These days, you can’t afford to miss out on online fundraising. 63% of donors prefer to give online, after all, and that number is only going up as more Gen Z donors step into the scene. As you try to reign in your overhead costs, you might be interested in a fee-free fundraising platform like Zeffy.
But Zeffy’s unclear interface could cost you way more when it comes to building donor trust and gaining repeat donors. Read on to discover some common Zeffy complaints and why looking for an alternative might be the best move for your organization.
Why Do I Need Zeffy Alternatives?
Zeffy promises zero fees for nonprofits – always. However, the funds that fuel their platform ultimately have to come from somewhere.
Zeffy recoups fees through optional donor tipping, where donors are asked to “tip” the platform either a percentage of their total donation or a preset amount.
Donors will see the following prompt when making a contribution on the Zeffy platform. While 100% of the initial donation goes to your cause with Zeffy, optional tipping can significantly increase the total amount your donors pay, leaving them feeling discouraged or misled.
The requested tip that Zeffy asks for is based on the donation amount. For donations over $25, the default percentage is 15% and donors can choose to increase their tip amount if they wish. For donations $25 and under, the tipping percentage starts at either 17% or $5.
This practice is problematic because some donors may miss the addition of the tip to their total. This can lead to donors completing a transaction, thinking they paid $100 to support your mission – only to find out when they see their bank statement that they were charged $114.95.
Here’s what a reviewer had to say about the process:
“The only thing I dislike about Zeffy is the way they solicit donations from users. Any time anyone makes a donation or buys a ticket on Zeffy, the form automatically adds on a donation to Zeffy, and it is not immediately apparent that the user can choose to reduce or omit the donation. This seems sneaky and like a hidden fee. I would feel much more comfortable if it were an optional add-on, rather than something you need to figure out how to subract. I’m sure this generates a lot of revenue for Zeffy, which they obviously need to function, but I wonder if being more overt about their fundraising could also be effective, while not seeming so sleezy.” – Verified User
Here’s how this process looks on a Zeffy donation form. Donors can adjust the tip amount via a dropdown, but without digging further it isn’t clear how they can remove the tip entirely. They must click “Other” and manually input $0 if they’d rather not tip. This additional step takes time and effort from your donors, which could lead to fewer completed donations.
Additionally, Zeffy forms don’t list the total again on the last step of their donation form, which is best practice for all transaction forms. Here’s how it looks on their form:
This makes it easy for donors to miss the added tip. When your donor reviews their bank statements, they may have forgotten the tip amount, and seeing a donation significantly higher than the amount they remember giving could lead to confusion, frustration, and negative feelings about the giving experience.
How Donorbox is Different
Alternatively, Donorbox charges a platform fee of 1.75% for most products on the Standard Plan and 1.5% for most products on the Pro and Premium plans. Donorbox also charges the standard payment processing fees for Stripe (2.2% + 30¢) or PayPal (1.99% + 49¢).
Donors have the option of covering those fees as they check out, ensuring your organization receives 100% of their donation. For example, if a donor gives $100 to an organization’s donation form on the Standard Plan with Stripe as a payment processor, the additional fee donors can choose to cover is only $4.25. For users on the Pro and Premium plans, that optional cost to donors is only $4.00.
This is significantly less than a 15% or $15 tip, meaning donors are less likely to feel taken advantage of. Plus, Donorbox’s donation form makes it easy to uncheck the “cover fees” option, maintaining transparency and improving your donors’ experiences. The total is also included on the final button, reminding donors of the amount they’re agreeing to pay before they complete the transaction.
You can also choose whether the “cover fees” option is checked by default for your donors, giving you more control over your donor experience.
Check out this example of the First Responders Children’s Foundation form.
Get Started with Donorbox
Why is Transparent Pricing Important for Donors?
There are several reasons why going with a transparent fundraising platform like Donorbox will better serve you in the future.
1. Protect your donors – and their trust.
It’s simple – unclear costs harm donor trust. A donor goes out of their way to support your organization only to feel duped when they see an additional charge on their bank account.
Without a solid foundation of trust, building an ongoing relationship with your donors will be difficult, if not impossible. Transparency is crucial for keeping donors in your court and ready to support your mission.
Donorbox is committed to empowering nonprofits – and their donors – with transparent pricing and straightforward fundraising tools. Plus, Donorbox allows you to give donors the freedom to add, remove, or change any recurring payment plans on their own through the Donor Portal. This builds stronger donor relationships.
2. Avoid tipping fatigue.
Consumers are being asked to tip everywhere these days, and it’s wearing them out. 48% of Americans report feeling tired of being asked to tip.
“Tipping” a high percentage to a fundraising platform is bound to make your donors feel worn out. Plus, it can be unclear to donors how that tip helps support your organization.
Alternatively, Donorbox gives you the option of allowing your donors to cover your transaction fees – which are a much lower amount. Instead of a “tip” of an arbitrary amount, donors can choose to increase their donation slightly so their whole donation goes toward your cause.
Donorbox is transparent about fees every step of the way and charges the following:
Standard payment processing fees:
- Stripe: 2.2% + $0.30
- PayPal: 1.99% + $0.49
- Bank Transfer via Stripe: 0.8% (capped at $5 per transaction)
Platform fees:
The Standard Plan:
1.75% for donation forms and foundational features, including:
2.95% for advanced features, including:
The Pro Plan:
A subscription-based plan priced at $139/month with a 1.5% flat rate platform fee for most features and a 2% platform fee for Text-to-Give, Peer-to-Peer, and event ticketing. Donorbox Pro features include everything in Standard, plus:
The Premium Plan:
A custom-designed, subscription-based plan priced based on your unique needs with a 1.5% platform fee for most features and a 2% platform fee for Peer-to-Peer and event ticketing. Donorbox Premium is our most advanced plan with features that include everything in Pro, plus choose from:
- Recurring Donation Upsell
- Dedicated Account Manager
- Guided Onboarding
- Premium Suite of Integrations
- Priority Tech Support
- Fundraising Coach
- Custom Domain
Learn more about our pricing here.
3. Protect your brand.
Your brand is an important asset both for getting more donations and for doing more good in your community. And once a donor has a negative association with your brand, it can be almost impossible to undo that damage.
Donorbox protects your brand with transparency and tons of customization options so you can create a donation form that reflects your values and brand identity. Add context for each donation amount to encourage more giving and showcase how donated funds will be used to make a difference. You can also add badges such as your Charity Navigator ranking to boost donor trust.
When it comes time to check out, donors will clearly see the option to cover fees and can do so at their discretion.
Plus, Donorbox’s industry-leading security standards keep your donors’ data safe and sound.
4. Increase donor retention.
A smooth, transparent, and easy giving process is crucial for getting donors to give not just once, but again and again.
Donorbox donation forms are optimized for easy, transparent giving – and donors can give again in just one click with QuickDonate™. This helps you build a better giving experience for your donors and ensures they keep coming back to support you!
Let’s Compare Zeffy vs. Donorbox
If you’re ready to look for an alternative to Zeffy, you’ve come to the right place. In this section, we’ll detail the differences between Zeffy and Donorbox to see which comes out on top.
Zeffy |
Donorbox |
No platform fee, no monthly cost |
1.75% platform fee, no monthly cost |
High-percentage, optional donor tips |
Donors can choose to cover the low processing fees |
Limited customization donation forms |
Highly customizable donation forms |
Event ticketing and auction support |
Event ticketing |
Memberships |
Memberships |
Peer-to-Peer fundraising |
Peer-to-Peer fundraising |
Some donor management functionality |
Built-in CRM with powerful segmentation features, an integrated email management system, and more! |
Donor log-in |
Donor Portal — a one-stop shop that empowers donors to manage all of their donations to organizations that use Donorbox |
Tap to pay |
Donorbox Live™ Kiosk |
Blog |
Blog, podcasts, webinars, and more! |
No AI assistant |
AI assistant to help with data and copywriting |
1,000 integrations with Zapier |
5,000+ integrations with Zapier |
X |
Text-to-Give |
X |
Crowdfunding |
Customer support Monday-Friday, in-depth knowledge base |
24/5 customer support, in-depth knowledge base |
Robust security features, not SOC2-compliant |
Robust security features with SOC2 compliance |
With Donorbox, you get a powerful fundraising platform designed to empower your nonprofit with innovative tools, features, and transparent pricing! If your organization needs a fundraising platform that meets your evolving needs, Donorbox is the best choice. Our purpose-built features allow you to scale your campaigns and grow your mission while protecting your brand’s reputation.
Zeffy complaints
While Zeffy has an overall rating of 5/5 stars on G2 and 4.4/5 stars on Trustpilot, some of their reviews show issues with their optional tipping program. Take a look at these real customer complaints from G2 and Trustpilot:
“Heavily branded with Zeffy colors and text. High default ‘voluntary’ contributions by our purchasers and donors, which causes pushback against us.” – Verified User
“Our members are confused by the prepopulated donation to Zeffy. Zeffy doesn’t make it clear that someone can change their donation amount to Zeffy. We lost some contributions/members due to this feature.” – Annette
“I recently made two contributions to an NFP using Zeffy-$300 and $200. The site advertised that the NFP would get 100% of my contribution. When I received my credit card bill, the amount charged was $344.95 and $221.95. I was not asked to make a “voluntary” contribution to Zeffy to ensure that the NFP received my full donation. I would have done so had I been asked. But not asking and sneaking it onto my credit card bill is criminal.” – Richard
“They charge 17% to the consumer to run a credit card. That is against Visa/MC rules and regulations- since they are a Payfac they get away with it. I refuse to donate to my favorite charity because they use Zeffy. 17% of the donation goes to them. I am calling the non-profit to let them know they are missing out on donations. 3 or 4% is acceptable to charge the consumer—I’m all for that. Zeffy is a horrible company to do that to charities.” – Jrm
Zeffy users receive pushback from their donors for the steep tipping and lack of transparency. Can you afford to damage relationships with your donors?
Zeffy Pros and Cons
Now that we’ve looked at a Zeffy alternative, let’s look at Zeffy’s pros and cons to see which fundraising platform is the best choice for your organization.
Pros:
- No platform fee
- Functionality for basic fundraising needs
- Event ticketing
- Auction support
- Semi-customizable donation forms
Cons:
- Relies on donor tipping, which can cause:
- Donor fatigue and confusion
- Damage to donor relationships
- Lack of advanced functionality, like crowdfunding, text-to-give, AI fundraising assistance, and more
- No built-in CRM
- Lack of integrations
- Limited resources to help you grow your fundraising
Ready to Make the Switch?
Free isn’t always free. Investing in your organization and your donors’ trust will create lasting value for your cause. Fiscal health starts with responsible donor interactions – and you should partner with a fundraising platform that supports you with no hidden fees or donor confusion.
Over 80,000 organizations have trusted Donorbox to help them raise a collective $2 billion with responsive, donor-centric tools that protect you every step of the way. With transparent pricing (always!), powerful and user-friendly tools, and comprehensive resources, we’re here to help you help others.
Sign up today and start fundraising in less than fifteen minutes.
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