What makes Givebutter great for small nonprofits?

Nonprofits of all sizes work to support their communities, build trust with donors, and create lasting impact. And there’s a lot of hard work that goes into that. 

Small nonprofits do that same work with fewer staff, tighter budgets, and less room for inefficiency. The same people are often responsible for raising donations, tracking supporters, and reporting results. 

What helps most are tools that reduce busywork, keep information connected, and make fundraising easier to manage day to day.

Givebutter is that software.

Key takeaways 

• ‍Built for small teams, not big budgets 💛 Givebutter helps small nonprofits fundraise, manage donors, and stay organized without expensive plans, long contracts, or complicated setup.‍
• One platform replaces a messy tech stack 🧈 From donation forms and events to peer-to-peer fundraising, auctions, and donor management, everything lives in one connected place.‍
• Free core tools with room to grow 💸 You can use Givebutter’s core fundraising and CRM features for free with the option to upgrade as and when you need.‍
• Easy to use, even if you’re not “techy” 🚀 You can launch campaigns, track donations, and follow up with supporters without developers, consultants, or long onboarding calls.‍
• Fundraising that feels more human ✨ Built-in communication tools, joyful donor experiences, and a community-first approach help nonprofits build lasting relationships.

Who is Givebutter? Donor management & fundraising software

Givebutter’s story started with a simple question from a friend launching a nonprofit: Why does fundraising software feel so expensive, outdated, and hard to use? We couldn’t find a good answer, so we built a butter way. One that’s modern, transparent, and actually enjoyable for both fundraisers and donors. 

Givebutter is nonprofit-first. We’re here to remove friction, not add it. That means:

• No upfront costs before you can start fundraising
• Tools built for real nonprofit workflows, not IT teams
• Optional Givebutter Plus plans with advanced tools when you’re ready

We know what it’s like to wear multiple hats and figure things out as you go. That’s why we’re keen to provide small nonprofits with the same quality tools as larger organizations, without complexity getting in the way. 

We’re also deeply community-driven. That’s why our platform, resources, and support are shaped by real nonprofit feedback, not abstract ideas of what fundraising should look like. 

Above all, we believe giving should feel good. More human. More joyful. And a lot more accessible. 💛

More to explore

Nonprofit software roundup: 30 must-have tools →

What makes Givebutter a perfect fit for small nonprofits

Here’s why Givebutter is the clear choice for small nonprofits who need a fundraising and donor management platform that actually fits how they work and grows their impact:

All-in-one fundraising software ⭐

Most small nonprofits don’t choose a messy tech stack. It just… happens. A donation tool here. An event platform there. Peer-to-peer bolted on when you need it. Then you’re stuck stitching everything together after each campaign.

Givebutter is built to be your fundraising home base, with everything you need baked into one place.

Instead of paying for separate platforms for donation forms, event management, peer-to-peer campaigns, and auctions (plus the spreadsheets to keep them all straight), you can:

• Run different types of fundraisers without switching tools
• Track everything in one place (online gifts, event payments, peer-to-peer donations, even offline gifts)
• Keep your supporter experience consistent across every campaign
• Spend less time reconciling and more time following up

One platform. Fewer workarounds. More time for the work that actually matters.

A donor management CRM that grows with your nonprofit 👥

Givebutter includes a powerful CRM for small nonprofits and charities that automatically connects donor profiles, giving history, and engagement activity. Every donation, event registration, peer-to-peer gift, and pledge rolls into a single supporter record.

Using this CRM, organizations like GOSUMEC, a small nonprofit supporting medical students in India, tracked multi-year donor pledges using built-in pledge management tools and managed a growing supporter base from a single dashboard. This helped support over $1.5M raised by a one-person team.

For small nonprofits that want to manage donors as activity grows confidently, our CRM allows you to:

• Keep donor profiles up-to-date in real-time
• Track donations, event participation, and ongoing engagement
• Segment donors by giving history or engagement to personalize outreach

The clarity this gives you makes it easier to show up for your supporters in ways that feel thoughtful, timely, and human.

More to explore

Read more about GOSUMEC’s use of Givebutter to raise $1.5M →

Marketing tools that help nonprofits reach & retain donors 📣 

People give because they feel connected to a cause, a story, or a community. The challenge for small nonprofits is keeping that connection alive without adding more tools or more work.

Givebutter’s marketing tools are built to support that connection in real time. As supporters donate, fundraise, or attend events, communication stays close to the action. Updates, thank-yous, and follow-ups happen naturally, not as an afterthought.

This kind of momentum mattered deeply for the L-CMD Research Foundation, a nonprofit founded by a mother determined to fund life-saving research for her son and others like him.

By pairing peer-to-peer fundraising with regular campaign updates and community-driven events, they kept supporters engaged and empowered to share the mission with their own networks, helping the campaign grow far beyond its initial reach and raise over $2M in the process.

More to explore

See how L-CMD Research Foundation raised over $2M to fund gene therapy research with Givebutter →

Givebutter’s nonprofit marketing tools include: 

• Built-in email tools for campaign updates, newsletters, thank-yous, and timely follow-ups
• Direct mail to connect with supporters offline
• One-click social sharing and custom links to help campaigns travel farther
• Automated receipts so every supporter feels recognized
• Campaign updates and milestones that keep energy high during active campaigns

Beyond that, Givebutter Plus members get advanced email tools and templates, workflow automation for all messages, and optional text messaging to reach supporters quickly when momentum matters most. With these tools backing up your efforts, you can move forward knowing your campaigns have the foundation needed to make it big.

More to explore

Unlock the best nonprofit marketing plan & strategies for success →

Free to use, transparent as you grow 💸 

For many small nonprofits, software decisions stall at one question: What’s this actually going to cost us?

Givebutter makes powerful tools available without forcing small nonprofits into paid plans.

Core fundraising, donor management, and engagement tools are free to use, and there’s no requirement to upgrade just because your nonprofit grows.

We use a simple tip-or-fee model, all backed by the Givebutter Guarantee. Supporters can leave an optional tip to help keep Givebutter free for nonprofits, or you can choose a small, predictable fee. Either way, pricing stays transparent, and your operations stay in your control.

As your needs evolve, Givebutter Plus is there if and when it makes sense. It adds advanced automation tools, deeper donor insights, and expanded messaging capabilities. But upgrading is optional, and you can try it for free before committing. Plus, plenty of nonprofits find that Givebutter’s free tools are more than enough to help them increase donations, communicate with supporters, and reduce admin.

That flexibility gives small nonprofits room to grow at their own pace, without worrying that success will suddenly come with a higher bill.

For more information, check our pricing page to see how the standard Givebutter platform compares to Givebutter Plus.

Easy setup & everyday usability for non-technical teams 👨‍💻 

If a tool requires a developer, a consultant, or a week of training, it’s probably not built for small nonprofits.

Givebutter is intentionally self-serve. You can sign up, build a campaign, and start fundraising right away, no onboarding calls, technical setup, or special expertise required.

Everything is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. From launching events to tracking donations and sending follow-ups, the platform supports the way small teams actually work: jumping in, making updates quickly, and moving on to the next thing.

And if questions come up while you’re working, Givebutter’s live chat and email support are available 24/7, including weekends and holidays, right from your dashboard.

Free resources that help nonprofits fundraise better 📚 

Running a small nonprofit often means learning as you go. That’s why Givebutter goes beyond software, offering free resources designed to help fundraisers build confidence, try new ideas, and keep improving over time.

The Givebutter blog is written for people doing the work, not just browsing best practices. You’ll find: 

• Freebies such as templates, downloads, plans, and checklists
• Fundraising strategies with proven ways to raise more
• Marketing & engagement strategies that will grow and activate your community
• Nonprofit trends & insights that show you what’s changing and why it matters
• Nonprofit operations content to help you run your organization smoothly
• Givebutter news for all things product updates, launches, and announcements

For hands-on learning, Givebutter hosts free webinars, an Education Hub, and Givebutter Academy led by people who understand nonprofit fundraising firsthand.

And when you need help, you’re not handed off to a generic support desk. Givebutter’s support team works closely with nonprofits every day, bringing real fundraising context to the questions that come up as you plan, launch, and grow.

Slotting Givebutter into your small nonprofit’s tech stack

Switching software can feel risky, especially when your current setup, overwhelming as it may be, technically works. The good news is that we make switching easier than most nonprofits expect. 

For organizations switching from another CRM or fundraising tool, self-serve imports make it simple to bring your donor data with you. You can upload contacts, donations, and key details on your own timeline, directly from your dashboard.

Prefer a little extra support? Magic Migration is available for eligible organizations that want hands-on help from the Givebutter team. 

We’ll review your data, map everything carefully, and handle the heavy lifting so nothing falls through the cracks and fundraising can continue uninterrupted. Availability varies by provider, and organizations can join the waitlist to see if their system is supported.

Not ready to switch everything over to Givebutter? Or looking for a way to bridge tools? That’s possible too: 

• 🔁 Native integrations with donor-focused systems like Bloomerang CRM, so Givebutter transaction data can sync directly into your existing donor database
• ⚙️ No-code connections through Zapier, making it easy to share data with CRMs, email tools, accounting systems, and other apps without manual work or custom builds
• 🌐 Embeddable donation forms and widgets that let you keep your existing website intact while centralizing fundraising data behind the scenes

Our platform gives you a clear center for fundraising and donor activity, one that grows with you while keeping the transition smooth from day one.

How Givebutter compares to other fundraising & donor tools small nonprofits consider

Most fundraising tools for small nonprofits fall into one of two camps: 

• Tools that do only one thing well
• Platforms built for organizations with larger teams and bigger budgets

Tools like GoFundMe, PayPal, or Facebook are helpful for specific needs, such as quick crowdfunding, basic payment processing, or social reach. But they’re limited. 

Donor data is often incomplete, and follow-up tools are minimal. Teams usually need additional software to manage events, peer-to-peer campaigns, reporting, and ongoing donor relationships.

Other “free” nonprofit platforms offer broader functionality, but with strings attached. Feature caps, approval processes, limited customization, or missing tools (like auctions, CRM, or marketing) often mean small nonprofits still end up layering multiple systems as they grow.

Givebutter takes a butter approach. Instead of specializing in one function, we combine donations, events, peer-to-peer fundraising, auction management, donor management, communication tools, and reporting into a single platform. Core tools are free to use, with no subscriptions, contracts, or forced upgrades. 

This means small nonprofits can replace multiple tools with a single system, keep all donor and fundraising data connected, and reuse the same platform across campaigns, events, and seasons without rebuilding workflows or breaking their budgets.

Is Givebutter’s fundraising & donor management software right for your nonprofit? 

Givebutter works best for small nonprofits that want clarity instead of clutter. Teams that are wearing many hats, experimenting with new fundraising ideas, or simply tired of piecing together tools that don’t talk to each other.

You’ll likely feel at home with Givebutter if:

• You’re balancing fundraising with dozens of other responsibilities
• You want one place to manage donors, donations, events, and outreach
• You’re budget-conscious but don’t want to sacrifice quality or capability
• You expect your work to grow and want tools that can grow with you

If this feels familiar, Givebutter might just be what you need to spend less energy managing tools and more energy moving your mission forward.

Givebutter: Built for small nonprofits doing BIG things

Small nonprofits are built on heart, not headcount. Givebutter supports that with tools that make your work easier and more impactful.

With an all-in-one fundraising platform that brings together donations, events, donor management, and supporter engagement, your team can spend less time untangling systems and more time doing what you set out to do: serve your community, tell your story, and build lasting support around your mission.

Best of all, Givebutter’s core fundraising features are free to use. Sign up today (there’s never been a butter time! 😉) and see how much easier fundraising can feel when everything works together. 

FAQs about Givebutter

Is Givebutter really free for small nonprofits?

Yes. Givebutter’s core fundraising, donor management (CRM), events, and engagement tools are free for nonprofits. When optional donor tips are enabled, the Givebutter Guarantee ensures there are no platform or processing fees, even if donors choose not to cover them. This means nonprofits keep 100% of the funds raised through tip-enabled campaigns.

Is Givebutter a CRM or donor management software?

Yes. Givebutter’s nonprofit CRM helps you manage donor relationships and fundraising in one place. You can create and organize unlimited supporter profiles, track giving and engagement history, segment contacts, and manage outreach alongside your campaigns.

Because fundraising and donor data live in the same place, Givebutter serves as a central hub for donor management, and small nonprofits don’t need a separate CRM just to keep supporter information organized and actionable.

Can Givebutter replace our existing fundraising tools?

Yes. For many small nonprofits, Givebutter becomes the primary platform for fundraising and donor engagement. It brings donation forms, campaigns, event ticketing, auctions, peer-to-peer fundraising, email communication, and donor management together in one connected system, so teams can stop juggling multiple tools and work from a single source of truth.

For organizations that need accounting or other specialized systems, Givebutter integrates seamlessly with tools like QuickBooks Online. But for day-to-day fundraising and supporter engagement, Givebutter is designed to replace the patchwork of tools most small nonprofits rely on.

What size nonprofits use Givebutter?

Givebutter is widely used by small and medium-sized nonprofits, including charities, service organizations, schools, faith-based groups, sports teams, community-led organizations, and even startups that want powerful fundraising tools without complexity or high costs. 

Our platform is designed to grow with your organization, supporting everything from your first campaign to more complex events and fundraising efforts.

How can I make the switch to Givebutter?

Many small nonprofits start by running a single campaign or event on Givebutter while keeping their existing tools in place.

You can sign up for free, launch a campaign in minutes, and embed donation forms directly on your website.

When you’re ready to bring everything together, you have options. You can:

• Import past supporter data yourself
• Connect other tools through Zapier
• Use Givebutter’s Magic Migration service, where the Givebutter team helps map and securely transfer your donor data for you

If questions come up along the way, Givebutter’s 24/7 live chat and email support are there to help, so you’re never stuck figuring things out alone.