Nonprofit Technology · Fundraising & Donor Management

Bloomerang vs DonorPerfect vs Givebutter: 11 Best Fundraising Software Platforms 2026

The best fundraising software is Bloomerang, ranked here against DonorPerfect, Givebutter, Classy, and 7 more on donation forms, donor CRM, campaign tools, and the fee transparency that decides how much of each gift a nonprofit actually keeps.

By Updated 26+ screened, 11 rankedNo paid placement

The short answer

The best fundraising software is Bloomerang, followed by DonorPerfect and Givebutter for collecting donations, managing donors, and running fundraising campaigns.

The ranking

The field at a glance

What you pay against what you get. Anything up and to the left is punching above its price.

7.48.39.2$$$$$$$$$$1Bloomerang2DonorPerfect3Givebutter45678910
The ten ranked providers by published price band and score; the top three are named. Zeffy, the #11 wildcard, is unrated by design and has no position on this axis.

The wildcard · #11

Unrated by design

Zeffy

Zeffy completely removes platform fees, but I will need to migrate to a more powerful system once my reporting and donor management needs grow.

The ten above are scored against the public rubric. The wildcard answers a different question, so it carries no score. It is selected by the wildcard signal model (wildcard-v2.0), read 2026-08-26.

Under-the-radar coefficientexceptional
Zeffy's 100% free, tip-funded model is a radical departure that is structurally invisible to rubrics weighting feature depth over cost elimination.
Category fit anomalystrong
The platform rejects the category's dominant SaaS and platform-fee models in favor of a tip-jar structure to cover all costs.
Impact densityexceptional
Nonprofits pay no platform or payment processing fees, making the cost to acquire a donation lower than any other provider.
Price integrity under growthstrong
The platform cost remains zero regardless of donor volume or transaction count, creating a completely flat cost curve.
Ceiling distancenotable
Organizations will outgrow the platform when their need for advanced CRM, reporting, and integrations surpasses basic functionality.
Effort transfermixed
The platform hands back the work of sophisticated donor analysis and reporting due to its deliberately basic CRM features.

Right for

New or budget-constrained nonprofits that need to get essential fundraising tools running with zero platform overhead.

Wrong for

Established nonprofits that rely on deep donor segmentation, marketing automation, and integrated reporting to scale their operations.

Every entry

1

Bloomerang

Best retention-focused CRM for small and mid-size nonprofits.

Best for
Retention-first CRM for small nonprofits
$$
from around $125/mo, scales with records
Company
Indianapolis, USA · est. 2012

Retention scoring plus forms and email in one CRM.

Lighter native event and auction tooling.

  • Donor Retention
  • Manual Data Entry
Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
bloomerang.coGripe
2

DonorPerfect

Best customizable database with board-grade reporting.

Best for
Customizable CRM with deep reporting
$$
from around $99/mo, tiered by records
Company
Horsham, USA · est. 1980

Deep custom fields and flexible reporting.

Dated interface and steeper learning curve.

Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
donorperfect.comGripe
3

Givebutter

Best free platform for campaigns and events.

Best for
Free-to-start giving, events, and peer-to-peer
$
free platform, optional tip + processing
Company
Washington, D.C., USA · est. 2016

Modern free forms plus native events and peer-to-peer.

Tip model shifts cost to donors; lighter CRM.

  • High Platform Fees
  • Tool Sprawl
Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
givebutter.comGripe
4

Classy

Best polished campaigns for larger nonprofits.

Best for
Scaled peer-to-peer and recurring campaigns
$$$
subscription + processing, custom quote
Company
San Diego, USA · est. 2011

Polished peer-to-peer with deep Salesforce ties.

Enterprise pricing; heavy for small teams.

Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
classy.orgGripe
5

Donorbox

Best quick-to-launch donation forms.

Best for
Fast donation forms and recurring giving
$
free tier, then ~1.75% platform fee
Company
San Francisco, USA · est. 2014

High-converting forms live in under an hour.

Platform fee on top of processing; light CRM.

  • Clunky Donation Forms
  • High Platform Fees
Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
donorbox.orgGripe
6

Neon CRM (Neon One)

Best connected suite for growing nonprofits.

Best for
Connected CRM, fundraising, and memberships
$$
from around $99/mo, tiered
Company
Chicago, USA · est. 2004

One record for donations, events, and memberships.

Less modern UI; add-ons raise total cost.

Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
neonone.comGripe
7

Bonterra (EveryAction)

Best fundraising-plus-advocacy platform for larger orgs.

Best for
Fundraising plus advocacy for larger orgs
$$$
enterprise, custom quote
Company
Austin, USA · est. 2022

Unified donor and advocacy data with strong email.

Acquisition sprawl; enterprise pricing.

Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
bonterratech.comGripe
8

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Best enterprise database of record for major gifts.

Best for
Enterprise database of record for large orgs
$$$$
enterprise, custom quote
Company
Charleston, USA · est. 1981

Mature major-gift, prospect research, and reporting.

Expensive, complex, and slow to implement.

  • Tool Sprawl
Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
blackbaud.comGripe
9

Qgiv

Best event and auction tooling at a fair fee.

Best for
Events, auctions, and text-to-give
$$
free tier, then tiered monthly
Company
Lakeland, USA · est. 2007

Auctions, mobile bidding, and text-to-give in one.

Thin native CRM; often paired with another database.

Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
qgiv.comGripe
10

Virtuous

Best CRM for automated, personalized donor journeys.

Best for
Modern CRM with marketing automation
$$$
subscription, custom quote
Company
Phoenix, USA · est. 2014

Automation and modern UI for personalized stewardship.

Higher price; automation needs setup time.

Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
virtuous.orgGripe
11

ZeffyWildcard

Best truly free platform, funded by donor tips.

Best for
Zero-platform-fee giving for small charities
$
100% free platform, optional donor tip
Company
Montreal, Canada · est. 2017

No platform or processing fee; keep nearly every dollar.

Basic CRM and reporting; tip prompt may dip conversion.

  • High Platform Fees
Risk signals · none found

No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.

Rank look right?
zeffy.comGripe

Go deeper

Best pick for your situation

Best for Donor Retention

Bloomerang (#1, 9.0/9.4). Best retention-focused CRM for small and mid-size nonprofits. It also handles Manual Data Entry.

Best for High Platform Fees

Givebutter (#3, 8.7/9.4). Best free platform for campaigns and events. It also handles Tool Sprawl.

Best for Clunky Donation Forms

Donorbox (#5, 8.4/9.4). Best quick-to-launch donation forms. It also handles High Platform Fees.

Best for Tool Sprawl

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT (#8, 8.0/9.4). Best enterprise database of record for major gifts.

Best for High Platform Fees

Zeffy (#11, unrated wildcard). Best truly free platform, funded by donor tips.

Buyer's guide

What is fundraising software?

Fundraising software is the system a nonprofit uses to collect donations online, store donor records, and run campaigns. It combines donation forms, a donor CRM that tracks giving history and segments supporters, and campaign tools like peer-to-peer pages and events, so a development team can raise money and keep donors in one place instead of stitching together a payment processor and a spreadsheet.

Do I need an all-in-one platform or a standalone donation form?

Match the tool to your size. If you are a small org that mostly needs clean online giving, a form-first tool like Donorbox or Givebutter collects donations with almost no setup. If you run recurring campaigns, events, and a growing donor file, a full CRM like Bloomerang or DonorPerfect earns its cost by tracking retention and automating donor stewardship over years.

How to choose

  1. 1Anchor on donor file size: under a few thousand records points to Bloomerang or Neon CRM, while large multi-program organizations lean to Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT or Bonterra.
  2. 2Name your priority: donor retention points to Bloomerang, fee-sensitive online giving to Donorbox or Givebutter, and events plus auctions to Qgiv or Classy.
  3. 3Check the true cost: compare platform fee plus processing rate plus any tip prompt, because a low headline price can hide a higher effective take rate.
  4. 4For US and Canadian small charities on a tight budget, weigh a zero-platform-fee model like Zeffy against the deeper CRM features of paid tools.
Frequently asked

What is the best fundraising software in 2026?

Bloomerang is the best all-around fundraising software, because it pairs a donor-retention-focused CRM with clean donation forms and email, and it is priced for small and mid-size nonprofits. DonorPerfect leads for organizations that want deep customization and reporting, and Givebutter is the strongest free-to-start option for events and peer-to-peer campaigns.

What is the cheapest way to accept online donations?

Zeffy is the cheapest option because it charges nonprofits no platform fee and instead asks donors for an optional tip, so the organization can keep close to 100 percent of each gift. Donorbox and Givebutter are also low-cost, with modest platform fees layered on top of standard payment processing rates.

What is the difference between fundraising software and a donor CRM?

A donor CRM is the database of supporters and their giving history, while fundraising software usually bundles that CRM with the tools to actually raise money, such as donation forms, events, and campaigns. Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, and Neon CRM are CRM-first platforms, whereas Givebutter and Donorbox start from donation forms and add lighter CRM features.

Which fundraising platform is best for peer-to-peer and events?

Givebutter and Classy are the strongest for peer-to-peer and events, because both handle team fundraising pages, ticketing, and campaign thermometers well. Qgiv and OneCause are also strong for galas and auctions, adding text-to-give and mobile bidding for in-person events.

How this was scored

Every entry is scored on a 9.4-point scale across 6 weighted criteria, reviewed quarterly. Top 11 takes no payment from any provider on this list. Scores are computed from a public weighted rubric; methodology weights were locked before entry research began. Re-scored every 90 days.

  • Almost every candidate is US-based and built around US tax-receipting, so nonprofits in other countries should confirm local payment and receipting support before committing.
  • Headline pricing rarely reflects true cost once payment processing and optional tip prompts are added, so effective take rates are hard to compare from marketing pages alone.
  • Blackbaud and Bonterra both grew through acquisition, so product lines overlap and the right module depends on which legacy product a reseller leads with.
Changelog
  1. Wildcard policy change: the #11 wildcard is now unrated. It is selected and explained by the wildcard signal model (wildcard-v2.0), which answers a different question from the scored rubric, so a score would be misleading. The ten ranked entries are unaffected.

  2. Initial publication. Methodology v1.0 weights Donation Forms & Online Giving (25%), Donor CRM & Data Management (20%), Campaign & Event Tools (20%), Fees & Pricing Transparency (15%), Reporting & Analytics (10%), and Integrations & Ecosystem (10%).

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Citing this list?[Bloomerang vs DonorPerfect vs Givebutter: 11 Best Fundraising Software Platforms 2026](https://topelevens.com/fundraising-software). Top 11, AI-native independent ranking. Methodology public at https://topelevens.com/methodology.

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