Virtual fundraising has evolved into a core part of how nonprofit and charity organizations. NPOs raise money funds digitally through crowdfunding campaigns, peer-to-peer fundraising, virtual auctions, etc. Each unique online fundraising method has special attributes and requirements.
Fundraising software helps organizations manage specific online fundraising methods. The right software can help you structure your campaign, manage payments and donations, market your fundraiser, and much more. But how can you find the right option for your company?
First, you can read our article on ‘What To Look For In Nonprofit Software’. In it, we outline the basic features to prioritize when investing in any new nonprofit system.
Next, you can see which of the software solutions below meet your needs, budget, and goals.
We’ve compiled a list of five of the best fundraising software providers in the NPO industry, their costs, and unique features.
Auctions are an excellent way to raise money and engage donors. However, bids, payments, and other logistics can be tricky to manage.
BiddingOwl is a comprehensive system dedicated to making auctions easier for NPOs of all types and sizes. Our solution helps you oversee all the pieces of your fundraising auction events, whether in-person, hybrid, or completely online.
From ticketing to email and SMS campaigns right through to auction sites and payments, BiddingOwl is there for the entire auction event process.
Pricing: Free from setup right through to the event coordination. You only get charged a 5% fee on actual bids.
Standout features:
OneCause is a fundraising software that makes various fundraising types easier to organize from one dashboard. Their software supports NPOs with ticketing, donor management, mobile auctions, and more.
They also have plans for different fundraising types including text-to-give, auctions and events, peer-to-peer, and online fundraising. Their primary focus, however, is event fundraising, helping you oversee the many details involved in event management.
Pricing: OneCause does not have a standard fee or plan package that includes their different fundraising types. You have to request a quote and pay for each plan separately. For example, text-to-give campaigns have their own separate plan from online fundraisers.
Standout features:
Donorbox is a well-rounded fundraising tool, popular for its cost-effective fee structure and diverse features. It allows users to integrate their system with various content management platforms, a great feature for media and marketing campaigns. However, this and other features are only available on their pro and premium packages.
Pricing: Starts at $0 per month for their Standard plan with a 1.75% platform fee and payment processing costs. The Pro plan costs $139 per month plus a 1.5% platform fee and payment processing costs. The most expensive Premium option has a custom fee for everything in the Pro plan plus additional features you can select from. It also has a 1.5% platform fee and payment processing costs.
Standout features:
Fundly is a fundraising software that works well for smaller nonprofits. This is because it leverages a popular fundraising method, crowdfunding, without needing companies to spend on pricey software. With Fundly, you can customize your crowdfunding campaign page and connect with donors through video and visual media. Plus, you can link your Fundly page to your social media channels for easy content sharing.
Pricing: Zero monthly platform fee, however, they charge a 4.9% fee on every donation you receive. They also have credit card payment processing costs of 2.9%+ $0.30 on every donation. The combined costs (7.8% + $0.30 per gift) can add up and deduct a sizeable amount from funds donated.
Standout features:
If you’re looking for a gift-matching system, Double the Donation is a good option. This software provides an extensive matching gift database with over 20,000 companies and millions of individuals. Donors can check whether their companies will match their donations, helping nonprofits to double the donations they receive.
Pricing: Their standard plan goes from $2,500 annually, although small organizations with an annual income of less than a million can pay $999. If your organization also has less than $10,000 in matching gifts revenue, you can also qualify for this discount. The MatchPro Enterprise Plan starts at around $30,000 per year. These are price estimates as each unique business must request a quote from the provider.
Standout features:
Fundraising software can transform how you manage revenue-generating efforts for your nonprofit organization. With the right software solution that meets your company's needs and fundraising requirements, you can increase donations, improve donor engagement, and more.
However, there are many things to consider, including the features you’re looking for. Budget is another key factor that determines which software you choose for sustainable and financially savvy use. We’ve shared our top picks to aid you no matter what kind of event or fundraiser you hope to run. And if you’re working on your next auction, try us for free today for specialist auction support!