A guide to nonprofit fundraising tech

What belongs in a fundraising tech stack?

A basic stack accepts gifts, records donors and donations, sends receipts, and reconciles deposits. One platform can cover several jobs. A connected stack combines a donation form, payment processor, donor CRM, and email tools.

Trace a recent donation from form to receipt, CRM record, and payout. Note where staff re-enter data or lose track of the campaign. Use that workflow to test your next setup.

Choose what to fix before choosing software

Donors struggle to complete the form

Start with the donation page and mobile checkout. Keep the CRM if gifts and donor records already arrive correctly.

Staff re-enter gifts or clean up duplicates

Trace a test gift into the CRM. Check campaign fields, donor matching, and refunds before replacing the form.

Event gifts are hard to reconcile

Compare a staffed phone, card reader, and kiosk. Run a tap payment and reconcile the receipt and deposit against the event record.

Several core workflows are failing

Compare an all-in-one platform with a connected stack. Have the people who run the work test their actual workflows in both.

For a broader selection process, see Feeding America’s fundraising software selection guide (PDF).

Compare cost per gift and the checkout experience

Use the same annual goal and typical gift for every vendor. Compare subscriptions, platform fees, and processing fees. Then check the cost of any add-ons or hardware you need.

Look at the donor’s checkout too. Note what the nonprofit pays and what the donor is asked to tip.

A $600 annual subscription adds $1 per gift at 600 gifts, or $0.25 at 2,400 gifts, before transaction fees. Ask what the subscription saves on fees or features.

Run a test gift before you switch

1. Give on a phone. Use the real donation link or a vendor test environment. Check one-time and recurring options, the total at checkout, and the receipt.
2. Follow the gift into your CRM. Confirm the amount, donor, campaign, and gift date. Repeat with an existing donor to see how matching works.
3. Reconcile and export. Match the payout to the gifts and fees it includes. Export the records your team needs and check what happens if you refund a gift.
4. Plan for recurring donors. Ask both providers what can transfer, who handles the migration, and which donors may need to authorize a new payment.