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How is Zeffy free?
How is Zeffy free?
Zeffy relies entirely on optional contributions from donors. At the payment confirmation step - we ask donors to leave an optional contribution to Zeffy.
Charities often struggle to manage supporter relationships and communications effectively. When donor stewardship falls through the gaps, the cost is real: lapsed regular givers, missed Gift Aid claims, and campaigns that never quite land.
In this guide, we cover the best free CRMs for UK charities so your organisation can find the right tool for managing supporter relationships, tracking donations, and staying on the right side of UK GDPR.
A quick note for UK readers: most fundraising CRM shortlists you will find online are American, comparing platforms like Funraise, DonorDock, and GivingFuel that no UK charity would seriously evaluate. This guide covers the CRMs a UK Fundraising Manager would actually shortlist: Zeffy (where eligible), HubSpot, Beacon, Donorfy, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (Power of Us), and Membermojo.
Transparent UK pricing (including Gift Aid handling fees)
Many charity software platforms claim to be free but do not offer transparent pricing, quietly charging processing or platform fees. The best CRMs for charities do not charge anything and offer unlimited contact records. In a UK context, also check whether the CRM charges an additional percentage on Gift Aid claims. HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs) processes Gift Aid via Charities Online; some platforms pass this through cleanly, while others levy a separate fee on the Gift Aid value. That additional cost is easy to miss and worth checking before you sign up.
Handle Gift Aid claims natively
A CRM built for UK charities should let you record Gift Aid declarations against each supporter and submit claims directly to HMRC Charities Online, not force you to export to a spreadsheet. Gift Aid adds 25p for every £1 a UK taxpayer donates, meaning a £100 gift becomes £125 to your charity at no extra cost to the donor. A CRM that does not handle Gift Aid is leaving real income on the table.
Meet UK GDPR and PECR requirements
Your CRM holds supporter personal data, so it must let you record a lawful basis (consent or legitimate interest) for each contact, honour data subject requests, and log marketing preferences (email, SMS, post) separately per PECR. The Code of Fundraising Practice also sets clear requirements on data-sharing consent that you need to be able to demonstrate through your CRM records.
Individual emailing and mass emailing
Donor retention and stewardship rely on consistent and meaningful supporter communications. Choose a platform that offers both personal emails and mass emails such as newsletters.
Access all supporter activity, including donations, purchases, and donation records. This is essential for understanding your supporter base, identifying major donors, and tracking Gift Aid eligibility.
Filtering options
Your CRM should be able to create and use custom filters to search for specific segments of your supporter database.
Create and assign tags
The right CRM will let you label supporters based on campaign, giving history, and other criteria relevant to your charity.
Contact importing and exporting
Some platforms charge extra for importing or exporting data. Choose a platform that lets you manage this yourself, for free.
Integrate with other tools
Sync your CRM with your preferred payment processor, accounting app, volunteer management tool, fundraising platform, or other existing apps via Zapier.
Monitor regular givers and check which recurring donors have lapsed, so you can follow up before they slip away.
Send custom links to donors
Send pre-filled forms by email to simplify donations and transactions.
Reporting capabilities
Your CRM should offer robust reporting so your team can gather information, understand it, and share it easily.
1. Zeffy: Best free CRM for small UK charities (where eligible)
When it comes to an all-in-one fundraising and free supporter management platform, Zeffy is a compelling option for small and medium charities. Unlike other platforms, Zeffy offers a single place for fundraising, managing supporters, running events, ticketing, raffles, and auctions. It gives 100% of all donations directly to the cause, with no platform fee and no transaction fee.
Availability note: Zeffy is currently open only to registered charities in the United States and Canada. UK charities can register interest for the UK rollout. If you need a live UK CRM today, Beacon and Donorfy are the two UK-built options covered below.
Is Zeffy really free?
Zeffy is the only zero-fee fundraising and supporter management platform built for charities. While every other platform takes a portion of donations in fees, Zeffy gives 100% of all donations directly to the charity. If a donor gives £100, the charity receives £100.
Import and export data
Filter and export supporter lists
Add notes
Use segments
Access donation records for all campaigns
Record and track offline donations
Send and track supporter emails for optimal engagement
Send pre-filled forms
Pros
Easy to use; no technical expertise needed
Customisable
100% free; no platform fee, no transaction fee
Full suite of fundraising, ticketing, and event tools in one platform
Cons
Currently available only to registered charities in the US and Canada; UK rollout pending
HubSpot CRM is a powerful, AI-driven CRM used by fundraising, marketing, service, and operations teams. While originally designed for commercial businesses, it is increasingly used by growing charities that need centralised data, task tracking, email tools, and donor pipeline visibility in one dashboard. Its intuitive interface and broad integrations make it appealing for charities looking to scale their supporter or partner engagement.
One UK caveat: HubSpot is not fundraising-native. UK charities will still need to bolt on Gift Aid claiming separately, via a dedicated fundraising CRM like Beacon or Donorfy, or through a manual HMRC Charities Online workflow.
Is it really free?
HubSpot offers a free CRM plan with core features including contact management, email templates, meeting scheduling, and an AI assistant. You can store up to 1,000 contacts that never expire, which may be sufficient for smaller teams.
Once you need more advanced tools, such as marketing automation, team permissions, or custom reports, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan. These features are often essential as charities grow, meaning the free plan has limits that organisations can outgrow quickly.
Pros
Built-in AI assistant for smarter workflows
Appointment scheduling and email templates
KPI dashboards and donor pipeline tracking
Modern, intuitive interface
Cons
Free plan limited to 1,000 contacts
Core fundraising features require external tools or a paid upgrade
Can feel complex for small charities
No native Gift Aid support; must be handled separately
Right fit when
Your charity has dedicated teams across fundraising, marketing, and service, or is scaling operations and needs a CRM to support working across multiple teams.
3. Beacon: Best UK-built fundraising CRM
Beacon is purpose-built for UK charities, rated number one in Fundraising Magazine's UK CRM survey for six years running. It is a modern, fundraising-first platform with a clean interface and strong Gift Aid capabilities.
Beacon lets you record Gift Aid declarations against each supporter and submit claims directly to HMRC Charities Online, removing the spreadsheet exports that slow most small teams down. Integration with the Charity Commission for England and Wales registration processes is not built in, but Beacon handles the fundraising compliance side well, including Gift Aid record-keeping and audit trails.
Is it really free?
Beacon is not free. Pricing starts from around £33.50 per month and scales by active supporter count. There is no free tier, but for a fundraising-led charity that processes Gift Aid regularly, the cost is likely to pay for itself quickly. Re-verify current pricing on Beacon's pricing page before committing.
Pros
Native Gift Aid claim submission to HMRC Charities Online
Rated #1 UK fundraising CRM six years in a row
Modern, fast-onboarding interface
Built specifically for the UK charity sector
Cons
Not free; cost scales with supporter count
Limited beyond fundraising (no case management, no grant management)
Less suitable if service delivery or grant management is a priority
Right fit when
Your charity is fundraising-led, processes Gift Aid regularly, and wants a CRM that handles UK-specific compliance without needing a separate tool.
4. Donorfy: Best UK CRM for broad tool integrations
Donorfy is UK-built and now owned by The Access Group. It offers a free tier for up to 500 constituents, making it a low-risk way for a small charity to get started with structured supporter management without immediately committing to a monthly subscription.
Its integration ecosystem is one of its strongest points: Donorfy connects natively with JustGiving, Enthuse, Mailchimp, GoCardless, and Stripe, meaning it can sit at the centre of the fragmented tool stack that most small UK charities already use, rather than forcing a full migration.
Is it really free?
Donorfy is free for up to 500 constituents. Above that, paid tiers start from around £50 per month. Re-verify current pricing on Donorfy's pricing page before committing, as fees change.
Often paired with a second tool for service delivery
Owned by The Access Group since acquisition; roadmap and pricing may change
Right fit when
Your charity wants a cheaper entry point than Beacon, already uses JustGiving or Enthuse for P2P fundraising, and needs a CRM that integrates with those platforms out of the box.
5. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (Power of Us)
Salesforce offers 10 free licences to eligible charities through the Power of Us programme. As a full enterprise CRM, it covers everything from supporter records and campaign management to grant tracking and service delivery, well beyond what a fundraising-specific CRM provides.
The honest caveat, flagged by both NCVO and Charity Digital, is that Salesforce requires real technical capacity to implement well. Most small UK charities under-use it significantly, and the implementation cost, whether in staff time or consultancy fees, is substantial.
Is it really free?
The 10 licences themselves are free for eligible charities. The implementation cost is not. Depending on the complexity of your configuration, you may need a Salesforce consultant or a dedicated internal digital lead. Re-verify eligibility and current programme terms at salesforce.org before applying.
Pros
Full enterprise CRM at no licence cost for up to 10 users
Covers fundraising, grants, service delivery, and supporter management
Huge ecosystem of apps and integrations
Strong community and third-party support in the UK
Cons
High implementation cost; requires technical capacity
Most small UK charities under-use it badly (noted by NCVO and Charity Digital)
Not fundraising-native out of the box; requires configuration
Overkill for charities under around £500k income without a digital lead
Right fit when
Your charity is mid-sized, has a dedicated ops or digital lead who can invest in configuration, and needs a CRM that can grow to cover service delivery and grant management as well as fundraising.
6. Membermojo: Best free-tier option for small clubs and membership charities
Membermojo is a simple, spreadsheet-style membership management tool built for small clubs, associations, and membership charities. It is not a fundraising CRM in the Beacon or Donorfy sense, but for a PTA, U3A group, sports club, or special-interest society, it handles the basics well.
It is free for up to 50 members, then £30 to £550 per year depending on member count, with no transaction fees. That pricing model makes it accessible to very small organisations that would find even Donorfy's free tier too feature-heavy.
Note for churches: if you run a church, ChurchSuite is the recognised UK standard for church administration (membership, rotas, donations, Gift Aid, children's check-in) and is worth evaluating alongside or instead of Membermojo.
Is it really free?
Free for up to 50 members. Above that, annual plans from £30 to £550 by member count. No transaction fees at any tier. Re-verify current pricing on Membermojo's site before committing.
Pros
Free for up to 50 members
Simple interface; minimal training needed
No transaction fees
Well-suited to clubs, PTAs, and small associations
Cons
Not designed for fundraising; Gift Aid handling is limited
Spreadsheet-style interface means limited CRM depth
Will not replace Beacon or Donorfy for fundraising-led charities
Right fit when
Your organisation is a club, PTA, U3A group, or small membership charity that needs light supporter records and membership renewals without paying per transaction.
Manage your supporters for free with Zeffy
Choosing the right charity CRM is essential to making the most impact. From sending custom email campaigns to tracking supporter history and managing events, the right platform helps you build connections that last.
With Zeffy, charities can take advantage of the best CRM and supporter management tools available, without paying a penny. With easy filtering and segmenting, data import and export, and a full suite of fundraising tools available on one platform, Zeffy helps charities do more for less. Note that Zeffy is currently available to registered charities in the US and Canada; UK charities can register interest for the rollout.
If your charity has more than a handful of regular supporters, a CRM will pay for itself in time saved and donors not lost. A CRM lets you track who gave, when they gave, and whether their Gift Aid declaration is up to date. Without one, those tasks live in spreadsheets that nobody trusts and everyone updates differently. Even a free CRM like Zeffy (where eligible) or Donorfy's free tier gives you a single source of truth for your supporter base.
It varies significantly. In the UK, expect Beacon from around £33.50 per month scaling by supporter count, Donorfy free up to 500 constituents and from around £50 per month above that, HubSpot free up to 1,000 contacts with paid plans above that, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud with 10 free licences (implementation cost is separate and significant), and Membermojo free up to 50 members then £30 to £550 per year. Zeffy is 100% free for registered charities in the US and Canada. Always re-verify fees on each vendor's pricing page before deciding; UK CRM pricing changes regularly.
Yes. Zeffy is 100% free for registered charities in the US and Canada, with no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no hidden charges. In the UK, Donorfy offers a free tier for up to 500 constituents, HubSpot is free for up to 1,000 contacts, and Membermojo is free for up to 50 members. Bear in mind that truly free tools often have limitations: contact caps, reduced features, or no native Gift Aid support. For UK charities, the most important check is whether the CRM handles Gift Aid natively. Gift Aid adds 25p for every £1 a UK taxpayer donates, so a CRM that forces you to manage it in a separate spreadsheet is costing your charity real money even if the software itself is free.
It depends on your primary need. If you want a fully integrated free platform and are based in the US or Canada, Zeffy is the strongest option. In the UK, Beacon is the most widely rated fundraising CRM and handles Gift Aid natively, while Donorfy gives you a free entry point with strong integrations. For very small clubs or membership groups, Membermojo is the simplest and cheapest option. The right answer is the one that covers Gift Aid, fits your budget, and integrates with the other tools you already use (JustGiving, GoCardless, Mailchimp, and so on).
CRM helps you retain donors by giving you the data to act at the right moment. You can see at a glance who has lapsed, whose Gift Aid declaration is about to expire, and which supporters have not heard from you in six months. With segmentation and tagging, you can send targeted messages to specific groups rather than blasting your whole list. Pre-filled donation forms and automated email reminders reduce the friction that causes donors to drop off. In short, a good CRM turns a reactive "chasing donors" approach into a proactive stewardship programme.
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