What is a nonprofit CRM?

A nonprofit CRM (also referred to as a donor management system) is a software platform that allows nonprofits to store, update, and report on supporter data. From tracking conversations and donations to event registrations, you can note every interaction you have with a supporter in your nonprofit CRM.

Once you have information about your supporters’ interests, engagement histories, and past interactions with your organization, you can reach out to them with personalized messages that speak to their motivations. This type of stewardship helps boost donor retention.

What are the benefits of nonprofit CRMs?

The 2024 Nonprofit Technology Trends Survey found that the top internal challenge for nonprofits in 2024 is a lack of automation and organizational efficiency. Manual, time-consuming reporting, lack of visibility around metrics, and disparate systems were also noted as top challenges.

Nonprofit CRM helps organizations face these roadblocks effectively with an all-in-one platform for donor management, reporting, finances, and automation.

Specifically, here are three ways nonprofit CRM software can benefit your organization:

• Save time through automation. A robust CRM platform can automate processes such as transferring donor data from your donation page to your donor database, sending thank-you emails and donation receipts, and generating reports based on important metrics.
• Stay organized and keep your team on the same page. With a nonprofit CRM, you can review all information relevant to your constituent engagement in one place. Whether you need to review donor, volunteer, or member information, any staff member can access supporter data through your CRM.
• Improve donor cultivation. Your CRM solution can help identify mid-tier and major donor prospects. You can create a communications cadence to reach out to these supporters, help them build stronger connections to your mission, and ultimately send them a personalized donation request based on their giving capacity and past donation amounts.
• Foster more genuine donor stewardship. Your CRM software can level up your donor appreciation strategy, helping you track donors’ preferred communication platforms and ways they like to be recognized for their support.
• Increase donor retention. Some nonprofit CRM solutions (like Bloomerang!) are specifically designed to help nonprofits retain more donors. Bloomerang gives users access to a dashboard that actively tracks your retention rate to keep it top of mind for your entire team. Plus, donor engagement scores and supporter timelines help you identify your most engaged supporters who are good candidates for maintaining or increasing their giving.

Once you understand the benefits of this software, you can start distinguishing between different nonprofit CRMs and choose the one that’s the most appropriate for your organization’s needs.

Top nonprofit CRM solutions available

Start compiling potential CRM solutions by reviewing the following top options for nonprofits:

Bloomerang

Bloomerang is dedicated to helping nonprofits build relationships with their supporters, raise funds, and ultimately retain more support year after year. This solution was designed by industry experts and consultants who are familiar with nonprofit challenges and how technology can address those roadblocks.

Nonprofit CRM Features

This nonprofit CRM is dedicated to tracking and enhancing engagement to boost retention, decrease attrition, and increase revenue. Bloomerang’s unique donor management features include:

• Robust donor profiles customized and built to meet your organization’s exact needs
• Social listening, a handy tool that enables you to monitor your organization’s social media presence
• Smart reports that are configurable to highlight the most relevant information for you and your stakeholders
• An engagement and generosity score to help identify your most engaged donors with a high giving capacity
• Peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding functionality to expand your digital fundraising efforts
• Integrations with top solutions like Qgiv, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, TrueGivers, DonorSearch, and Fundraise Up

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Unified giving platform
• Friendliest user experience and tools in the industry
• Highly rated on third-party software review sites, with 4.7/5 stars on G2 and Capterra
• Wealth insights powered by DonorSearch are offered for free

Pricing

Bloomerang’s pricing model scales up at small increments, ensuring affordability for all nonprofits.

 

Salesforce

Salesforce is used by both for-profit and nonprofits alike. Nonprofits can configure the software for donations rather than sales by downloading the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). Then, they can further configure the software with various apps and integrations to serve the strategic needs of your organization.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Features native to the Salesforce CRM software include:

• Customizable donor profiles
• Program management features to use the CRM for more than just fundraising
• Out-of-the-box reports and personalized dashboards to choose from

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Customizability allows nonprofits to tailor the platform to their unique needs and goals
• Scalability and flexibility make it easy to expand your use of the tool as your organization grows
• A widespread developer community is available to support your organization because of the popularity of this platform

Potential Drawbacks

• Hiring an outside consultant to configure your system can be expensive.
• Users have noted a difficult learning curve to get up and running.

Pricing

Head to the Salesforce website to learn about pricing. Keep in mind that migrating to, implementing, and customizing the Salesforce platform may require asking a nonprofit tech specialist for assistance. This can quickly run up the cost, unlike alternatives that come with all the donor management features you need already built into the system.

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT

Blackbaud offers two different CRM solutions depending on the size of your organization. Blackbaud CRM is an enterprise-level solution built to manage data for large-scale organizations. Raiser’s Edge NXT is designed to meet the needs of mid-sized and growing organizations.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge NXT solution includes features like:

• Cultivation tools to discover hidden talent and potential in your donor database
• Built-in analytics to identify new opportunities and draw insights from your data
• Data enrichment services to learn more about your donors and prospects
• Built-in dynamic email campaign capabilities

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Query-based reporting allows users to create custom reports tailored to their specific needs.
• Raiser’s Edge NXT is a robust system and offers integrations with many third-party applications.

Potential Drawbacks

• Creating and managing queries can be complex, especially for users unfamiliar with database querying languages.
• Escalating contracts include price increases every year. In addition, some users note unclear or hidden fees can arise.

Pricing

Similar to Salesforce, many organizations find that they may need some expert help migrating data to and from Blackbaud and configuring the solution to meet their exact needs and expectations. Reach out to Blackbaud to learn more about pricing for different solutions.

Neon CRM

Neon CRM is designed to help nonprofits grow, inspire their audience, and increase supporter engagement. This CRM is accompanied by fundraising, advocacy, and marketing solutions.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Some of the core features of this CRM solution include:

• Donor and volunteer profiles and relationship-tracking tools
• Supporter segmentation and email marketing
• Customized online stores to sell nonprofit merchandise
• Grant management and tracking options

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Customers note ease of use and an intuitive interface as positives of this platform.

Potential Drawbacks

• The reporting process can be complicated, requiring users to build and view report outputs on separate screens.
• Wealth insights powered by DonorSearch come with an additional fee.
• Live chat and phone support options come with a monthly fee.

Pricing

NeonCRM’s pricing packages start at $99 and scale up for additional features.

DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect allows nonprofits unlimited user access to their comprehensive nonprofit CRM software. You can store data in detailed profiles, build relationships, boost fundraising efforts, and automate various activities for your organization.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Features included in DonorPerfect’s CRM software include:

• Internal DonorPerfect payment processing, allowing you to collect your funds faster
• Customizable donation forms that capture supporters’ attention and encourage them to give
• Time-saving automation tools such as seamless marketing personalization and scheduled reports

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• DonorPerfect allows organizations to thank donors with custom video messages sent via email

Potential Drawbacks

• The most common drawback referenced on G2 is the report generation process. Customers say reporting isn’t very intuitive.

Pricing

Learn about pricing and get a quote on the DonorPerfect website.

Keela

Keela’s nonprofit CRM platform prioritizes improved donor management, enhanced stakeholder engagement, and efficient fundraising.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Notable features of this platform include:

• Data analytics tools to predict donors’ next actions
• Powerful segmentation tools that further personalize donor communications
• Automated welcome series for new donors to provide a positive first impression

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Real-time donor insights and predictions help determine the right gift request amounts for each donor.

Potential Drawbacks

• Users noted limited email functionality and flexibility with the built-in email function.

Pricing

Keela’s monthly pricing starts at $125 per month.

CharityEngine

CharityEngine offers all-in-one nonprofit software. In addition to comprehensive donor profiles and data-tracking technology, they offer other built-in solutions that help organizations with marketing, advocacy, fundraising, and more.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Some of the most notable features of this platform include:

• Customized donation pages, built for mobile responsiveness and engagement
• PCI-certified payment processing solutions for secure payments
• A user center, allowing nonprofit supporters and donors to control their engagement experience
• Direct mail and email marketing campaigns that make it easy to reach your ideal supporters

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• CharityEngine is well-positioned to support international nonprofit operations, with international security measures and multi-currency support.

Potential Drawbacks

• Users noted drawbacks including a lack of communication about updated features and bug fixes, unhelpful help center resources, and minimal product use training.

Pricing

Head to the CharityEngine website to learn about pricing.

Giveffect

Giveffect calls its platform a “10-in-1 nonprofit software.” The solution offers tools for everything from volunteer management to marketing and communications and online giving.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Features of this nonprofit CRM include:

• 360-degree constituent views, with information about donors’ giving histories, event attendance, wealth, and more
• Automation features that allow you to send personalized thank-you notes and invitations
• Custom donor groupings to make records easier to locate

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Giveffect offers a very wide range of nonprofit tools in one platform—this includes relationship tracking, advanced reporting, volunteering, membership management, and more.

Potential Drawbacks

• Giveffect comes at a higher price point than other similar CRMs, making it a costlier investment for small nonprofits.

Pricing

Pricing starts at $399 per month for the starter plan.

NationBuilder

NationBuilder offers “human-centric technology” for nonprofits to better understand their supporter audiences. The software includes a CRM, along with additional tools like a website builder, communication platform, and a fundraising solution.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Notable aspects of NationBuilder’s nonprofit CRM include:

• Tags you can add to supporter profiles to track engagements, such as event RSVPs or donations
• Filters to browse your database more efficiently and find the right audiences to target with specific campaigns
• Customized supporter journeys that nurture each supporter to build their connection and facilitate additional donations

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• NationBuilder is highly community-focused, making it a useful tool for nonprofits looking to build community-powered campaigns surrounding their cause.

Potential Drawbacks

• Customers noted a lack of personalization options and a more restrictive back-end editing process.

Pricing

NationBuilder’s pricing starts at $34 per month.

Classy

Classy is a supporter and donation management platform for nonprofits, healthcare organizations, food banks, and other charitable groups. Classy’s platform is built to help nonprofits design memorable supporter experiences, whether fundraising events, peer-to-peer campaigns, or other charitable activities.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Classy’s CRM offers features such as:

• The ability for donors to manage their recurring giving
• Magic Links for a streamlined, hassle-free login experience for donors
• The ability to send year-end giving statements to donors summarizing their charitable involvement

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Classy has a very extensive integration library. Users note that the Salesforce integration is particularly powerful for organizing data across fundraising and CRM platforms.

Potential Drawbacks

• The Zapier integration is not available for the lowest-tier plan.
• Assisted onboarding is only available at the highest pricing tier.

Pricing

Contact Classy for custom pricing.

Virtuous

Virtuous brings together nonprofit CRM, fundraising, volunteer, and marketing tools into one platform. Their solution is designed to boost donor retention, increase average gift sizes, and save administrative time.

Nonprofit CRM Features

This CRM equips nonprofits with features like:

• Flexible dashboards for 360-degree donor views
• Integrated wealth insights and social and demographic data to identify top prospects
• Project and campaign reporting, goal tracking, and grant management

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Virtuous is based on a Responsive Fundraising framework that places donor-centricity and personalized communications at the forefront of donor engagement. In practice, this includes tools for social listening, marketing automation, responsive gift arrays, and more.

Potential Drawbacks

• Customer support is a potential drawback of this platform—users noted issues like slow response times and difficulty getting hold of the support team.

Pricing

Contact Virtuous for custom pricing.

Little Green Light

Little Green Light’s nonprofit CRM is tailored to small and mid-sized organizations looking for all-in-one donor management software. Organizations turn to this solution for robust integrations, data centralization, and flexibility.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Stand-out features of this platform include:

• Prospect identification with the help of custom reports
• Online donation forms embedded into your website
• Comprehensive constituent profiles with giving history, relationships, and more

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Little Green Light’s pricing and functionality are great for new or small nonprofits looking to move away from Excel into their first CRM.

Potential Drawbacks

• This platform may not work well for larger or more established nonprofits looking for comprehensive features, support, and reporting capabilities.

Pricing

Pricing starts at $486 per year.

Bonterra Fundraising + Engagement

 

Bonterra provides software to power social good. The Bonterra Fundraising + Engagement platform is a donor engagement platform that manages everything from grant management to predictive analytics.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Effective features of this platform include:

• Moves management tools for tailored major gift outreach
• Simple segmentation tools for personalized outreach
• Integrated, secure payment processor

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Bonterra’s FrontDoor solution connects nonprofits to corporate partners looking to expand their CSR initiatives, fostering mutually beneficial connections across sectors.

Potential Drawbacks

• It’s no secret that Bonterra has recently been in the public eye because its offerings are undergoing constant transformations. As a result, you may not know exactly what you’re getting as features and platforms can change. The Essentials Plan is also somewhat limited, with basic features like grant and membership management only available at higher price points.

Pricing

Contact Bonterra for pricing information.

Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofits

Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofits combines CRM, AI, marketing, and cloud computing technologies into one platform.

Nonprofit CRM Features

This modern, time-saving solution offers the following features to help nonprofits attract and retain donors:

• Personalized constituent marketing journeys
• Constituent research powered by LinkedIn
• AI-driven propensity modeling

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Microsoft Cloud makes it easy to leverage multiple Microsoft solutions, such as  Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Azure, and LinkedIn, in one unified platform.

Potential Drawbacks

• Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofits offers a wide range of features, which can come with a steep learning curve or the potential to pay for features your nonprofit doesn’t need.

Pricing

Learn about Microsoft’s nonprofit offers on their website.

DonorDock

DonorDock is a donor management system for small nonprofits. Unlimited contact records and free online giving make DonorDock an effective option for organizations growing out of spreadsheets.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Nonprofits can use features such as:

• List and segment creation for marketing, fundraising, or tracking purposes
• Automations triggered based on events like first-time donations or giving anniversaries
• Campaign, fund, and appeal management

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Users like the user-friendly interface of this platform. Their transparent pricing structures are also a plus.

Potential Drawbacks

• DonorDock’s Lite Plan is limited to only two users, which can be restrictive for nonprofits with larger fundraising teams.

Pricing

DonorDock’s pricing starts at $100 per month.

Springboard

Springboard by Jackson River is a fundraising and advocacy CRM powered by Salesforce. It’s an enterprise-grade solution built for and by experienced nonprofit professionals.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Organizations turn to this platform for features like:

• One-click sustainer upsell option
• Code tracking and custom tags to measure donor behavior
• Personalized marketing content that leverages supporters’ interests and giving histories

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Springboard allows nonprofits to leverage Salesforce-powered insights, perfect for organizations that already have Salesforce experience.

Potential Drawbacks

• The implementation and configuration process can be more complex compared to other CRM platforms.

Pricing

Contact Jackson River for pricing information.

GiveWP

GiveWP is a free CRM platform that operates within WordPress. This system allows you to track top donors, search your donor database, build contact lists, and more.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Additional features of this CRM software include:

• Detailed donor profiles with contact information and giving histories
• The ability for donors to view their donation histories
• Integrations with other CRMs like Salesforce

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• GiveWP is great for organizations that are very comfortable using WordPress and want basic CRM features along with website functionality.

Potential Drawbacks

• Basic fundraising features such as peer-to-peer fundraising and recurring donations are only available as add-ons.

Pricing

GiveWP offers a free plan with basic functionality. Paid plans start at $149 per year.

monday sales CRM

monday sales CRM provides a user-friendly, easy-to-set-up platform for managing conversions. Nonprofits can customize the platform to fit their unique donor journeys and supporter lifecycles using the flexible interface.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Stand-out features of this CRM include:

• AI tools that support automation, email composition, and content generation
• An integrated email platform to centralize supporter communications
• A streamlined mobile experience to use the platform while on the go

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Positive reviews note the flexibility, versatility, and efficiency of this CRM. The strong focus on customization and streamlined workflows helps teams get tasks done faster.

Potential Drawbacks

• The most commonly noted drawback in G2 reviews is the price of this platform. Pricing is calculated based on the number of seats, or users, you want to have. This structure might not work as well if you have multiple users who need to access your CRM or if your organization is on a tight budget. However, your nonprofit may be eligible for a discount, helping alleviate some budgeting concerns.

Pricing

The Basic CRM plan is $12 per seat per month. Learn more about pricing on their website.

Hubspot CRM

Hubspot offers free CRM tools to help manage contacts. Their platform helps track leads through dashboard and reporting software.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Here are the features nonprofits can access through this CRM:

• Custom dashboards to track the metrics that matter most to your organization
• Deal pipeline to help manage and push forward with major giving prospects
• Free meeting scheduler to keep internal meetings organized

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Hubspot offers a 40% discount for nonprofits, along with nonprofit-friendly onboarding and a vast array of helpful integrations for nonprofits.

Potential Drawbacks

• Users say there can be a higher learning curve for this platform.

Pricing

You can create a free account on the Hubspot website. Visit the pricing page for paid options.

Funraise

Funraise equips nonprofits with CRM software to track donor information and manage workflows. You can also integrate Funraise with Salesforce to maximize CRM functionality.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Organizations turn to this CRM for features like:

• Custom segmentation and filters
• Household management to organize families or supporter groups
• Interaction tracking to document supporter communications

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• Users say that the customer service team is friendly and proactive, getting back quickly to answer questions and concerns.

Potential Drawbacks

• Users note a lack of text-to-give functionality.

Pricing

Contact sales to get started for free, or explore paid plans on the Funraise website.

CiviCRM

CiviCRM offers open-source CRM software for nonprofits. You can use the platform by itself or integrate with Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, or Backdrop.

Nonprofit CRM Features

Top features of this tool include:

• Contact management with records for each contact as well as membership management functionality.
• Accounting integration to easily track gifts.
• Over 40 standard reports and the option to create custom reports.

What We Like About This Nonprofit CRM

• The open-source nature of the software allows it to be highly customizable and expandable. You can configure the system to your unique needs and priorities.

Potential Drawbacks

• Users say the software takes a lot of work to set up and requires someone with technical expertise to keep the platform running.

Pricing

CiviCRM is free to use and download.

Essential nonprofit CRM features

Different software solutions prioritize different features to help you assess donor data in different ways. However, most nonprofit CRMs share a few standard features to help nonprofits evaluate and act on donor data.

Ensure any CRM you invest in offers features such as:

 

Donor profiles

Nonprofit CRMs automatically create donor profiles for supporters who contribute or interact with your nonprofit. These profiles include relevant information based on your goals, such as contact information, interests, engagement history, and more.

Use the data in your donor profiles to create donor segments, which are groups of donors who share similar characteristics. For example, you can create segments for new donors, long-time donors, major donors, corporate donors, and so on. Use your CRM to send personalized marketing content to each segment that’s relevant to their interests to encourage further engagement.

Marketing tools

Your nonprofit CRM should include several marketing solutions (or integrations with top marketing platforms).

Be sure your nonprofit CRM can create both:

• Letters and mailings. Design and save direct mail communication documents like solicitations and acknowledgments. Saving these in your CRM makes it easy to send them quickly when necessary.
• Engaging emails. Similar to direct mailings, make sure you can create and save templates for your nonprofit’s emails. This can help save time when drafting donor outreach campaigns.

As you create these outreach materials, it can also be useful to run them through communication audit features. For instance, the Ahern Audit runs the “you test” and grade-level tests. These assessments ensure you center donors in your messaging and write between a 6th- and 8th-grade reading level to make your messages easier to skim.

Custom dashboard

A custom nonprofit dashboard will track key performance indicators and present findings front and center for your team. For example, Bloomerang’s dashboard data updates daily with donor retention information.

Your dashboard should provide a high-level overview of your progress toward achieving your goals, specifically the goals related to your fundraising strategy. Be sure you can customize the views on this dashboard so that you can keep track of the metrics most important to your organization.

Integrations

Manually entering data can take a lot of time and is subject to human error. Integrations save time and reduce data transmission issues. Search for a nonprofit CRM that offers additional software integrations to simplify your nonprofit’s ongoing tasks.

Look for CRM software that integrates with other commonly used solutions such as:

• Fundraising software to capture your nonprofit’s donations and event registrations.
• Event software like Qgiv to easily plan, manage, and report on your nonprofit’s fundraising events.
• Marketing software like Mailchimp to streamline your email and direct mail strategies.
• Prospect research software like DonorSearch to access additional donor insights.
• Accounting software like QuickBooks to record and track all financial transactions.

Intentionally connecting your software through smart integrations helps you manage the transfer and storage of your organization’s data so you can leverage it in campaigns.

 

Online donation pages

Create a donation page for your nonprofit’s website to capture gifts and contributor information. Your donation pages should offer suggested giving options, recurring donations, and customizable fields to collect donor information.

Your donation pages should also be mobile-friendly. 57% of nonprofit website traffic in 2022 came from users on mobile devices, meaning it’s crucial that your donation pages can be easily viewed and completed using a mobile device.

When your donation form integrates with your nonprofit CRM, you can transfer the data you collect directly into the most relevant donor profiles.

Supporter timelines

Timelines give a visual representation of specific donors’ engagement. You can easily see when donors have given, volunteered, attended an event, or interacted in any other way with your organization chronologically without searching through cluttered lists. The feature provides further context into each donor engagement.

Plus, the best timeline features will also provide highlights of key interactions so that the most important information is easily accessible. These highlights may include the lifetime value of the supporter, the number of years they’ve supported your mission, and the rate at which they’re increasing their donations.

Customized reports

Reports provide an in-depth view of your nonprofit’s progress toward your goals. Customized reporting features make it easy to create reports based on your specific goals. Plus, you can even save report templates so you can pull the same type of information from quarter to quarter. Then, compare data over time, allowing you to constantly find optimization opportunities for your various strategies.

The best nonprofit CRM software will provide you with pre-built reporting templates that you can use in addition to custom reporting features.

Steps to find and implement the right nonprofit CRM for your needs

With such a wide range of solutions to choose from, how can you find the right nonprofit CRM for your unique organization? Use the following steps to find the platform that best fits your requirements and implement it effectively:

1. Cast a wide net with your initial research.

Develop your list of top potential solutions by:

• Thinking through your existing challenges – what do you want out of a CRM solution that you don’t have currently?
• Reading referrals from trusted nonprofit resources and software reviewers like G2 or Capterra
• Using search engines to find additional solutions and further expand your list

Create your list by choosing several top solutions that offer most or all of the features you’re looking for.

2. Assess your budget.

Note the costs associated with each solution, including any additional fees that may be required for startup or implementation. We recommend the following tips to make the most of your nonprofit CRM budget:

• Invest in a scalable solution. Scalable solutions allow your nonprofit to choose a plan with the features you need at the moment for a lower price. Then, as you continue to grow, you can add additional features to better meet your needs.
• Ensure the software pricing is clear. Unfortunately, many software providers try to hide fees related to implementation and training. Conduct ample research so your organization knows exactly what is included in the purchase before you make it. During demos, ask about implementation or migration costs to be absolutely sure you know what’s coming.
• Ask about training resources for the solution. As your nonprofit grows and develops, you’ll need to continue training to ensure your software also reflects your needs. Look for a solution with training resources and customer support that will help you set up your software and maximize your return on investment.

It’s worth it to carefully consider your budget up front so you don’t end up having to ultimately switch to a different solution and spend more on data migration costs down the line.

3. Finalize your top options.

Once you have compiled a list of possible solutions, it’s time to narrow down candidates to find your nonprofit CRM. The following questions should help:

• Research the features available from each nonprofit software solution. Do these features meet the immediate needs of your nonprofit?
• Consider your nonprofit’s future goals and plans. Does the provider offer scalable features to meet those down-the-line needs?
• Is the software within your nonprofit’s budget?
• Will you be able to try the software out during a trial period before investing?
• Will an implementation team help you set up the solution?
• Does this implementation cost extra?
• Do you have access to training materials to use the software to the best of your ability both now and in the future?

Be sure to request a demo for each of your top options, and don’t be afraid to ask questions along the way. Here are some questions you may consider asking:

• Is this software available offline?
• Are there internal controls to ensure data security?
• How often is the software updated?
• Who are some of your other customers?
• What is the real cost breakdown of this solution?

Taking notes during each demo will come in handy as you compare similar solutions to make your final decision.

4. Make a decision with the help of key stakeholders.

Make sure to run the nonprofit CRM software decision past your fundraising team, who will be working with the solution daily. You’ll need enough information to make a solid case to advocate for your software choice. Consider their input and feedback about the common pain points they face in your current system and the potential drawbacks they see for your top options.

Your entire team may not agree with your final decision, and that’s okay. Address any remaining reservations and ask team members to fully commit to your new solution once you’ve landed on it. This will help the transition go more smoothly.

5. Create an implementation plan.

Once you’ve made your choice, your job isn’t done! You’ll need to develop a nonprofit CRM implementation and training plan. The plan should look something like this:

• Set a goal for when you want the system to be fully operational.
• Work closely with the implementation team and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Ask for support when you need it. Make sure you take advantage of unlimited email and chat support from a provider. Or, call when you need to.
• Consider implementation consulting. Even for a small fee, sometimes implementation consulting is absolutely worth it and can make all the difference in your use of the nonprofit CRM.

Create a step-by-step plan with specific deadlines to reach full implementation of your nonprofit CRM. Do your best to adhere to these deadlines. That way, you can quickly get back to connecting with supporters and growing your audience.

6. Train your team on your new system.

Host several training sessions to get team members up to speed on the new platform. Give access to training materials that team members can use at any point if they need a refresher.

Features to look for in a volunteer management app

A well-designed volunteer app helps nonprofits track volunteer impact, deliver important information, get insights on the success of their program, and much more, all in one system.

Let’s explore specific features to look out for:

Features for your staff

You can help your staff stay organized and reduce stress by giving them access to all of your volunteer program’s resources at their fingertips. Here are some volunteer management app features that can benefit your staff:

• Bird’s-eye view of your entire volunteer program schedule. Your team will be able to view and fill empty shifts with ease using a weekly or monthly calendar. This can also help you analyze shift attendance in real time.
• Check-in and checkout tools. Staff members can check in volunteers using their phones, streamlining the process and allowing volunteers to get right to work. Also, you can quickly view volunteer information such as skills, preferences, and qualifications to assess which roles will be the best fit for each volunteer.
• Communication system to send updates and messages to staff and volunteers. Send personalized messages, impact reports, shift reminders, new upcoming opportunities, words of appreciation, and other important updates through real-time notifications.
• Document sharing. This helps ensure that every volunteer understands and has access to the code of conduct, any waivers they must complete, and safety information, allowing them to reference this information at any time.

Features for your volunteers

90% of Americans own a smartphone. That means your volunteers will easily be able to access your volunteer app and the benefits it offers them, including the ability to:

• Sign up for opportunities on their mobile devices. Offering a self-schedule feature empowers your volunteers to sign up for shifts that work best for them and their availability. This can boost volunteer satisfaction and save your administrative team time that would have otherwise been spent managing shift sign ups.
• Review their personal schedules. Ensure your volunteer management app allows volunteers easy access to their schedules to help reduce no-shows. This saves them time from communicating back and forth with their volunteer manager or having to look at the system on their computer.
• Track their hours and easily check into shifts. Your volunteers may want insight into how many hours they’re contributing to your organization for their own reference and satisfaction. They may also need to report volunteer hours to their school or employer to be eligible for volunteer grants based on hours worked.
• Stay in the know about all updates and reminders. Your volunteer app should keep your volunteers in the loop at all times with shift reminders, alert notifications, and appreciation messages.

Best volunteer apps for 2024

The right volunteer app for your organization will streamline your program management and be easy to use for all staff and volunteers. Let’s explore the top volunteer management apps to consider, along with the benefits and considerations noted by real users on G2 and Capterra.

Bloomerang Volunteer

When it comes to keeping your volunteer program organized and staying in touch with your supporters, Bloomerang Volunteer is our top volunteer app recommendation. Bloomerang Volunteer streamlines ongoing tasks, allowing volunteer managers to save time and refocus their energy on what matters most—reaching program goals, creating genuine relationships with volunteers, and furthering their nonprofit’s mission.

Features

The Bloomerang Volunteer mobile app makes managing and communicating with volunteers simple. Here are the top features of this mobile app for volunteer managers:

• Access your master volunteer schedule at your fingertips to make quick schedule changes.
• Manage check-ins from a mobile device and automatically track attendance.
• Fill schedule gaps and send automated shift reminders to boost attendance.
• Share resources and documents with volunteers.
• Connect with volunteers using personalized outreach.

For supporters, the Bloomerang app improves the volunteer experience by allowing them to:

• Self-sign-up for shifts based on their availability.
• Review their personal schedules.
• Accept and send in-app communications.
• Review documents, such as maps and waivers, before their shifts.

Benefits

Volunteer communication, scheduling, engagement, and appreciation—complete all these activities from anywhere with Bloomerang’s patented volunteer app! You can also sync volunteer profiles to your Bloomerang donor database to identify volunteers with high giving potential.

Volunteers are 66% more likely to financially support their favorite nonprofits compared to non-volunteers. With Bloomerang’s prospect identification tools, such as the Generosity Score, you can easily determine which volunteers are most likely to give and direct your fundraising efforts toward those individuals.

Pricing

Bloomerang Volunteer starts at $119 per month.

SignUpGenius

SignUpGenius makes it easier for event coordinators to manage their volunteers with a user-friendly volunteer management app. It allows volunteers to sign up for shifts, and all you have to do is send them a reminder.

Features

Here’s what you can do with this volunteer app:

• Create a digital sign-up sheet in minutes by choosing from professionally designed templates or creating a custom form.
• Send automatic email or text reminders to volunteers to improve attendance rates.
• Allow volunteers to sign up from any device and add items to their digital calendars.

Benefits

This app offers organizations a quick and easy way to recruit volunteers and encourage them to sign up for shifts that best suit them.

Considerations to keep in mind

SignUpGenius doesn’t provide access to a volunteer management database with comprehensive volunteer profiles, unlike more robust options like Bloomerang Volunteer.

Pricing

Plans start at $8.99 per month.

Golden

Golden’s volunteer platform makes organizing your volunteer logistics easy for coordinators. It also makes it easy for passionate volunteers to find opportunities that align with their interests and values.

Features

Golden’s iOS and Android apps offer features such as:

• Location-based services that show volunteers nearby opportunities they might be interested in.
• A frictionless sign-up process that volunteer managers can share over text, email, or any social media platform.
• Field organizing that allows volunteer coordinators to manage volunteers from any device while on the go.

Benefits

Golden is a turnkey platform, meaning it’s easy for organizations to get up and running quickly without having to learn complex new software.

Considerations to keep in mind

Some basic features are only available at higher price points, such as SMS notifications and branded email communications.

Pricing

Starts at $1,200 per year (or $110 per month billed monthly).

360MatchPro Volunteer Hub

Unlike the other tools in this list, 360MatchPro Volunteer Hub isn’t a volunteer management solution. Instead, it’s a platform that helps nonprofits make the most of corporate-sponsored volunteering by maximizing volunteer grants and paid volunteer time off (PVTO).

Features

This platform equips nonprofits with the following tools:

• Volunteer program search widget that allows corporate volunteers to easily search for their workplace volunteer benefits, like volunteer grants and PVTO.
• User-friendly search field you can easily incorporate into your existing registration forms.
• Robust integrations with a variety of other software platforms to streamline volunteer data tracking.

Benefits

Nonprofits can combine the Volunteer Hub with 360MatchPro’s matching gift database to centralize all corporate giving activity in one platform.

Considerations to keep in mind

This solution is specifically tailored to maximizing corporate giving, so it would supplement a different tool with robust volunteer management capabilities (like Bloomerang!).

Pricing

Contact 360MatchPro for pricing information.

Get Connected

Get Connected is a volunteer management app offered by Galaxy Digital that allows volunteer managers to utilize a geolocation service feature to remind volunteers to check in and out of their shifts.

Features

Volunteer managers and supporters can use this app to:

• Leverage geolocation tracking that automatically reminds volunteers to check in and out of opportunities.
• Automatically create a volunteer hours log that directly attributes hours to each volunteer’s profile.
• Check volunteers in quickly and efficiently with a mobile kiosk.

Benefits

With all of these automatic features, administrators can save time, enabling them to focus on other important aspects of their volunteer program.

Considerations to keep in mind

Users note a desire for greater customization capabilities for reports and the app’s appearance.

Pricing

Contact Galaxy Digital for pricing information.

Mobilize

The Mobilize volunteer management app offers nonprofits a platform that makes it easy to manage events and recruit volunteers. Nonprofits, advocacy organizations, labor unions, and progressive campaigns commonly use this app.

Features

Leverage this volunteer app to:

• Send automated emails and text messages to supporters who sign up to volunteer.
• Access real-time data from events.
• Send feedback surveys right after any event via email and SMS.

Benefits

This solution ensures all your volunteers can sign up, engage, and have an enjoyable volunteer experience without feeling overwhelmed.

Considerations to keep in mind

Some users noted that Mobilize may send too many event reminders ahead of a volunteer activity, potentially drowning out other important messages from volunteer coordinators.

Pricing

Contact Mobilize for pricing information.

POINT

POINT’s volunteer management app makes it easy to engage and manage your volunteers with analytics tracking, communication features, and recruitment tools to find the right volunteers for the right roles.

Features

This volunteer app allows volunteer coordinators to:

• Access all of your program’s information from a centralized admin dashboard.>
• Offer volunteers a thorough look at their impact with a personalized impact tracker profile.
• Enable volunteers to easily become donors with a micro-donation platform.

Benefits

POINT is completely free to join, making it an accessible option for small nonprofits or organizations on a tight budget.

Considerations to keep in mind

You might find the free version limiting, as features like check-in stations, background checks, waivers, and program management are only available at higher price points.

Pricing

The Core plan is free, and paid options start at $99 per month, billed annually.

Giveffect

Giveffect offers an all-around view of your volunteer program’s activities, saving you time and reducing redundancies.

Features

Use Giveffect’s mobile app to:

• Use your mobile device as a volunteer check-in kiosk.
• Automate scheduled emails, payments, reminders, and other important notifications.
• Get real-time reports and data updates on everything from volunteer recruitment to quality control.

Benefits

With Giveffect’s volunteer management app, your nonprofit can experience scheduling ease and eliminate any manual data entry.

Considerations to keep in mind

Giveffect markets itself as “10-in-1 Nonprofit Software,” offering multiple tools in one platform. If your organization just needs volunteer management, you may end up paying for solutions you’re not using.

Pricing

Plans start at $399 per month.

VolunteerMark

VolunteerMark offers essential tools to help nonprofits efficiently run their volunteer programs and engage with volunteers. Their app provides automatic sign-up processes, hours tracking, and more.

Features

The VolunteerMark app allows you to:

• Leverage simple volunteer communication features to boost engagement.
• Access dashboard views for event and volunteer stats.
• Offer volunteers self-scheduling opportunities or specifically invite volunteers to certain opportunities that align with their preferences and skills.

Benefits

With their user-friendly platform, administrators can easily track and manage their volunteers with a click of a button.

Considerations to keep in mind

Users noted that the app’s interface looks a little dated and can be clunky for volunteers to use.

Pricing

VolunteerMark offers a free option, and paid plans start at $34 per month.

Helper Helper

Helper Helper lets volunteer managers create comprehensive reports to gain insights into your volunteer program and volunteer satisfaction levels. A wide range of organizations uses the Helper Helper platform, including companies, schools, nonprofits, and universities.

Features

With Helper Helper, your organization can:

• Spark friendly competition among volunteers and acknowledge top volunteers that had the most impact.
• Record and track volunteer engagement and easily prepare annual reports.
• Segment opportunities to help streamline how volunteers search for new ways to get involved.

Benefits

With this volunteer management app, you can improve your program’s efficiency and track hours to better understand your community service efforts.

Considerations to keep in mind

Some users noted onboarding challenges and a lack of training resources.

Pricing

Contact Helper Helper for pricing information.

How to make the most of your volunteer app

After you’ve chosen your volunteer management app and gotten it up and running, using the platform to the fullest will allow you to have a high return on investment. Follow these tips to make the most of your volunteer app:

• Train volunteers to use the app. Introduce volunteers to the system during your volunteer orientation. This way, your volunteers will know where to go to access important information and stay up-to-date with upcoming events and opportunities.
• Train staff members to use the app. Make sure staff members who will use the app regularly are familiar with the ins and outs of the technology and how they can use it to simplify management processes.
• Monitor your shift calendar to keep an eye on open opportunities. With your volunteer app, you can effectively track volunteer schedules so you always have enough hands on deck.
• Create engaging, accurate role descriptions. This not only ensures that the right volunteers are signing up for the right roles but also increases the chances of your volunteers being satisfied with their roles. Make sure your role descriptions are thorough and that they mention logistics like the skills you’re looking for and the time commitment.
• Send automated communications, such as shift reminders. Take advantage of shift reminder features to send alert notifications. Allow volunteers to communicate with your organization through the app so they can get any questions answered.

Make sure to reach out to your app provider to ask questions, receive technical support, and ensure you’re using each feature to its full potential.

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?

Peer-to-peer fundraising (sometimes shortened to P2P fundraising) is a fundraising strategy where individuals organize personal campaigns to raise money on behalf of a nonprofit organization.

Organizations recruit volunteers among their supporter bases to launch personalized campaign pages. Volunteers then reach out to their networks of friends and family to collect donations for their campaigns.

What is the difference between peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding?

While peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding share some characteristics, they are two separate strategies.

Both crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising require your nonprofit to rely on its network of supporters reaching out to their friends and family (usually leveraging social media) to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit.

The difference lies in how your campaign is set up and how you share it. While crowdfunding campaigns empower your supporters to share the same campaign page across multiple sites and platforms, peer-to-peer fundraising empowers your volunteers to launch their own personalized pages to raise funds on your behalf.

As a result, your peer-to-peer fundraisers can create campaign pages that include personal information about their connections to your organization. This specificity and individualization further encourage new supporters to give to the campaign due to their relationship with your volunteer fundraisers. In fact, 39% of Americans say they’ve donated to a cause because of a request from a family member or friend.

Types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns

There are three primary types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns: rolling, time-based, and giving days.

Rolling campaigns

Rolling peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns operate without a time limit. They’re designed to raise a certain amount of money and those funds don’t have a set deadline.

If you want to give supporters the option to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit at any time, you might set up a rolling campaign on your site. That way, they can create a personalized campaign page whenever they want and dedicate the revenue to your annual fund.

An example of a rolling campaign is Alex’s Lemonade Stand’s fundraisers. Anyone can use the nonprofit’s resources to host their own lemonade stand fundraiser at any given time.

Time-based campaigns

Time-based peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are more common and require participants to raise funds by a specific deadline. These types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are often tied to events.

For example, an organization may launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign leading up to its annual walk-a-thon, like the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk. This campaign would allow you to spread the word about the event, increasing revenue for the general campaign through peer-to-peer fundraising.

Giving days

Giving days operate like condensed versions of time-based campaigns that only last 24 hours. These campaigns create a sense of urgency for your supporters to reach their personal goals and help your nonprofit achieve its overarching goal in a short amount of time.

For these types of campaigns, your nonprofit can lean into established giving occasions like GivingTuesday or create its own giving days that make sense for your cause. For instance, an animal shelter may host a giving day on National Rescue Dog Day to raise funds for dog adoptions.

A real-life example of a giving day is American Red Cross Giving Day. Taking place during Red Cross Month, this day is dedicated to raising funds for families affected by home fires and other disasters.

Benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising

Hosting a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign allows you to cast a wide net and earn donations from many people simultaneously. It’s not just about accessing funding, though. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns also offer opportunities for nonprofit organizations to connect more deeply with their supporters.

These campaigns can allow you to:

• Expand your network. Since your supporters are reaching out to their friends and family, you can expand your network to those new audience members. They’ll get a sense of your brand and what your organization is about and might be interested in learning more about your nonprofit.
  
• Allow supporters to get more involved. If you’re always reaching out to your supporters and asking for money, they may feel burnt out and unappreciated. Asking them to help raise money on your behalf is not only easier on their wallets but also provides a new and unique way for them to show their support.
  
• Engage supporters virtually. You can launch and host peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns entirely virtually. That way, supporters can conveniently get involved—no matter where they’re located.
• Grow your social media presence. Peer-to-peer campaigns spread like wildfire on social media, so they naturally help grow your nonprofit’s social media presence. You can expand your social media presence by interacting with supporters’ posts about their fundraising pages and encouraging them to reach their goals.

Before you launch your peer-to-peer campaign, choose which goals are most important for your organization, both in terms of revenue and engagement opportunities. That way, you can make focused decisions that drive your objectives forward.

For example, you may use your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to engage your current supporter base and increase your retention rate. In this case, you might set goals regarding the percentage of current supporters you want to recruit to participate in the campaign. Then, you can specifically focus on encouraging supporters to participate, stewarding them, and showing your appreciation as they raise funds for your mission.

How to get started with peer-to-peer fundraising

Follow these steps to launch your own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.

1. Determine your campaign’s goals.

Chances are, you’ll have multiple goals you’d like to accomplish. Determine all of your goals, and rank them in order of priority.

For example, you might decide that you have four goals for your campaign:

1. Raise money.
2. Steward existing supporters.
3. Expand your social media presence.
4. Expand your brand recognition.

From here, you need a revenue goal that will meet your needs. Let’s say that you want to raise $20,000. If you recruit 50 volunteers, you can encourage them to set a goal of raising $400 each for your campaign. If they’re successful, you’ll hit that $20,000 goal.

2. Choose a peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

Pick the software platform that will help your nonprofit reach its peer-to-peer campaign fundraising goals. Look for a solution with the following features:

• Individual and team fundraising pages
• Customizability
• Gamification tools
• Branded event pages
• Social sharing tools
• Fundraising thermometers

If you already use a dedicated peer-to-peer platform, add your campaign’s details to your main information page. Highlight the basics of your campaign, including your overarching goals and what the funds raised will support.

3. Recruit your peer-to-peer fundraising volunteers.

Start recruiting supporters to fundraise on your behalf by presenting the campaign’s objectives and goals. Position the opportunity as a way to get more involved with your nonprofit and become an ambassador for your cause.

It’s best to recruit supporters who have already shown a demonstrated interest in your cause. These may be avid volunteers, regular event attendees, dedicated donors, or engaged social media followers.

After you’ve recruited your supporters, show them how to launch their own campaign pages and make the most of the opportunity. Help them create their own compelling fundraising appeals based on their experiences with your nonprofit. People are more likely to give money to a person rather than an organization, meaning their unique words and appeals will drive more support than a generic message from your organization.

4. Support your fundraisers.

Support your volunteer fundraisers during every step of your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Provide tips throughout the campaign to show them how to take their fundraiser to the next level.

For instance, you might recommend:

• Making the first donation to the campaign to kick things off. This shows potential donors that they’re not starting from scratch.
• Reposting the peer-to-peer fundraising page at regular intervals on their social media accounts.
• Using groups on social media, such as Facebook groups, to reach people with similar interests.
• Leveraging other platforms like email and word-of-mouth marketing to reach new audiences.

Regularly check in with your supporters to assess their progress toward their individual goals. These check-ins will keep their motivation high as they continue to raise funds for your organization.

5. Celebrate reaching your goal.

When you hit your goal, celebrate! Reach out to all the supporters who helped fundraise on your behalf and thank them for their involvement.

On a smaller scale, when individual fundraisers hit their goals, reach out to congratulate them. Encourage them to continue raising money for the campaign so they know they can keep going and surpass their goal.

6. Thank all of your supporters.

After the campaign ends, it’s time to say a lot of thank yous. Thank every fundraiser for getting involved, and don’t forget to show appreciation for the donors who contributed to the campaign’s success.

Avoid lumping your donor and volunteer segments together. Instead, create personalized communications depending on how each individual participated in your campaign to reach everyone on a personal level.

To show your appreciation for your fundraisers, consider the following:

• Write emails and letters thanking them for their support.
• Provide prizes for your top fundraisers.
• Send updates about the project they raised funds for.
• Send a survey to get their feedback on the campaign.
• Create a special event for these fundraisers, or invite them to participate in a VIP activity at an existing event.

To show your appreciation for your donors, you might consider the following:

• Send additional newsletters or information about your mission.
• Call them to say thank you.
• Send handwritten thank-you notes.

These appreciation strategies will close out the campaign and make sure it ends on a high note for everyone involved. They will also encourage people to get more involved in the future, increasing your organization’s retention rate for these types of campaigns.

7. Track key campaign metrics.

Directly after the campaign, build a report of the key metrics that determine your campaign’s success.

Some of the metrics you might decide to analyze include your:

• Average donation size
• Supporter retention rate
• Number of new donors who contributed
• Marketing platform success rate
• Average amount raised per fundraiser

Analyze these metrics and identify opportunities for improvement. Then, make a note of these opportunities for the next campaign. We recommend conducting this analysis directly after the campaign so the details are still fresh in your mind.

Peer-to-peer fundraising ideas

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns can take many forms. Consider your development plan and the type of campaign that will best fit your needs.

Check out this comprehensive list of P2P fundraising ideas for even more ideas!

5K race

A 5K is a great way to inspire friendly competition among supporters while raising funds for your mission. Use your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to spread the word about the event and encourage participants to launch their own personal campaign pages ahead of time. That way, even those who can’t attend can donate and support your cause.

Walk-a-thon

Similar to your 5K race, you can encourage your walk-a-thon participants to raise funds for your cause before and during the event. Have supporters set up peer-to-peer pages and ask for pledges based on the distance they walk (i.e. $5 per number of laps or miles).

Sports tournament

Sports tournaments are exciting opportunities that encourage people to come out and support their local teams. Ask each team to set up a fundraising page as a part of your peer-to-peer campaign so supporters can cheer on their favorite team and show support by contributing to the campaign. The team that wins the tournament and the one that raises the most money for your nonprofit should receive a reward.

Team sports

Raising money for a single sports team is another great way to leverage a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Let’s say your nonprofit organizes a pick-up kickball game to raise money. Each team member can raise funds using their own personalized campaign page leading up to the big game.

Read-a-thon

Read-a-thons are perfect peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities for kids. Encourage them (with the help of their parents or guardians) to set up a campaign page and ask for sponsorships for the number of pages they read in a set period of time.

Holiday party

Your nonprofit’s holiday party is an exciting time for your organization. Invite supporters to attend and raise money leading up to the event. You might even offer a discount for entry (if you require an entry fee) for supporters who raise a certain amount of funds.

Merchandise campaign

Merchandise campaigns are special types of peer-to-peer campaigns where you sell merchandise to raise donations. Your supporters create their own campaign page connected to your organization. Then, when the supporters’ friends and family make a donation of a certain size, they’ll receive a t-shirt, mug, or other branded merchandise.

Tips for your next peer-to-peer fundraising campaign

Peer-to-peer fundraising can be challenging, especially if you’re new to it. That’s why we’ve compiled several tips that you can use to maximize your campaign and help you succeed.

Here are our top tips for success:

• Center your supporters in your appreciation efforts. In your follow-up communications after your fundraiser, explain what donors and fundraisers made happen through their dedicated support. For example, instead of saying “Our nonprofit can now purchase 12 new beds for shelter dogs,” say “Because of your generous support, 12 shelter dogs will have a comfy place to sleep.”
• Encourage fundraisers to personalize their campaign pages. Provide training materials for your supporters, instructing them on how to personalize their campaign pages. Advise them on what content works best for peer-to-peer pages. For instance, images that feature the fundraiser at a nonprofit event or a beneficiary are especially impactful. Your fundraisers should also engage their networks with stories about their personal experiences with your cause.
• Leverage fundraising thermometers. Fundraising thermometers allow your donors to see exactly how much more money you have to raise to hit your fundraising goal, incentivizing donors to give. Brand your thermometer to your organization, and feature it on various campaign pages and your nonprofit’s website.
• Use leaderboards to gamify the campaign. Turn your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign into a competition by adding leaderboards to the mix. Rank your leading fundraisers for everyone to see and celebrate your top earners. After the campaign, award the winner with a prize.

Using the right online giving tool is essential for ensuring you can enact these various peer-to-peer fundraising tips. Prioritize the features you need for your specific peer-to-peer campaign, and compare different software providers to choose the one that’s best for your organization.

Our recommended peer-to-peer fundraising platform: Qgiv

To host an effective peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, you’ll need a platform that allows your supporters to customize their campaign pages and promote them to a wide audience. We recommend using Qgiv, an all-in-one peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive, user-friendly peer-to-peer fundraising platform, look no further than Qgiv. With Qgiv’s intuitive software, you can empower your fundraisers to customize their pages and encourage their networks of friends and family to contribute.

Check out some of the incredible features Qgiv has to offer:

• Team fundraising capabilities. Have your fundraisers team up to raise even more for your cause. With the ability to assign team captains, set recruitment and fundraising goals for each team, and leverage team leaderboards, the sky’s the limit for how much your participants can raise.
• Customizable events. Want to pair your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign with an event? Qgiv allows you to easily accept registrations from any device through custom event pages—whether you’re hosting a 5K, walk-a-thon, or anything in between.
• Gamification elements. Make fundraising more fun with gamification. You can inspire friendly competition with leaderboards, reward fundraisers for hitting their goals with badges, and launch recruitment and fundraising contests that keep your supporters engaged.
• Email and social tools. Supporters can email their friends and family directly from their personal dashboards, making it easy to spread the word about your campaign. They can also use customized email and social post templates created by your team to keep communications consistent and on brand.
• Online store. Smash your fundraising goals by selling event merchandise in your online store to drive additional revenue. You may also create and sell sponsorship packages directly from your event page to keep everything in one place.

Plus, Bloomerang’s partnership with Qgiv allows nonprofits to put supporter relationships at the heart of every fundraising campaign. By combining Qgiv’s fundraising tools with Bloomerang’s donor management software, you can seamlessly sync your fundraising data and use it to build stronger donor relationships. With all of your fundraising data and tools in one place, you can unlock unparalleled insights that allow you to fortify your fundraising strategy over time.

Wrapping up

What is event management software for nonprofits?

Nonprofit event management software is any technology tool that helps nonprofits plan, execute, and report on events. These solutions typically include features to support event planning and scheduling, volunteer and attendee recruitment, check-in, communication and marketing, attendance tracking, and other tools needed to keep your event running smoothly.

What should nonprofits keep in mind when browsing event software?

Your event management software should help you efficiently check items off your planning to-do list. The right tool will integrate with your nonprofit’s existing software, offer an intuitive user interface, and, most importantly, not break the bank.

With that in mind, here are several key considerations to discuss with your team before investing in event management software:

• The size of your event. The scope and scale of the events your nonprofit plans to host matter greatly for the type of event management software you choose. It’s easier to manage small-scale events with more basic, free software solutions. However, larger events require much more coordination and cross-team collaboration, making it worth investing in paid solutions that offer a wider range of features.
• Your budget. If you plan to invest in a paid solution, setting a clear budget is essential for ensuring your event can achieve a high return on investment (ROI). Consider your expected costs and anticipated event revenue to choose a solution that won’t exceed your means.
• Your event’s format. Hybrid and virtual events have different considerations than in-person experiences. To host these events, you’ll need to find event management software with livestreaming capabilities, remote attendee engagement features, and other elements that make virtual events possible.
• Technical support. Software support can be a major help when first getting up and running with a new system. Your event software should have a support portal, free resources, and chat or email support to answer any questions.
• User-friendliness. Your event management platform should be intuitive for your nonprofit’s staff to use. Request demos from your top options and invite team members to join so they can understand how each system works.
• Integrations. Event tools with robust integrations make it easy to transfer data seamlessly between platforms without the need for manual uploads or the risk of losing data. Understand whether your event management tool integrates with other solutions, such as your CRM and marketing platforms.
• Software reviews. Your event management tool should have a variety of positive, unbiased reviews from real customers. Look up your top solutions on platforms like G2 and Capterra to review testimonials from current users.

Your organization may have unique event management needs that are not covered in this list. Compile those requirements and keep them in mind as you work through our list of top solutions.

User-friendly event management software tools

The following software solutions are user-friendly options with features to effectively manage events. Browse our list to find tools that align with your needs, budget, and event goals.

Bloomerang – Best nonprofit event software for donor experience

Bloomerang’s event fundraising tools put donor engagement first. This leading event management software helps turn events into stepping stones to long-term supporter engagement, with features that make the event experience more enjoyable for attendees and easier to plan.

Effective features of this event management software include:

• Simple event registration. Use sign-up forms that track attendance and event revenue. When attendees register, it automatically creates a touchpoint in their interaction timeline, helping you better track constituent engagement.
• Constituent interaction timeline. All attendee interactions—like signing up for your event, opening emails, and interacting with your social media posts—are logged on a chronological timeline. This helps you understand each supporter’s involvement journey at a glance and personalize your future outreach.
• Constituent engagement levels. Bloomerang analyzes past interactions to create an engagement level score, automatically identifying supporters who would be interested in your event and good prospects for other initiatives, like your fundraising efforts.
• Advanced reporting. Track event insights, such as supporters who are your top event promoters, or those who just made their very first donation at your event. Leverage these insights to send thank-you messages and tailored marketing outreach.
• Unlimited custom fields. Track and report on any constituent information relevant to your event planning, from dietary restrictions to communication preferences.
• Attendee screening for giving capacity. Leveraging a DonorSearch integration, you can identify supporters with a rich history of philanthropic giving and a high giving capacity. Then, you can make tailored stewardship plans to invite these individuals to your events and build relationships with them.

In addition, Bloomerang’s plan offers unlimited users, free email and chat support, a mobile app, and unlimited donation pages to gather donations before, during, and after your fundraising event. Learn more about Bloomerang’s plans and pricing.

Qgiv – Best event management software for fundraising events

Overview: Qgiv is a robust online fundraising platform that also offers comprehensive event management tools. Qgiv simplifies event registration, reporting, and guest management to help plan and execute fulfilling, engaging experiences.

Stand-out features:

• Customizable, branded event landing pages you can build with a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor
• Flexible ticket packages for individuals, families, VIPs, sponsors, and exclusive events
• Custom fields to gather attendee information that matters the most to your organization
• A simple donation process attendees can complete while they’re registering
• Event promotion tools for multiple platforms, including email, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter)
• Reporting tools that enable segmentation and year-over-year comparisons

Price: Qgiv offers a free plan, and paid plans start at $25 per month or $60 per quarter.

Asana – Best nonprofit event tool for project management

Overview: Asana is a project management platform that nonprofits can use to manage event planning more efficiently and collaboratively.

Stand-out features:

• Organize projects in a shared hub, with timelines, task roles, and task lists.
• Create custom workflows and use automation to save time.
• Add goals and report on progress with automatic updates.

Price: Asana offers a free plan, and paid plans start at $10.99 per user per month.

CiviCRM – Best open-source nonprofit event management software

Overview: CiviCRM offers an open-source CRM for nonprofits. They also provide a full suite of event management tools to simplify planning and management.

Stand-out features:

• Registration pages for free and paid events.
• Ability to import and export attendee data to and from other platforms.
• Ability to set up recurring events and other activities.

Price: Free to download, use, and share.

Cvent – Best event software for unified data management

Overview: Cvent is an event management tool that offers unique features for nonprofits, such as donor and volunteer engagement and fundraising reporting.

Stand-out features:

• AI recommendations and customizable templates that help create branded and personalized experiences.
• Robust reporting with interactive chats, live polling, and hybrid audience Q&A capabilities.
• Combined donor and event data for a 360-view of your fundraising and marketing efforts.

Price: Contact for pricing.

EventMobi – Best tool for multi-event management

Overview: EventMobi’s platform is used by associations, agencies, and corporations to plan and run professional events.

Stand-out features:

• A mobile event app to help attendees navigate your event, access event content, and network with other attendees.
• A virtual events platform for engaging virtual attendees and spotlighting sponsors.
• Gamification functionality, such as challenges, rewards, and leaderboards, to increase attendee engagement.

Price: Request pricing on the EventMobi website.

Handbid – Best event management software for mobile bidding

Overview: Handbid offers nonprofit software for mobile bidding and auction events. Their software is tailored to organizations looking to ditch paper bid sheets and outdated auction platforms for a modern, user-friendly system.

Stand-out features:

• Mobile bidding via the Handbid app or web-browser option.
• Streamlined ticketing and registration by gathering credit card information before guests arrive.
• Mobile auction management to allow event planners to manage event logistics from their mobile devices.

Price: Packages start at $1,396, with single and multi-event options available.

Google Meet – Best free event livestreaming tool

Overview: Google Meet is a free video-conferencing tool. Nonprofits can use this platform to livestream hybrid events or host small virtual events.

Stand-out features:

• Breakout rooms for small-group discussions.
• Interactive features for participants, like raising hands or reaction capabilities.
• Virtual dry-erase board for simple collaboration.

Price: Google Meet is free, but users can sign up for a Google Workspace or Google One Premium plan for premium features.

RSVPify – Best event management tool for tracking attendance

Overview: RSVPify simplifies the event management process from registration to event day. This software solution helps manage ticketing, virtual events, event website building, and more.

Stand-out features:

• Ability to create an event registration form in minutes and embed it into your organization’s website.
• Ticket add-on capabilities, such as merchandise or VIP access.
• Simple event sign-in with a QR code, guest name, or confirmation number.

Price: Event pricing starts at $19 per month. Paid events incur a 1.95% + $.90 fee per ticket, item, or donation.

Brushfire – Best event management app for ticketing

Overview: Brushfire is an online ticketing platform for online and in-person ticket sales.

Stand-out features:

• Robust ticketing features including assigned seating and conditional registration forms.
• Attendee support for customers.
• Multiple integrations with leading payment processors, content management systems, and CRMs.

Price: Brushfire offers a pay-as-you-go model with a $1.50 + 1% per paid attendee or a flat $1 fee per free attendee.

Eventbrite – Best for customizable event pages

Overview: Eventbrite is a self-service event management and ticketing platform.

Stand-out features:

• Customizable event pages to sell tickets online.
• Event organizer app to monitor ticket sales and event check-ins.
• A variety of marketing tools to spread the word about your event, including Eventbrite Ads and social media ads.

Price: Eventbrite offers a free option for up to 25 tickets. Paid options start at $9.99 per event.

Facebook Events – Best tool for marketing your event

Overview: Facebook Events is a popular Facebook feature that allows organizations to create events and invite followers to RSVP.

Stand-out features:

• Easily share event logistics with a robust information page.
• Post photos and videos to your event page to generate interest.
• Personally invite supporters to your event using Facebook’s messaging and notification tools.

Price: Facebook Events are free to create and share.

Zeffy – Top free event management software for nonprofits

Overview: Zeffy is a zero-fee nonprofit fundraising platform, with tools for event ticketing and donation management.

Stand-out features:

• Scannable e-tickets for simple check-ins.
• Ability to accept multiple payment methods, including all credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH, and checks.
• Customizable ticketing forms that allow you to add your nonprofit’s logo, colors, and a custom banner.

Price: Zeffy is free to use. The platform is powered by optional donor contributions.

Doubleknot – Best software for recurring events and programs

Overview: Doubleknot’s event registration platform is best suited for nonprofit cultural organizations, such as zoos, museums, and botanical gardens.

Stand-out features:

• Custom forms, fields, and registration types to gather the information that matters most to your nonprofit.
• Flexible payments and promotions, with options for coupon codes and member discounts.
• Mobile sales and check-in apps accessible via iPhones or iPads.

Price: Contact Doubleknot for pricing information.

Bizzabo – Best multi-use event management software for nonprofits

Overview: Bizzabo offers customizable nonprofit event management software to grow mission awareness and increase fundraising.

Stand-out features:

• All-in-one event management dashboard to view essential metrics and centralize team communications.
• Personalized content journeys for attendees, including personal agendas and an on-demand content library.
• Interactive audience experiences, including Q&As, polls, and chats.

Price: View plans on the Bizzabo website and contact for pricing.

Hopin – Best suite of event management solutions for community building

Overview: Hopin’s engagement tools are designed to help organizations build stronger supporter communities online. These tools include livestreaming and video recording, webinars, and an online community builder.

Stand-out features:

• A professional livestreaming and recording studio that helps create clear, branded videos.
• A webinar platform to host online educational events.
• An online community for your supporters with channel discussions, a content library, and member groups.

Price: Pricing depends on the tool; visit the Hopin website for more information.

Additional software tools to support nonprofit events

These are additional solutions you can use to support your nonprofit’s events. While not all-in-one event management software tools, they’ll still provide much-needed support in areas like fundraising, marketing, event follow-up, and community building.

Bonfire – Top tool for event merchandising

Overview: Bonfire offers a merchandise fundraising platform for nonprofits. If you want to design and sell or offer event merchandise as part of the ticket price, Bonfire is a user-friendly option.

Stand-out features:

• Customizable organization page to share your event information and display fundraising stats.
• Peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities to empower your community to promote your merchandise and raise funds on behalf of your organization.
• Personalized thank-you emails to supporters from your campaign dashboard.

Price: Free to use, but nonprofits incur processing fees of 3.5%.

DonorSearch – Best prospect research tool

Overview: DonorSearch offers AI and custom fundraising solutions to help your nonprofit visualize data, identify prospective major donors, and enrich your database with external data. You can use this tool to screen event attendees for wealth and affinity markers that indicate they may be willing to make large donations during your event. Then, you can create a custom stewardship plan to engage these donors throughout the experience.

Stand-out features:

• Machine learning algorithm to analyze donor data, identify patterns, and recommend useful next actions.
• Philanthropic and wealth screening to identify likely major donors.
• Most likely to respond score to identify highly engaged donors and create communication segments to reach out to them.

Price: Contact DonorSearch for pricing information.

Canva – Best graphic design software for event marketing

Overview: Canva is an online graphic design platform. Nonprofits can use this tool to create a variety of event marketing materials, including social media posts, email and website graphics, flyers, postcards, and other designs.

Stand-out features:

• Simple, intuitive editor with 420,000+ templates and 75 million+ images.
• Free online AI image generator and photo editing features.
• Text animations for dynamic, engaging messaging.

Price: Eligible nonprofits can access Canva for free after applying through their website.

Gratavid – Best event tool for showing gratitude

Overview: Gratavid by Gravyty is a tool for creating personalized video messaging to show gratitude to event attendees. Appreciation videos are a unique way to thank attendees and donors, leave a positive impression, and boost supporter retention.

Stand-out features:

• Ability to record videos easily from any device.
• Opportunity to create a custom branded landing page to host your videos.
• Ability to send videos and gifs via email to ensure all attendees receive gratitude messages.

Price: Contact Gravyty for pricing information.

Smartwaiver – Best nonprofit software for event waivers

Overview: Smartwaiver offers online waiver software. Waivers are essential for any events that require physical activity or have a risk of injury, such as bike-a-thons.

Stand-out features:

• Add customizable options to your waiver, including flagged questions and safety videos.
• Collect waivers in multiple formats, including a kiosk, email link, QR code, or embedded waiver widget.
• Grant varying user permissions and access to increase security.

Price: The basic plan is $19 per month for up to 100 signed waivers. They also offer special pricing for one-time events.

BuildFire – Best event mobile app builder

Overview: BuildFire is a mobile app builder that enables users to create apps for iOS and Android. It’s a simple and intuitive option if you need a mobile app to promote your event and offer attendee engagement features.

Stand-out features:

• Turnkey app development with a drag-and-drop editor.
• Multiple use cases, including lecture notes, feedback surveys, polls, push notifications, and more.
• Event schedule to help attendees stay organized.

Price: Plans start at $100 per month for the app development platform.

Slack – Best app for event team communication

Overview: Slack is an instant messaging and productivity app. Event planning teams can use Slack to stay in touch and quickly access other planning apps like Google or Outlook calendars.

Stand-out features:

• Channels, which are messaging groups designed to focus on specific subjects.
• A workflow builder to help automate tasks.
• Audio and video meetings.

Price: Slack offers a free plan, and paid options start at $4.38 per month.