Zeffy
Nonprofits and charitable organisations in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia that want donation forms, event ticketing, auctions, and donor management together in one tool without per-tool software costs.
A North American fundraising platform for nonprofits that bundles donation forms, ticketing, auctions, and donor management into one free suite, funded entirely by optional contributions donors add at checkout.
- Founded
- 2011
- Headquartered in
- CA
- Funding model
- Optional tip
- Platform fee
- 0% + tip
- Payment processing fee
- 0% + A$0.00
- Recipient gets
- A$100.00 / A$100
- Data residency
- CA
- Countries
- 4
- Languages
- 2
- Trustpilot
- 4.5 / 5
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Our overall editorial assessment. Full weights are published in the methodology.
The review
Zeffy is a fundraising platform built specifically for nonprofits, founded in Montréal by François and Thibaut after they set out to help charitable organisations operate at no cost. It has worked with nonprofits for roughly seven years and now supports more than 100,000 organisations, with operating coverage across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
The platform's distinguishing feature is its pricing: Zeffy charges nonprofits no platform fee and absorbs the payment-processing fees itself, so an organisation keeps the entire amount raised. It funds itself instead through optional contributions that donors are invited to add at the payment step; if a donor declines, the nonprofit still receives everything. The product spans donation forms, event ticketing, raffles, auctions, peer-to-peer campaigns, memberships, online stores, and donor management.
Zeffy fits registered nonprofits that want a broad fundraising and donor-management toolkit without software costs, especially smaller organisations sensitive to per-tool charges. Its trade-offs are reach and fit: it concentrates on North America and a few English-speaking markets, lacks European local payment rails, and is built for organisations rather than individual personal fundraisers.
Donations are accepted by credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and ACH bank transfer, and the interface is available in English and French, which suits both United States and Canadian organisations, including those in Québec. Additional tools include a tap-to-pay mobile app and email and newsletter features for donor communication.
What’s good, what’s not.
- ✓Combines donation forms, event ticketing, raffles, auctions, peer-to-peer campaigns, memberships, and donor management in one platform.
- ✓Accepts credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and ACH bank transfers.
- ✓Used by more than 100,000 nonprofit organisations across North America.
- ✓Available in English and French, suiting both US and Canadian (including Québec) organisations.
- ✓Funded by optional contributions that donors choose to add at checkout, so organisations are not billed directly.
- ✓Includes extras such as a tap-to-pay mobile app, online stores, and email and newsletter tools.
- −Coverage is focused on North America and a few English-speaking markets, with no native European payment rails such as iDEAL, Bancontact, or SEPA.
- −The optional contribution prompt shown to donors at checkout can confuse first-time givers about what they are paying.
- −Aimed squarely at registered nonprofits, so it is less suited to individual personal fundraising.
- −Data storage location is not clearly stated in the public help-centre privacy materials.
Where each A$100 actually goes.
Fees vary by payment method. We default to Credit card because that’s the dominant method in Australia.
4 countries · 2 languages · 4 payment methods.
Better-fit alternatives to Zeffy.
Our curated shortlist — the platforms we’d actively recommend instead of Zeffy for fundraising in Australia, with the figures behind the call. For the full, neutral index of every side-by-side, see Compare with below.
Zeffy keeps donor data in CA; WhyDonate is EEA-resident and GDPR-native, so personal data never leaves the region.
JustGiving operates in more countries than Zeffy (6 vs 4), so it reaches donors Zeffy can’t.
GoFundMe operates in more countries than Zeffy (20 vs 4), so it reaches donors Zeffy can’t.
See how Zeffy stacks up head-to-head.
Frequently asked questions
What does Zeffy charge?
Zeffy charges a 0% platform fee with an optional voluntary donor tip on top, plus 0% + A$0.00 in payment processing per donation.
Where is Zeffy based?
Zeffy was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in CA. Data residency is CA.
Which countries does Zeffy operate in?
Zeffy operates in 4 countries including major European markets and English-speaking markets.
Is Zeffy suitable for nonprofits?
Zeffy’s primary audience is individual fundraisers and groups; nonprofits can use the platform but may find specialized alternatives better suited.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.