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Best Fundraising Platforms for Nonprofits in 2023

Last updated:  July 12, 2023

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Online fundraising platforms represent convenience and streamlined processes for nonprofits. They also offer an easy way to accept online donations and a number of useful tools for managing fundraising campaigns.

From the perspective of your donors, these platforms make the process of donating quick and easy, with the reassurance that their transaction is secure.

The question is, which are the best online fundraising platforms for nonprofits? We’re outlining seven that are worth looking into this year:

• iWave
• Onecause
• Fundraise Up
• Classy
• Fundly
• Donorbox
• Handbid

What is an online fundraising platform?

An online fundraising platform is software that enables the collection of donations via the internet. Most of these platforms come equipped with tools that are adjacent to the donation process, such as marketing tools, peer-to-peer fundraising features, enablement of recurring payments, and more.

The best online fundraising platforms provide a user-friendly experience for both the nonprofits who use them in the background and their donors who see them from the front end. They should exist to simplify the donation process and leave the donor feeling good about their experience, while nonprofit teams benefit from streamlined processes.

What are the benefits of using online fundraising platforms for nonprofits?

Speaking of benefits, there are some great  reasons to evaluate  and use an online fundraising platform. The convenience of the software and its various features can make a huge difference in the decision-making of your donors.  Here are some top benefits:

#1. Expand your potential donor pool

Online fundraising platforms allow you to expand your reach beyond geographical boundaries. Anyone in the world with an internet connection can access your online campaigns and make a donation.

For nonprofits, this means you have the ability to grow your donor base beyond those in your local community to others who share an affinity with your cause. Or, when you look at it from a peer-to-peer fundraising perspective, it allows your fundraisers to reach out to their connections in different parts of the world. A child at school in the USA can reach out to grandparents in New Zealand for sponsorship for their walk-a-thon, for example.

#2. Collect donations from anywhere

Online fundraising platforms allow people to show their support from anywhere, no matter what their mode of connectivity is. Whether donors are on phones, tablets, laptops, or desktops, they can donate whenever they see a campaign of interest. They can also access features like account management and donation history.

#3. Help track donor fundraising and accounting data

One benefit of the best online fundraising platforms is that they include integrations with key software that you already use. For example, if your CRM integrates with your fundraising platform, you can save a ton of time by automating the transfer of relevant  data so that you can track and measure success. You can also easily pull together important data for monitoring the impact of your campaigns, or the financial status.

Key features of an online fundraising platform

There are a few options out there for online fundraising platforms, so if you’re in the market for new software, it can be helpful to start with a list of “must-have” features. What does your organization need the most from software? What goals should it help you to achieve? 

The best option will look different for various organizations and is a function of offering the features you need the most, coupled with a price that is within your budget. We’ve developed a general short-list of features that should be must-haves for all:

#1. Comprehensive support

Comprehensive customer support is one of our top priorities for any software, online fundraising platforms included. Quite simply, your team should have easy access to help, including technical support, whenever it might be needed. 

This is crucial  as technical hiccups can affect  campaigns negatively, so fast solutions to any issues that may arise need to be available. From the nonprofit perspective, you’d like to minimize the administrative load on team members, while from the donor perspective, you need all operations to go smoothly. Prompt, efficient support helps you to maintain a great experience.

#2. Goal and progress tracking

How will you (or your peer-to-peer fundraisers) know how well you’re tracking? A good fundraising platform should feature goal and progress tracking so that you can make informed decisions and stay plugged into the campaign.

Look for features such as clear, easily-generated reporting, and user-friendly dashboards that help keep users in the loop. The tracking and reporting should be useful, allowing you to know exactly what’s happening and whether you should try making changes.

#3. Third-party integrations

Whenever you’re shopping for new software, it’s useful to make a list of the current systems your organization is using so that you can find solutions that integrate with your current tech stack. For example, your CRM, email, and project management software should be high on the  list of must-haves when you’re looking at online fundraising platforms.

Third-party integrations make life easier. Your donor research and fundraising efforts are aided  by pulling combined data together and presenting you with a clear picture. Integrations take out the need for time-consuming, manual data entry while reducing the risk of not having the full picture.

#4. Donor management

Some online fundraising platforms are basic in that they only exist to process donations. We favor platforms that also include donor management features such as donor relationships and records. This effectively gives you a “one-stop-shop” where you can track donations, monitor donor types, communicate with, and thank donors within the platform.

#5. Affordability

Pricing has to be a factor on your list. Most online fundraising platforms have tiered pricing plans that are based on the level of usage you need or the inclusion of different features. For example, iWave has three different pricing tiers that cover the number of concurrent users, and features that are either included or add-ons. Check that your must-have features are not only available but included within a price that fits your budget.

7 Best online fundraising platforms for nonprofits

Here are seven of our top picks for online fundraising platforms for nonprofits:

#1. iWave

iWave is a fundraising intelligence platform that helps nonprofits “turn data into donations.” The software takes on the complex task of accurately finding ideal donors through data analysis across a number of factors. 

This helps take the guesswork out of fundraising for nonprofits by curating prioritized donor lists and giving insights into the most effective ways to reach them. Nonprofit organizations can hone their campaigns and achieve a better ROI for their marketing efforts.

Key features of iWave

iWave comes equipped with several high-quality features for more effective fundraising, including:

• A robust prospect search solution  that scans over 40 data sources simultaneously. This helps nonprofits to create prospect profiles in seconds. The 360search taps into billions of data points to identify a prospect’s capacity, affinity, and propensity to give. 
• Wealth screening. This tool helps nonprofits to identify wealthy individuals, as well as potential foundations or companies to add to your prospect list. Organizations can customize the screening parameters according to their goals. 
• AI-powered modeling and analytics. Leverage the power of AI for predictive modeling that helps you to discover high-impact donors, find “look-alike” audiences, and expand your major giving pipeline.  
• Intelligent prospecting. Build highly personalized prospect lists quickly and effectively by leveraging AI. 
• Seamless integrations. iWave integrates with many platforms that nonprofits already use, including various CRM software. 
• Unlimited support. iWave offers an industry-leading client support team via phone, email, and chat. The support site contains in-depth information, including a knowledge base, for any nonprofits that prefer to access self-service support.

Recommended fundraising software for…

iWave is recommended for a broad range of nonprofits, from small to enterprise level. From arts and culture, community foundations, education, faith-based, healthcare, and other organizations are encouraged to try iWave.

Pricing

iWave pricing is on three tiers; starter, professional, and premium. Starter pricing begins at $3495 per year, while nonprofits that need professional or premium levels should request a custom quote.

#2. OneCause

OneCause is an event and online fundraising platform for nonprofits that aims to deliver an easy fundraising experience. It’s a customizable solution that offers a range of fundraising types, including peer-to-peer fundraising, auctions, ticketing, event management, and more.

Key features of OneCause

Key features of OneCause include:

• Peer-to-peer fundraising. This includes events such as walk-a-thons (or similar), tribute or memorial fundraising, supporter-initiated events, virtual campaigns, and ambassador fundraising. This feature provides supporters with the tools they need to reach donors, while helping nonprofits to keep engaged with supporters. 
• Event fundraising. Events come in many forms and OneCause promises to cover any of them. The platform can help you to manage things like ticketing, table and seating assignments, event registration, live auctions, and guest communication. 
• Online fundraising. The online fundraising tool includes simple, customizable setup and a mobile-optimized interface for online fundraising and virtual campaigns. It features tools to increase donor engagement, such as gamification and social media sharing.  
• Text-2-Give – This makes it easy to collect donations via text with a simple admin tool, customizable calls to action, and streamlined accounting.

Recommended fundraising software for…

OneCause comes highly recommended for nonprofits who need event management and ticket sales, but includes the other features mentioned above, too.

Pricing

OneCause has multiple different plans based on the type of fundraising required and the level of usage needed. You need to request a consultation for pricing.

#3. Fundraise Up

Fundraise Up leverages AI technology to help nonprofits optimize their online donations. It includes peer-to-peer fundraising, cryptocurrency donations, donor portals, and more.

Key features of Fundraise Up

Some key features of Fundraise Up include:

• Fast, optimized checkout. Replace forms with checkout and remove friction from the donation process. 
• Fundraising UI kit. Update your website with customizable components to engage donors. Includes features such as buttons, data, forms, links, lists, and overlays. 
• AI optimizations. AI features can help to personalize suggested donation amounts, intelligently prompt upsells to recurring donations, and identify and prevent fraudulent activity. 
• Donor portal. The donor portal can save nonprofits countless support hours by helping donors to manage their giving and peer-to-peer fundraising themselves. 
• Integrations. Fundraise Up includes a number of integrations, including Zapier, which allows nonprofits to build integrations with other platforms.

Recommended fundraising software for…

Nonprofits that need innovative online fundraising solutions.

Pricing

Pricing is on two tiers, scale or enterprise. The scale option charges 4% per transaction, while the enterprise option requires a custom quote from Fundraise Up.

#4. Classy

Classy is an online fundraising platform designed to optimize the supporter experience and encourage giving. It includes events, direct donations, peer-to-peer fundraising, and recurring giving. 

Key features of Classy

Here are some of the key features of Classy:

• Supports different types of fundraising, including: peer-to-peer, recurring giving, crowdfunding, events (virtual or in-person), and auctions. 
• Create donation websites. Customizable, mobile-responsive web pages facilitate donations with an optimized experience and flexible donation options. 
• Facilitate international fundraising. The Classy Passport feature is a cross-currency solution for soliciting international donations. Nonprofits can mobilize supporters across the globe under a single campaign. 
• Manage virtual and hybrid events. Ticketing, registration, and virtual hosting for events. 
• Integrations. Classy integrates with a large number of tools from different categories.

Recommended fundraising software for…

Nonprofits that require comprehensive online fundraising solutions, including support for events.

Pricing

Pricing can be found by contacting Classy for a quote.

#5. Fundly

Fundly is a fundraising platform for individuals or nonprofit organizations. It specializes in crowdfunding and online fundraising, and offers a simple platform for fundraising.

Key features of Fundly

Some key features of Fundly include:

• Event fundraising pages. These include the ability to add photos and video content.
• Event registration and ticketing via an Eventbrite integration.
• Mobile fundraising via optimized pages.
• Support via email or self service.
• Data analytics.
• Embeddable features such as forms, buttons, and donor geography maps.

Recommended fundraising software for…

Better for smaller nonprofits or individuals who are seeking a simple, affordable solution.

Pricing

Fundly has a 0% platform fee. They use Stripe as a payment partner, for which fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. This same pricing applies to all users.

#6. Donorbox

Donorbox is a popular, widely used online fundraising platform, with over 50,000 organizations across 96 countries as clients. It covers a broad range of features and types of fundraising campaigns.

Key features of Donorbox

Here are some key features of Donorbox:

• Enables different types of fundraising campaigns, including peer-to-peer fundraising, text-to-give, crowdfunding, memberships, and events.
• Integrates with popular CMS that nonprofits may already be using to power their websites. These include Wix, WordPress, Weebly, Squarespace, and Webflow.
• Create event pages with unlimited tickets.
• Collect supporter information and manage donor relationships.
• Nonprofits can accept donations via several different payment providers.
• Integrations. Multiple integrations are available, including a Zapier integration which allows you to set up your own custom integrations.
• Accepts over 20 currencies and supports over 11 languages.

Recommended fundraising software for…

Nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes require an all-in-one, comprehensive solution.

Pricing

Donorbox Standard has a 1.5% Donorbox platform fee, plus payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 for stripe and PayPal. Features like Peer-to-Peer, Events, and Memberships come at a platform fee of 2.95%.

Donorbox premium pricing is custom-quoted after you book a demo.

#7. Handbid

Handbid specializes in auction software, powering in-person, remote, or hybrid auctions. They also offer peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding tools.

Key features of Handbid

Some key features of Handbid include:

• Easy mobile bidding for Apple and Android phones.
• Bidding can be live or web-based.
• Auction management tools that can be used from anywhere.
• Keep guests engaged with live stat display.
• Auction-in-a-box virtual event bundle.

Recommended fundraising software for…

Nonprofits who primarily want to host auctions (with the ability to set up P2P and crowdfunding, too).

Pricing

Single events start at $792 per year, while multiple events start at $2496 per year.

Which fundraising platform is right for you?

What are your nonprofits requirements when it comes to an online fundraising platform? What types of fundraising do you need supported? Do you think your needs will change any time soon?

Carefully consider what is most important for your organization’s needs. It may be that you only need a basic fundraising platform for now. Or, perhaps it’s worth investing in a more comprehensive platform that has the capacity to grow with your needs.

Lastly, the right fundraising intelligence solution can be the added boost that your campaigns need for success. iWave offers comprehensive data analysis and AI-powered support to help your nonprofit hone in on the most likely donors for your campaigns. Request a demo here today.