Zeffy Alternatives: 7 Fundraising Platforms with Better Features and Support for Nonprofits

Are you thinking about switching from Zeffy? Maybe the platform isn’t working for you anymore.

It could be the limited fundraising features that can’t keep up with your growing donor base. Or maybe it’s the support that feels a bit distant when you need help most. Perhaps it’s the zero-fee model that sounded perfect initially, but now the tech restrictions are getting in your way.

Don’t worry! There are plenty of fundraising tools for nonprofits out there. 

In this guide, we’ve rounded up seven Zeffy alternatives that give you more fundraising types, clearer pricing, and features that actually help you raise more. Some offer the same free model with better tools, while others provide premium features worth the investment.

Let’s find the best fundraising software for your nonprofit.

At a glance: Zeffy alternatives for nonprofits 

What should you know about Zeffy before picking an alternative?

Zeffy is a zero-fee fundraising platform built for small nonprofits. It offers features like donor management, event ticketing, and raffles in one place.

But the issue is that these features lack depth. You can create campaigns, but customization options are limited. You can track donors, but reporting capabilities don’t give you the insights needed for planning.

Many nonprofits start with Zeffy because of its “free” promise. But as you scale up, the platform limitations become impossible to ignore.

Here are some of the reasons why people often look for Zeffy alternatives:

• No open API access: Zeffy doesn’t offer a direct or open-source API. Integrations are limited to Zapier-based workflows, which may require a paid Zapier plan, which restricts how seamlessly you can connect Zeffy to other tools your organization relies on. 
• Basic reporting tools: You can see donation data, but creating custom reports that match your organization’s specific needs is difficult. 
• Restricted branding options: You can add your logo and adjust colors, but visual design options are limited with no support for fully customizing forms and materials.
• Missing advanced fundraising features: Zeffy’s campaign and auction tools are basic, lacking advanced crowdfunding features such as sophisticated team structures. No text-to-giving and also auction are also limited, lacking detailed bidder tracking.
• Basic team management: You can’t limit form access by teams or departments, creating issues for larger organizations where different groups need independent campaign management.

Is Zeffy really free?

Zeffy markets itself as completely free with no direct costs for nonprofits. But there’s a catch that many organizations don’t realize until they’re already using the platform.

The “free” model runs entirely on donor tips. During checkout, supporters see a suggested tip amount added to their donation. It’s presented as optional, but the way it’s designed makes opting out feel awkward.

Here’s how it works: When donors complete their gift, they see default tip suggestions based on the transaction amount and cannot be customized. 

While the donors can reduce or remove the tip, the option is hidden in a dropdown. As such, it is easy to miss depending on the form layout or device.

This creates three real problems for your fundraising:

• Donation reduction: Some supporters lower their intended donation amount to account for the tip they feel pressured to leave. A donor planning to give $100 might give $85 instead, adding a $15 tip to stay within their budget.
• Tipping fatigue: Donors already see tip requests everywhere, from coffee shops to online stores. Adding another tipping decision can create frustration or decision fatigue that discourages future donations.
• Loss of control: You can’t customize or remove the default tip suggestions. Even if you’d prefer different messaging or want to eliminate tipping confusion entirely, Zeffy doesn’t give you that option. 

The bigger issue is trust. When donors feel like they’re being nudged toward extra fees through confusing checkout processes, it can damage their confidence in your organization. 

Top 7 Zeffy alternatives for your fundraising success

Here are seven of the best fundraising platform options that come with more strengths, transparency, and support than Zeffy.

1. RallyUp – Complete fundraising platform

RallyUp is the best fundraising platform designed for nonprofits of all sizes, from small teams to large-scale organizations. Its feature depth is so vast that you won’t need to invest in any other fundraising tools for nonprofits.

Zeffy vs RallyUp

• Fundraising types

RallyUp fundraising platform features 12+ activity types, including raffles, online/live/silent auctions, sweepstakes, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer, A-thons, ticketing, stores, and livestreaming. 

On the contrary, Zeffy is limited to event ticketing, online auctions, raffles, stores, memberships, crowdfunding, and online donation campaigns.

• Multi-campaign support

You can combine up to seven different fundraising types in a single campaign. Run a raffle alongside an auction, add a store to your event, or layer peer-to-peer on any campaign type.

Zeffy runs each campaign separately, not letting you combine multiple fundraising formats into a unified experience. 

• Done-for-you service

RallyUp offers completely free campaign creation. Their experts build your entire campaign, source images, write descriptions, and hand it off ready to launch. With Zeffy, you get no such support. You build everything yourself.

• Free templates

RallyUp features multiple templates with certain pre-filled fields that you can customize with a functional preview to make sure everything works perfectly. You can also set up your own custom template and share it with your team. Zeffy just offers you basic form templates. 

• Customization

RallyUp offers full branding control, including custom domains, colors, fonts, logos, and complete page layouts. You can create campaigns that look like natural extensions of your website. 

On the other side, Zeffy comes with limited visual design options, making it challenging to fully align campaigns with your brand identity.

• API and integrations

RallyUp integrates with major CRMs, email platforms, and accounting software. The platform supports custom integrations for enterprise clients. Zeffy allows integrations through Zapier, which can be time-consuming. 

• Reporting and analytics

RallyUp provides detailed campaign analytics, donor behavior tracking, conversion metrics, and customizable reports. You can track performance across all campaign types from one dashboard. 

With Zeffy, users frequently mention difficulty creating custom reports that match specific organizational needs.

• Team management

RallyUp allows role-based access control. You can limit what different team members see and manage across campaigns and departments.

All team members see everything in Zeffy, creating management issues for larger organizations with multiple departments.

• Pricing 

RallyUp offers three models: 

1. The Free Plan charges no platform fees — your organization keeps 100% of donations, with an optional donor tip at checkout that goes to RallyUp. 
2. Next, a flex plan charges no donor tipping by default (you can enable it and keep 100% of tips if you choose), with platform fees per activity 
3. An enterprise plan with a fee depending on large campaigns and in-person events.

Note that these are platform fees only – standard payment processing fees via Stripe or PayPal apply separately to all plans and are not collected or marked up by RallyUp. 

Zeffy operates solely on donor tips, but its opt-out options are confusing compared to RallyUp. 

See how RallyUp compares with Zeffy in detail

2. Givebutter 

Givebutter is a pretty easy-to-use fundraising platform with nice social sharing features to engage and build your donor community. 

Features

• Built-in CRM with unlimited contacts and automated data syncing
• SMS messaging for direct text campaigns to supporters
• Integrations with Zapier, Stripe, Bloomerang, Mailchimp, and Salesforce
• Advanced automation for receipts, event reminders, and follow-ups

Limitations

• Limited form and campaign page customization beyond basic branding
• Event management tools lack depth for large galas and complex planning
• Donor management and analytics are fairly basic 

Pricing

A free plan with optional donor tipping (0% platform fees) plus processing fees around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. If tipping is disabled, a 3% platform fee applies. Givebutter Plus starts at $29/month for accounts with 250 or fewer contacts.

3. Donorbox

Donorbox is ideal if your nonprofit primarily focuses on donation pages. It makes embedding forms incredibly easy – just copy-paste code into your website, customize the design to match your brand, and start accepting donations in minutes.

Features

• Includes recurring giving options in donation forms
• Donor Portal, where supporters self-manage donations and payments
• Text-to-Give for mobile donations and repeat giving via text
• CRM with donor segmentation, analytics, and automated donor moment alerts 

Limitations

• Does not offer  comprehensive event planning features
• No auction capabilities for silent auctions, live auctions, or online bidding
• Advanced donation features like text-to-give require paid upgrades 

Pricing

A free standard plan with fees between 2.95% and 3.95%. Donors can opt to cover fees. Pro plan starts at around $150/month and premium at custom pricing with advanced features, priority support, and dedicated account management. 

4. Fundraise Up

One of the best fundraising tools for nonprofits, Fundraise Up is an AI-powered platform with modern payment methods and a personalized giving experience.

Features

• AI optimization to personalize donation amounts based on donor behavior
• Donor Portal for managing recurring gifts and viewing donation history
• Personalized donor journeys and embedded forms
• Multiple payment options, including cards, digital wallets, and crypto

Limitations

•  Full-scale P2P event campaigns may need a dedicated platform.
• No event management, auction tools, or text messaging features
• Advanced features often require technical setup and may be complex for smaller teams

Pricing

4% transaction fee plus payment processor fees from Stripe and PayPal. Custom pricing available for organizations processing over $300K annually. 

5. GoFundMe Pro

GoFundMe Pro offers you access to GoFundMe ‘s 190 million donor community, plus fundraising features such as donation forms, event ticketing, peer-to-peer and more. 

Features

• Free nonprofit pages and recurring giving support 
• Set donation amounts to adjust based on donor patterns and campaign goals
• Live event tools with registration, ticketing, check-in, and mobile bidding
• Peer-to-peer campaigns with a drag-and-drop builder and supporter pages

Limitations

• Limited to mid or high-level organizations with larger budgets and structured teams
• No raffle or sweepstakes fundraising options
• Key features like giving cart and live events require paid add-ons

Pricing

Custom pricing combines an annual upfront subscription + a per-donation transaction fee with standard processing charges.

6. Bloomerang Fundraising 

Bloomerang Fundraising platform combines donor management with fundraising, allowing you to track supporter engagement and campaign activity from a single unified system.

Features

• Peer-to-peer campaigns with gamification, leaderboards, and team competitions
• Event management with ticketing, check-in, and mobile bidding for auctions
• Text-to-donate and mobile app for donations and supporter management
• Built-in CRM with donor segmentation, automated insights, and wealth screening

Limitations

• Limited customization options compared to enterprise-level platforms
• Event and auction modules have limitations for large galas, according to user reviews
• Frequent system updates sometimes move things around, creating confusion for users

Pricing

Bloomerang Fundraising starts at $40/month, billed annually, plus processing fees are 2.2% + $0.30 per credit card transaction. Bloomerang CRM starts at $125/month and Volunteer Management at $119/month. 

7. OneCause

OneCause specializes in live, silent, and online auction management alongside large-scale event coordination and AI-powered auction tools.

Features

• Event management with ticketing, table assignments, and mobile check-in
• Peer-to-peer campaigns with supporter pages, leaderboards, and gamification
• Text-to-give and donation forms with recurring giving options
• Golf tournament management with planning and fundraising tools

Limitations

• Limited CRM platform integrations and it requires manual workarounds for donor data syncing
• Customization options for event pages are limited without a web developer’s help
• Steep learning curve to utilize all platform features effectively

Pricing

Pay-as-you-go starts at $200 with a 5% fee on funds raised (capped). A professional auction and event package is available as an annual subscription at a $2,995 flat fee, plus processing fees.

Ready to switch from Zeffy? Use this checklist to update easily

Moving to a new enterprise fundraising platform requires proper planning to ensure a smooth transition. Here’s a process you can follow to switch platforms without losing anything.

1. Export your data from Zeffy

Download all donor records, transaction history, recurring donation details, and campaign data before you start the switch. Save copies in multiple formats and verify that the data is complete and accurate.

2. Set up your new platform account

Create your account and configure basic settings like payment processing, tax receipt templates, and branding elements. Connect your bank account and any third-party integrations you’ll need.

3. Build and customize your donation forms

Create your primary donation form first, then any campaign-specific forms. Add your branding, set up donation levels, enable recurring giving options, and configure donor-covered fees if available.

4. Import your donor data

Upload your donor records and transaction history to your new platform. Map fields correctly to ensure data lands in the right places. Clean up any duplicates or errors that show up during import.

5. Test everything thoroughly

Test donations using different payment methods and devices. Check that receipts generate correctly, recurring donations process properly, and data syncs to your connected tools. 

6. Train your team

Walk staff and volunteers through the new system, discussing daily tasks like processing donations, generating reports, and communicating with donors. Create quick reference guides for common tasks.

7. Notify your donors

Let supporters know about the change, especially recurring donors who may see a different name on their credit card statement. Send clear instructions if they need to update payment information or create new accounts.

8. Launch and monitor

Switch your website donation links to the new platform. Update social media donation buttons and email signature links. 

Once it’s up and running, regularly monitor the platform and track key fundraising metrics. Ask your team and donors for feedback on the new experience. Make sure that the fundraising software is worth the investment. 

Key takeaway: Find a platform that supports your growth!

Choosing the best fundraising software isn’t just about saving money; it’s about choosing a tool that fits your team’s needs, their strengths, and supports your mission. While “100% free” sounds appealing, it often comes with trade-offs that limit growth or frustrate donors.

Start by reviewing what’s working and what isn’t. Document your most-used features, current pain points, and missing capabilities you need. Then, narrow your list to 2-3 platforms, request demos, and test the software from both your team’s and donors’ perspectives.

RallyUp stands out as an end-to-end fundraising partner built for growth. You can combine multiple fundraising types in one campaign, customize everything to match your brand, or use the Create My Campaign service to have experts build it for you.

Check a free demo today and see how RallyUp helps you raise more with less effort.

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