When you’re a small or early-stage nonprofit, everything is at a premium—including money, time, and resources. If you’re going to invest in a new piece of technology, you need a clear idea of how that tech is going to help you deliver on your mission.
And beyond finding a system that works for you today, you’ll also want a tool that grows with your organization as you reach new donors, serve new clients, and work with new volunteers.
While a CRM can be a great investment for small nonprofits, there are a number of systems out there that—frankly—won’t be a good fit and will decidedly not deliver.
That’s why we sorted through all the options available and have broken down the best CRMs for small nonprofits like yours.
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Why Should Small Nonprofits Use a CRM?
As a small nonprofit, you’re focused on delivering programs and services to your clients, growing your donor base, and generally trying to keep dozens of plates spinning in the air at all times. It’s hard!
Investing in a nonprofit CRM might seem like a poor use of resources, but it’s not: The right CRM can help your small nonprofit level up all aspects of your operation. It will allow you to more effectively communicate with constituents, earn more donations and pledges, and even help you manage your events and volunteers.
A nonprofit CRM, strictly speaking, is a database that houses information about all your different constituents. But the best nonprofit CRMs offer a lot more than that. They combine fundraising tools, reporting, email capabilities, membership, and third-party integrations to serve as the nervous system for your organization’s mission.
While most nonprofit CRMs involve spending money, the right one will be money very well spent. If you choose the right CRM, it will more than pay for itself.
The Five Best CRMs for Small Nonprofits in 2025
Our team has reviewed the available options and determined that the following five systems are the best options for small nonprofits:
1. Neon CRM
Neon CRM is an all-in-one donor management and fundraising platform that helps nonprofit teams do more. With Neon CRM, you can manage your donors, members, fundraising, email campaigns, donation pages, events, volunteers, grants, and reporting, all in one easy-to-use platform. Our system eases the burden of time-consuming manual work so you can focus on what you do best: serving your community.
Key Features
Neon CRM has three different packages available to our clients: Essentials, Impact, and Empower.
All three Neon CRM packages (starting with the Essentials package) offer the following features:
- Donor database with highly customizable fields
- Fundraising tools and templates with best practices built in
- Unlimited constituent records
- Unlimited donation pages and forms
- Unlimited emails
- Unlimited users
- Automated workflows
- Email marketing tools
- Text Messaging
- Grant Management
- 40+ pre-built reports
- Audience segmentation
- Intuitive, user-centric dashboard
- Activity Tracking & Prospecting
- 1 Active Workflow
- Free PCI Compliance services with up to $100,000 in data breach protection
- Integrations with over 50 certified partners, including Constant Contact, Mailchimp, EventBrite, and ClickBid
With the Impact package, you gain access to the following tools:
- QuickBooks Integration
- Volunteer Management
- Events Management
- File Manager and Storage
- Open API
- 15 Active Workflows
With the Empower package, you also receive the following tools:
- Radius Search
- Priority Support
- Quarterly Success Reviews
- Monthly Screen-share Consultation
- Unlimited Active Workflows
For nonprofits with a membership component, Neon CRM for Associations offers additional best-in-class membership management features at a reasonable cost.
Want to see Neon CRM in action? Take this self-guided tour!
Price
While most CRMs charge you based on the number of records your organization maintains, Neon CRM uses a revenue-based pricing model with no record limits.
This allows nonprofits to grow their audience and supporter base without worrying about a sudden increase in cost. You’ll only pay more as you raise more.
- The Essentials package starts at $99/month. It’s designed for nonprofits with annual revenue of $1 million or under.
- The Impact package starts at $199/month. This package is designed for nonprofits with annual revenue of $5 million or under.
- The Empower package starts at $399/month. This package is best for nonprofits with an annual revenue of over $5 million.
Neon CRM for Associations has the same three packages, with membership features added on. You can read about Neon CRM for Associations pricing here.
Want the full pricing breakdown for all three Neon CRM packages? Click the button below to download our full pricing guide.
Drawbacks
Neon CRM is one powerful piece of nonprofit software, but the downside of all that power is the learning curve for new users. Honestly, it’s a little bit steeper than we’d like—there’s a lot to explore.
That’s why we provide clients with a whole host of learning and support options, starting with our extensive onboarding program. In addition to our live support functions, we also provide an awesome series of courses through Neon One Academy and an extensive knowledge base you can use to find step-by-step instructions on how to use our features.
While all our packages include unlimited users, records, donation forms, and emails, our Essentials package doesn’t include our event and volunteer management features, which can provide a lot of great value.
Our Impact package ($199/mo) offers our best value, even for small nonprofits—with up to 15 automated workflows available that can help your team save a ton of time.
Neon CRM Is a Great Fit for Nonprofits That …
…are small or midsize and worry that adding too many supporter records could cause their monthly database costs to increase.
Neon CRM’s revenue-based pricing ensures that the cost of your system won’t outstrip your nonprofit’s overall income, especially as you focus on growing your donor base and email lists. And Neon CRM for Associations is the perfect answer for smaller nonprofits that rely on member dues.
Neon CRM also includes the ability to create unlimited donation forms. That means you can create unique forms for different campaigns, donor segments, or programs—and, since your donation form is connected to your CRM, your donors’ data is automatically synced to their accounts.
Additionally, Neon CRM is part of a large suite of Neon One products that can help your nonprofit create a unified, enjoyable experience for your supporters. Neon Websites and Neon Pay both integrate seamlessly with Neon CRM, allowing you to collect better data while providing your donors with an enjoyable donation experience.
Want to learn more about Neon CRM? Join one of our group demos! These regularly scheduled, 30-minute sessions will give you a full overview of everything the system can do—all with zero pressure to buy.
Just click the button below to find a session that works for you. We’ll see you there!
2. Bloomerang
Bloomerang is a donor management system with built-in fundraising, marketing, and reporting features beyond its donor database. In addition to its core product, Bloomerang also acquired the nonprofit CRM Kindful in early 2021 and Qgiv fundraising software in 2024. As the company has worked to expand what features its system offers, that has also led to increases in price.
Key Features
Bloomerang’s standard CRM solution includes the following features:
- Donor database
- Email and Direct Mail marketing
- Reporting & Analytics
- Wealth Screening
- Grant Tracking
- Data Management
- Mobile App
Bloomerang’s Giving+ fundraising solution has the following capabilities:
- Customizable Donations Forms
- Event Management
- Text Fundraising
- Reporting
- Integrations
Here’s what their Volunteer Management package can do:
- Contact Management
- Recruitment
- Screening
- Scheduling
- Attendance Tracking
- Communication & Engagement
- Mobile Apps
- Integrations
And finally, their Membership add-on includes:
- Forms
- Levels
- Profiles
- Renewals
- Receipting
- Dynamic groups
- Reporting & analytics
Price
Bloomerang has overhauled their pricing structure to better account for their various modules like volunteer management and fundraising.
Let’s start with their nonprofit CRM function. According to Bloomerang’s website, the cost of this system starts at $99/mo. Their website used to make clear that nonprofits would have to pay more for additional constituent records, but it’s unclear now if that pricing structure is still in place for this module.
Their volunteer management module, however, does indeed charge more for additional records. The price for this system starts at $119/mo for up to 749 records. At 750, the price jumps to $20/mo, and so on from there.
For nonprofits with less than 1,000 constituent records, Bloomerang’s pricing has two separate tiers: Under and over $250K in annual revenue. For nonprofits under that threshold, the cost is $79 per month; for nonprofits over $250K, it’s $119 per month.
Finally, Bloomerang’s Giving+ fundraising module starts at $40/mo while their membership module starts at $25/mo. It is unclear what factors will cause those prices to increase.
For more detailed information on Bloomerang’s pricing, you can contact their sales staff.
Drawbacks
Bloomerang’s core CRM module is a more streamlined product than many of the others on this list. But, while this means its donor management features are fairly powerful and easy to use, it also means that additional functions—i.e., fundraising, volunteer management, and memberships—will come at an additional cost.
These recent changes to their pricing structure make Bloomerang’s solution less attractive to small nonprofits. In order to get a system that can handle fairly important tasks like fundraising or memberships that sit outside of donor management, you’ll have to pony up for additional modules that likely come with more features than a small nonprofit needs.
Bloomerang Is a Great Fit for Nonprofits That …
… are small, early-stage organizations in need of a beginner CRM. Their streamlined, easy-to-use system will get your team up and running quickly.
But, as your organization grows, the need to juggle additional modules—combined with the steep increases in price that accompany them—might cause issues or force you to look for a new solution.es in the future.
3. Little Green Light
Little Green Light bills itself as an all-in-one donor management software solution with an impressive array of features paired with a lower-than-average price.
Key Features
Little Green Light includes the following features:
- Donor database
- Online donations
- Contact management
- Custom reports
- Membership and volunteer management
- Event tracking
- Grant Proposals
- Unlimited web forms
- Third-party integrations
Price
Little Green Light’s subscription rates are based on your nonprofit’s number of constituent records:
- Up to 2,500 records – $45 /month
- Up to 5,000 records – $60 /month
- Up to 10,000 records – $75 /month
- Up to 20,000 records – $90 /month
- Up to 30,000 records – $105 /month
- Up to 40,000 records – $120 /month
- Up to 50,000 records – $135 /month
For nonprofits with more than 50,000 constituent records, determine the cost of your system by adding $15/mo for each additional 10,000 records.
Little Green Light offers discounts for nonprofits that bill annually rather than monthly. Nonprofits can receive a 10% discount for annual billing and a 5% discount for semi-annual billing.
The system’s also come with optional payment processing capabilities via Stripe and PayPal with fees that start at 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction.
Drawbacks
Little Green Light offers a lot for a relatively low price, but a number of their features are more limited than what other systems offer. According to customer reviews, the system lacks many of the additional features and capabilities available with other CRM platforms.
Additionally, users report their system can be complex for CRM newbies to master, and Little Green Light only offers email support. This could make it more difficult to get your system up and running to its fullest potential.
Little Green Light Is a Great Fit for Nonprofits That …
… are small and cost-conscious but have some experience with CRMs. A more experienced system administrator should be comfortable navigating Little Green Light, which means that the cost savings from their lower price point will go further.
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4. Bonterra Fundraising Essentials
Bonterra’s Fundraising Essentials plan, powered by the tools and features of the legacy Network for Good platform, is an entry-level fundraising CRM tailored for small nonprofits. that combines donor management, communications, and online giving tools into a package designed to help organizations get started with professional fundraising software.
Key Features
Bonterra Fundraising Essentials includes the following core features:
- Donor Database Management
- Customizable Donation Pages
- Email Communication Tools
- Pre-Built Engagement Plans
- Event & Volunteer Management Tools
- Household & Organization Profiles
- Role-Based Collaboration
- Automation Features
- Reporting and Analytics
Pricing
Bonterra Fundraising Essentials is part of Bonterra’s tiered pricing model, but specific costs are not publicly available. Pricing is customized based on your organization’s size, needs, and selected features. The Essentials Plan is the most affordable option, offering the foundational tools smaller nonprofits require to manage their fundraising efforts.
For detailed pricing or to request a custom quote, nonprofits can contact Bonterra directly through their website.
Drawbacks
While the Essentials Plan offers user-friendly tools and a simple onboarding process, there are a few limitations to consider.
Compared to other fundraising CRMs, Bonterra Fundraising Essentials lacks advanced capabilities like robust peer-to-peer fundraising tools or AI-driven insights, which are reserved for their higher-tier plans.
Meanwhile, the transition from Network for Good into Bonterra’s broader ecosystem has been less than seamless, leading to some uncertainty about the product’s long-term role and development.
Finally, many key features—such as SMS communication, added customer support, and enhanced reporting—may require additional investment, which can add up for smaller organizations.
Bonterra Fundraising Essentials Is a Great Fit for Nonprofits That …
… are looking for an affordable, entry-level CRM that focuses on donor engagement, basic fundraising, and event management. Still, while Network for Good built a strong reputation in the nonprofit CRM space, the system’s integration into Bonterra has raised questions about its future direction.
5. Excel or Google Sheets
For nonprofits in their early stages, your “donor database” will probably be a simple spreadsheet through Excel or Google Sheets. And, while spreadsheets are easy to learn, they lack pretty much all the capabilities offered by nonprofit CRM solutions like Neon One or Little Green Light. On the other hand, those spreadsheets are also basically free—which is certainly a plus.
Key Features
The key features of a spreadsheet are mostly determined by your staff’s ability to create and execute formulas. Spreadsheets can do some pretty amazing stuff! But the formulas required to make that magic happen can get extremely complicated. Compared to your average nonprofit CRM, the key features of a spreadsheet database are next to none.
Price
A spreadsheet through Google Sheets is free! An Excel spreadsheet, on the other hand, will need to be purchased through Microsoft.
Drawbacks
The drawbacks here are pretty apparent. In return for little to no cost, you get little to no functionality. And, since donor and giving information will have to be manually entered into the spreadsheet—no automation or integrations here—the likelihood of entering incorrect info due to human error is high.
Google Sheets or Excel Are a Great Fit for Nonprofits That …
… are in their very early stages and need to maintain a donor database at little to no cost.
If you’re working at a nonprofit at this stage in its development, your team is likely operating on razor-thin margins, and investing in a nonprofit CRM probably sounds like a scary proposition. But the right investment in the right solution will grow your giving by far more than the system itself costs to maintain.
Until your organization is ready to make that commitment, we have something to help you get the most from your spreadsheet solution! Check out the section below to learn more.
Build Your Own CRM Using This Donor Database Template
If your nonprofit is using a spreadsheet for your donor database, you’re in luck: Neon One has created a free donor database template for Excel and Google Sheets that comes complete with its own built-in dashboard.
Our donor database template allows you to do the following:
- Manage constituents’ details
- Track transactions
- Record performance for different funds, campaigns, and appeals
- Standardize your data
- Review important metrics in a built-in dashboard
If your organization is in its early stages, this template will help you avoid the common pitfalls that come with setting up your own database in Excel or Google Sheets. If you’d like to download the template, just visit the page below!
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