How Zeffy compares to popular Donation Platforms

Why should I choose Zeffy over other donation platforms when there are so many options?

Most donation platforms charge 2-5% in fees, which means you lose money on every donation. With Zeffy, you keep 100% of what donors give - no platform fees, ever. Plus, we built everything small nonprofits actually need in one place: donation forms, event ticketing, donor management, and email tools. You won't need to juggle PayPal, Eventbrite, and spreadsheets anymore. Our users tell us they save hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees each year - money that goes straight to their mission instead.

Are there hidden costs or catches with Zeffy being free?

No catches, no hidden fees, no paid tiers. Zeffy is 100% free for nonprofits - we don't charge platform fees, monthly subscriptions, or setup costs. Donors can choose to leave a voluntary contribution to help support Zeffy, but that's completely optional and goes to keeping our platform running. We know many nonprofits have been burned by platforms that seemed free but had surprise costs later. That's why we're transparent: you'll never pay us anything, and all features stay free forever.

I'm already using [PayPal/Square/another platform] for donations. Is it worth switching?

If you're losing money to fees and juggling multiple tools, yes. Most of our users come from exactly that setup - PayPal for donations, Eventbrite for events, spreadsheets for tracking, and maybe Venmo for quick payments. They were losing 3-5% on every donation and spending hours moving data between platforms. With Zeffy, everything lives in one place, your donors get proper receipts automatically, and you keep every dollar. The switch takes about 30 minutes, and we'll help you import your donor data so you don't lose anything.

Will my donors trust Zeffy, or do they expect to see familiar payment brands?

Your donors will feel confident giving through Zeffy. We use the same secure payment processing that powers major platforms, so donors see trusted payment options like credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay at checkout. What's different is the experience feels more personal and professional - your donation forms show your logo and branding, not ours. Donors get instant, branded receipts and thank-you messages that come from your organization. Many of our users tell us their donors actually prefer Zeffy because the process feels more direct and trustworthy - no confusing third-party pages or wondering where their money really goes. Plus, when donors see that 100% of their gift reaches your mission, that builds even more trust in your stewardship.

How much time will it take to learn Zeffy and get my team comfortable using it?

Most teams are up and running in under an hour. We built Zeffy specifically for busy nonprofit staff who don't have time for complicated training or setup. Your first donation form can be live in about 15 minutes, and most people figure out the basics just by clicking around. We also offer free one-on-one onboarding calls where a real person walks you through everything - no chatbots or generic tutorials. If you have volunteers or board members who help with fundraising, they'll find it easy to jump in too. Our users often tell us Zeffy is the first fundraising tool their whole team actually enjoys using instead of dreading.