Zeffy is the only fundraising platform for nonprofits that is 100% free. With Zeffy, you receive every dollar your donors pledge.
How can it be free?
We offer our technology services to nonprofits 100% free of charge so that donations are used solely to support your mission. In return, we give donors the option to make a voluntary contribution to Zeffy at checkout.
This is our only source of revenue. It allows us to cover all processing fees for every nonprofit on our platform, meaning you receive 100% of every payment, regardless of whether donors add a contribution.
How voluntary contributions work
Unlike other fundraising platforms, Zeffy covers all processing fees and charges no platform fee. Voluntary contributions from donors support:
Operations for the nonprofits whose donors don't contribute
We mention the voluntary contribution twice on our forms: once when donors begin filling out the form, and again at the payment confirmation step. Donors also see explanations in their confirmation emails and donor dashboard.
Can I customize the contribution prompt?
The wording and suggested amounts in the contribution dropdown cannot be customized. The messaging has been carefully designed and tested to maximize donor understanding and platform sustainability.
The suggested percentage fluctuates based on the transaction amount: the larger the donation, the lower the percentage. This algorithm accounts for credit card processing fees and helps sustain Zeffy's free model.
The suggested contribution generally ranges from about 5% to 20% of the transaction amount. The contribution prompt can't be removed or set to default to 0%, and this applies to every form type, including auctions and small point-of-sale purchases. Donors can always change the amount before paying, including to $0 by selecting Other.
Your nonprofit will always receive 100% of donations, even if a donor chooses not to leave a contribution. Around 60% of donors choose to contribute, which is what allows us to keep Zeffy completely free for over 100,000 nonprofits.
In extremely rare cases, a nonprofit might raise very large amounts via credit card with little or no donor contributions. If this happens, Zeffy would personally reach out to explain the situation and work with you to find a solution, such as a temporary credit card payment limit while still allowing larger gifts by ACH or bank transfer. Our goal is to support you, not penalize you.
Thanks to the generosity of donors who contribute, we're able to offer and develop our services to thousands of organizations at no cost.
Common questions about contributions
Why is a donor's charge higher than the payment in my dashboard?
At this time, the amount contributed to Zeffy by donors is not visible in your account. This is intentional for a few reasons – it helps simplify your bookkeeping by avoiding any confusion about how much goes to your organization versus to Zeffy. It also ensures your donors’ decision to contribute (or not) remains completely anonymous. Most importantly, we want you to enjoy using the platform without having to worry about how we’re funded. Rest assured, 100% of the donation intended for your organization always goes directly to you.
While contributions are not currently visible in your account, the details of a contribution are however always visible to the person who made the payment on their payment receipt (sent automatically via email after the payment). If a donor is unsure of the contribution they added, they can check their confirmation email and view the amount on the payment receipt included at the very bottom.
Can I see how many donors contributed to Zeffy, or the total they gave?
At this time, contributions made to Zeffy by donors are not visible in your organization's account. This is intentional for a few reasons.
First, it helps keep your bookkeeping simple by avoiding any confusion between the amounts raised for your organization and those contributed to Zeffy. It also ensures that each donor's decision to contribute (or not) remains completely private.
Most importantly, we want you to enjoy using Zeffy without having to worry about how we're funded. Regardless of whether a donor chooses to contribute to Zeffy, your organization always receives 100% of the donation intended for you.
While these contributions aren't visible in your dashboard, donors can always see the exact amount they contributed to Zeffy on their payment receipt, which is automatically sent to them by email after checkout.
Can our organization pay Zeffy directly instead of donors being offered a contribution?
We appreciate your willingness to support Zeffy directly!
At this time, we don't offer the option for organizations to pay Zeffy in place of the voluntary contribution presented to donors.
Our model is designed so that nonprofits never have to pay to use Zeffy, regardless of their size or the amount they raise. Instead, we give donors the option to leave a completely voluntary contribution at checkout, which helps us cover payment processing costs and keep the platform 100% free for nonprofits.
Donors are always free to contribute as much or as little as they'd like, including nothing at all. Their decision has no impact on the amount your organization receives.
This approach allows us to offer the same free fundraising tools to every nonprofit, without requiring organizations to set aside any of the funds they raise to cover platform fees.
