Nonprofit donations · September 20, 2026
Best donation software for small nonprofits (2026)
A form, a receipt, and a record the treasurer can export. The platform fee is the product. Read it before the demo.
By Gregory GreensteinUpdated September 20, 2026Affiliate disclosure
Small-nonprofit donation software fails when the “free” form takes 3% you did not model, or the tip screen offends the board and nobody asked what happens with tips off. The job is: a page a donor can finish, a receipt, a payout to the organization’s bank, and an export the treasurer can tie to the books. This page is for US charities and all-volunteer groups, not a university advancement shop.
Zeffy wins when the board wants a published $0 and will accept an optional tip to the vendor. Givebutter wins when you also need events, auctions, and a CRM, with a written choice between tips and a 3% platform fee. Donorbox wins when you want a conventional platform-fee card and will pay Pro only after the volume justifies $150. PayPal wins when you already have it and the gift volume does not deserve a second login.
Nonprofit accounting is the ledger. Nonprofit payroll is payday. Neither is a donate button. We will not rank AI grant writers. Those stay on Aiacent. Donor-advised funds, substantiation, and charitable registration are not this website. This is not tax or legal advice.
Prices and fees as of September 23, 2026 from each vendor’s pricing page. Processor rates move. Confirm before the next campaign.
The short list
Public list prices as of September 20, 2026. Promos change. Confirm on the vendor page before you buy.
| # | Product | Best for | Public starting price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zeffy | Small nonprofits that want software and card fees at $0 and can explain an optional tip | Zeffy’s pricing page says $0 in platform fees and $0 in transaction fees for nonprofits. The vendor says it makes money from optional tips donors choose to leave. No paid tier was listed for the fundraising tools. A default tip percentage was not printed on the page we read, so we will not invent one. | 8.5 |
| 2 | Givebutter | Teams that run events and auctions and want a written tips-or-fee choice | With optional tips on, the page says $0 platform fees, and the Givebutter Guarantee covers processing donors do not tip, so the nonprofit keeps the gift. With tips off: 3% platform fee plus processing (2.9% + 30¢ cards, 1.9% + 30¢ ACH). You can require donors to cover fees. Givebutter Plus starts at $29/month billed annually ($33.80 month-to-month). The card also shows $79 and $129 annual monthly-equivalents ($948 and $1,548 a year; month-to-month $92.90 and $150.50). Contact count picks the band. | 8.3 |
| 3 | Donorbox | Organizations that want a conventional platform fee and a Pro plan they can justify with volume | Standard $0/month software, platform fee 2.95% to 3.95% on the comparison table (the FAQ cites 2.95% as the Standard start), 5 team members. Pro $150/month, platform fee 1.75% to 2%, 10 team members; yearly billing is discounted but the annual dollar amount was not printed. Premium is contact-only, 1.6% to 2%. US nonprofit processing, as Donorbox states it: Stripe cards 2.2% + 30¢, ACH 0.8% capped at $5, PayPal 1.99% + 49¢ (non-Amex). Text-to-give $19 or $50/month. Recurring migration $195. No setup fee on Standard. | 7.8 |
| 4 | PayPal | Groups that already receive gifts in PayPal and do not need a campaign CRM | No donation-software subscription. PayPal’s own nonprofit charity pricing changes by product and card type. Donorbox’s page, citing PayPal for US nonprofits, prints 1.99% + 49¢ on cards and PayPal (non-Amex). Confirm the live PayPal nonprofit fee schedule before you repeat that number. Standard business rates are higher and are the wrong card if you qualify for charity pricing. | 7.0 |
01
Zeffy
Small nonprofits that want software and card fees at $0 and can explain an optional tip
Public pricing: Zeffy’s pricing page says $0 in platform fees and $0 in transaction fees for nonprofits. The vendor says it makes money from optional tips donors choose to leave. No paid tier was listed for the fundraising tools. A default tip percentage was not printed on the page we read, so we will not invent one.
Zeffy pricing (zeffy.com/pricing), reviewed September 23, 2026.
Skip if
Your board will not put a tip screen in front of donors, and you need a contract that says the organization pays a known percentage instead. Givebutter with tips off, or Donorbox, is the clearer invoice. Or you need a fund-accounting file — Zeffy is not the ledger.
Why it ranks
- A $0 software line is a real difference on a $20,000 year.
- Forms, events, memberships, peer-to-peer, and a donor list are described as included, not a stripped free plan.
- The fee comparison on their page is the conversation your treasurer is already having.
- The right default when the last platform’s cut was the complaint.
Watch-outs
- Tips are how the vendor is paid. If donors decline them, read the current guarantee language before you promise the board “always 100%.”
- It is not QuickBooks or Aplos. Export into the books.
- Switching recurring donors is a project on every platform. Budget it.
- “Free” does not include your accountant, your state charitable filing, or your bank.
02
Givebutter
Teams that run events and auctions and want a written tips-or-fee choice
Public pricing: With optional tips on, the page says $0 platform fees, and the Givebutter Guarantee covers processing donors do not tip, so the nonprofit keeps the gift. With tips off: 3% platform fee plus processing (2.9% + 30¢ cards, 1.9% + 30¢ ACH). You can require donors to cover fees. Givebutter Plus starts at $29/month billed annually ($33.80 month-to-month). The card also shows $79 and $129 annual monthly-equivalents ($948 and $1,548 a year; month-to-month $92.90 and $150.50). Contact count picks the band.
Givebutter pricing (givebutter.com/pricing), reviewed September 23, 2026.
Skip if
You only need a single donate button and will never look at a CRM. Zeffy or PayPal is less product. Or Givebutter Plus contact pricing is about to surprise you — Plus is optional, and the free CRM does not charge per contact.
Why it ranks
- Events, auctions, and forms sit in one login. That is the campaign calendar most small shops actually run.
- The tip model is explained, including the version where you turn tips off and pay 3%.
- The free CRM is not a contact-meter trap. Plus is a choice.
- Support is described as included. You should not need a success manager to publish a form.
Watch-outs
- Tips off is 3% plus the processor. Model a $100 gift both ways before the board meeting.
- Plus bands are real money once someone imports a large list and turns on the paid CRM features.
- Payout timing is their process (the page says 2–3 business days). It is not your checking account’s ACH clock.
- Still not the general ledger.
03
Donorbox
Organizations that want a conventional platform fee and a Pro plan they can justify with volume
Public pricing: Standard $0/month software, platform fee 2.95% to 3.95% on the comparison table (the FAQ cites 2.95% as the Standard start), 5 team members. Pro $150/month, platform fee 1.75% to 2%, 10 team members; yearly billing is discounted but the annual dollar amount was not printed. Premium is contact-only, 1.6% to 2%. US nonprofit processing, as Donorbox states it: Stripe cards 2.2% + 30¢, ACH 0.8% capped at $5, PayPal 1.99% + 49¢ (non-Amex). Text-to-give $19 or $50/month. Recurring migration $195. No setup fee on Standard.
Donorbox pricing (donorbox.org/pricing), reviewed September 23, 2026. Processor rates are the nonprofit USD figures Donorbox prints; confirm Stripe and PayPal too.
Skip if
You hate platform fees on principle and the gift volume is small. Zeffy does not charge 2.95% on top of the processor. Or you need Premium’s custom domain and will not book a demo.
Why it ranks
- You can launch on Standard without a monthly subscription.
- Pro at $150 is easy to test against the fee drop. A treasurer can do that division.
- Forms, peer-to-peer, events, and memberships are on the free software tier.
- Donors can be asked to cover fees. The page is honest that this is optional.
Watch-outs
- Platform fee and processor fee are both real. A 2.95% plus 2.2% + 30¢ story is not “free software.”
- The 2.95% to 3.95% range means the feature you turn on can change the rate. Read the feature table.
- Crypto and stock are priced at 3.95% all-in on their card. Do not assume the card rate.
- Pro’s annual discount is advertised without a number we could freeze. Ask for it.
04
PayPal
Groups that already receive gifts in PayPal and do not need a campaign CRM
Public pricing: No donation-software subscription. PayPal’s own nonprofit charity pricing changes by product and card type. Donorbox’s page, citing PayPal for US nonprofits, prints 1.99% + 49¢ on cards and PayPal (non-Amex). Confirm the live PayPal nonprofit fee schedule before you repeat that number. Standard business rates are higher and are the wrong card if you qualify for charity pricing.
PayPal business pages plus the nonprofit processing line Donorbox published September 23, 2026. The authoritative number is PayPal’s current nonprofit fee page.
Skip if
You want events, a donor record, and receipts that do not look like a checkout. Use Zeffy, Givebutter, or Donorbox. PayPal is a payment button.
Why it ranks
- Donors already have an account. Friction is low for a one-time appeal.
- Nothing to implement if the treasurer can paste a button.
- A sane stopgap while you pick a real donation system.
- Payouts land in a PayPal balance you already reconcile — if you actually reconcile it.
Watch-outs
- You will not get a fundraising CRM. The export is a payment report.
- Charity pricing is not automatic. If you are on retail rates, you are overpaying.
- A personal PayPal is the wrong account. Use the organization’s.
- Recurring gifts and substantiation letters are clumsy here. Do not build the annual fund on a button.
How we picked
The job is a small US nonprofit taking online gifts without a development department. We scored whether the fee is published, whether “free” means tips or a platform percentage, and whether a volunteer can publish a form. Enterprise fundraising suites stay off. The books stay on the nonprofit accounting ranking.
September 23 napkin on $50,000 raised as 500 gifts, if the organization absorbs fees: Zeffy at $0 platform and $0 transaction fees, assuming their current tip model holds. Givebutter with tips off is 3% ($1,500) plus card processing. Donorbox Standard in the middle of a 2.95% platform fee is about $1,475 before the processor. PayPal at 1.99% + 49¢ is about $995 + $245. These are illustrations, not your statement. Tips, donor-covered fees, and ACH change the result.
Who should skip this page
- You need fund accounting, not a form. Nonprofit accounting.
- You need to pay staff. Nonprofit payroll.
- You are a for-profit taking “donations” for a product. That is invoicing.
- You need a legal opinion on charitable solicitation or gift substantiation.