Tool
Best for
Free Trial/Product Demo
Pricing
User Ratings
Zeffy
All-in-one email marketing and fundraising software
Standard: Starts at $13.69 per month
Premium: Starts at $273.86 per month
(15% discount for nonprofits)
Capterra: 4.5 G2: 4.4
Google Ads
Online advertising
No
Free for nonprofits
Capterra: 4.5 G2: 4.3
Later
Social media management
Yes
Starter: $25/month
Growth: $45/month
Advanced: $80/month
Agency: $200/month
(50% off on subscriptions; 100% off on the Growth monthly plan for nonprofit organizations fighting racism)
Eligible nonprofits can access all the premium features of the Pro version for free
Capterra: 4.7 G2: 4.7
Grin
Influencer marketing
Yes
Upon request
Capterra: 4.7 G2: 4.6
Animoto
Dedicated solution for video marketing
Yes
Basic: $8/month
Professional: $15/month
Professional Plus: $39/month
Capterra: 4.2 G2: 4.3
1. Zeffy: Best all-in-one software for nonprofits
Zeffy offers 100% free comprehensive tools to streamline your nonprofit's marketing and fundraising efforts. Its event management features allow you to create, promote, and sell tickets for fundraisers with ease.
The platform's built-in email marketing capabilities enable you to engage supporters throughout your campaigns, from initial invitations to post-event follow-ups.
Best of all, Zeffy provides these powerful tools at no cost, allowing you to allocate more resources to your mission.
Features
Create multi-date ticketing forms
Automate and customize event reminder emails
Create and organize event-attendee list
Sell group or individual tickets
Setup custom event pages
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
100% free allowing more funds to go directly to your cause
Integrated email marketing tools to engage event attendees effectively
Accepts all payment methods
Adds a donation option to your event forms
Only available to registered nonprofits in the US and Canada
Pricing
100% free with no processing, platform, or transaction fees.
2. Semrush: Best for search engine marketing and brand visibility
Semrush is a powerful tool for nonprofits aiming to enhance their search engine marketing. It provides comprehensive keyword research, competitive analysis, and site audit features that help optimize online presence.
By leveraging Semrush's insights, you can identify high-impact keywords, track your search engine rankings, and uncover SEO opportunities to attract more organic traffic.
Features
On-page and local SEO
Link building
Competitor SEO Analysis
PPC keyword research
SEO writing assistant
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
Help with keyword research ideation and management of content
Track daily rankings for search engine visibility
Helpful content marketing features
On-page SEO and technical SEO features are available
Local SEO tools are add-ons and will cost extra
Limited features with the free plan such as support with only one project and 10 keyword tracking
Pricing
A free version is available with a limited set of tools, with paid plans starting at:
Pro: $139/month with up to 5 projects, 500 keywords tracking, and 10,000 results per report
Guru: $249/month with up to 15 projects, 1,500 keywords tracking, and 30,000 results per report
Business: $499/month with up to 40 projects, 5000 keyword tracking, and 50,000 results per report
3. Mailchimp: Best for email marketing
Mailchimp offers a user-friendly interface with robust features for creating and sending visually appealing emails, including monthly newsletters and automated drip campaigns.
It also allows you to set automated workflows for donor welcome series or follow-ups and access pre-built templates for designing newsletters.
Features
Intuitive drag-and-drop email editor
Automated email segmentation and workflows
Integration with several CRM systems
A/B testing to refine email marketing strategy
Subject line helper
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
Send-out settings that help to share emails at the best possible time
Automatically personalizes emails based on donors
Endless integration options
Come up with different email series to nurture donors
Limited email templates with free version
Slow response time with customer support
No email scheduling on the free plan
Pricing
Mailchimp provides a one-month free trial and a 15% discount for verified nonprofits and charities.
Standard (Send up to 6,000 emails each month): $13/month
Premium (Send up to 150,000 emails each month): $273 /month
The Google Ad Grants Program offers nonprofits free advertising on Google's search engine, a valuable marketing tool for increasing their online visibility.
The program provides up to $10,000 per month to spend on Google Ads. You can use these credits to create targeted advertising campaigns for fundraisers, promote events, or attract volunteers.
Features
Keyword and location-based targeting
Performance tracking and reporting
Text, design, and video ads
Conversion tracking
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
Resources and support to optimize advertising campaigns
Boosts online conversions such as donations and event registrations
Drives relevant traffic to your website
Develop ad campaigns to meet different marketing goals
Requires ongoing keyword management
Small charities may lack personnel and time for continuous monitoring and optimization essential for ad success
Later is a free marketing tool for creating and scheduling social media posts for all your accounts from a centralized dashboard. It helps you stay on top of all your interactions in direct messages and comments.
Later supports all the essential social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok. It helps identify high-performing and underperforming content to help tweak your social media strategy for better outcomes.
Features
AI-powered caption generation tool
Link in bio tool for Instagram and Tiktok
Content creation tools
Visual planner to create the perfect feed
Scheduling and advanced analytics
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
Offers hashtag and commenting suggestions to increase reach
Helps to find suitable content to use on posts
Design high-quality social media content
Edit and optimize content for each platform
Limited analytics feature
The free version has basic features and tools
Lack of support for some social media platforms compared to others
Pricing
To access Later’s advanced and premium features, nonprofits can check the paid plans:
Growth: $30/month
Advanced: $53/month
Agency: $133/month
Later offers eligible nonprofits a 50% discount on their paid plans and a 100% discount to those fighting racism and social injustice.
6. Grammarly: Best for refining your content and tone
Grammarly helps you write clear, polished, compelling copy to attract potential supporters and easily make them understand your key message.
Its free browser extension allows you to write and refine your nonprofit's content anywhere, from websites to Gmail and Facebook.
Features
Tone detector and spell checker
Text generation tool
Phrasing recommendations
Browser extensions
Genre-specific writing style checks
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
Varied and polished vocabulary to enhance writing quality
AI assistance to create compelling marketing content
Lists of synonyms to vary your content wording
Offers insights for understanding how easy or difficult your text is to read
Often misinterprets texts leading to incorrect suggestions
Limited creativity
Primarily supports English language only
No discounts are available on paid plans for nonprofits
Pricing
Grammarly has two paid plans with advanced features
Premium: $30/member/month
Business: $25/member/month
7. Google Analytics: Best for understanding website user behavior
Your website serves as one of your most important marketing channels. It provides a platform to interact and communicate with your supporters. Google Analytics helps you understand how successful a website is as a marketing tool. It offers a complete view of your website performance and even Google Ads.
Google Analytics offers valuable data on page views, website visitors, engagement time, and more to optimize online presence for better visibility and conversions.
Features
Reporting and visualization
Conversion tracking
ROI analysis on marketing campaigns
Integration with Google Ads
Detailed demographics and interests of website visitors
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
Visual representation of how users navigate through the site
Creation of custom dashboards and reports
Analysis of traffic sources generating good results for your nonprofit
Real-time monitoring of user behavior
Initial setup requires an understanding of metrics and dimensions
Learning curve to efficiently use the platform
Pricing
Google Analytics is completely free.
8. Canva: Best for creating eye-catching visuals
Canva is a free graphic design tool that allows you to create eye-catching visuals to empower your marketing efforts. With thousands of pre-built templates and a drag-and-drop editor, the platform easily helps you produce everything from social media posts to reports, flyers, presentations, and more.
You can upload your nonprofit's elements like videos, pictures, or audio and use Canva tools to create branded graphics.
Features
User-friendly design interface
Extensive library of design elements
Customizable templates
Collaboration and sharing tools
AI design tools
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
Brand kit creator to maintain consistency in creating collaterals for marketing strategy
Helps to create impact reports and infographics
Features templates for nonprofit marketing plans
Create professionally designed videos with ease
Limited template designs with a free plan
Limited File Export Options
Intellectual Property Concerns
Pricing
Canva offers eligible organizations free access to its premium features for up to 50 users, but some elements will require payment.
If your nonprofit is interested in tapping into the potential of Influencer marketing, Grin is a good choice. It simplifies the process of identifying, communicating, and managing influencer partnerships.
You can share relevant content with your influencers through the app and receive updates when influencer posts go live on social media channels.
Features
Identify and recruit influencers
Reporting and analytics
Relationship management
Influencer tracking
Integrates with many marketing tools
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
Filtered search to find appropriate influencers
Ease of use in connecting with influencers
Create customizable influencer campaigns
Track conversions and pay commissions
Lack of pricing transparency
Enhanced reporting is available at an additional cost
Pricing
Available upon request
10. Animoto: Best for video content creation
Animoto is a dedicated video marketing tool ideal for nonprofits to produce content for several channels, from social media to emails and presentations. It features templates related to cause awareness, fundraisers, and other charity-related campaigns.
With pre-built storyboards and a voice-over feature, narrate your nonprofit story in your own words in a visually engaging manner and create a strong emotional impact.
Features
Drag and drop editor
Music and stock library
Custom font, logo, colors upload
Publish directly to social media
Collaborate on video creation
Pros and cons
Nonprofits Marketing Software Solutions
Pros
Cons
A very quick learning curve that makes it ideal for beginners
Online editor and no download required
Offers an extensive template library base
Easy reviewing by adding time-stamped comments to your video
Animoto watermark appears on the free version
No online chat support
Pricing
A free version is available with paid plans starting at:
Basic: $8/month
Professional: $15/month
Professional Plus: $79/month
5 tips to choose the right nonprofit marketing software
What are you trying to achieve with your marketing efforts?
How can you reach more potential supporters?
What's the best way to keep your current donors engaged?
How can you spread awareness about your cause more effectively?
What tools would help streamline your communication with volunteers?
Your goals will guide your choice of marketing software, as different tools are suited for different purposes.
2. Understand different types of marketing tools
The variety of marketing tools available can be overwhelming. Focus on identifying which aspects of your marketing strategy need the most support, then choose tools that directly address those needs and align with your goals.
Common types of marketing tools include:
Email marketing platforms
Content management systems
Social media management tools
Customer relationship management software
Event fundraising software
Marketing automation platforms
3. Check for integration capabilities
When choosing marketing tools, focus on those that offer robust integration capabilities. Ensuring seamless collaboration and data flow between different systems and tools is important.
Look for pre-built integration with popular solutions like CRM systems, analytics tools, fundraising platforms, and other essential solutions.
4. Take into account your budget
Budget is an important consideration when choosing marketing software. Evaluate the total cost of owning marketing software, which includes subscription fees, training expenses, implementation costs, and ongoing maintenance fees.
Consider whether the benefits and features justify the price and align with your budget. Take advantage of the free trials or live product demos to test the software and see whether it will add value to your nonprofit marketing.
5. Ease of use and implementation
If a marketing solution is difficult to use or lacks adequate support, it may hinder rather than help your efforts.
Look for solutions that offer user-friendly workflows, intuitive interfaces, and comprehensive support resources. Consider how easily and quickly the software can be implemented in your nonprofit. It should be easy for all your marketing team members to navigate.
Concluding thoughts on nonprofit marketing software
Selecting the right marketing tools is crucial for nonprofits to maximize their impact and efficiently manage resources. By carefully assessing your organization's needs, budget, and goals, you can choose solutions that help your marketing team or your partner nonprofit marketing agency.
Remember to prioritize user-friendly platforms that integrate well with your existing systems. Look for free marketing tools to save costs as you start your nonprofit. Zeffy is a 100% free, all-in-one tool for nonprofits.
By choosing the right marketing tools, your nonprofit can streamline its outreach efforts, build stronger connections with supporters, and more effectively communicate its impact.
There are several ways through which you can advertise your nonprofit for free. These include:
Social media: Use social media marketing channels like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn to share your mission, stories, and impact. Publish consistently on these channels and engage with your followers to increase visibility.
Partnerships and collaborations: Partner with other organizations, businesses, or influencers who align with your mission. Collaborative campaigns extend your reach in front of new audiences.
Content marketing: Create valuable and educational content such as blogs, videos, or infographics highlighting your mission. Share them on your social media channels and website as well as through emails to attract donors and grow visibility around your work.
Putting together an effective nonprofit strategy is a great way to stay on track in reaching your specific goals. Here’s how you can create one:
Understand your target audience. Develop detailed profiles of your ideal segments including donors, volunteers, sponsors, and more.
Create a clear, consistent, and compelling message that captures the essence of your mission and organization.
Decide on the marketing channels, activities, and tools you will be using to reach your target audience.
Create a content calendar for a month where you plan what kind of content to create, where it will be published, and when it will be posted.
Continuously monitor your marketing strategy based on the specific KPIs of each platform. Make adjustments based on what’s working and what’s not.
A social media scheduling tool is the greatest time-saver ever. It allows you to schedule content on a specific timeline to maintain a consistent presence on the social media platform. Some of the best scheduling tools are:
Planner: Enables you to plan, schedule, and organize posts using a simple drag-and-drop editor.
Hootsuite: Offers a comprehensive calendar for managing posts across multiple social media platforms.
Sprout Social: Provides planning and scheduling, social analytics, social listening, mentions, social inbox, and even employee advocacy.
The only 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits
Email Marketing for Nonprofits - Top Tools and Best Practices in 2024
Email marketing for nonprofits can help you increase donations, share your mission, and engage with supporters. Explore best practices and top tools to for successful email campaigns.
Nonprofits thrive with strong marketing strategies. Learn about the best marketing jobs for nonprofits with our guide - skills, salary, and job description.
