Looking for the perfect fundraising platform for your cause? You may be interested in "free" platforms like Givebutter. However, many nonprofits are looking for Givebutter alternatives that will help them raise more – while protecting their relationships with their donors. In this article, we'll compare Donorbox and Givebutter so you can decide which platform best fits your fundraising needs.
Online giving is a huge priority in the nonprofit world these days. And with good reason – 63% of donors prefer to give online over other methods.
It’s easy for nonprofits to fall into the trap of “free” fundraising platforms when they search for an online giving solution. Free sounds fantastic! But ultimately, “free” platforms like Givebutter could come with significant costs to your donors’ trust – and end up costing you donations in the future.
That’s why many organizations are looking for Givebutter alternatives to help them raise more while protecting their reputation with donors.
Read on to discover the differences between Donorbox and Givebutter. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about these two platforms so you can choose the best option to fuel your mission.
Free is great when it comes to samples, giveaways, or Sunday afternoons. But is free a good choice when you’re looking for the tool that’s going to help you fund your crucial mission?
Fee-free platforms operate by asking each and every donor for an optional “tip” to the platform on top of their donation. This means if they give $100 to support your Giving Tuesday campaign, platforms like Givebutter ask them to tip an additional $15 for a 15% tip.
With platform tipping, you run the risk of increasing your donors’ tipping fatigue. USA Today found that 48% of people are tired of being asked to tip with every transaction – especially for transactions where the recipient of the tip is unclear or not present. Your donors’ generosity could be affected if they’re asked for an additional, unexpected tip on top of their donation.
Donors might be left with a bad feeling that they then associate with your organization. This can damage your nonprofit’s reputation in the long term, making it more difficult to build donor trust.
On the other hand, Donorbox charges a low platform fee that donors also have the option of covering – for a much lower cost than tipping. In the example above, a $100 donor giving through Donorbox would have the option of covering the Standard plan platform fee (1.75%) and the standard industry payment processing fee (2.2% + 30¢) for an additional charge of only $4.25. For users on the Pro and Premium plans, that donation form platform fee is only 1.5% and the optional cost to donors is only $4.00.
Free isn’t always free – and sometimes you get what you pay for.
Let’s take a closer look at these two platforms to see which one comes out on top.
Trusted by thousands of organizations, Donorbox helps small to large nonprofits find growth and sustainability in their fundraising. We offer powerful features designed with nonprofit experts to help you raise more and streamline your workflows.
And so much more! Check out all of our features here.
Donorbox pairs with thousands of your favorite tools with both native and Zapier integrations to make your life easier. Integrations include:
Plus, choose Stripe or PayPal as your processor for secure payments.
Regardless of your budget, Donorbox has a plan that can help you scale your fundraising – with no start-up fees.
Donorbox CRM is available starting at $75 a month. Contact sales for your custom pricing.
Learn more about our pricing and sign up today!
When you’re ready to grow, Donorbox has you covered with tons of free resources. Whether you’re looking for fundraising tips, product how-tos, or trends, we have something to support you!
Here are the resources we love to share with you:
Enjoy access to world-class support 24/5 with some weekend availability as well. With lightning-fast response times, our team is here to help answer your questions or assist you with setup. Premium accounts also receive priority technical support.
Contact our team here.
Givebutter is a fundraising platform that doesn’t charge platform fees when optional donor tipping is enabled. They offer a suite of tools to help nonprofits raise more.
Givebutter integrates with over a thousand tools through both native integrations and Zapier. Integrations include CRMs, accounting tools, admin tools like Monday, social media platforms, and more.
Givebutter charges no monthly fees and no platform fees if you have optional tipping turned on.
If you turn optional tipping off, they charge the following platform fees:
Plus, Givebutter charges a payment processing fee of 2.9% + 30¢.
Givebutter Plus gives you access to additional donor stewardship and productivity features for $33.80 a month or $348 a year.
Givebutter offers a variety of resources to help you fundraise.
Givebutter has responsive, 24/7 support through live chat and email.
Let’s take a side-by-side look at Donorbox and Givebutter’s features.
| Feature | Donorbox | Givebutter |
|---|---|---|
| Donation forms | X | X |
| Donations pages | X | X |
| CRM and donor management | X | X |
| Crowdfunding | X | X |
| Peer-to-Peer fundraising | X | X |
| In-person donation tool | X | X |
| Event ticketing | X | X |
| Auction support | X | |
| Text-to-Give | X | X |
| Direct mail marketing | X | |
| Email marketing | Coming soon! | X |
| Robust integrations | X | X |
| Donor portal | X | X |
| QuickDonate™ one-click giving | X | |
| Digital wallet donations like Apple Pay | X | X |
| AI Assistant - writing | X | X |
| AI Assistant - strategy and reporting | X |
As a comprehensive, all-in-one fundraising platform, Donorbox has helped more than 80,000 nonprofits like BluePath Service Dogs raise a collective $2 billion.
Employ powerful tools that have been proven to help nonprofits of all sizes raise more money, with tons of back-end support to help you strategize, analyze, and grow sustainably.
Plus, Donorbox is powered by AI to simplify your workflow and provide new and exciting ideas. Whenever you feel stuck, we’re here to help with blog articles sharing hundreds of fundraising ideas. Our fundraising experts are always working hard to stay on top of trends and give you the support you need when you need it – now.
With Donorbox, you can get so much fundraising power for no monthly fees, all while protecting your reputation and building valuable relationships with your donors.
Operating without an online fundraising platform isn’t really an option these days. Donors want to give online – and they want to do so through a trustworthy, secure, and efficient donation form.
While it can be tempting to go with a “free” donation platform, ultimately you need to choose one that best fits your needs now and into the future. Givebutter offers some convenient and useful features features, but Donorbox has them beat with industry-leading fundraising tools that have helped thousands of organizations grow their missions.
Ready to start raising more money for your cause? Sign up and launch your first fundraiser in under fifteen minutes.
For more fundraising advice, check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the best of the blog in your inbox every month.
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