Zeffy
Your group receives
$20,000
$0 vs. intended donations
Your group pays
$0
Donors pay extra
Optional — not estimated
Pricing used
No platform or processing fees
Zeffy fundraising pricing
Zeffy is a broad nonprofit fundraising platform with donation forms, events, auctions, stores, memberships, peer-to-peer campaigns, donor management, and other fundraising tools. Eligible nonprofits pay no platform or payment-processing fees; Zeffy funds the platform by asking donors for optional contributions at checkout.
At a glance
Category
Donation platforms
Why groups choose it
- Eligible nonprofits keep 100% of intended donations with no platform or card-processing deductions
- Broad free toolset includes donations, events, auctions, stores, memberships, peer-to-peer fundraising, and donor management
- Polished fundraising forms and a simple setup make it approachable for small nonprofit teams
Tradeoffs to consider
- Checkout begins with a suggested contribution to Zeffy in addition to the donor's intended gift
- The nonprofit cannot customize Zeffy's contribution prompt or suggested amounts
- Any additional contribution to Zeffy supports Zeffy rather than increasing what your organization receives
See how Zeffy affects your fundraiser
Change the fundraiser assumptions to see how the estimate changes.
Fundraiser assumptions
Using these assumptions
- Fundraiser amount
- $20,000 fundraiser
- Number of donations
- 179 donations
- Average donation
- $111.73 average donation
Estimated result
Your group now receives $20,000 from $20,000 in intended online donations.
What to know about Zeffy
Zeffy really is free for eligible nonprofits
Zeffy does not deduct platform fees, transaction fees, or credit-card processing costs from eligible nonprofit payments. The organization receives the full intended donation even when the donor leaves no contribution to Zeffy.
It is much more than a donation form
Zeffy includes donations, event ticketing, auctions, raffles, online stores, memberships, peer-to-peer campaigns, donor management, and in-person payment tools. For organizations focused primarily on fundraising, it can replace several separate products.
Donors fund the business model
Zeffy's only source of platform revenue is voluntary contributions from donors. Zeffy says a majority of donors leave a contribution, allowing the company to cover processing costs for organizations whose donors contribute little or nothing.
The contribution is suggested, but optional
Zeffy preselects a suggested contribution during checkout. Donors can lower it or set it to $0 before paying. Zeffy says the suggested percentage changes based on the transaction amount.
Your organization cannot change Zeffy's prompt
Zeffy controls the wording and suggested amounts shown in its contribution selector. Nonprofits can add their own explanatory text elsewhere on the form, but they cannot customize the Zeffy contribution prompt itself.
Consider the donor experience as well as the organization cost
Zeffy's economics are exceptionally favorable to the nonprofit, but the checkout also asks supporters to consider an additional payment to Zeffy. Parent groups may want to consider how that experience feels to parents, grandparents, neighbors, and other repeat supporters.
Zeffy is built for nonprofits broadly
Zeffy is a general nonprofit fundraising platform rather than a system designed specifically around PTOs, PTGs, booster clubs, rotating school boards, or year-to-year parent-group continuity. Its strongest capabilities center on fundraising and donor management.
How Zeffy's donor contribution works
Zeffy charges eligible nonprofits no platform or payment-processing fees. Instead, Zeffy funds the platform by asking donors whether they want to make an additional contribution to Zeffy at checkout.
The contribution is optional, but Zeffy preselects a suggested amount. Donors can lower the amount or set it to $0 before completing their payment.
Observed $100 checkout
- Donation to your group
- $100.00
- Contribution to Zeffy
- +$16.95
- Donor total
- $116.95
Approximately 17% ($16.95) preselected in this checkout
Other choices shown: 20% ($19.95), 22% ($21.95), and Other.
The contribution was optional. The donor could change it or set it to $0.
Zeffy says suggested contributions vary based on transaction amount, so this checkout should not be interpreted as a universal 17% charge. The calculator does not multiply this observed percentage across the fundraiser or predict how donors will respond.
Observed checkout dated August 29, 2026. Zeffy documentation checked August 29, 2026.
Where should an extra donor dollar go?
Zeffy's model creates an unusual tradeoff. Your organization keeps 100% of the donation, while Zeffy asks the supporter separately whether they want to help fund the platform.
That makes Zeffy exceptionally inexpensive for the organization. But it also means some of a supporter's willingness to spend may go to Zeffy rather than to the school or nonprofit they originally came to support.
Parent groups should consider both sides of that equation. A donor-funded platform can preserve every dollar of intended gifts, while a different checkout model could instead direct optional additional giving back to the organization itself.
Pricing details and sources
Zeffy publishes no platform or card-processing fee for groups.
- Pricing modeled
- No platform or processing fees
- Pricing status
- Verified pricing
- Last verified
- 2026-08-29
- Source
- View official pricing
Common questions
Yes, for eligible organizations using the modeled flow. Zeffy does not deduct platform fees, transaction fees, or card-processing fees from the organization’s payments. Zeffy covers those costs using optional contributions from donors.
Zeffy says voluntary donor contributions are its only source of revenue. During checkout, donors are asked whether they want to contribute an additional amount to Zeffy. That payment is separate from the gift to the nonprofit.
No. Donors can change the suggested contribution or set it to $0. The nonprofit still receives 100% of the intended donation when the donor leaves no Zeffy contribution.
A $100 checkout observed during this research preselected an additional Zeffy contribution of $16.95, approximately 17%. Zeffy says its suggested percentage varies by transaction amount, so this is an observed checkout example rather than a universal Zeffy rate.
No. Zeffy says nonprofits cannot customize the wording or suggested contribution amounts in its contribution selector. Organizations can add explanatory text elsewhere on their forms if they want to give donors additional context.
No. The intended donation goes to the nonprofit, while the additional voluntary contribution supports Zeffy. If a supporter wants to give more directly to your organization, that would need to be included in the donation amount rather than the Zeffy contribution.
Zeffy supports donations, event ticketing, auctions, raffles, online stores, memberships, peer-to-peer campaigns, donor management, tap-to-pay, and other nonprofit fundraising workflows.
No. Zeffy says the suggested percentage varies with transaction size, and individual donors can change or remove it. The calculator therefore treats Zeffy contributions as optional and does not estimate a fundraiser-wide total.
No. Zeffy is designed for nonprofits broadly. Its fundraising tools can work well for PTOs, PTGs, and booster clubs, but the product is not specifically organized around school years, rotating boards, or the broader operational needs of a parent group.
View detailed calculation provides Zeffy’s official source, verification date, eligibility scope, and other qualifications stored in the pricing registry.
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