Getting Started: Setting Up Your Zeffy Account
Welcome to Zeffy! Zeffy is 100% free for nonprofits. All of our services and products are 100% free. We also cover 100% of credit card transaction fees. We've put together a series of instructions to get started on our platform.
From eligibility to your first donation – here's everything you need to get up and running.
Confirm you're eligible
Zeffy is built exclusively for nonprofits, charities, and mission-driven organizations. Before creating an account, make sure your organization qualifies and has a bank account in the legal name of the organization.
🇺🇸 US organizations – must be a registered nonprofit entity with a valid EIN and a bank account in the organization’s legal name.
🇨🇦 Canadian organizations – must be a registered charity with a CRA number or an incorporated nonprofit, with a bank account in the organization’s legal name.
🇬🇧 UK organizations - must be a registered charity, CIO or unincorporated non-profit with a UK bank account in the organization’s name.
→ See the full eligibility requirements
Understand our business model
Zeffy is 100% free for nonprofits – no platform fees, no transaction fees, no credit card fees. Ever. Here's how that's possible.
When a donor gives through Zeffy, they're offered the option to leave a small voluntary tip to help keep the platform running. Donors are never required to tip, and your organization always keeps 100% of what it raises. Those optional tips cover our costs — and have kept Zeffy fully sustainable since 2023.
Create your account
Head to zeffy.com/register and sign up.
This takes about 2 minutes. You'll be asked for some basic information about yourself and your organization. Once your account is created, you'll also be taken through a short onboarding flow to create your first campaign.
You can always return later to edit your campaign if you're not sure what you want to use Zeffy for yet.
Launch your first campaign
Zeffy supports a wide range of campaign types. Pick whichever fits your needs — you can always create more later.
Your campaign can be live in under 5 minutes.
Connect your bank account and verify your account
To receive payments and payouts, you'll need to complete identity verification through Stripe (our payment partner) and link your organization's bank account. This is a one-time step.
What you'll need:
🇺🇸 US: EIN, legal org name & address, legal rep's government ID, last 4 digits of SSN, bank account in your org's name
🇨🇦 Canada: CRA number or non-profit details, legal rep's government ID, board director list, bank account in your org's name
🇬🇧 UK: Charity registration number or non-profit details, legal rep's government ID, bank account in your org's name
Set up your account
A few other things you can do before you start raising:
Invite your team
Go to Settings → User Management to add teammates and set their permissions. You can have unlimited users, each with different access levels. Learn more →
Set up tax receipts / Gift Aid
If your org issues official tax receipts, configure this in Settings before your first transaction.
Add a bank statement descriptor
In Settings → Bank, add a description so donors recognize your organization on their bank statement. This reduces chargebacks and confusion.
Set up your CRM and bring your contacts over
Zeffy includes a built-in CRM, no separate tool needed. Before you start promoting your campaign, take a few minutes to get your contacts in order. It'll make everything easier from here on.
Import your contacts
Bring in your existing donor list, member database, or any contact list. Zeffy lets you import payment history and contact details so you start with a complete picture of your supporters, not a blank slate. How to import contacts →
Use the email tool to promote your campaign
Once your contacts are in, use Zeffy's built-in email tool to announce your campaign directly to your supporters. Segment your list, schedule sends, and track opens and clicks — all from the same dashboard where you manage donations. Get started with email →
Share your campaign and start receiving payments
Once your campaign is live and your bank account is connected, you're ready to raise. Share your campaign link anywhere – your website, email, social media, or QR code.
→ How to promote your campaign
Receive your first payout
Once donations start coming in, Zeffy automatically schedules payouts to your linked bank account. You don't need to do anything – funds are transferred on your chosen schedule.
You can choose between weekly or monthly payouts from your dashboard. Track payout history, download receipts, and see a breakdown of every transaction at any time.
→ Learn more about payouts and payout schedules
Need more help?
We're here for you, whatever you need.
🎬 Watch a demo: See Zeffy in action before diving in. Watch here
💡 Feature request: Something missing? Let us know. Submit a request
🔍 Search our help center: Use the search bar at the top of this page to find answers instantly.
💬 Have a question: Click the chat icon in the bottom right to get in touch with our team