If you're looking for nonprofit tools to help you accept donations, manage your donor relationships, and scale your organization, you might be curious about trying Classy. But with high fees and contracts, that might not work for every nonprofit. In this article, we'll share the best alternatives to Classy that fit most nonprofit's needs and budgets.
Let’s face it: when you’re looking for fundraising software, it can be hard to find the tools that fit both your needs and your budget.
You might be tempted to go with Classy, one of the most well-known fundraising software companies for nonprofits. But you might not be ready to take on their cost.
Some organizations simply need a solution that works for them without the hefty price tag.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the 10 best alternatives to Classy. For each, we’ll outline their features, affordability, and our final verdict.
Bonus – Choosing the best Classy Alternative for your nonprofit
Finding the right fundraising software for your organization doesn’t have to be a headache! Let’s take a look at our number one pick for alternatives to Classy: Donorbox!
Donorbox is a leading online fundraising solution for 80,000+ organizations from 96 countries. With powerful fundraising and donor management tools, Donorbox has helped them raise more than $2 billion in donations.
Donorbox thrives on its range of intuitive and affordable features that suit all kinds and sizes of organizations. It grows to fit your needs at every step of your fundraising journey.
Organizations like Black Girls Code, Honnold Foundation, Maya’s Hope, and more have used Donorbox features to increase their fundraising by 100-400%. These features are built with both nonprofits and donors in mind. Let’s have a look at some key Donorbox features –
Donorbox is free to start – no signup fees, contracts, or monthly fees involved!
The platform fee is the lowest in the market at just 1.75%. There will be an additional processing fee for Stripe or PayPal. But Donorbox lets you ask your donors to cover these fees, which 80% of them are happy to do.
Donorbox also offers a custom success package for nonprofits willing to level up their fundraising. It includes expert coaching services, premium tools, high-priority support, and an account manager. Learn more about Donorbox Premium here.
Donorbox is a top Classy competitor. It includes all the main features that Classy offers at affordable and transparent pricing.
Classy’s plans might be out of reach for smaller nonprofits. But Donorbox can help you whether you’re starting out or looking to make a switch. It can scale with you as you grow.
Thousands of churches, universities, schools, PTAs, arts and political organizations, animal rescue nonprofits, journalism, and medical organizations have opted for Donorbox to offer their supporters the best giving experience.
Nonprofit experts at Donorbox also work hard to provide organizations with up-to-date fundraising knowledge with the Nonprofit Blog, Donorbox Library, Donorbox Academy, The Nonprofit Podcast, and more.
With free signup and fully customizable features, Donorbox is highly dependable for organizations of any size.
Get started in 4 simple steps –
Give Lively is a philanthropist-funded company that collaborates with nonprofits to create fundraising tech. Created in 2015, Give Lively has over 8,000 active member nonprofits.
Give Lively offers some strong tools for fundraisers that you also find on Classy, including –
Give Lively is totally free with a membership, but only for 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Organizations without official 501(c)(3) status can’t use Give Lively’s tools at all. You will need to apply for the membership with the necessary details.
Give Lively is great for smaller 501(c)(3) nonprofits who need a completely free suite of tools.
In this way, Give Lively does beat Classy. They want to serve their mission of offering completely free tools to officially registered nonprofits.
Founded in 2001, Network for Good has worked with over 400,000 nonprofit leaders. Although their main focus is donor management, they also have strong online fundraising tools to help nonprofits each step of the way.
Network for Good’s fundraising features include –
Pricing depends on how many monthly donors your organization has. Their pricing is fully customized, but not available on their website.
Network for Good has a suite of tools that make it a solid Classy competitor. Although they also don’t have transparent pricing and tend to be on the more expensive side, they are trusted in the industry for their strong donor management features.
Givebutter was founded by three friends who wanted to create better fundraising tools to support a friend’s nonprofit. Interesting – and also packed with features equivalent to those of Classy at affordable pricing!
Givebutter offers tools to fundraise, track donations, and engage with donors –
Givebutter’s fundraising tools are free, as long as you choose to let donors give tips. If you choose not to turn this on, you’ll pay platform fees starting at 1% plus processing fees.
Givebutter integrates with more tools than Classy and comes with a much more reasonable price tag, as long as you’re willing to ask donors to give them tips. Givebutter’s tools also work for organizations of any size.
Funraise was founded by three nonprofit fundraisers who were tired of using multiple tools all just to fundraise online. This made fundraising effortless not just for them but many other organizations.
Funraise offers tools to make your online fundraising more powerful, such as –
Funraise’s free plan only includes some of its features like donation buttons, automated donation receipts, donor management, and reports. Their enterprise plan, which includes all of their features, starts at $2,500 a year.
Although their free plan doesn’t include all their features, Funraise still beats out Classy when it comes to great fundraising tools for free. Funraise’s free plan is great for smaller nonprofits who want basic tools to make online fundraising easier.
Donately was founded in 2013 in partnership with Fifty & Fifty to create fundraising solutions for nonprofits. This Classy alternative works with over 1,200 nonprofits, churches, businesses, and agencies.
Donately’s features vary depending on the pricing level you choose; here are their offered features –
Donately has 3 pricing levels that offer different features depending on your needs.
Their free level is $0 a month with a 4% platform fee. Their starter level is $15 a month, with a reduced platform fee of 3.5%. And their team level is $49 a month with a platform fee of 2%.
Donately is a great basic option for nonprofits who want fundraising tools without breaking the bank. This can be a solid Classy competitor for smaller nonprofits just starting out with online fundraising.
Fundly’s tools are specifically geared toward crowdfunding. For organizations mostly interested in crowdfunding functionalities and some other basic fundraising features, this can be a great Classy alternative.
Fundly’s features include the following –
Pricing depends on where you’re located.
In the U.S. and Canada, their pricing is 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. In the U.K., pricing is 2.4% plus 20 pence.
If all an organization wants to do is crowdfund, Fundly is a much cheaper and more streamlined alternative to Classy. However, it does miss some functionality when it comes to donor management and integrating with other aspects of online fundraising.
Little Green Light’s founders started the company in 2007 with the goal of helping nonprofits spend less time on data management. They offer solid donor management tools to help nonprofits, along with online fundraising.
Little Green Light’s fundraising and data management features include –
Plus, Little Green Light integrates with Donorbox, giving you a completely streamlined workflow!
Little Green Light’s pricing depends on the number of constituents you’ll have. Their lowest option for up to 2.5k constituents is $486 a year billed annually.
Since Little Green Light is focused on donor management, their tools have a lot of thoughtful features to make them a Classy alternative. Their pricing is more attainable for smaller nonprofits, too.
If you’re looking for in-depth donor data management in addition to basic fundraising, this Classy alternative is a great choice for you.
Classy is a great fundraising tool for nonprofits with a number of useful online fundraising and donor management features. But it is also said to be aimed at enterprise-level organizations with higher pricing plans. As a result, a lot of nonprofits are looking for an alternative that will be a more suitable option for their organizations.
So, as you zero in on an alternative, it is advisable that you keep in mind the following tips –
Donorbox comes with free signup and no monthly fees. It is built keeping your donors’ convenience in mind – while also making it simple for you! Learn about our list of features and integrations on the website to make the best choice for your organization!
Here’s what Nova Ukraine, one of our nonprofit users, has to say about Donorbox –
Although it can be easy to go with a big-name company, remember that sometimes big names come with big prices. Choosing which donation software will depend on your size, your fundraising needs, and any goals you have moving forward.
Donorbox has an accessible price point and is an all-in-one fundraising option for organizations. That’s why it’s the number 1 alternative to Classy – and a trusted partner for 80,000+ nonprofits all over the world!
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Get started with Donorbox today and create your fundraising campaign in just 15 minutes.
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.
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Lindsey Baker Bower