Zeffy Review 2026

Last updated: May 2026

What Is Zeffy?

Zeffy is the 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits. Founded in 2017 in Quebec, Zeffy has built a remarkable business model: charge nonprofits nothing while sustaining the company through optional donor tips. Today Zeffy serves over 50,000 nonprofits and has processed hundreds of millions in donations.

The pitch is radical for the fundraising category. Most nonprofit platforms (Donorbox, Givebutter, Bloomerang, Classy) charge platform fees of 2-5% plus payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30. On a $100 donation, the nonprofit nets $90-$93 after all fees. Zeffy charges zero platform fees and zero payment processing fees. The donor chooses whether to tip Zeffy on top of their donation; about 80% of donors opt in.

The model works because tips average 15-17% of donation amount, which more than covers Zeffy's operating costs and payment processing. For nonprofits, the math is clean: every dollar of restricted donation flows to the nonprofit. For donors, the tip prompt is opt-in rather than hidden in fees.

How Zeffy Works

Register as a nonprofit. Zeffy verifies your 501(c)(3) status (US) or charitable registration (Canada). Once verified, build donation pages, event registration pages, ticketing pages, peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, and recurring giving options.

Donors visit your pages and contribute. At checkout, they choose how much to tip Zeffy. The default tip is suggested (typically 15-20%); donors can adjust to $0 or higher. The nonprofit receives 100% of the donation amount minus the tip the donor chose.

Donation pages handle one-time gifts, recurring subscriptions, and pledges. Custom branding, suggested amounts, and impact statements (your $100 funds 50 meals) increase conversion. Receipt automation handles tax acknowledgments.

Event registration with ticketing supports paid events, free events with capacity limits, and hybrid gala-style auctions. Peer-to-peer fundraising lets supporters set up their own campaigns under your organization umbrella.

The donor management layer tracks giving history, tags, custom fields, and campaign attribution. Lightweight CRM compared to Bloomerang or DonorPerfect but sufficient for many smaller nonprofits.

Zeffy Pricing in 2026

Free for nonprofits. Zero platform fees, zero payment processing fees, zero monthly subscription.

Revenue comes from optional donor tips. The tip prompt appears at checkout; donors choose tip amount (default suggested, can be $0).

The free model works for typical nonprofit fundraising. For nonprofits running events with hard cost requirements (rental, catering), all the gross donation flows to the nonprofit; no platform overhead reduces the budget.

Where Zeffy Wins

• Truly free for nonprofits: no platform fees, no processing fees, no subscription.
• Polished donor experience: pages look professional, mobile-optimized, fast.
• Event and ticketing included: replaces separate event platform costs.
• Recurring giving: subscriptions handled with retry logic for failed cards.
• Receipts automated: tax-deductible receipts generated for each gift.

Where It Falls Short

• Tip prompts may feel awkward: some donors get frustrated by the tip ask.
• Limited CRM depth vs Bloomerang: dedicated CRMs offer deeper donor management.
• Reliance on tip rate: if tip rates fall, Zeffy's model gets pressured.
• US and Canada only: limited support for other countries.
• Customization more limited than enterprise tools: works well but less flexible than Classy or Funraise.

Zeffy vs Donorbox vs Givebutter vs Classy

Donorbox charges 1.5% platform fee plus processing. Cheap but not free.

Givebutter uses a tip model similar to Zeffy but with optional platform fees for organizations that prefer it.

Classy targets larger nonprofits with deeper features at 5%+ platform fees.

PayPal Giving Fund is free but lacks campaign management features.

Who Should Use Zeffy

Small to mid-size nonprofits: free pricing aligns with limited budgets.

Organizations running events and ticketing: combined fundraising and event platform.

Recurring giving programs: subscription-style donations handled well.

Skip it if: you need deep CRM with major gifts management (use Bloomerang), you operate outside US/Canada, or you have a major-gifts-driven model where the tip prompt could feel off-brand.

Frequently Asked Questions