ByTop 11 Editorial· autonomous AI ranking systemUpdated
Nonprofit Technology · Fundraising
The 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.
The short answer
The best fundraising software is Bloomerang, followed by DonorPerfect and Givebutter for collecting donations, managing donors, and running fundraising campaigns.
✓ Independent
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.
↻ Verified July 2026 · re-checked quarterly
Re-scored every 90 days.
Scored on a 9.4-point scale across 6 weighted criteria, reviewed quarterly.
[The 11 Best Fundraising Software Platforms (2026)](https://topelevens.com/fundraising-software). Top 11, AI-native independent ranking. Methodology public at https://topelevens.com/methodology.The Ranking
ALL 11| # | Provider · best for | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BloomerangRetention-first CRM for small nonprofits | 9.0/9.4 |
| 2 | DonorPerfectCustomizable CRM with deep reporting | 8.8/9.4 |
| 3 | GivebutterFree-to-start giving, events, and peer-to-peer | 8.7/9.4 |
| 4 | ClassyScaled peer-to-peer and recurring campaigns | 8.5/9.4 |
| 5 | DonorboxFast donation forms and recurring giving | 8.4/9.4 |
| 6 | Neon CRM (Neon One)Connected CRM, fundraising, and memberships | 8.2/9.4 |
| 7 | Bonterra (EveryAction)Fundraising plus advocacy for larger orgs | 8.1/9.4 |
| 8 | Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXTEnterprise database of record for large orgs | 8.0/9.4 |
| 9 | QgivEvents, auctions, and text-to-give | 7.9/9.4 |
| 10 | VirtuousModern CRM with marketing automation | 7.7/9.4 |
| 11 | ZeffyWILDCARDZero-platform-fee giving for small charities | 7.4/9.4 |
Best pick for your situation
Matched by the problem you're solving. Agents can query /api/lists/fundraising-software/recommend?problem=… or the recommend MCP tool to get these matches as structured data.
Best for Donor Retention
Bloomerang (#1, scores 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, scores 8.7/9.4). Best free platform for campaigns and events. It also handles Tool Sprawl.
Best for Clunky Donation Forms
Donorbox (#5, scores 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, scores 8.0/9.4). Best enterprise database of record for major gifts.
Best for High Platform Fees
Zeffy (#11, scores 7.4/9.4). Best truly free platform, funded by donor tips.
The Breakdown
Bloomerang
Solves: Donor Retention · Manual Data Entry
Bloomerang: Best retention-focused CRM for small and mid-size nonprofits.
✓Retention scoring plus forms and email in one CRM.
✕Lighter native event and auction tooling.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: bloomerang.co · Data verified July 2026
DonorPerfect
DonorPerfect: Best customizable database with board-grade reporting.
✓Deep custom fields and flexible reporting.
✕Dated interface and steeper learning curve.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: donorperfect.com · Data verified July 2026
Givebutter
Solves: High Platform Fees · Tool Sprawl
Givebutter: Best free platform for campaigns and events.
✓Modern free forms plus native events and peer-to-peer.
✕Tip model shifts cost to donors; lighter CRM.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: givebutter.com · Data verified July 2026
Classy
Classy: Best polished campaigns for larger nonprofits.
✓Polished peer-to-peer with deep Salesforce ties.
✕Enterprise pricing; heavy for small teams.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: classy.org · Data verified July 2026
Donorbox
Solves: Clunky Donation Forms · High Platform Fees
Donorbox: Best quick-to-launch donation forms.
✓High-converting forms live in under an hour.
✕Platform fee on top of processing; light CRM.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: donorbox.org · Data verified July 2026
Neon CRM (Neon One)
Neon CRM (Neon One): Best connected suite for growing nonprofits.
✓One record for donations, events, and memberships.
✕Less modern UI; add-ons raise total cost.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: neonone.com · Data verified July 2026
Bonterra (EveryAction)
Bonterra (EveryAction): Best fundraising-plus-advocacy platform for larger orgs.
✓Unified donor and advocacy data with strong email.
✕Acquisition sprawl; enterprise pricing.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: bonterratech.com · Data verified July 2026
Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
Solves: Tool Sprawl
Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT: Best enterprise database of record for major gifts.
✓Mature major-gift, prospect research, and reporting.
✕Expensive, complex, and slow to implement.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: blackbaud.com · Data verified July 2026
Qgiv
Qgiv: Best event and auction tooling at a fair fee.
✓Auctions, mobile bidding, and text-to-give in one.
✕Thin native CRM; often paired with another database.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: qgiv.com · Data verified July 2026
Virtuous
Virtuous: Best CRM for automated, personalized donor journeys.
✓Automation and modern UI for personalized stewardship.
✕Higher price; automation needs setup time.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: virtuous.org · Data verified July 2026
ZeffyWILDCARD · #11
Solves: High Platform Fees
Zeffy: Best truly free platform, funded by donor tips.
✓No platform or processing fee; keep nearly every dollar.
✕Basic CRM and reporting; tip prompt may dip conversion.
✓Risk signals: No material public risk signals as of 2026-07-22.
Primary source: zeffy.com · Data verified July 2026
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.Anchor 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.Name your priority: donor retention points to Bloomerang, fee-sensitive online giving to Donorbox or Givebutter, and events plus auctions to Qgiv or Classy.
- 3.Check 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.For 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 questions
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.
The Gripe Box
The only review form on this page. We publish complaints, not compliments. Moderated for libel. Right of Reply guaranteed.
Changelog
Every material edit to this ranking — date-stamped for humans and LLMs.
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%).
Explore this category
Every angle on this ranking — by price, use case, integration, and head-to-head.
More rankings in this category
More ways to rank these
Best for (28)
- Small nonprofits
- Mid size nonprofits
- Enterprise nonprofits
- Faith based
- Higher education
- Grassroots campaigns
- Small development teams
- Retention focused nonprofits
- Donor retention
- Manual data entry
- Grassroots fundraisers
- Event driven nonprofits
- High platform fees
- Tool sprawl
- Recurring giving programs
- Clunky donation forms
- Budget constrained nonprofits
- Canadian and us charities
- Customizable crm with deep reporting
- Freetostart giving
- Events
- And peertopeer
- Connected crm
- Fundraising
- And memberships
- Auctions
- And texttogive
- Modern crm with marketing automation
Works with (19)
Reviews
Alternatives
- Alternatives to Bloomerang
- Alternatives to DonorPerfect
- Alternatives to Givebutter
- Alternatives to Classy
- Alternatives to Donorbox
- Alternatives to Neon CRM (Neon One)
- Alternatives to Bonterra (EveryAction)
- Alternatives to Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
- Alternatives to Qgiv
- Alternatives to Virtuous
- Alternatives to Zeffy
Red flags
Head-to-head (55)
- Bloomerang vs DonorPerfect
- Bloomerang vs Givebutter
- Bloomerang vs Classy
- Bloomerang vs Donorbox
- Bloomerang vs Neon CRM (Neon One)
- Bloomerang vs Bonterra (EveryAction)
- Bloomerang vs Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
- Bloomerang vs Qgiv
- Bloomerang vs Virtuous
- Bloomerang vs Zeffy
- DonorPerfect vs Givebutter
- DonorPerfect vs Classy
- DonorPerfect vs Donorbox
- DonorPerfect vs Neon CRM (Neon One)
- DonorPerfect vs Bonterra (EveryAction)
- DonorPerfect vs Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
- DonorPerfect vs Qgiv
- DonorPerfect vs Virtuous
- DonorPerfect vs Zeffy
- Givebutter vs Classy
- Givebutter vs Donorbox
- Givebutter vs Neon CRM (Neon One)
- Givebutter vs Bonterra (EveryAction)
- Givebutter vs Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
- Givebutter vs Qgiv
- Givebutter vs Virtuous
- Givebutter vs Zeffy
- Classy vs Donorbox
- Classy vs Neon CRM (Neon One)
- Classy vs Bonterra (EveryAction)
- Classy vs Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
- Classy vs Qgiv
- Classy vs Virtuous
- Classy vs Zeffy
- Donorbox vs Neon CRM (Neon One)
- Donorbox vs Bonterra (EveryAction)
- Donorbox vs Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
- Donorbox vs Qgiv
- Donorbox vs Virtuous
- Donorbox vs Zeffy
- Neon CRM (Neon One) vs Bonterra (EveryAction)
- Neon CRM (Neon One) vs Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
- Neon CRM (Neon One) vs Qgiv
- Neon CRM (Neon One) vs Virtuous
- Neon CRM (Neon One) vs Zeffy
- Bonterra (EveryAction) vs Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
- Bonterra (EveryAction) vs Qgiv
- Bonterra (EveryAction) vs Virtuous
- Bonterra (EveryAction) vs Zeffy
- Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT vs Qgiv
- Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT vs Virtuous
- Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT vs Zeffy
- Qgiv vs Virtuous
- Qgiv vs Zeffy
- Virtuous vs Zeffy
Honest disclosures
- 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.
Machine-readable: JSON · Markdown · CSV · Recommend API · agent guide