Zeffy is a well-known fundraising platform, but like everything in life, it comes with benefits and potential drawbacks. Keep reading as I share real-life Zeffy reviews to help you decide whether this is the right platform for you.
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If you’re considering canceling your Zeffy account or are on the fence about switching to the platform, I’m here to help. In this article, I’ll share Zeffy reviews focusing on a number of key areas, including whether a “free” platform is best for you.
Let’s look at some real-life reviews from nonprofits like yours.
Zeffy doesn’t charge a platform fee or monthly subscription fee to use its fundraising platform. Instead, they automatically include an optional donor tip of up to 17% toward the platform’s running costs.
What I and my board treasurer like best is that it is a 100% free fundraising platform…This means that when a donor gives money, we receive the full amount… – Christopher J.
Customers appreciate Zeffy’s user-friendly interface.
Fairly intuitive to get running, easy to maintain and update, FAQ and online support (if you can get them). – Adam O.
Some Zeffy reviews highlight how easily the platform handles ticket sales for fundraising events.
Zeffy makes setting up your events so quick and easy. They keep track of all the transactions and you receive an email every time there is a payment made… – Diane C.
While Zeffy is free to use, it requests optional tips of up to 17% from donors, which are included as an add-on to donations.
Because the ability to remove the tip isn’t always obvious, donors may overlook it when giving. This has caused some frustration for users, as evidenced by the review below:
…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. – Verified User
Users report that some of the functionality on Zeffy is limited, which may affect your fundraising success.
We’ve encountered a minor issue with form customization. While Zeffy does offer customization options, there are some limitations on how much we can tailor the forms to our exact preferences. – Coryn D.
If you’re looking for more advanced customization, you may want to consider alternatives to Zeffy.
Zeffy offers limited bank payout options for nonprofits – this is problematic, since any delay in accessing funds can affect your nonprofit’s ability to cover operational costs.
Zeffy’s bank payout options are currently limited to Mondays or monthly. If a bank holiday falls on a Monday, then the payout is further delayed to the following Tuesday.
The quickest payout is weekly so an organization will need to account for that when budgeting their event and payment to vendors. – Amy Y.
Zeffy has a 4.9 out of 5 “Value for Money” rating on Capterra.
You may be wondering, “Is Zeffy really free?”
It’s true that Zeffy doesn’t charge a platform fee or a monthly cost. It also covers card and transaction fees for nonprofits. As mentioned earlier, Zeffy requests optional tips from donors to help fuel its platform.
The tip amount depends on the amount of the donation. Optional tips default at 17% for donations up to $99.49 and 15% for donations over that amount. See the example below.
Several Zeffy reviews express concern about the platform’s tipping model. Some nonprofits also complain that it’s not immediately clear to donors that tipping is optional.
Zeffy’s funding model relies on an optional “tip” from donors. While this is what keeps the platform free for nonprofits, some users and donors feel this can be confusing or create a sense of pressure. Donors may not realize the tip is optional, and the pre-selected amount can be high. – Christopher J.
See what this donor had to say about Zeffy’s tipping model:
Zeffy charges an extra 17% “donation” to support its platform. Supposedly it’s optional, but I didn’t see any way to opt out when I checked out. Your only option is whether you want to “donate” 17%, 20% or 22%. Plus, 17% is exorbitant… I only continued with the donation because I really believe in the cause, but this is the last time. – Suzanne Yee
Because Zeffy’s optional tipping model isn’t clear for every donor, your nonprofit may face pushback from donors who feel misled. Over time, this can strain trust and lead to tipping fatigue.
Zeffy’s features are rated 4 stars and higher on Capterra.
Let’s look at some of their top features:
If your nonprofit requires more advanced functionality – like text-to-give and crowdfunding – you may find the Zeffy platform limited.
Zeffy is rated 4.9 out of 5 for its customer service on Capterra.
Zeffy promises a 48-hour response time when requesting a callback and offers a chatbot option for a faster response time. They also offer several help articles.
Despite Zeffy’s high rating here, some customers have complained about long wait times when requesting support.
See what this user had to say:
…there is a huge lack of customer service! I’ve done what they said…I opened a help ticket, I used the chat feature, I emailed…and it had been a week of them NOT getting back to me! I watched the recorded demo and then signed up for a live demo just in the hopes of talking to a human being…” – Franco Pants
Now that we’ve taken a look at some Zeffy reviews, you may be wondering why more than 100,000 organizations in over 96 countries choose Donorbox.
Here’s what one user had to say about this fundraising platform:
Donorbox offers three different plans designed to help you scale your fundraising. The Standard Plan is free and comes with a 2.95% platform fee.
Give donors the option to cover processing fees for a fee-free platform, allowing more of their donation to go to your cause. Donors simply tick the optional checkbox when making a donation to include platform and processing fees in their total – which are significantly lower than Zeffy’s optional tip amounts.
Donorbox’s data shows that nearly 70% of organizations who signed up for the Pro Plan have raised an average of 9x more after six months. Upgrade to Pro or Premium to unlock additional donation-driving features and a reduced platform fee of 1.75%. Learn more here.
Here are some of Donorbox’s top features:
And more. Explore all Donorbox’s features here.
Watch this short video to hear how Hurricane’s Heroes raised $1 million in critical funds using Donorbox:
Beyond Donorbox’s comprehensive suite of features and tools, it offers world-class customer support available 24/7 – even on weekends. Plus, access tons of resources and help articles to help you fundraise smarter and raise more for your cause.
Sign up for free and start fundraising in minutes.
For more fundraising tips and ideas, check out the rest of the Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter for a curated list of fundraising insights and tips sent straight to your inbox.
While Zeffy is indeed free to use, it requests optional tips of up to 17% from donors, which can contribute to tipping fatigue. The ability to remove the tip is not always clear to donors, which can lead to frustration and mistrust.
Based on Zeffy reviews by real users, the disadvantages of the platform include:
Jamy-Lee has over 7 years of experience in copywriting and content marketing. With experience teaching in underserved communities and volunteering for animal rescue organizations, she has a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by mission-driven organizations. She now uses her passion for writing to share practical insights that help nonprofits fulfill their missions.
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