Zeffy vs Venmo: Fees, Features and CRM Compared
A Venmo charity profile takes 1.9% + $0.10 on each donation made in the Venmo app. Zeffy is free, with its own forms, monthly giving, events and donor CRM.
Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits
All your fundraising, every dollar kept
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Every dollar reaches you
A Venmo charity profile loses $2 on every $100 donation. On Zeffy the fee is covered, so your nonprofit receives the full $100.
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Every campaign, not just a profile
Run a gala, a monthly giving program, a raffle or a team challenge from your own Zeffy account, with nothing to pay.
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A CRM every gift writes into
Every donation, ticket and membership lands on the donor's record, with the tax receipt sent and the history kept for the next appeal.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Zeffy and Venmo?
Zeffy is a free all-in-one fundraising platform with a full donor CRM built in: donation forms, monthly giving, events, peer-to-peer, auctions, raffles, a store and memberships in one account, and every gift writes into the donor's record. Zeffy covers the processing fee, so no fee is taken from any gift. Venmo is a US payment app. A confirmed 501(c)(3) can open a charity profile and receive donations inside the Venmo app, for 1.9% + $0.10 each. Venmo sends the donor a receipt, but forms, events and a donor CRM are not publicly mentioned.
Does Zeffy accept Venmo?
No. Venmo is not a payment method on Zeffy. Donors pay by credit or debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or bank transfer (ACH) in the US, and can give through a donor-advised fund.
Can a nonprofit use Venmo?
Yes, through a Venmo charity profile. Nonprofits can't use a standard Venmo business profile. A charity profile sits on a PayPal confirmed charity account, which needs a valid US 501(c)(3) or equivalent, and it is managed in the Venmo app. Our guide to Venmo for nonprofits walks through the set-up.
How much does Venmo charge nonprofits?
Venmo's fees page lists one rate for charity profiles:
- 1.9% + $0.10 on each donation received.
- $0 to open the account, $0 a month.
- Standard transfers to your bank are free and typically take 1 to 3 business days.
- Instant Transfer: 1.75%, with a $0.25 minimum and a $25 maximum.
- On a refunded gift, the fee you paid is not returned.
- A $100 donation leaves $98.00 for the charity after $2.00 in fees.
Through a Zeffy form, that $100 donation stays $100, with or without a contribution from the donor. Source: venmo.com fees page and user agreement, October 2026.
Does Venmo send tax receipts for donations?
Yes, on both. Venmo's user agreement says it sends tax receipts to donors on the charity profile's behalf, and it shares each donor's name and email with the charity. Zeffy sends a tax receipt on every gift too, adds a Giving Recap of the year each January, and keeps the gift on the donor's record.
Can donors give monthly with Venmo?
A recurring option that the nonprofit sets up is not publicly mentioned for Venmo charity profiles. On Zeffy, each form can offer weekly, every two weeks, monthly, quarterly or yearly giving next to a one-time gift, and monthly donors get one cumulative receipt for the year.
Is Zeffy really free?
Yes. Zeffy charges your nonprofit nothing: no processing fee, no platform fee, no setup or monthly fee. Donors can choose to add a contribution to Zeffy when they check out, and the gift reaches you in full either way. See how Zeffy is free.
Should we use Venmo or Zeffy?
Choose Zeffy to run every campaign from one place: your own donation forms, monthly giving, events, auctions and a store, with a full donor CRM and no fee taken from any gift.
A Venmo charity profile takes one-off gifts inside the app at 1.9% + $0.10 each; donation forms, events and a donor CRM are not publicly mentioned.
Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy
Zeffy was built for nonprofits like yours
focus on what matters
Built for small teams with big missions.
Zeffy is the fundraising platform that cuts out the fees, clears up your tech mess, and puts your cause first — so your team, even if you're a small team wearing many hats or a one-person show, can focus on what really matters.
ZERO-FEE
Keep 100% of every dollar.
No platform fees. No processing fees. No catch. We know it sounds too good to be true, but it's not. Every penny goes straight to your mission, while competitors take 2-3% off every donation.
ALL-IN-ONE PLatform
Ditch the tech mess.
Stop bouncing between MailChimp, Eventbrite, and all those spreadsheets. Now you can handle donations, ticket sales, memberships, raffles, and all your donor info in one spot.
plug-and-play
Get going, fast.
Built for teams like yours — whether you're volunteer-led or have limited staff. Set up donation forms, sell tickets, and launch campaigns without needing a tech wizard. It's super easy, and you'll be up and running in minutes.
mobile-first
Fundraise from every device, anywhere.
From QR codes on flyers to Tap-to-Pay on a phone, Zeffy makes it easy to accept donations on the go. Mobile-optimized and offline-ready, so no donor slips through the cracks.
No turnover
Never lose a donor to volunteer transition.
Centralize supporter relationships, automate thank-you messages, and preserve institutional knowledge when board members rotate out.
100,000+ nonprofits trust Zeffy — and keep their fees at $0.
For 7+ years, Zeffy has supported nonprofits with free, user-friendly fundraising tools.
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As a startup nonprofit with only two members, and no funding (yet) we’d need something with low (or no) fees. Zeffy was a dream come true.
Masey, Loose Ends.
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SUCCESS STORIES
Zero-fee fundraising in action — nonprofit stories worth sharing.
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