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We’ve enactment unneurotic a round-up of apical nonprofit recognition paper processors, an overview of their benefits, downsides, and a little breakdown of the optimal usage cases for each.
- Best overall: Donorbox
- Best for speedy and casual setup: PayPal
- Best for in-person donations and increasing a donor base: Square
- Best for debased interest rates: Helcim
- Best all-in-one, premium nonprofit solution: iATS
- Best for accelerated payouts: Stripe
Some nonprofit concerns are precise overmuch successful enactment with the modular challenges faced by their profit-driven counterparts. And immoderate of their needs reflector those seen successful authorities organizations successful the nationalist sector.
Case successful point: accepting payments. While the transactional mechanics are mostly identical — wealth is changing hands, moving from 1 broadside to the different — everything other is different. Including the terminology. It’s not a “purchase” oregon a “sale”; it’s a “donation.” As such, non-profit organizations inactive request to usage “merchant services,” but volition besides request those services to enactment a precise antithetic benignant of transaction.
So, for these teams that request specified a solution but don’t cognize wherever to commencement their search, we’ve compiled a round-up of apical contenders, an overview of their benefits and downsides, and a little breakdown of the optimal usage cases for each.
Top non-profit recognition paper processor comparison
In summation to pricing, what is worthy clarifying, and isn’t needfully intuitive astatine a glance, is the favoritism betwixt outgo processors and donation platforms. Processors are apt already acquainted to you — they are the ones that grip the speech of funds, oregon astatine slightest instrumentality constituent connected that process. Donation platforms are different. In the bulk of cases, they don’t process astatine all, but spouse with different marque to supply those services.
| Donorbox | 4.49 | 1.99% + $0.49 | Donation platform | Pass-on interest option |
| PayPal | 4.41 | 1.99% + “fixed fee” | Payment processor | Discounted transaction rates |
| Square | 4.34 | 2.6% + $0.10 | Payment processor | None |
| Helcim | 4.31 | 0.75% + $0.06 | Payment processor | Pass-on interest option |
| iATS | 4.22 | Call for quote | Both | None listed |
| Stripe | 4.12 | 2.9% + $0.30 | Payment processor | Yes; telephone for quote |
Donorbox: Best overall
Image: Donorbox
Our rating: 4.49
Let’s footwear disconnected our database with a wide illustration of a donation platform, truthful we tin adhd much clarification to that point.
Donorbox is simply a level built to enactment and alteration the operations of nonprofits. Similar to however a CRM solution mightiness cater to the needs of income oregon enactment teams, donation platforms travel loaded with bells and whistles curated for organizations that cod funds without exchanging a bully oregon work for them (in different words, the dictionary explanation of “donation”).
Donorbox is simply a starring subordinate successful that space, and portion it doesn’t process payments itself, it has plentifulness of integration and interoperability options. Bottom line: if you privation a solution vendor that understands your usage lawsuit well, already has foundational cognition of your emblematic needs, and offers tailor-made features that straight code those needs, Donorbox is your champion bet.
Why I chose Donorbox
Any clip you person a usage lawsuit with precise peculiar parameters, industry-specific tools volition beryllium your champion friend. As a starring supplier of donation level solutions, with affirmative lawsuit feedback and an awesome way record, Donorbox is simply a large contender by immoderate stretch.
One of Donorbox’s standout features is recurring donations. The aforesaid mode an ecommerce level mightiness alteration sellers to acceptable up monthly merchandise subscriptions for their customers, Donorbox tin alteration donations to beryllium acceptable connected a repeating schedule. That way, those who privation to springiness regularly tin set-it-and-forget-it, truthful to speak.
Pricing
- Standard: escaped (no monthly fee, conscionable level and transaction fees).
- Pro: $139/month, positive 1.5% level interest connected each donation.
- Premium: custom; telephone for punctuation (plus 1.5% level fee).
Features
- Advanced functionality similar POS tools, CRM solutions, and an extended integration library.
- “Pass-on fees,” wherever donors tin elite to wage for transaction costs, truthful you person the afloat worth of the donation.
- AI assistant, fundraising coaching, recurring donation support, and more.
Pros and cons
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PayPal: Best for speedy and casual setup
Image: PayPal
Our rating: 4.41
PayPal is evidently not a donation platform; it’s a wide utilized outgo solution crossed the concern world, arsenic good arsenic among consumers. Despite this, it really serves precise good arsenic an entry-level solution for nonprofit organizations.
The familiarity and simplicity of PayPal’s interface are already immense advantages, arsenic is its nary commitment, nary monthly cost, nary hidden fees pricing structure. But, PayPal besides offers reduced transaction fees for nonprofits, portion inactive providing the aforesaid trustworthy and dependable work that for-profit operations person relied connected for years.
Why I chose PayPal
Again, PayPal is not a donation platform. It is, however, 1 of the astir fashionable processors utilized by donation platforms. So, if you’re not rather astatine the constituent yet wherever the precocious functionality and add-on features are worthy the investment, there’s a chiseled worth successful cutting retired the middleman and reducing the fig of further fees that person to beryllium paid each clip a donation is made, careless of who picks up that peculiar tab.
And since PayPal has been astir truthful long, and truthful wide adopted, it’s some an incredibly acquainted idiosyncratic experience, and casual to find compatible integrations for. In short, determination are fewer outgo solutions that tin get you up and moving faster.
Pricing
- No monthly subscription fees, conscionable transaction fees.
- Donations fees: 2.89% + “fixed fee,” oregon 2.99% depending connected benignant of online outgo (e.g. Donate button, PayPal Checkout for Donations, etc.)
- Additional interest planetary donations: 1.50%
- Charity transaction fee: 1.99% + “fixed fee” (discounted processing interest for 501c3 organizations)
- Additional interest for planetary foundation transactions: 1.50%
*Note: the “fixed fee” is simply a predetermined interest based connected the currency received for payment.
Features
- Measurable discounts for foundation transactions
- Widely accepted and trusted outgo platform
- “Donate button” makes it casual to facilitate accepting payments and encouraging notations.
Pros and cons
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Square: Best for in-person donations and increasing a donor base
Image: Square
Our rating: 4.34
True to its estimation arsenic an manufacture pioneer successful user-friendly POS solutions, Square is our prime for the champion enactment for accepting in-person donations. Like PayPal, Square isn’t a donation platform, oregon donor absorption system. It is, archetypal and foremost, a outgo solution, and the bulk of what it has to connection falls nether that umbrella. Despite this, it inactive has plentifulness to connection nonprofit organizations.
In fact, beyond paper readers, outgo processing, and the like, Square offers a fig of adjacent features. Normally, these would beryllium “business services,” but they tin easy beryllium repurposed for this usage case. Their CRM functionality, for example, tin beryllium leveraged to nonstop newsletters, negociate donor groups, cod feedback, way information to assistance place issues oregon fundraising trends, and more.
Why I chose Square
Nonprofits thrive oregon conflict based connected the enactment of their donor base. It follows, then, that the amended equipped you are to turn and nurture your donor base, the healthier your enactment volition beryllium successful the agelong run.
This is wherefore I picked Square. Its POS hardware enables you to judge donations successful person, encouraging you to premix and mingle with the people, businesses, and organizations that supply the lifeblood of your mission. And their add-on services, similar their CRM instrumentality and payroll, tin assistance you tally your nonprofit the mode a concern would.
Pricing
- Square POS: Free to use; 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction.
- Email marketing: starting astatine $15/month.
- Text marketing: starting astatine $10/month (plus messaging rates).
- Payroll: starting astatine $35/month + $6/paid employee/month.
Features
- POS app is escaped to use; wage lone connected transaction fees.
- Add-on services similar email, text, donor directory, payroll, etc. tin marque moving the enactment easier without driving overhead to high.
- Get equipped to “sell” your organization’s ngo straight to your donor base, and physique affirmative estimation and nationalist representation the old-fashioned way.
Pros and cons
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Helcim: Best for debased interest rates
Image: Helcim
Our rating: 4.31
In the non-profit abstraction especially, determination volition beryllium circumstances wherever outgo is the astir impactful factor. For organizations that request to marque the astir of each donation dollar that comes in, Helcim is our prime to support those costs down arsenic acold arsenic possible.
To start, Helcim offers immoderate of the lowest modular rates successful the business, crossed a wide assortment of outgo types. What’s more, Helcim besides offers pass-on fees, truthful that donors tin wage the outgo of making their donation. As a salient subordinate successful the outgo processor space, Helcim has plentifulness of affirmative points to beforehand here. But the mode they assistance nonprofits minimize the costs of accepting donations is the astir captious among them, successful my opinion.
Why I chose Helcim
As alluded to above, fewer vendors successful the outgo processor abstraction connection arsenic galore options and opportunities to bounds costs and trim fees. Those figures tin truly adhd up, depending connected the outgo operation of the level you’re using. Even features similar interest caps tin lone bash truthful much, particularly if overmuch of your fundraising aims astatine collecting ample quantities of smaller donations.
For those reasons alone, Helcim is simply a coagulated pick, and each of their different features (many of which are comparable to brands similar PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc.) are conscionable icing connected top.
Pricing
- No monthly fees. Only wage for transaction/processing fees.
- Nonprofit discounts applied for Mastercard and Visa web cards (requires due registration and verification).
- “Interchange Plus” pricing: Helcim doesn’t complaint level rates, alternatively adding their nett borderline (0.40% + $0.08) arsenic a level interest to the interchange costs of a fixed outgo method. It’s a somewhat much analyzable strategy designed to guarantee the largest discounts are passed connected to you.
- Card interchange rates arsenic debased arsenic 0.65% + $0.15 for registered charities, for a full processing interest of 1.05% + $0.23.
Features
- “Interchange Plus” pricing maximizes your savings by passing connected the benefits of debased interchange rates to you directly.
- Pass-on/donor-covered interest options let donors to take to screen the fees for their donations, further driving down costs.
- Available options for POS hardware, add-on services, and more.
Pros and cons
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iATS: Best all-in-one, premium nonprofit solution
Image: iATS
Our rating: 4.22
iATS is the oddball connected our list. It’s the lone introduction that provides donation absorption and outgo processing. As a level built specifically for nonprofit organizations, and by combining the absorption tools and the processing services, iATS achieves precocious levels of worth and lawsuit restitution portion maintaining reasonably affordable rates (though they don’t database said rates publicly).
It’s uniquely suited to the needs and circumstances of organizations successful this space, and portion it’s not a cleanable acceptable for everyone, it is simply a cleanable acceptable for those that autumn wrong the parameters of their optimal usage case.
Why I chose iATS
Since iATS only serves nonprofits, the solution has been curated and expanded to conscionable those precise eclectic tastes, arsenic it were. It’s led them to scope awesome levels of lawsuit restitution arsenic they empower nonprofits and charities astir the world.
Case successful point: 1 of their biggest bragging rights is that aft 20 years, their archetypal lawsuit is inactive their lawsuit (indicating some the prime of iATS’s service, and the occurrence they’ve helped that nonprofit achieve).
Pricing
- No publically listed prices, truthful telephone for a quote.
Features
- Payment processor and donation absorption successful one.
- Accept payments online oregon in-person, done integrations with Salesforce, and more.
- Companion mobile app for on-the-go POS functionality.
- Advanced fraud prevention (a captious value-add successful the nonprofit industry).
Pros and cons
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Stripe: Best for accelerated payouts
Image: Stripe
Our rating: 4.12
Stripe, similar PayPal and Square, are starring names successful the outgo solution space. They chiefly cater to businesses but person a fewer peculiar features aimed astatine nonprofits. And though galore of their offerings and benefits are comparable, each has astatine slightest 1 facet wherever they person the borderline implicit the others.
For Stripe, it’s the velocity of transportation of funds. Yes, it’s highly customizable, easy tweaked to embed oregon integrate into assorted channels, and offers plentifulness of concern services arsenic add-ons. But modular payouts are daily aft a two-day delay, and you tin opt into instant payouts for a nominal further fee.
Not everyone needs wealth successful manus arsenic soon arsenic it’s sent. But for those who do, Stripe is our recommendation.
Why I chose Stripe
In a nutshell: get your funds arsenic accelerated arsenic possible. It’s Stripes’ astir awesome and standout diagnostic successful this context, astatine slightest successful my opinion. Stripe besides has industry-leading API and SDK documentation if you request a customized donation page, app, oregon checkout. Additionally, if you judge planetary donations, Stripe is our top-recommended international outgo gateway.
For much information, work our afloat Stripe review.
Pricing
- No subscriptions oregon monthly fees. Only wage for outgo processing.
- Standard processing complaint is 2.9% + $0.30 (a small higher than average, but inactive amended than most).
- Discounts from the modular complaint for nonprofits and charities (but you’ll person to telephone successful for details).
Features
- Easy-to-understand pricing, add-on concern solutions, and assorted options for reducing transaction fees.
- Some of the fastest transportation speeds for funds successful the business.
- Advanced fraud protection.
- Partners with, and integrates good with crowdfunding platforms that enactment nonprofit fundraising.
Pros and cons
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How bash I take the champion recognition paper processing for my nonprofit?
Choosing exertion solutions tin consciousness a batch similar choosing a car to buy. The aforesaid kinds of qualities and characteristics travel into play each time; it’s conscionable a substance of what the purchaser needs from the “vehicle” astatine that point. Price, reliability, flexibility, customizability — you cognize the drill.
So instead, let’s speech astir the little communal stuff.
What benignant of nonprofit are you running?
This matters to a astonishing degree. Many of the discounts are conditional connected decently registering and/or verifying nonprofit/charity status. In different words, wherever you person to register, and whether oregon not your nonprofit qualifies tin heavy interaction the costs applied to the donations you collect. So we urge you cheque the good people (and possibly adjacent telephone successful to get the nitty-gritty specifics).
Who is your donor base?
Some solutions volition beryllium much advantageous if you cod less donations with higher dollar values, portion others are the opposite. Some volition springiness you options for high-volume discounts. Some volition springiness you tools to enactment towards a larger footprint successful the nationalist consciousness. Some volition let you to walk connected donor fees, and immoderate donors whitethorn not really beryllium fond of that (though that past 1 seems to beryllium the exception, not the rule).
What we’re trying to accidental is this: the quality of your donor base, who they are, however overmuch they donate, and the mode they interact with your outgo solution each substance a batch much than they typically bash for businesses. In a nonprofit context, radical springiness you wealth not due to the fact that they’re buying thing but due to the fact that they judge successful the origin and privation to help. And adjacent tiny issues oregon inconveniences tin sometimes beryllium the quality successful securing the donation.
Where are your donations coming from (and wherever are you receiving them)?
A fig of providers and solutions (including immoderate successful this list) instrumentality into relationship whether donations are home oregon international. They whitethorn adjacent instrumentality into relationship the circumstantial currency of origin. Depending connected your circumstances, that whitethorn so markedly interaction the figures for your organization. So, if you person entree to that information, usage it erstwhile vetting solutions to spot if you’ll beryllium underserved by a fixed platform.
Methodology
I had to bash a spot of other digging and probe connected this topic. That said, successful the end, we built our database overmuch the aforesaid mode we ever do. We started broad, looked astatine the large players and often mentioned options successful the space, and whittled things down from there. Then we graded said shortlist, and assembled the applicable info into this article.
Our list, and our grading, was done based connected captious halfway factors, including pricing, bundle features, hardware options, idiosyncratic experience, and reliability. We consulted branded marketing, reappraisal aggregator sites similar G2, hands-on demos, and escaped trials, arsenic good arsenic feedback and reviews from existent and past users.
We paid peculiar attraction to areas of functionality that were non-standard, if they were mentioned successful the brand’s selling arsenic an disposable feature, and whether oregon not reviews indicated it worked arsenic described.
Here’s the circumstantial criteria that were considered:
- Pricing (30%): Transaction fees, monthly minimums, interest transparency, cancellation and chargeback fees, and whether oregon not discounted rates are offered for nonprofit organizations.
- Features (35%): Accepted outgo types, built-in fundraising tools, integrations with different systems similar accounting bundle and website builders, whether oregon not it tin prevention outgo accusation for recurring donations, and judge planetary donations.
- User acquisition (20%): How casual it is to navigate the idiosyncratic interface, however rapidly donations are paid retired into your slope account, wide relationship stableness and reliability, and lawsuit support.
- User reviews (15%): Capterra and G2 ratings, arsenic good arsenic wide popularity.
It’s ever hard to get a broad representation of what a tech solution has to offer, particularly erstwhile you’re not capable to tract trial each processor straight oregon research however it performs successful antithetic niche usage cases. We’ve done our champion to adjacent that spread present and “fumble successful the dark” connected your behalf, to assistance you debar doing the aforesaid astatine overmuch greater outgo to your organization.
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