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Nonprofit CRMs are software that help nonprofit organizations manage relationships with stakeholders such as donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries. The top nonprofit CRMs offer core pipeline functions and project management tools, as well as industry-specific features to help organize fundraisers, manage donors and volunteers, spread awareness via social media, and more. To help you choose, check out our list of the best CRM software for nonprofits.
These are the top six nonprofit CRM software options in 2023:
While several options scored highly in one category or another, we found that Zoho CRM is the best CRM software for nonprofits, tying for the cost, advanced features, and customization categories. Continue reading to learn about our top nonprofit CRM options’ pricing, key features, and primary use cases, or jump down to see how we evaluated each software.
Note: All per-user prices are with a one-year commitment unless noted otherwise.
Offers an array of tools to make engaging with past and potential donors much easier.
Zoho CRM is a well-rounded and affordable nurturing CRM that helps nonprofits engage with current and prospective donors across platforms. Reach out to potential donors and volunteers via automated email and social media marketing campaigns, as well as messaging through WhatsApp and SMS integrations. Donors can also view the direct impact of their contributions through customizable dashboards and photos taken from their chosen beneficiary community.
While Zoho CRM is a great tool to interact with donors, you need to customize it and integrate it with third-party apps for industry-specific features. For a platform with robust nonprofit features, look into Neon CRM.
Helps you automate workflows for daily tasks and launching nonprofit events.
Freshsales is our top-rated CRM, which helps nonprofits manage tasks and events like donation drives and fundraisers. Set up triggers for donor follow-ups or grant application deadlines with AI-powered sequences, as well as assign a project to multiple volunteers so they can collaborate on the task and receive incentives whenever they reach a target. Send personalized replies to web visitors and embed donation links, application forms, or event registration.
Even though Freshsales offers AI-powered automations, it lacks built-in marketing tools. For a nonprofit CRM with strong marketing features, try Zoho CRM, which features Zia AI.
Provides free resources for nonprofits to manage pipelines and launch marketing campaigns.
HubSpot CRM is our top-rated free CRM that helps nonprofits launch campaigns and events, as well as manage donors and volunteers, with free tools. Leverage its library of free resources, such as the nonprofit ebook, branding toolkit, and budget templates. Use its free deal pipelines to manage your donors and its email marketing tools to reach out to volunteers and other stakeholders. Upgrade for features like task automation, digital payments, and forecasting.
HubSpot CRM offers a solid free tier and resources for nonprofits, but it has a steep learning curve. If you’re looking for a nonprofit CRM that’s easy to set up and use, look into Freshsales, which won in the ease of use category.
Provides a robust set of nonprofit features plus the option to purchase a la carte add-ons.
DonorPerfect is a CRM solution specifically tailored for nonprofits with its solid suite of core CRM features, industry-specific offerings, and a la carte tools. It has customizable donor and fundraising management systems, integrated donation forms, and integrated payment processing (with no extra monthly fees). You can purchase add-ons for premium features like additional constituent records, crowdfunding features, advanced tracking, and workflows.
Even though DonorPerfect offers robust nonprofit features, buying add-ons on top of its paid plans can get expensive. For industry-specific CRM software that offers a wealth of built-in nonprofit features, check out Neon CRM.
Offers third-party donation apps, custom crowdfunding pages, and no extra transaction fees.
Kindful is a nonprofit CRM that caters to organizations heavily involved in fundraising. It integrates with nearly 20 third-party fundraising apps, including DonorSearch and GivingFuel. Kindful also provides unlimited crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising pages that are customizable and shareable on social media. Best of all, Kindful does not charge additional transaction fees for donations on top of payment processing fees.
While Kindful is a great tool for fundraising, its volunteer features aren’t built-in. If having robust volunteer management features is important to you, look into Neon CRM.
Helps you track volunteer data, organize events, and create digital and direct mail campaigns.
Neon CRM is nonprofit software by Neon One with an attractive set of industry-specific features and volunteer management tools. Leverage its unlimited volunteer signup form and time tracker to monitor volunteer hours spent on each task to ensure accurate volunteer data. Send out digital and direct mail for thank you letters after a project, or use its event management tools, such as custom signup forms and advanced ticketing, for volunteer open house events.
While Neon CRM is a robust nonprofit-centric CRM, it’s difficult to set up and use. For an intuitive nonprofit platform, try Freshsales, which won in the ease of use category.
The top nonprofit CRM software typically has the following feature-set:
Nurture new and existing donors through robust donor management capabilities. This includes customizable donor profiles so you always have relevant data such as engagement levels at your fingertips, as well as communication and nurturing tools like targeted email campaigns and more.
In evaluating the best nonprofit CRM software, we first divided our scoring criteria into six weighted categories. From there, we used a list of key subcriteria to assign every CRM a score in each category as well as an overall score out of five. Finally, we determined the primary use case for each nonprofit CRM software.
We placed the most emphasis on cost and core CRM software features since nonprofit CRMs should be affordable and have the right balance of both general and industry-specific tools. Then, we looked at ease of use and customization capabilities, followed by advanced features offered and the quality of customer support solutions available.
This entails each CRM's monthly costs, free trial lengths, billing options, and free forever plans (if available).
We scored each CRM software on the availability of general features (like list segmentation and basic reporting) plus nonprofit-specific functions (such as donor and volunteer management).
We developed this score by looking at real user reviews with regard to company-wide implementations and the availability of their knowledge bases.
We graded each CRM on the customization of reports, dashboards, and donor stages, as well as third-party app integrations.
Does the nonprofit CRM offer donor scoring, social matching and advocacy, ads management, and artificial intelligence?
We evaluated the user feedback and ratings on certified sites, as well as the quality of each CRM’s support channels via phone, email, and live chat.
The best nonprofit CRMs help you meet your organization’s needs and achieve your goals. While some CRMs might be a better option for your unique needs, the top nonprofit CRMs offer the right mix of industry-centric tools and core CRM features. To find the best one for your organization, you can read review articles from reputable websites, seek advice from experts, and consider requesting a free demo, trial, or free version (if available) of the nonprofit CRM you’d like to try.
When evaluating nonprofit CRM options, consider the features that will be most impactful to your organization and will help you meet your goals. For instance, find a CRM with robust volunteer management features if you rely heavily on your volunteers to operate. Additionally, look for core CRM offerings such as contact segmentation, reporting features, and workflows.
Nonprofit CRM software can significantly improve donor engagement and retention if used properly. Nonprofit CRMs help organizations enrich and organize donor profiles, track donation history, and segment stakeholders to send personalized nurturing campaigns. CRM software also offers automations that reduce manual tasks and errors, which helps volunteers focus on more important activities and increase donor satisfaction and loyalty.
Our list of the top CRM software for nonprofits includes a mix of options spanning various use cases. Whether your organization needs to improve its fundraising goals, increase awareness, or find a better way to engage with volunteers, we’re confident that you can find those tools (and then some) among our featured nonprofit CRMs. If you’re interested in general CRM options, read our independent review of the best CRM software for salespeople and teams.
Alison is a Philadelphia-based technology writer for Selling Signals. She has 15 years of experience in the digital space, and her specialties include comparison guides and reviews across CRM, ecommerce, and various SaaS products. In her free time, Alison has received two HubSpot certifications plus a TEFL certification, as well as leads an online martial arts learning program.
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