How family & memorial foundations run galas, tributes & more for free

Running fundraising for a foundation means every dollar spent on platform fees is a dollar not going to your mission, and your board notices. Whether you've been cobbling together PayPal, Eventbrite, and spreadsheets for the annual gala, or you're staring down a $15K quote from an enterprise platform, there's a better way.

Givebutter is built for foundation fundraising: galas, tribute and memorial campaigns, recurring giving, and a donor CRM that survives board turnover—all from one platform, all for free.

We'll walk through how foundations like yours use Givebutter to raise more, keep more, and spend less time rebuilding donor records from scratch, with real examples, honest answers on fees, and everything you need to get started. When your board asks why you're switching platforms, the answer is simple: more money for the mission and less time rebuilding donor records from scratch.

Key takeaways

• Keep more of what you raise 💸 When optional donor tips are enabled, your foundation pays $0 in platform fees and $0 in processing fees. With tips turned off, a flat 3% platform fee applies plus standard payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
• Run your entire gala from one platform 🎩 Event ticketing, silent and live auctions, paddle raise, and onsite check-in all live under one login, so post-event reconciliation doesn't require a weekend.
• Tribute and memorial giving built in 💌 Donors can dedicate a gift "in memory of" or "in honor of" someone and optionally notify a family member or honoree by email, all within the checkout flow.
• Turn one-time gifts into reliable revenue 💰 Recurring giving plans let donors upgrade a one-time gift to monthly or annual support at checkout, giving your board something predictable to plan around.
• Donor records that survive board turnover 🗃️ Every gift, auction bid, event purchase, and pledge lives in your nonprofit CRM year after year, so whoever steps in next doesn't start from scratch.
• Go live before your next board meeting ⚡ Sign up for free in under 5 minutes, no credit card or contract required. Your first campaign takes about 30 to 60 minutes to build.

Why foundations switch to Givebutter

Foundation boards scrutinize every expense, every tool, and every platform decision. Here's an honest look at why Givebutter keeps passing that test.

You keep more of what you raise 💸

With the Givebutter Guarantee, when optional donor tips are enabled, your foundation pays $0 in platform fees and $0 in processing fees. Without tips, a flat 3% platform fee applies, along with standard payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for cards and 1.9% + $0.30 per transaction for ACH.

Dive deeper

Learn what fee-free really means for your foundation →

Run your entire gala from one platform 🎩

Manage your entire gala from one platform with free event ticketing, silent and live auctions, paddle raise, onsite check-in via the mobile app, and a live fundraising display for the gala screen. Your event data lives alongside all your other fundraising data, so board reports don't require a weekend of reconciliation.

Dive deeper

💡 Plan your foundation's next gala event using these expert tips →

Tribute, memorial & recurring giving done right 💌

Branded "in memory of" and "in honor of" donation forms let donors dedicate a gift and notify a family or honoree with a single checkbox—no clunky workarounds. Donors can also convert a one-time gift into a recurring plan at checkout, turning a lumpy revenue year into something the board can plan around.

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💡 Build a recurring giving program that grows with your organization →

A donor CRM that survives board turnover 🗃️

Givebutter's nonprofit CRM keeps every gift, auction bid, event purchase, and pledge in a single donor record, so whoever takes over next doesn't inherit a patchwork of spreadsheets. Tag donors by giving level, filter by history, and segment for targeted outreach, without exporting anything.

Givebutter also integrates with DonorSearch for wealth screening and prospect research directly from your dashboard. Note that DonorSearch is a separate paid service, but Givebutter users get a special discount.

💡 Pro tip: Givebutter powers foundation fundraising, not grantmaking. If your foundation distributes grants to other nonprofits, pair it with Foundant, Fluxx, or GivingData for that side of the house.

Dive deeper

See how foundations use Givebutter's CRM to manage donor relationships →

Givebutter features built for foundations & philanthropy orgs

From donation pages that don't reflect the mission to fundraising events spread across multiple costly tools, many foundations run into the same challenges year after year.

Here's how real philanthropic organizations are using Givebutter to solve some of the most common fundraising hurdles.

Real foundations using Givebutter

Here's what a real foundation said about Givebutter, plus a look at one organization who raised $333K at their annual gala.

"Givebutter is allowing our small foundation to play in the big leagues. Prior to finding Givebutter, our foundation had to pick and choose carefully which tools we needed that would not cause us financial harm." — Johanna M., Research & Insights Lead | G2

Triumph Foundation Gala 🎩

The Triumph Foundation used Givebutter to power its annual gala in Los Angeles, combining event ticketing, a silent auction featuring travel packages and a fund-a-need paddle drop, and a VIP whiskey tasting experience, all from one platform.

💸 Total raised: $333K+ (111% of goal!)

🥳 Why it worked: Triumph Foundation built a branded campaign page with a clear mission statement, tiered ticketing for VIP and general admission guests, and a full auction catalog donors could browse and bid on from their phones. Every gift, bid, and ticket purchase was tracked in one place, so the team wasn't reconciling data from multiple tools after the event.

More to explore

See how philanthropic organizations are raising more with Givebutter →

How to launch your foundation's first campaign on Givebutter

Many fundraising platforms require a demo, a contract, and weeks of onboarding. Givebutter doesn't. Here's how to go from signup to your first campaign before your next board meeting.

1. Create your free Givebutter account 🪄

Sign up for Givebutter and verify your nonprofit to get started. It takes less than 5 minutes, and no credit card, sales call, or contract is required.

Sign up for free →

2. Build your foundation's first campaign 💛

Whether you're launching a gala, a tribute campaign, or a year-end appeal, your first Givebutter campaign takes about 30–60 minutes to build. Donation forms, event ticketing, auctions, and your nonprofit CRM are all included.

3. Start fundraising 💸

Share your giving link via email, text, QR code, and your foundation's website. Every gift tags to a donor record, so your CRM builds from day one, and board reports stay current in real time.

See it in action

Book a free Givebutter demo & go live before your next board meeting →

Power your foundation's fundraising with Givebutter

With Givebutter, family, memorial, and private foundations can manage everything from one platform: gala ticketing and auctions, tribute and memorial campaigns, recurring giving, DAF donations, and a donor CRM that survives board turnover.

With the Givebutter Guarantee, your foundation pays $0 in platform fees and $0 in processing fees when optional donor tips are enabled. That means more money for your mission and fewer awkward conversations with your board about platform costs.

And when you need help, Givebutter's support team is available 24/7 with a 98%+ customer satisfaction rating—exactly the kind of backup a lean foundation team needs.

Sign up for Givebutter for free and start raising more for your foundation today.

Frequently asked questions from foundations about Givebutter

Can our foundation use Givebutter if we're primarily a grantmaking foundation?

Givebutter powers fundraising, not grantmaking. While Givebutter can help your foundation raise money through events, tribute campaigns, and recurring giving, you'll need to pair it with Foundant, Fluxx, or GivingData to manage your grantmaking process. Many foundations run both side by side. For more on the CRM side, see how foundations use Givebutter's donor management tools.

Can a family, private, or memorial foundation use Givebutter?

Yes. Family, private, and memorial foundations can use Givebutter to raise money, manage donor relationships, run fundraising events, and offer tribute and memorial giving to supporters. Memorial foundations in particular find the "in memory of" and "in honor of" donation forms valuable for engaging donors around a loved one's legacy.

Can foundations accept donor-advised fund (DAF) gifts through Givebutter?

Yes. Givebutter supports DAF donations via DAFpay, powered by Chariot, from over 1,150 DAF providers including Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, and Vanguard Charitable. Donors select their provider, log in, and submit their grant request directly from your giving page.

Note that DAFpay is available for one-time donations only, requires a verified 501(c)(3) account, and is not available for private non-operating foundations. Chariot charges a 2.9% processing fee per DAF donation.

Can Givebutter replace our foundation's existing CRM?

For most small and mid-sized foundations, yes. Givebutter's nonprofit CRM includes donor profiles, giving history, customizable tags, segmentation, bulk email, and exportable reports, replacing the spreadsheets and disconnected tools most lean foundation teams cobble together. Very large foundations on Blackbaud or Salesforce typically prefer to integrate rather than replace.

How fast does Givebutter send funds to our foundation?

Once you initiate a withdrawal, standard payouts arrive in your connected bank account within 1–3 business days and are always free. Eligible verified accounts can use Instant Payouts to receive funds within 30 minutes, any day of the week, for a small fee.

You can also set up a Givebutter Wallet as your financial home base, giving you daily access to settled funds.

How long does it take to set up Givebutter for my foundation?

It takes less than 5 minutes to sign up for Givebutter. Account verification takes 1–3 business days, and your first campaign takes about 30–60 minutes to build. Most foundations go live before their next board meeting.