Software solutions keep the nonprofit sector in motion. 67% of nonprofits use a constituent relationship management system (CRM) to track donations and manage supporter communications. That's just the start—nonprofit software tools come in many varieties, offering support for marketing, event and auction planning, form building, and much more.
However, many nonprofits operate with tight budgets. According to a National Council of Nonprofits report, the vast majority of nonprofits operate at the grassroots level, and 88% have budgets less than $500,000. If your organization falls in this range, you may be interested in free, discounted, or affordable software solutions to help carry out your strategies while staying within budget.
Important: Many platforms marketed as "free" include transaction fees, per-seat charges, or require paid consultants to set up. Read each fee structure carefully before committing.
What's in this guide:
- Donor Management
- Fundraising
- Project Management
- Communication
- Design
- Forms
- Marketing
- Events
- Website Content Management System
As you assess each option, keep in mind that seemingly "free" platforms may still come with costs. Even platforms with no recurring monthly or yearly fee may require a transaction or processing fee to process donations. Carefully consider fee structures to find the right balance between access to features and a high net donation amount.
When free donor management software isn't enough
Free tools can get a small nonprofit off the ground. But as your donor list grows and your team's time gets tighter, the gaps start to show—duplicate records, manual data entry, no retention insights, limited support. That's when a purpose-built platform pays for itself.
Bloomerang
Platform overview: Bloomerang's Giving Platform is an affordable, powerful, and easy-to-use fundraising software solution that will give you the functionality you need. You can access the full functionality of our platform starting at just $125/month.
Top features: With Bloomerang, you'll get access to essential features like unlimited users, Bloomerang Learning, unlimited online forms, email marketing tools, and complimentary email and chat support. You'll also get exclusive features like Constituent Engagement Level™, Constituent Generosity Score™, and Donor Engagement Surveys.
Best free nonprofit software for donor management
Donor management software, also known as nonprofit CRMs, are solutions that allow nonprofits to store donor information, track interactions over time, identify prospective major donors, and maintain ongoing communication with supporters.
Donorbox
Platform overview: Donorbox is an online fundraising platform that prioritizes increasing nonprofit revenue through donation forms that convert. Nonprofits can access a donation button they can add to their websites, along with text-to-give, peer-to-peer fundraising, crowdfunding, membership, and events features.
Top feature: Donorbox's UltraSwift Checkout feature allows donors to quickly complete payments in just a few clicks, promoting higher conversion rates.
Fees or limitations: The Donorbox standard plan is $0/month with a 1.75% platform fee. With a 2.95% platform fee, users can access more features, like events and memberships.
GivingFuel
Platform overview: GivingFuel offers donor management and fundraising software at affordable rates. The platform contains a donation page builder, nonprofit CRM, recurring gift functionality, and more.
Top feature: Users gain insight into online traffic, transaction times, website visits by device type, and conversion rates with real-time analytics.
Fees or limitations: The starter plan is $0/month with a 4.99% credit card fee per donation.
Top free fundraising software solutions
Fundraising software solutions are tools nonprofits can use to accept online donations and report on giving trends.
PayPal
Platform overview: PayPal is an online payment processing platform. Nonprofits can use PayPal to add a donate button to their websites, create a branded donation process, send invoices, and manage payment transactions.
Top feature: PayPal allows donors to choose specific programs or projects to donate to, giving a greater sense of flexibility and control over the giving process.
Fees or limitations: There is a transaction fee of 1.99% and a fixed fee depending on the currency used.
GoFundMe
Platform overview: GoFundMe is a crowdfunding platform that has helped raise over $25 billion in donations since 2010.
Top feature: GoFundMe makes it very simple to start a fundraiser on the platform, providing an easy option for urgent fundraising needs.
Fees or limitations: There are no fees to start a fundraising campaign, but there is a 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee per donation.
Best free project management software for nonprofits
Asana
Platform overview: Asana's project management platform supports streamlined workflows with features like customizable project layouts, multiple ways to visualize task lists, custom labels and fields, and more.
Top feature: The tasks feature helps teams break down large projects into manageable steps with clear task owners and agreed-upon timelines.
Fees or limitations: Asana's Personal plan for individuals and small teams is free but only allows for 10 team members. Eligible nonprofits can receive 50% off paid plans.
Trello
Platform overview: Trello is a project management and productivity platform focused on giving organizations greater insight and control over their workflows, with boards, views, and templates.
Top feature: Trello's no-code automation function, called Butler, helps ensure that tasks don't fall through the cracks.
Fees or limitations: Trello's free plan allows for up to 10 boards per workspace.
Monday.com
Platform overview: Monday.com enables workflows based on your organization's needs, including views like Gantt charts, Kanban, and more.
Top feature: Monday.com's mobile app allows you to stay organized while on the go.
Fees or limitations: The free plan is targeted toward individuals, with a three-board and two-user limit.
Top free communication tools for nonprofits
Slack
Platform overview: Slack is a messaging platform that enables employees to send and receive multimedia messages, including regular chats as well as audio and video clips.
Top feature: Slack's foundational feature is channels. You can create channels for different projects, campaigns, teams, or topics.
Fees or limitations: Slack's free plan is limited to 10 app integrations and limited version and messaging histories.
Google Workspace
Platform overview: Google Workspace for Nonprofits is a flexible productivity and communication platform with multiple apps to streamline team collaboration including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Slides, Meet, and more.
Top feature: Google's Drive app is a helpful resource management solution for nonprofits.
Fees or limitations: The free plan for nonprofits is limited to 100 participants for video meetings and 30 GB of cloud storage per user.
Dropbox Sign
Platform overview: Dropbox Sign enables organizations to prepare, send, sign, and track documents.
Top feature: Dropbox offers automated reminders so your nonprofit doesn't have to chase down missing signatures.
Fees or limitations: Dropbox Sign starts at $18/month for one user.
Best free nonprofit software tools for graphic design
Canva
Platform overview: Canva is a free online graphic design tool with special features for nonprofits looking to increase brand awareness.
Top feature: The platform's AI solution, Magic Studio, helps kickstart the creative process by brainstorming ideas for written copy and images.
Fees or limitations: Canva's free plan for nonprofits allows for one team of up to 50 users. Additional users are 50% off.
Adobe Express
Platform overview: Adobe offers several paid graphic design tools. Their free tool is Adobe Express, which allows users to develop everything from newsletters and presentations to videos and annual reports.
Top feature: Adobe users have access to a robust asset library of over 195 million royalty-free Adobe Stock collection photos, videos, and music.
Fees or limitations: The Adobe Express Premium Plan is free for all nonprofits.
Top free nonprofit software for forms
Jotform
Platform overview: Jotform is a free online form builder that allows users to create forms from scratch or using a template.
Top feature: Jotform has a wide range of integrations with other software platforms, including CRMs, email platforms, payment processors, and storage apps.
Fees or limitations: The free plan has a five form limit and only enables 100 monthly submissions.
Cognito Forms
Platform overview: Cognito Forms empowers nonprofits to create forms for gathering donations, recruiting volunteers, and soliciting supporter or staff feedback.
Top feature: The no-code, template-based form builder offers a quick and easy way to get started while still allowing your nonprofit to customize forms with your unique branding.
Fees or limitations: The free plan is limited to one user and 500 entries per month.
Google Forms
Platform overview: Google Forms is another part of the Google Workspace ecosystem enabling users to build forms quickly and share them on a website or social media.
Top feature: Analyze your data using charts that are updated in real-time.
Fees or limitations: The Workspace personal plan is free, with a limit of 15 GB per user.
Best free nonprofit software for marketing
Google Ads
Platform overview: Google Ads are digital advertisements that appear across the Google ecosystem, including Search, YouTube, and Discover.
Top feature: Your nonprofit can achieve optimum performance with Google's AI, which helps create more relevant ads that appeal to your audience and drive conversions.
Fees or limitations: Nonprofits can access $10,000 per month in free Google Search advertising via the Google Ad Grant.
Constant Contact
Platform overview: Constant Contact is an email and digital marketing platform. In addition to support for email campaigns, nonprofits can also use the platform to launch social media and SMS marketing.
Top feature: Ensure timely messages are sent with marketing automation, which helps to maintain engagement and build stronger relationships over time.
Fees or limitations: Constant Contact offers a 20% discount off standard pricing when prepaying for 6 months or a 30% discount when prepaying for 12 months. The standard pricing is $35/month.
MailChimp
Platform overview: MailChimp is another email marketing solution that helps organizations optimize their email campaigns with segmentation, automation, and reporting features.
Top feature: MailChimp's reporting and analytics tools allow users to centralize data across platforms.
Fees or limitations: The platform's free plan is limited to one user, 1,000 monthly emails, and one primary marketing audience. MailChimp also offers a 15% nonprofit discount.
Hootsuite
Platform overview: Hootsuite is a social media marketing platform that integrates with multiple top social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Top feature: Take social media interactions a step further with engagement tools, which help you respond to messages from followers and track engagement over time.
Fees or limitations: Hootsuite offers a discount of 75% with Hootsuite for nonprofits. The professional plan is $24.50/month.
Top free nonprofit software for events
Zoom
Platform overview: Zoom is a virtual meeting platform that allows teams to collaborate and gather even when working remotely. Nonprofits can also use Zoom to livestream events.
Top feature: Zoom's event platform simplifies event management with hybrid ticketing options, a mobile companion app, a virtual expo floor, and more.
Fees or limitations: Zoom's free plan is limited to 40-minute meetings and 100 attendees. Nonprofits can access a 50% discount via Techsoup.
Google Meet
Platform overview: Google Meet enables secure video conferencing across a variety of device types.
Top feature: Google Meet offers multiple ways to make video calls more accessible, such as live captions and noise-canceling features.
Fees or limitations: The free plan for nonprofits is limited to 100 participants for video meetings.
Eventbrite
Platform overview: Eventbrite provides online ticketing software to drive registrations. Create customizable event pages, multiple ticket types, social posts to promote events, and more.
Top feature: The Eventbrite organizer app helps event coordinators manage ticket sales, check-ins, and merchandise sales while on the go.
Fees or limitations: The free plan is limited to 25 tickets. There are no fees for free events but a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket for paid events.
Best free content management systems for nonprofits
WordPress
Platform overview: WordPress is a free, open-source CMS. Nonprofits can start a website from scratch using available templates or work with a web designer to build a custom website.
Top feature: WordPress is generally considered to be highly user-friendly, with a simple editing experience that allows even inexperienced users to upload content with ease.
Fees or limitations: The WordPress free plan offers unlimited pages and users. However, you'll have to pay for your domain name and website host.
Drupal
Platform overview: Drupal is also an open-source CMS that many nonprofits use to build secure, scalable websites.
Top feature: Drupal offers advanced security features to keep online data safe.
Fees or limitations: Drupal is free, but it is considered a more complex CMS requiring experienced developer support.
HubSpot
Platform overview: HubSpot offers not only CMS functionality, but also CRM software, a marketing hub, commerce tools, and more.
Top feature: HubSpot's CMS features a simple drag-and-drop page editor that doesn't require any coding or advanced technical expertise.
Fees or limitations: The free plan for HubSpot's CMS software offers basic features but lacks added functionality like live chat and email support and advanced SEO recommendations.
Free nonprofit software disclaimer
When looking at software solutions, it can be tempting to choose a free or the cheapest option available. However, free fundraising software often means you get what you pay for—you likely won't see the results that you would see when using a paid solution. Plus, these free solutions can often limit your ability to fundraise effectively.
Why you might not want to choose free nonprofit software
An important thing to keep in mind when looking at free fundraising software solutions is that they often come with additional costs. Let's take Salesforce, for example — many of our nonprofit customers have switched from Salesforce to Bloomerang. They were drawn to the fact that the Salesforce nonprofit CRM was free. However, once they started using the software solution, they realized they had to pay a consultant up to $15,000 to help set it up and teach them how to use it.
Based on what our customers tell us, it's often better to seek out an affordable paid solution built specifically for nonprofits.
Additional free nonprofit software resources
Looking for more information about nonprofit software? Learn more with the help of these resources:
- Fundraising Apps: 25+ Tools To Help Your Org Raise More. Fundraising apps help you raise more for your nonprofit's mission.
- 19 Incredibly Easy Online Fundraising Ideas and Expert Tips. Want to revamp your online fundraising strategy? Check out this complete guide to effective online fundraising tips and ideas.
- What is Donor Management Software? 9 Best Solutions. Ready to invest in a new donor database? Take a look at Bloomerang's software buyer's guide and ranking of the top donor management solutions.
