Better Giving

Better Giving is a nonprofit fundraising platform built around an embeddable donation form. It suits organizations that need varied ways to accept gifts and want access to donor records without a platform subscription. The free hosted plan keeps the entry cost low, but payment processing is separate, and self-hosting requires the organization to take on operations and compliance.

Overview

Designed for nonprofits such as faith organizations, schools, and universities, Better Giving combines donation collection with fundraising and reporting tools. Its fiscal-sponsorship option also serves organizations abroad and U.S. groups without 501(c)(3) status seeking tax-deductible U.S. giving. Better Giving says it is a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity and has served nonprofits since 2021.

Key features

The embeddable form supports cards, bank and ACH payments, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, stock, donor-advised funds, IRA/QCD gifts, and cryptocurrency. Bringing these methods together through one integration can simplify giving setup; DAFpay via Chariot is built in. Payment processing is separate, so a free platform plan does not mean donations have no processing cost.

Recurring donations, peer-to-peer fundraising, dedication gifts, program-specific giving, goal-tracking progress bars, automated receipts, and reporting cover several common campaign needs. Teams can export full donor-level data and giving history via CSV or API at no charge, which is useful when records need to be retained or used outside the platform.

Card credentials may not transfer directly to a new processor: that depends on card-network rules, PCI-DSS, and the receiving processor. If a transfer is not possible, Better Giving says it can provide gift schedules and help with donor reauthorization. This gives organizations a fallback, but recurring-gift continuity may require donor action.

The platform and donation form are public code, and organizations can self-host using their own payment gateway. That option gives technically capable nonprofits more control, but they must pay the gateway's processing costs and handle receipts, compliance, and operations themselves. Better Giving's security policy says data is encrypted in transit with TLS 1.2+ and at rest with AES-256, and raw card data is not stored or processed by Better Giving. Donations are handled by Stripe, which Better Giving identifies as a PCI DSS Level 1-certified processor; it says it maintains PCI DSS 4.0 SAQ A through the Stripe integration. Live chat is offered for additional support, with [email protected] provided for portability requests.

Pricing

Fundraising & fund management: free, with all features included and donor contributions optional. This is the clearest fit for nonprofits that want hosted fundraising tools without a platform charge; payment processing remains separate.

Self-hosted: free for the open-source software, with gateway processing costs paid by the organization. The lack of a software charge comes with responsibility for receipts, compliance, and ongoing operations, so it is better suited to organizations equipped to manage those tasks.

Fiscal sponsorship: $2.90, paid once, billed per sponsored gift. It enables tax-deductible U.S. giving for organizations abroad or groups without 501(c)(3) status, making the per-gift charge relevant to those that cannot receive such donations under their own status. There is no free trial.

Platforms

Better Giving is available on the web and via API, with a self-hosted option for organizations using their own gateway. Those choices suit nonprofits that want an embeddable giving experience or control over hosting; mobile apps are not among its supported platforms.

Who it's for

Better Giving is a strong fit for nonprofits that want a broad set of donation methods, recurring and peer-to-peer fundraising, and free donor-data exports. Its free hosted plan is attractive to organizations watching software costs, while self-hosting makes sense only for teams ready to own operational and compliance work. Organizations that need tax-deductible U.S. giving without their own 501(c)(3) status can consider fiscal sponsorship, with its per-gift fee.

Pros and cons

• Pros: The hosted plan includes all features at no cost, so platform access does not require a subscription.
• Pros: A wide range of payment and gift types, plus recurring and peer-to-peer fundraising, supports varied donation programs.
• Pros: Full donor-level data and giving history can be exported by CSV or API at no charge.
• Cons: Payment processing is separate, so organizations still face gateway or processor costs.
• Cons: Self-hosting transfers responsibility for receipts, compliance, and operations to the nonprofit.
• Cons: Card credentials may not move to a new processor, potentially requiring donors to reauthorize recurring gifts.

Alternatives

Choose Givebutter if Android or iOS access matters alongside web use; its free plan includes donation forms, fundraising pages and events, auctions, donor management, and CRM. For a matching-gift-focused option, Amply offers a free feature-limited tier and a Standard plan on request with everything included.

BetterWorld is worth considering for its free plan with a 0% platform fee, while its Flex plan has a 2.2-5% platform fee; standard payment processing fees apply to both. GoFundMe Pro may suit nonprofits with annual revenue under $1 million seeking its Essentials core product suite, which has no subscription or setup costs.

Whitelabel offers unlimited campaigns and donors with no monthly fees, setup fees, or contracts, while card and bank costs are passed through at cost. Anthology Encompass is another option for organizations considering a paid product with Android, iOS, and web support.

DonorOS is a paid alternative built by Jeremy Estrella, a former Associate Vice President and Dean at Portland Community College. GivingFuel may fit organizations seeking a paid plan with a published monthly price: Starter is $9 a month for annual online giving under $100,000, a 2% platform fee, and one admin account.

For category comparisons, see Nonprofit Online Donation Software, Nonprofit Fundraising Software, and Nonprofit Matching Gift Software.

Verdict

Nonprofits seeking flexible donation collection, fundraising features, and accessible donor records should put Better Giving on their shortlist. Its strongest case is a free hosted plan with all features and no-charge exports; the main reasons to look elsewhere are separate processing costs or the operational burden of self-hosting.