GiveCause

GiveCause suits nonprofits that want donations, events, memberships and other fundraising in one platform. Its breadth and lack of fixed platform fees make it worth considering, but the per-transaction charge matters for every organization taking donations.

Overview

GiveCause combines online and in-person giving with campaign pages, donor records, reporting and team access. That range may help a nonprofit bring several fundraising activities together; organizations seeking crowdfunding campaigns are directed to GiveCrowd instead.

Donation forms and pages can be built without code and customized with templates, images, video, logos and colors. The mobile app can turn a smartphone into a card terminal for in-person donations, according to GiveCause. Donors can also be offered the choice to cover payment processing fees, giving nonprofits a way to let supporters contribute toward that cost.

Key features

Donations and donor management

Campaign pages support recurring gifts and automated receipts. The payments CRM keeps donor interaction history and supports relationship management and communications, while donor records and advanced reporting help administrators follow fundraising activity. Credit and debit cards are supported.

GiveCause says its API supports a branded native giving experience without redirecting donors. That could suit organizations seeking a consistent giving flow within their own experience. It also says its AI and machine learning fraud-prevention technology automatically blocks illegitimate transactions; the company describes the technology as patent pending.

Events, memberships and other fundraising

Event pages can be customized with multiple ticket types and real-time sales tracking, giving organizers tools to manage ticketed events alongside donations. Membership tiers, renewal tracking and supporter benefits support organizations that collect recurring membership income as well as gifts.

Sweepstakes tools include customizable entries and automated winner selection, and an online merchandise storefront adds another fundraising route. This breadth is useful for nonprofits with varied campaigns, though organizations needing crowdfunding should use GiveCrowd instead.

Team access and support

Administrators can add team members, assign roles and control feature access. Help articles and email support at [email protected] provide support channels for users.

Pricing

Free platform: free. There are no platform, monthly, setup or per-user fees, so smaller nonprofits can avoid fixed subscription costs and add team members without a per-user charge. Payment processing costs 2.9% + 29 cents per successful transaction, and bank transfer fees vary by amount. Donors may be allowed to cover payment processing fees, but the transaction charge remains a cost to account for when setting up fundraising.

The free plan includes recurring gifts, event payments, campaign pages, automated receipts, advanced reporting and donor records. It supports credit and debit cards. There are no published paid-plan tiers to compare, so organizations choosing GiveCause are choosing its free platform and transaction-based costs.

Platforms

GiveCause is available on Android, iOS and the web, with an API for integrations and a branded native giving experience.

Who it's for

GiveCause is best suited to nonprofits, including smaller organizations, that want donation campaigns alongside ticketed events, memberships, sweepstakes or merchandise sales. The absence of monthly and per-user fees is attractive for teams with variable fundraising activity, while organizations processing many transactions should weigh the 2.9% + 29 cents charge and variable bank transfer fees. It is not the right destination for organizations specifically seeking crowdfunding campaigns; GiveCause directs those campaigns to GiveCrowd.

Pros and cons

• Pros: No platform, monthly, setup or per-user fees, which keeps fixed costs down for organizations of different sizes.
• Pros: Donations, memberships, events, sweepstakes and merchandise are covered in one platform, reducing the need to separate those activities across different tools.
• Pros: Advanced reporting, donor records, automated receipts and role-based team access support ongoing campaign administration.
• Pros: Donor-covered processing fees and smartphone-based in-person giving offer additional ways to handle donation costs and collection.
• Cons: Each successful transaction incurs 2.9% + 29 cents in payment processing, and bank transfer fees vary by amount, so the free platform is not cost-free for active fundraisers.
• Cons: Crowdfunding campaigns are directed to a separate service, making GiveCause a less direct fit for nonprofits focused on that format.

Alternatives

Donorbox is worth comparing for teams that want a free plan with five team members and are prepared to weigh platform fees of 2.95%–3.95% alongside payment processing fees. Funraise may suit organizations raising under $1 million annually that want its free plan, or those willing to talk with sales about premium plans.

Givebutter is another free option, with a free-forever plan covering donation forms, fundraising pages, events, auctions, donor management and CRM. Givelify offers a free donor app and free organization donations for American Express, making it a relevant comparison for organizations considering those specific offerings.

Tithely Giving has a free giving plan with unlimited donations and transaction fees, while its Giving + Church Management plan costs $72 a month. Zeffy offers a free plan spanning donation forms, recurring gifts, event ticketing, peer-to-peer campaigns, donor CRM and email tools.

Charitable is a WordPress.org plugin with a free Lite plan for unlimited campaigns and donations; it may suit organizations that want self-hosted fundraising. Raisely offers a free fundraising platform with unlimited fundraising websites and campaigns, no monthly or setup fees, and optional donor tips.

For a broader comparison, see Nonprofit Payment Processing Software.

Verdict

GiveCause is a strong fit for nonprofits that want one platform for donations, events, memberships and additional fundraising without fixed platform or per-user fees. Its breadth, donor tools and team controls are the main reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere if crowdfunding is central to your work, or if the per-transaction processing charge makes more sense to compare against another fee structure.