6 Best Nonprofit CRM Software for 2022

Learn why a CRM makes sense for nonprofits, then check out our list of the six best options out there and their use cases.

Nonprofit CRM software offers core pipeline functions helpful for process or project management as well as features to organize fundraisers, manage donors and volunteers, spread awareness via social media, and more. The best nonprofit CRMs include both general options as well as nonprofit-specific choices. Whether your organization is long-established or just getting started, check our list of the six best CRM software for nonprofits and see which is the right for you.

These are the top six nonprofit CRM software options in 2022:

  • Zoho CRM Best nonprofit CRM for increasing donor engagement (free starting price)
  • Kindful: Best for nonprofits that need robust fundraising features ($100 starting price)
  • Neon CRM: Best CRM for nonprofits managing a large volunteer base ($99 starting price)
  • Pipedrive: Best nonprofit CRM for long-term relationship nurturing (14-day free trial)
  • DonorPerfect: Ideal for teams seeking a CRM with premium add-ons ($99 starting price)
  • Salsa CRM: Best CRM for nonprofits running multi-channel campaigns (call for quote)

How We Evaluated the Best Nonprofit CRM Software

In evaluating nearly two dozen general and industry-specific nonprofit CRM options, we first divided our scoring criteria into six weighted categories. From there, we used key subcriteria to assign every CRM a score in each category as well as an overall score out of five. The top six scoring options made our list. Check out our specific evaluation criteria below:

Evaluation Criteria

We placed the most emphasis on core CRM software features (both general and industry-specific), monthly costs, and ease of use. Other criteria we took into consideration include customization options, third-party app integration, and access to user support.

Cost:
25%
Core Features:
25%
Ease of Use:
20%
Integrations:
15%
Customization:
10%
Customer Support:
5%

Note: All per-user prices are with a one-year commitment unless noted.

While each category had at least one clear winner, we found the best nonprofit CRM overall is Zoho CRM with a cumulative score of 4.1 stars. Head below to see how our top nonprofit CRM options scored across all six categories, including a summary of features, pricing, and more.

Zoho CRM: Best for Donor Engagement

The best CRM for nonprofits features an array of tools to make engaging with past and potential donors much easier.

Price Range: Free to $52 per user, per month (15+ day free trial)

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Pros:

  • Affordable plans with discounts
  • Portal for donors and volunteers
  • Marketing automation campaigns

Cons:

  • Lacks nonprofit app integrations
  • Free platform is limited
  • Support sometimes slow

Zoho CRMis a well-rounded, affordable CRM for nonprofits. It really shines when it comes to engaging with current and prospective donors. Customized user portals allow outside contributors to input information regarding donations and volunteer hours right into the CRM — a huge timesaver for busy organizations. Meanwhile, automated email and social media marketing campaigns make it much easier to attract the attention of prospective donors.

Zoho CRM Pricing

  • Zoho Free-for-Life: Support for 3 users
  • Standard: $14 per user, per month
  • Professional: $23 per user, per month
  • Enterprise: $40 per user, per month
  • Ultimate: $52 per user, per month
  • Free Trial: 15 to 30 days for all paid plans
  • Industry Discount: Yes, call for details
  • Payment processing fees: From 2.5% + 30¢

Zoho CRM Key Features

  • Marketing Automation: Set up outreach campaigns for email and social media.
  • User Portals: Create in-app portals for donors and volunteers to add their own details.
  • App Integrations: Link to over 300 apps, including Facebook, Slack, and G Suite.
  • Custom Dashboards: Build dashboards to track volunteers and contributions.

Zoho CRM CRM for Nonprofits

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Kindful: Best CRM to Manage Fundraising

Fundraisers will like this CRM’s third-party donation apps, custom crowdfunding pages, and lack of extra transaction fees.

Price Range: From $100 per month for 1,000 contacts

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Cost star-fullstar-full star-fullstar-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full App Integration star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full

Pros:

  • Robust fundraising apps
  • No additional transaction fees
  • Unlimited crowdfunding pages

Cons:

  • Pricey for smaller nonprofits
  • Volunteer tracking not native
  • Reporting is limited

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.

Kindful Pricing

  • Sliding Scale: From $100 per 1,000 contacts
  • Payment Processing Fees: From 1% + 30¢ for ACH; 2.9% + 30¢ for credit/debit cards

Kindful Key Features

  • Donation App Integration: Connect to DonorSearch, GivingFuel, and much more.
  • Unlimited Crowdfunding Pages: Customize and share these pages to social media.
  • Donor Communication: Automate email sends for donation receipts and solicitations.
  • In-Kind Donations: Record goods and services donated to overall contribution reports.

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Neon CRM: Best for Volunteer Management

Neon CRM helps nonprofits track volunteer data, organize events, and create effective digital and direct mail campaigns.

Price Range: From $99 per month for unlimited users

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Cost star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full App Integration star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-full star-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Volunteer & event management
  • Email and direct mail campaigns
  • Built-in payment processing

Cons:

  • No free version or trial
  • Essentials plan lacks workflows
  • Recent rebrand confusing

Neon CRM, which looks to be soon rebranded as “Neon One,” has an attractive set of general and nonprofit-centric features. It stands out for its volunteer management tools like unlimited online signup forms and project assignments. It also has a nice suite of event management tools, such as custom registration forms and advanced ticketing options. Following up with constituents is easy with built-in email and direct mail campaign tools. In lieu of a free trial, Neon CRM offers a demo upon request.

Neon CRM Pricing

  • Essentials: From $99 per month for unlimited users
  • Impact: From $149 per month for unlimited users
  • Empower: From $299 per month for unlimited users
  • Payment Processing Fees: From 1% for AmEx; 2.9% + 30¢ for credit/debit cards

Neon CRM Key Features

  • Volunteer Management: Create sign-up forms, assign projects, and track hours.
  • Event Management: Customize registration forms and follow up with attendees.
  • Marketing & Fundraising: Send campaign emails or create and print direct mail letters.
  • App Integrations: Add over 50 apps, including QuickBooks, MailChimp, and Eventbrite.

Neon CRM CRM for Nonprofits

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Pipedrive: Best for Relationship Nurturing

Pipedrive helps you nurture long-term relationships such as donors, volunteers, employees, and more.

Price Range: $14.90 to $99 per user, per month (14-day trial)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Cost star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full App Integration star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Add-on upgrades available
  • Easy to use
  • Customizable interface & fields

Cons:

  • No free option available
  • Missing some marketing features
  • Few native industry features

Pipedrive is a general-purpose CRM offering key features helpful for nonprofit organizations. Nurture new and existing donors using robust campaigns and personalized messaging. Manage volunteers via a database of custom fields that can turn your CRM into a volunteer management platform. Plus, use smart segmentation to personalized ongoing communication and pull custom reports to stay on top of fundraising estimates and more.

Pipedrive Pricing

  • Essential: $14.90 per user, per month
  • Advanced: $24.90 per user, per month
  • Professional: $49.90 per user, per month
  • Enterprise: $99 per user, per month
  • Free Trial: 14 days for all plans
  • Pay for sales and marketing add-ons like LeadBooster or Campaigns

Pipedrive Key Features

  • Workflow Automation: Each paid plan comes with at least 25 workflow triggers.
  • Donor Management: Create in-depth profiles to track donations and interactions.
  • Customization: Create custom dashboards, fields, and reports.
  • Campaign Management: Manage your online and offline marketing campaigns.

Dashboard in Pipedrive

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DonorPerfect: Best CRM for Premium Add-Ons

Get a comprehensive set of nonprofit features, which larger organizations can then augment with premium add-ons.

Price Range: From $99 per month for 1,000+ contacts

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Cost star-full star-fullstar-fullstar-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full App Integration star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Comprehensive nonprofit features
  • Add records & functions as needed
  • Support team is very responsive

Cons:

  • Add-ons can get expensive
  • Phone & email support cost extra
  • Reporting can be more intuitive

DonorPerfect’s core feature set is already quite solid. It has customizable donor and fundraising management systems, integrated donation forms, and integrated payment processing (with no extra monthly fees). However, it also has a number of add-ons so larger organizations can pay for the premium features they need. Those include additional constituent records, crowdfunding features, advanced tracking, and workflow automation.

DonorPerfect Pricing

  • Lite: $99 per month for 1,000 constituent records
  • Express: $179 per month for 2,500 constituent records
  • Essentials: $299 per month for 7,500 constituent records
  • Premier: $499 per month for 25,000 constituent records
  • Enterprise: $799 per month for 75,000 constituent records
  • Premium Add-Ons: From $29 to $99 per month (unlimited users)
  • Payment Processing Fees: From 0.75% + 35¢ with donor option to cover

DonorPerfect Key Features

  • Bespoke Plans: Add records, features, and support options for a fee.
  • App Integrations: Works with ReadySetAuction, QuickBooks, DonorSearch, and more.
  • Workflow Automation: Automate emails, data entry, tasks, and staff alerts.
  • Unlimited Access to Webinars: Stay up-to-date with free live training sessions.

DonorPerfect CRM for Nonprofits

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Salsa CRM: Best for Multi-Channel Campaigns

Salsa CRM’s digital marketing tools help nonprofits tailor a uniform message across email, social media, and SMS.

Price Range: Call for quote

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Cost star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full App Integration star-fullstar-full star-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full

Pros:

  • Manage emails, social media, SMS
  • In-depth donor profiles
  • Automated advocacy campaigns

Cons:

  • No upfront pricing or free trial
  • UI can be cumbersome at times
  • Few native app integrations

Salsa CRM is enriched with tools that nonprofits running multi-channel campaigns can harness to grab the attention of current and potential supporters. Build custom email templates, manage social media messaging across all platforms, and send broadcast text messages to select groups. Another noteworthy feature is SmartEngagement, which uses machine learning to suggest donor gifts and mine data for comprehensive progress reports.

Salsa CRM Pricing

  • Pay Per Month: Call for quote
  • Payment Processing Fees: 2.9% + 20¢

Salsa CRM Key Features

  • Digital Marketing Tools: Connect with supporters by email, social media, and SMS.
  • Donor Profiles: Track activity, total donations, and other metrics via custom fields.
  • SmartEngagement: Machine learning suggests donor gifts and optimizes fundraising.
  • Automated Advocacy Campaigns: Helps supporters contact legislators.

Salsa CRM CRM for Nonprofits 1

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Top 5 Nonprofit CRM Features

The top nonprofit CRM software typically has the following feature-set:

Donor Management

Volunteer Management

Marketing Campaigns

Reporting Dashboards

Project Management

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, but also includes communication and nurturing tools like targeted email campaigns and more.

Stay on top of a large number of revolving volunteers using a custom database of active members. Track interests, availability, scheduling, and more using a volunteer management system available in many nonprofit CRMs.

Many nonprofit organizations source donors and volunteers via online and offline marketing campaigns. Manage marketing efforts like social media, email marketing, events, and more using a nonprofit CRM with marketing campaign management.

Many nonprofit CRMs offer prebuilt as well as custom reports you can put together in a real-time reporting dashboard to stay on top of key metrics. The best CRMs for nonprofits also offer donation forecasting so you can plan ahead as well as track how many donations are coming through various marketing campaigns.

Some nonprofit organizations manage ongoing projects for their nonprofit activities. These projects include fundraising efforts like events as well as projects related to the distribution of donations. The top nonprofit CRMs offer project management capabilities to help with any of the above.

Bottom Line: Best Nonprofit CRM Software

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.

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