Fundraising is hard. It’s probably always going to be at least a little hard. But a subpar fundraising platform can make it way, way harder than it needs to be. And, if you’re a charity in Canada, you have fewer options than your American counterparts. That can make finding a great solution tough.
That’s why we wrote this article! We understand how hard it can be to find the right fundraising platform for your charity, so we’ve provided a list here that catalogs the features, pros, cons, and prices of seven top solutions available in Canada.
Here’s a list of every solution we cover in this article. Enjoy!
Key Features to Look for in a Fundraising Platform
When selecting a fundraising platform, it’s essential to consider several key features that can significantly impact your charity’s effectiveness and efficiency.
Most of these platforms have features coming out of the wazoo, but here are the ones you should focus on first:
- Customizable Donation Pages: Look for platforms that allow customization of donation amounts, recurring donation options, and personalized thank-you messages. The ability to tailor your donation pages to match your charity’s branding creates a cohesive and professional appearance, enhancing the donor experience and fostering a stronger connection to your cause.
- Communications Tools: Your platform should have tools to create, send, and track email campaigns and text messages directly from the platform, allowing for targeted communication with donors and supporters. Segmentation tools will help you group your contact lists and personalize messages based on donor behavior and preferences to increase engagement.
- Integration Capabilities: Look for platforms that integrate seamlessly with your existing CRM systems to maintain a single source of truth for donor data. Compatibility with email marketing software, accounting systems, and other tools can further streamline operations. Better yet, find a robust CRM that comes with a full suite of tools that can minimize the number of systems you use altogether.
- Event Management: A truly comprehensive fundraising platform will come with tools for managing event ticket sales and registrations. Built-in marketing features or integrations with marketing tools to promote events through email and social media will also be useful.
- Payment Processing Options: A good fundraising platform should support various payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets, and ACH transfers. It should also allow you to use popular online payment platforms like PayPal or Stripe. Ensure the platform you choose provides secure payment processing to protect donor information and build trust.
- Reporting and Analytics Tools: Reporting tools are essential for tracking and analyzing your fundraising performance, allowing you to make informed decisions based on real data. The ability to customize reports to focus on specific metrics relevant to your campaigns and overall strategy is crucial, while access to real-time data helps in making timely decisions.
- Compliance: For platforms that aren’t native to Canada, make sure they comply with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations for charitable donations, including proper tax receipting. Platforms should also comply with the PCI DSS standards from the PCI Security Standards Council.
- User-Friendly Interface: Finally, your platform should be easy to navigate for both staff and volunteers, ensuring everyone can use it effectively without extensive training. An intuitive design minimizes the learning curve and maximizes productivity. Make sure the platform is accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise.
By finding a fundraising platform that has all these features (and hopefully more!), your charity can find the solution that works best for you, your supporters, and your mission.
7 Top Fundraising Platforms Available in Canada (2024)
When you’re shopping around for a new piece of software, it’s always difficult to know where to start. And when you start thinking about how finding the right system could be the thing that moves your organization forward to a new era while choosing the wrong system could set you back … it’s stressful!
Don’t worry! We’re here to help! Here are seven of the top fundraising platforms currently available in Canada, with information on their features, pricing structures, and general pros and cons drawn from analyses of real customer reviews on G2, Capterra, and Software Advice.
1. Neon CRM
Hey, that’s us! Neon CRM is a powerful and comprehensive CRM platform designed to streamline charity operations and enhance fundraising capabilities. It offers a wide range of features, including donor management, customizable donation forms, and detailed reporting and analytics. The platform integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Mailchimp, and its user-friendly interface is accessible for organizations of all sizes. Neon CRM is particularly well-suited for charities looking to grow their donor base and manage their fundraising efforts efficiently.
Features
Neon CRM provides a variety of features that cater specifically to the fundraising needs of charity organizations:
- Comprehensive Fundraising Campaigns: You can create and manage multiple fundraising campaigns using built-in best practices designed to maximize donor engagement and revenue.
- Donation Forms: Neon CRM’s donation forms are fully customizable, mobile-optimized, secure, and support multiple donation options, including recurring donations, with automated thank-you messages and receipting.
- Donor Management: It allows you to maintain a detailed donor database with customizable fields, enabling targeted fundraising efforts and personalized communication.
- Email Marketing: Utilize customizable templates and an easy-to-use email builder to effectively communicate with supporters, segment contact lists, and track campaign performance.
- Automated Workflows: Routine tasks such as data entry, donor segmentation, and communication workflows can be automated to save time and reduce errors.
- Payment Processing: Integrates with various payment gateways and includes a built-in processor, Neon Pay, to streamline donation processing.
- Membership Management: Manage memberships with robust tools, especially beneficial for associations, including tracking membership levels, renewals, and benefits.
- Event Management: Organize and manage fundraising events with comprehensive planning tools, including ticketing and registration.
- Reporting and Analytics: Generate detailed fundraising reports and gain insights into campaign performance and donor behavior.
- Integrations: Connect Neon CRM with over 50 partners, including Windfall, Mailchimp, and Eventbrite, to enhance overall efficiency and data management.
- Volunteer Management: Track and manage volunteer activities, schedules, and hours, helping to optimize volunteer engagement and retention.
- Text Messaging: Neon CRM’s Text-to-Communicate feature enables charities to reach their supporters directly from their CRM.
- Grant Management: Track and manage grants efficiently, ensuring all funding opportunities are maximized.
- Neon Websites: Neon CRM seamlessly integrates with Neon Websites, providing a robust digital marketing solution that leverages real-time data from your CRM.
- Compliance: This built-in feature ensures compliance with PCI DSS standards and, for Canadian organizations, adherence to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations.
- Online Store: Set up and manage an online store for merchandise sales, including inventory management and payment processing.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive Functionality: Neon CRM offers an extensive range of features, making it a versatile tool for managing various aspects of charity operations. Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with numerous platforms like QuickBooks and Mailchimp, enhancing overall efficiency and data management. User-Friendly Interface: Many users find the platform easy to navigate, which reduces the learning curve for new users and makes it easier to manage campaigns. Customer Support: High-quality customer service with responsive and supportive staff, ensuring that any issues are quickly resolved. Revenue-Based Pricing: The cost structure is based on the amount of revenue generated, which can be advantageous for growing charities. | Steeper Learning Curve: While some users may initially find the platform’s advanced features challenging to learn, the comprehensive support and training resources available can help ease the transition and maximize the platform’s potential. Cost: Although the pricing may be higher compared to other CRM solutions, the extensive range of features and capabilities offered by Neon CRM provides significant value, particularly as organizations grow and expand their needs. Customization Complexity: Customizing the system to fit specific needs can be intricate and may require time and resources, but this complexity allows for a highly tailored solution that can be precisely aligned with the organization’s unique requirements. |
Pricing
Neon CRM offers three pricing tiers based on the annual revenue of the charity:
- Essentials: Starting at $99/month, this package is designed for charities with annual revenue of $1 million or under. This package includes core tools like donor management, fundraising tools, grant management, basic reporting, email campaigns, and one active workflow.
- Impact: Starting at $199/month, this is the best option for charities with annual revenue of $5 million or under. It includes everything in the Essentials package, plus event management, volunteer management, 15 active workflows, and an open API.
- Empower: Starting at $399/month, this is ideal for charities with annual revenue over $5 million. This package includes all features of the Impact package, along with priority support, radius search, quarterly success reviews, and unlimited active workflows.
Neon CRM’s revenue-based approach to pricing differs from many other platforms that base their pricing tiers on the number of records in your database. With Neon CRM, you’ll only be charged more as you raise more, which is one of the many ways that we work to help our clients succeed.
Would you like to learn more about Neon CRM and what it can do for your charity? Join one of our regularly scheduled group demos! These low-pressure 30-minute sessions will give a broad overview of the system’s capabilities. We’ll see you there!
See Neon CRM in Action!
In just 30 minutes, you’ll learn how Neon CRM empowers nonprofit organizations across the US and Canada to manage donors, members, volunteers, grants, and fundraising campaigns!
2. Neon Fundraise
Features
Neon Fundraise provides a variety of tools to support and enhance your peer-to-peer fundraising activities:
- Campaign Management: Easily organize individual or multiple events, monitor fundraising activity, and manage campaigns with user-friendly administrative tools.
- Payment Processing: Eliminate third-party processing fees with Neon Pay, which is included in every subscription, and ensure secure and efficient transactions.
- One-Click Donations: Create a frictionless experience for returning donors by condensing the donation process into a single click.
- Endurance Challenges and Pledges: Enable donors to pledge for each unit of endurance activity, adding an interactive layer to events like walk-a-thons and dance marathons.
- Badges/Achievements: Gamify your campaigns to motivate fundraisers and increase donations by offering badges and achievements.
- Site Builder: Easily edit your organization’s website template with a powerful drag-and-drop editor.
- Donor Accounts: Allow donors to view their donation history and manage recurring donations using personal donor accounts created upon the first donation.
- Integrations: Enhance your event by connecting with leading tech solutions, including Neon CRM, Salesforce, Strava, Twitch, and Facebook.
- Multi-Language/Multi-Currency: Expand your fundraisers’ reach by enabling communication in their native language and accepting multiple currencies.
- Compliant Receipting: Customize automatic receipts with your organization’s branding and send them as a PDF or email.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive Fundraising: Neon Fundraise offers a wide array of options for creating, customizing, and managing campaigns and peer-to-peer donation pages, providing significant flexibility to tailor fundraising efforts to specific needs.
Excellent Customer Service: Users frequently praise the platform’s customer service for being responsive and helpful, ensuring timely assistance and enhancing overall user experience. Integration Capabilities: The platform seamlessly integrates with popular tools like Salesforce and Mailchimp, streamlining operations and enhancing data management. Accessible Pricing Structure: Neon Fundraise features an accessible pricing structure that offers a good balance of features and cost, making it viable for organizations of various sizes and budgets. Ease of Use: The user-friendly interface simplifies the process of setting up and managing fundraising campaigns, which is particularly beneficial for organizations without extensive technical expertise. |
Event Management Functionality: While some users have noted that the event management features could be more robust, the existing tools are still effective for many organizations, and continuous improvements are being made based on user feedback.
Backend Configurations: The backend configurations can be complex, leading to occasional errors. However, comprehensive support and training resources help users quickly become proficient in navigating and using the platform effectively. Duplicate Records Handling: Some users reported challenges with merging duplicate records, but ongoing improvements and responsive customer support are addressing these issues to ensure smoother data management. Customization Complexity: Customizing the platform to meet specific needs can require time and resources. Despite this, the high level of customization allows organizations to create tailored solutions that perfectly align with their unique requirements. |
Pricing
Neon Fundraise offers three different packages to meet various organizational needs:
- Campaign: Best for small organizations that want to provide a great peer-to-peer experience for one campaign at a time, starting at $1,900/year, including implementation.
- Premier: Ideal for organizations needing to run multiple peer-to-peer campaigns simultaneously to engage more supporters, with a higher level of features and support.
- Elite: Suited for organizations that process more than $500,000 a year or have special needs for features like a bi-directional Salesforce sync, offering the most comprehensive set of tools and support.
If you’d like to see Neon Fundraise in action, sign up for a demo today!
3. CanadaHelps
CanadaHelps is a well-established fundraising platform that serves over 30,000 Canadian charities. It provides a variety of tools for online donations, peer-to-peer fundraising, event management, and donor management. The platform is known for its ease of use and strong reputation for transparency. However, some users have noted limitations in reporting and integration features. CanadaHelps operates on a transaction fee model, making it accessible to charities of all sizes while ensuring that donations are processed securely and efficiently.
Features
CanadaHelps provides a range of tools to facilitate online donations, fundraisers, and donor management. Here are some of their top features:
- Customizable Donation Forms
- Recurring Donations
- Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
- Event Management
- Donor Management
- Reporting and Analytics
- Tax Receipts
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Ease of Use: The platform is user-friendly, making it easy to set up and manage campaigns. Comprehensive Features: Wide range of tools for various fundraising needs. Trusted and Established: Long-standing presence with a strong reputation for transparency and reliability. Recurring Donations: Easy setup for monthly donations. |
Reporting Limitations: Customizing reports can be challenging, and accessing necessary data often requires multiple steps. Fee Structure: Transaction fees can accumulate, impacting the overall funds received. Customer Service Issues: Some users have experienced inconsistent support, with poor response times and inadequate assistance. Complexity for Small Organizations: The extensive features can be overwhelming for smaller charities, requiring additional training to navigate. Integration Limitations: Lack of integration with QuickBooks Online, which could simplify financial management for many charities. |
Pricing
CanadaHelps operates on a transaction fee basis, which includes payment processing costs:
- One-Time Donations: 4%
- Monthly Donations: 3.5%
- Securities Donations: 2-3%
- Cryptocurrency Donations: 2-3%
For both cryptocurrency and securities donations, there is a 3% fee for donations less than $10,000, a 2.5% fee for donations between $10,000-$49,999, a 2.25% fee for donations between $50,000-$99,999, and a 2% fee for anything above that.
These fees cover the cost of the platform. There are no hidden fees or charges for opening an account.
4. DonorPerfect
DonorPerfect is a fundraising and donor management platform native to Canada that is designed to support charities in their efforts to manage donor relationships and streamline fundraising activities. The platform offers a wide array of features, including customizable reporting, email marketing integration, online donation forms, and event management tools. DonorPerfect is praised for its user-friendly interface and strong customer support, though some users find its advanced features and customizations complex to implement. It is a solid choice for organizations seeking a reliable fundraising solution.
Features
DonorPerfect offers a variety of tools and functionalities, including:
- Unified Constituent Database
- Online Donation Forms
- Gift Acknowledgement Tools
- Email Marketing Integration
- Event Management
- Customizable Reporting
- Custom Data Entry Screens
- Mobile App
- Task Management
- Bi-lingual Support (English and French)
Pros & Cons
According to our analysis of reviews from real customers, DonorPerfect has the following overall strengths and weaknesses:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use: DonorPerfect is praised for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced users. This ease of use allows organizations to quickly adopt the platform and start benefiting from its features. Customizability: The platform offers extensive customization options, enabling users to tailor the system to their specific needs. This flexibility is beneficial for organizations with unique requirements or complex workflows. Comprehensive Fundraising Features: With tools that cover all aspects of fundraising, including donor management, communications, and receipting, DonorPerfect provides a complete solution for charities looking to streamline their fundraising efforts. | Complexity in Advanced Features: While DonorPerfect is easy to use for basic tasks, some users find that utilizing more advanced features, such as complex reporting, can be challenging and may require additional training. Upgrade Confusion: Some users have reported confusion regarding which features are included in their package versus what requires an upgrade, leading to potential unexpected costs. Learning Curve for Customizations: Although the platform offers a high degree of customizability, setting up and configuring these customizations can be complex and time-consuming, necessitating an investment of time and resources. Reporting Limitations: While the reporting tools are generally effective, creating more complex or specific reports can be difficult for some users, which may limit their ability to fully leverage the platform’s data analysis capabilities. |
Pricing
DonorPerfect offers a range of pricing plans designed to accommodate the needs of charities of varying sizes and operational scopes.
Here’s an overview of the available options:
- Core Plan: Starting at $99 per month, the Core Plan includes essential tools for donor management and fundraising. Features include integrated donation, volunteer, membership, and event forms, donor portals, and integrated payment processing.
- Plus Plan: The Plus Plan builds on the Core Plan by adding additional tools aimed at enhancing fundraising efforts and supporting organizational growth. It includes advanced features like QuickBooks integration, ReadySetAuction, and crowdfunding capabilities.
- Pro Plan: The Pro Plan is intended for larger charities with more complex requirements. It includes everything in the Plus Plan, along with advanced features such as enterprise direct mail segmentation, custom API access, and enterprise reports and graphs.
If you’d like to learn more specifics about DonorPerfect’s plans and pricing structures, we encourage you to contact them directly!
5. FundRazr
FundRazr is a crowdfunding platform that offers a range of tools for personal, charity, and corporate fundraising campaigns. It is known for its user-friendly interface, social media integration, and cost-effective nature, with no platform fees charged. FundRazr supports customizable donation pages, peer-to-peer fundraising, and real-time analytics. While it is appreciated for its ease of use and responsive customer support, some users have noted limitations in design flexibility and advanced reporting features. FundRazr is particularly suitable for organizations looking for a straightforward and affordable fundraising solution.
Features
Here are some of Fundrazr’s core features:
- Crowdfunding Tools
- Social Media Integration
- Customizable Donation Pages
- Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
- Real-Time Analytics and Reporting
- Donor Management
Pros & Cons
According to reviews from their customers, Keela’s platform has the following pluses and minuses.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use: Users find the platform easy to set up and navigate. Responsive Customer Support: The customer support team is noted for being helpful and responsive. Comprehensive Features: Offers a wide range of tools, including social media integration and customization options, to enhance campaigns. No Platform Fees: Does not charge platform fees, allowing organizations to keep more of their donations. Global Reach: Supports international fundraising efforts, making it accessible to a broader donor base. | Design Flexibility: Some users report limited design options, which can affect the visual appeal of campaigns. Navigation Confusion: Users have found the navigation somewhat confusing when changing settings or options. Minor Technical Issues: Reports of minor bugs, particularly with specific browsers like Google Chrome, such as cover images not displaying correctly. Lack of Advanced Analytics: Some users would like more robust analytics and reporting features to better track donor behavior and campaign performance. Support Documentation: Users feel there could be more tutorials and documentation to assist with setting up and managing campaigns. Payment Processing Redundancies: Some users have experienced redundancy in the payment processing system, requiring donors to input their information multiple times. |
Pricing
FundRazr is known for its cost-effective pricing structure, which comes with no platform fees.
Payment processing fees, however, do apply. They are 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, with fees varying depending on the payment processor and region. Charities may qualify for reduced rates.
6. Giveffect
Giveffect is a charity management platform that integrates fundraising, donor management, volunteer tracking, and event management into a single system. The platform is known for its automation capabilities, which streamline administrative tasks and improve efficiency. Giveffect offers a wide range of features, including customizable donation forms, real-time reporting, and seamless integration with tools like QuickBooks and Mailchimp. While it is praised for its comprehensive functionality, some users find the platform’s customization options complex and the learning curve steep. Giveffect is ideal for larger charities with more complex needs.
Features
Giveffect offers a wide array of fundraising and charity tools. including:
- Customizable Campaign Pages
- Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
- Event Management
- Volunteer Management
- Automation
- Integration Capabilities
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use: Users appreciate the intuitive and user-friendly interface, which is suitable for individuals with varying levels of technical expertise. Comprehensive Features: The platform’s all-in-one approach provides extensive tools for managing donors, volunteers, events, and campaigns, helping to streamline charity operations. Efficiency: Automated processes like batch donation entry and real-time reporting significantly reduce manual workload and improve efficiency. Flexibility and Customization: Users value the ability to customize reports and campaign pages to meet their specific needs. | Learning Curve: Some users note a learning curve, particularly for less tech-savvy staff, indicating a need for more training resources. Reporting Limitations: There are reports of difficulties with generating customized reports and issues with certain filters not working properly. Integration Issues: Users would like to see better integration with other software systems, such as QuickBooks, to enhance workflow. Feature Development: Some users feel that requested features take a long time to be implemented, which can be frustrating for organizations waiting on specific functionalities. Cost Considerations: The cost for additional features and higher-tier plans can be relatively high, which might not be affordable for smaller charities. |
Pricing
Giveffect offers several pricing tiers to accommodate different charity sizes and needs:
- Fundraising Only Tier: Starting at $299/month for those only needing fundraising pages, including auctions, tickets, and products, without switching their existing CRM.
- Starter: Starting at $399/month for smaller charities and includes up to 2,000 contact records.
- Ultimate Lite: Includes up to 15,000 contact records and limited workflow automations. Contact for pricing.
- Ultimate: Includes over 15,000 contact records, full workflow automations, and website hosting. Contact for pricing.
For more information on Giveffect’s packages and pricing, you should contact them directly!
7. Zeffy
Zeffy is a free fundraising platform designed specifically for charities. It offers a variety of tools for online donations, event ticketing, peer-to-peer fundraising, and donor management. Zeffy is particularly appreciated for its no-fee structure, allowing charities to keep 100% of the donations they receive. The platform is user-friendly and supports both English and French, making it accessible to a wide range of users. However, some users have noted limitations in advanced features and customization options. Zeffy is a practical choice for charities looking for a cost-effective fundraising solution.
Features
Zeffy’s top features include the following:
- Online Donations
- Event Ticketing
- Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
- Membership Management
- Raffles & Lotteries
- Donor Management
- Customizable Forms
- Automated Tax Receipts
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
No Transaction Fees: Zeffy does not charge transaction or platform fees, allowing charities to receive the full amount of donations. Ease of Use: The platform is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, making it accessible for users of all technical levels. Responsive Customer Support: The customer service team is noted for being responsive and helpful. Comprehensive Form Options: Zeffy provides a variety of customizable forms for donations, event registration, raffles, and memberships. Multilingual Support: Supports both English and French, making it accessible to a wider range of users in Canada. |
Limited Advanced Features: Some users feel that Zeffy lacks certain advanced functionalities found in other platforms, such as sophisticated event management and integration capabilities.
Dependency on Donor Information: Donors are required to provide their email and name, which can be seen as intrusive by some. Feature Gaps: Some features are still in development or need improvement, such as the emailing feature and document attachment capabilities. Customization Limitations: While customizable, some users desire more advanced customization features for forms and ticketing options. Integration with Other Systems: Users have requested better integration with other software systems to streamline workflows for charities using multiple tools. |
Pricing
Zeffy is free for charities, with no transaction or platform fees. This pricing model is supported by voluntary contributions from donors, enabling Zeffy to cover operational costs.
Want more great content like this?
Join our monthly newsletter community to get insights right in your inbox.
How to Choose the Right Platform for Your Charity
There is never going to be a perfect fundraising platform for your charity. Instead, you’re looking to find the one that works best for your staff experience, your operational needs, and (of course) your budget.
Here are some key steps you can take that will make finding the right platform for your charity way easier:
- Assess Your Charity’s Specific Needs: Start by identifying the essential features and tools that align with your fundraising goals and operational requirements. Consider what functionalities are non-negotiable for your campaigns and donor management.
- Consider Your Budget: Evaluate the cost structure of each platform. It’s not just about the upfront price—think long-term affordability. Ensure that the platform fits within your budget without compromising essential features.
- Review Platform Features and Benefits: Dive into the functionality and user-friendliness of different platforms. Make a checklist of your must-haves and nice-to-haves, then see which platform ticks the most boxes. Look for a balance between robust features and ease of use.
- Read User Reviews and Testimonials: Tap into the experiences of other charities. User reviews and testimonials provide valuable insights into the strengths and potential challenges of each platform. Learn from their successes and pitfalls to make a more informed decision.
- Test the Platform through Demos and Trials: Nothing beats hands-on experience. Take advantage of demos and free trials to get a feel for the user interface and overall experience. This practical evaluation will help you gauge how well the platform fits your organization’s workflow and user needs.
By systematically following these steps, you’re very likely going to identify the system that suits your needs, allowing you to support your charity’s growth and evolving goals without busting your budget or driving your staffers up the walls.
Scale Your Fundraising, Scale Your Impact
Choosing the right fundraising platform is crucial for meeting your charity’s financial goals. but don’t forget that what those goals really translate to is an increased impact in the communities you serve.
If you really want to scale your impact, one of the best things you can do is build out your monthly giving program. Recurring donors are not only of revenue—they’re long-lasting ones, too. The average recurring donor sticks around for just over eight years!
Want to dive more into this subject? Check out this article—based on Neon One’s own original research into recurring giving—that lays out six reasons why recurring donors are the future.
Join the discussion in our Slack channel on connected fundraising
