RunSignup Charges 4% on Donations. Here's What Zeffy Charges Instead.

Plus: Zeffy includes donor CRM, memberships, and email tools RunSignup doesn't offer.

Zeffy is trusted by 100,000+ nonprofits

Zeffy VS RunSignup

Zeffy VS RunSignup: What nonprofits should know before choosing.

Pricing

Completely free. Always. But how? →

4%.

plus card fees per campaign

Processing fees

$0 in credit card and transaction fees. Zeffy covers these. How? →

4%.

Flat 4% processing fee on donations (includes credit card/merchant fees). Tickets and registrations: 6% + $1 per cart for $0.01–$249.99; 5% + $1 per cart for $250–$999.99; 4% + $1 per cart for $1,000+; free for $0 cart totals.

Platform fees

Zeffy never takes a cut. Unlike platforms that skim 3–5%, you keep 100% of every donation.

$0.

Free platform with no platform fees; all features included at no cost.

Monthly fees

0/month.

No subscriptions, no paywalls. Every org, big or small, gets full access for free.

$0.

Free with no monthly fees, no subscription fees, no setup costs, and no contracts.

Other fees

We've never charged a single cent to nonprofits and we never will.

N/A.

No hidden fees, no add-on fees, no tiered access fees, and no exclusive contracts.

Pricing transparency

10/10.

No platform fees, no credit card fees, no hidden fees, no fees period!

4/10.

Pricing exists but is buried in search results. No clear pricing page, fees scattered across blogs.

Value for money

5/5.

450+ reviews on Capterra. All-in-one fundraising, zero fees, unbeatable value.

4.2/5.

Features

5/5.

No training needed. Built for busy nonprofit teams, not tech pros. Launch a campaign in under 30 minutes.

3.7/5.

Built for races, not nonprofits - peer-to-peer tools without donor management, memberships, or year-round fundraising

Donations

Donations without the cut. Custom forms, tax receipts, donor tracking — all fee-free.

GiveSignup offers donation forms with recurring giving options - requires paid plan for custom branding

Ticketing

Sell tickets, check in guests, track sales — and keep 100%. No fees. No fine print.

Event registration and ticketing built for races and peer-to-peer events with participant management tools

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Teams or individuals launch fundraising pages in minutes. Track progress, keep 100%. No fees.

Full peer-to-peer campaigns with fundraising pages, team features, and leaderboards - core strength

Auctions

Run auctions without giving up a percentage. List items, track bids, collect payments — all fee-free.

No auction features - platform focused on peer-to-peer fundraising and event registration only

Raffles

Host online raffles and 50/50s. Track sales, set ticket limits, stay compliant — all without paying a cent.

No raffle tools - you'll need a separate platform or manual tracking for raffle fundraisers

Online Store

Skip the tool sprawl. Sell merch and manage your store in one place — no fees, no add-ons.

Merchandise sales integrated with event registration - designed for race swag, not full nonprofit stores

Memberships

Automate memberships with no per-member fees. Dues go straight to your org — perfect for clubs, alumni, and supporters.

No membership management - designed for campaign-based fundraising, not ongoing member relationships

Donor management/CRM

Ditch the expensive CRM. Track donations, send thank-yous, and build donor loyalty — all fee-free.

Basic donor data and campaign tracking - limited CRM features compared to dedicated donor management systems

Emails & Newsletter

Manage contacts and send newsletters from the same place you fundraise. Unlimited sends, no fees.

Campaign update emails and fundraiser notifications - no full email marketing suite for donor communications

Payment Processing

Accept donations, ticket sales, and payments — all 100% fee-free. No cuts, no hidden fees, ever.

Integrated payment processing with multiple payment methods and automated receipts

Payment Methods

All-in-one fundraising: donations, events, memberships, email, and donor CRM — 100% free.

Credit cards and digital wallets supported. No in-person payment tools or integrated card readers.

Credit Card Payments

Accept all major credit cards with zero processing fees. Zeffy covers the cost — you keep 100% of every donation.

All major credit and debit cards accepted through integrated payment processing for race registrations and donations

Apple Pay & Google Pay

One-tap donations and tickets with Apple Pay & Google Pay. No fees, just smooth mobile checkouts.

Apple Pay and Google Pay supported at checkout for faster mobile registration and donation processing

ACH / Bank Transfers

Accept bank transfers with zero fees. Full donation amounts go straight to your mission.

ACH bank transfers available for registration fees - helps reduce processing costs on larger race entry payments

Tap to Pay App

Anyone on your team can take payments from their phone. No card reader, no fees, no friction.

Limited to race day check-in and packet pickup - no integrated card reader or cash handling for on-site payments

Support

5/5.

Real humans, real fast. Free email and phone support — no bots, no paywalls, no runaround.

4.2/5.

Support built for race organizers, not nonprofits - generic help for teams adapting athletic event tools to fundraising campaigns.

Help Center

Searchable help docs, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides — all free, all the time.

Comprehensive knowledge base with articles and video tutorials — content focuses on race management rather than nonprofit fundraising.

Email Support

Email us anytime. Most questions answered within hours — not days.

Email support available but built for race organizers - limited nonprofit fundraising expertise.

Phone Support

Need to talk? Call us. Real support from real people who understand nonprofits.

Phone support during business hours for race management - not specialized for nonprofit needs.

Onboarding

Get set up in under 30 minutes. No training required — but we're here if you need us.

Self-service onboarding only — no dedicated onboarding support for nonprofits.

Community

Join thousands of nonprofits sharing tips, templates, and best practices.

No community forum or user groups available — limited peer support options.

Zeffy is 100% free, always.

Calculate savings

How is Zeffy free?

Why Zeffy over RunSignup?

Run your fundraiser without adapting race software

🛠️

Run your fundraiser without adapting race software

Zeffy gives you donation forms, ticketing, raffles, and email tools built for nonprofits — not athletic events — so you can fundraise without workarounds.

❤️

Built for nonprofits, not race directors

RunSignup's tools are designed for athletic events. Zeffy gives you donation forms, ticketing, CRM, and email built for year-round nonprofit fundraising.

😊

Your donors don't need to learn race software

RunSignup's help center teaches race management. Zeffy's support team knows nonprofit fundraising and helps you launch campaigns that work for your mission.

🚀

Get started in minutes, not months

RunSignup's setup is built for race logistics. Zeffy's designed for small teams who need to launch a campaign today, not after weeks of training.

Questions nonprofits ask when choosing between Zeffy and RunSignup

How does Zeffy's zero-fee model work for peer-to-peer campaigns?

Zeffy charges zero platform fees for peer-to-peer campaigns. Donors have the option to leave a voluntary contribution to support our platform, so your nonprofit keeps 100% of donations without deductions.

Can I run a peer-to-peer campaign without paying platform fees?

Yes. Zeffy offers peer-to-peer campaigns with fundraising pages, team features, and donor management at no cost. You keep every dollar raised without platform fees cutting into your funds.

What's the difference between RunSignup and Zeffy for nonprofit fundraising?

RunSignup is built for athletic events and charges processing fees on donations and registrations. Zeffy is designed for nonprofits with zero platform fees, so you get tools built for your mission without adapting race software.

Does Zeffy support team fundraising pages for peer-to-peer campaigns?

Yes. Zeffy includes team pages, individual fundraising pages, and leaderboards at no cost. Your supporters can create their own pages and track progress without platform fees reducing donations.

How much does RunSignup charge in fees for donations and registrations?

RunSignup charges a platform fee of 4% to 5% plus card processing fees on donations and registrations. Zeffy charges zero platform fees, so your nonprofit keeps 100% of every dollar raised.

Is Zeffy better than RunSignup for nonprofits that fundraise year-round?

Zeffy is built specifically for year-round nonprofit fundraising with donation forms, ticketing, CRM, and email tools. RunSignup is designed primarily for athletic events and race registration, so nonprofits often find themselves adapting race software for general fundraising.

Does Zeffy include a CRM and email tools like RunSignup?

Yes. Zeffy includes a built-in CRM and email capabilities at no cost. You can manage donors, track giving history, and send targeted emails without paying extra or adding separate tools.

What's the catch with Zeffy being free?

Zeffy is funded by optional tips from donors. When someone donates, they can choose to leave a small contribution to support the platform. The tip is never required, and nonprofits always keep 100% of what they raise.

Can I use Zeffy for event ticketing instead of RunSignup?

Yes. Zeffy offers free event ticketing with customizable forms, e-tickets, guest lists, and real-time reporting. You won't pay platform or processing fees on ticket sales.

Still undecided?

Keep comparing — and see why nonprofits choose Zeffy

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Network for Good

100,000+ nonprofits trust Zeffy — and keep their fees at $0.

For 7+ years, Zeffy has supported nonprofits with free, user-friendly fundraising tools.

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.

Read the full story

“We were incurring a ton of fees for our past fundraising platform and Zeffy has helped us receive so much more of our donations.”

Zeffy has been invaluable in helping me track our donors, sales, events, and revenue in one spot. The coolest thing about Zeffy is it really is free!

Everything about Zeffy suits us starting with (of course, NO fees) but also the ease of use and customer experience as well as their client support!!

Zeffy is very easy to use and ensures that every dollar quickly gets into our account.. A huge help to our work!

Zeffy is very simple, allows for a lot of customization and seamlessly integrates into our website. The fact that all of this is free is still wild to me.

We couldn't believe there was a free payment platform for our Girl Scout group. Zeffy took ZERO fees from us, which is huge when you run on very small amounts of money.

We were ready to sell tickets in less than 30 minutes. The reporting capabilities were better than some other paid-for sites.

Since using Zeffy, our conversion rate of donations has skyrocketed. It's an easy platform to use. Plus customer support has always been responsive and helpful!