Nonprofits face distinct challenges on the subject of managing relationships and driving engagement. Not like for-profit companies, nonprofits should steadiness restricted budgets with the necessity to preserve robust donor relationships, handle volunteers, run programming, and monitor impression, usually throughout dispersed groups. These distinctive calls for require instruments that transcend conventional buyer administration.
That’s the place nonprofit-tailored CRM (Buyer Relationship Administration) programs come into play. Designed to centralize knowledge, streamline outreach, and automate administrative duties, CRMs assist nonprofit organizations higher retain donors, personalize communications, and finally amplify their mission. Based on a 2024 Nonprofit Digital Investments Report from NTEN, 14% of nonprofits spend their expertise price range on software program and licenses; the identical report revealed that 40% of nonprofits embrace expertise investments of their group’s strategic plan.
On this article, I’ll break down the very best CRMs particularly fitted to nonprofits. You’ll discover a side-by-side comparability desk, a deep dive into key options (like donor administration, grant monitoring, and integrations), and a step-by-step information for evaluating and implementing the appropriate CRM to your group.
Notably, HubSpot is among the platforms trusted by actual nonprofit organizations to drive engagement and scale their impression — and I’ll present you the way.
Desk of Contents
What’s a CRM for nonprofits?
A CRM for nonprofits is software program that helps organizations handle and nurture relationships with donors, volunteers, members, and different key stakeholders. It centralizes contact data, tracks engagement historical past, and helps fundraising, outreach, and reporting efforts—all tailor-made to the mission-driven objectives of nonprofit work.
Greatest CRMs for Nonprofit Organizations at a Look
|
CRM |
Greatest For |
Key Options |
Pricing |
Free Trial |
|
HubSpot |
Nonprofits in search of an all-in-one platform with a robust free tier |
Donor administration E-mail advertising Donation monitoring Volunteer coordination Automated workflows Reporting dashboard Integration with cost processors |
Free Instruments: $0/month Starter: $9/month Skilled: $720/month Enterprise: $2,000/month |
Sure, 14 days |
|
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud |
Giant nonprofits needing enterprise-level customization |
Complete donor lifecycle administration Grant monitoring Program administration AI-powered insights Intensive third-party integrations |
10 free licenses by means of Power of Us program; Further licenses from $60/person/month (Nonprofit Cloud Enterprise tier) |
Sure, 30 days |
|
Bloomerang |
Small to mid-sized nonprofits centered on donor retention |
Donor retention analytics Giving historical past monitoring Automated receipting Engagement timeline Wealth screening integration |
Qgiv by Bloomerang: $40/month Bloomerang CRM: $125/month Bloomerang Volunteer: $119/month |
No, demo scheduling required |
|
Keela |
Small nonprofits wanting AI-powered insights and automatic communications |
Sensible Ask AI for donation predictions Automated donor journeys Built-in e-mail advertising Affect reporting Donor segmentation |
1000 contacts: $134/month 2,500 to five,000 contacts: $274/month 5,001 to 7,500 contacts: $329 7,501 to 10,000 contacts: $379/month |
No, demo scheduling required |
|
Little Inexperienced Gentle |
Finances-conscious small nonprofits |
Constituent administration Customizable varieties Volunteer monitoring E-mail integration Primary reporting |
2,500 contacts: $45/month 5,000 contacts: $60/month 10,000 contacts: $75/month 20,000 contacts: $90/month |
Sure, demo registration required |
Greatest CRM Software program for Nonprofit Companies
With so many CRM platforms available on the market, it may be difficult for nonprofits to discover a resolution that matches their mission and price range. The perfect CRM software program for nonprofit companies gives instruments for donor administration, volunteer coordination, occasion monitoring, and marketing campaign reporting — all whereas being user-friendly and cost-effective.
Under, I’ve rounded up prime CRM choices tailor-made to the distinctive wants of nonprofits that can assist you make an knowledgeable selection. Have a look:
1. HubSpot
Greatest for: Rising nonprofits in search of an all-in-one platform to unify donor administration, advertising, and fundraising with out breaking the price range. Utilizing HubSpot’s onboarding infrastructure, Swipe Out Hunger scaled from 150 to 450 campus partners in 6 months.
Key HubSpot Options
- Unified contact database: HubSpot’s CRM tracks each donor interplay in a single centralized location, from first web site go to tracked by HubSpot’s analytics to main items recorded in HubSpot’s deal pipelines, eliminating the info silos that always plague nonprofit organizations.
- Automated e-mail workflows: HubSpot’s workflow builder lets nonprofits arrange donor welcome collection, lapsed donor re-engagement campaigns, and occasion follow-ups that set off routinely primarily based on particular actions inside HubSpot, saving hours of guide outreach time.
- Native cost integration: HubSpot connects straight with Stripe or PayPal to course of donations throughout the HubSpot ecosystem, routinely updating donor data in HubSpot’s CRM and triggering thank-you emails by means of HubSpot’s e-mail instruments with out guide knowledge entry.
HubSpot Pricing (Operations Hub)
- Free Instruments: $0/month
- Starter: $9/month
- Skilled: $720/month
- Enterprise: $2,000/month
2. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
Greatest for: Giant nonprofits and foundations managing complicated packages, a number of funding sources, and enterprise-level reporting necessities.
Key Salesforce Options
- Grant administration module: Observe multi-year grants with automated milestone reminders and compliance reporting.
- Program impression monitoring: Join beneficiaries to packages and outcomes in real-time.
- AppExchange integrations: Entry nonprofit-specific apps for peer-to-peer fundraising or type submission platforms for complicated software varieties, all syncing seamlessly together with your core database.
Salesforce Pricing
- Energy of Us Program: 10 free licenses
- Further Nonprofit Cloud Enterprise licenses: $60/person/month
- Nonprofit Cloud (Limitless Version): $100/person/month
- Nonprofit Cloud Agentforce 1: $325/person/month
3. Bloomerang
Greatest for: Small to mid-sized nonprofits centered on bettering donor retention charges and understanding giving patterns.
Key Bloomerang Options
- Retention dashboard: Visible analytics displaying donor retention charges by section.
- Engagement timeline: See each interplay with a donor chronologically, from occasion attendance to e-mail opens.
- Wealth screening integration: Constructed-in connection to DonorSearch routinely identifies main present prospects.
Bloomerang Pricing
- Qgiv by Bloomerang: $40/month
- Bloomerang CRM: $125/month
- Bloomerang Volunteer: $119/month
4. Keela
Greatest for: Established nonprofits working numerous fundraising campaigns from occasions to peer-to-peer whereas sustaining clear monetary data.
Key DonorPerfect Options
- Sensible Ask AI: Predicts optimum donation quantities for every donor primarily based on giving historical past and capability.
- Automated donor journeys: Design multi-step communication flows that adapt to donor conduct.
- Constructed-in e-mail advertising: Create, ship, and monitor e-mail campaigns with out leaving the CRM, with computerized listing segmentation primarily based on giving patterns.
Keela Pricing
- 1,000 contacts: $134/month
- 1,001 to 2,500 contacts: $209/month
- 5,001 to 7,500 contacts: $329/month
- 7,500 to 10,000 contacts: $379/month
5. Little Green Light
Greatest for: Grassroots organizations and small nonprofits needing skilled donor administration with out complexity or excessive prices.
Key Little Inexperienced Gentle Options
- Simplified present entry: Batch present entry and automatic gentle credit to make recording donations from fundraising occasions fast.
- Constituent workflows: Create customized pipelines for volunteer recruitment, board nominations, or main present cultivation.
- E-mail integration through Mailchimp: Sync constituent knowledge with Mailchimp for classy e-mail campaigns whereas sustaining present historical past in LGL.
Little Inexperienced Gentle Pricing
- 2,500 contacts: $45/month
- 5,000 contacts: $60/month
- 10,000 contacts: $75/month
- 20,000 contacts: $90/month
Advantages of CRM Software program for Nonprofits
Eradicate Donor Knowledge Silos for Full Relationship Visibility
Nonprofits usually monitor donor data throughout disconnected spreadsheets, e-mail platforms, and paper recordsdata, making it not possible to see a donor’s full engagement historical past. Nevertheless, HubSpot’s unified CRM platform solves this by centralizing each interplay, from the primary web site go to to a major present, occasion attendance, and volunteer hours, in a single searchable database.
HubSpot’s contact timeline characteristic means any employees member can immediately entry a donor’s full historical past earlier than making a name, writing a grant report, or planning the following ask. Not like fragmented programs from competing CRMs, HubSpot routinely connects web site exercise, e-mail engagement, donation historical past, and occasion participation into complete donor profiles that replace as modifications occur.
Automate Repetitive Duties to Deal with Mission-Crucial Work
Growth groups waste numerous hours on guide duties like sending donation receipts, updating spreadsheets after occasions, and creating thank-you letters. HubSpot’s workflow automation eliminates these time-consuming processes by triggering actions primarily based on donor conduct — donation receipts ship immediately by means of HubSpot’s email tools, donor data replace routinely when somebody registers for an occasion through HubSpot Varieties, and customized thank-you sequences launch primarily based on present dimension.
With HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, nonprofits can construct complicated automation sequences that beforehand required guide intervention.
Enhance Donor Retention By way of Knowledge-Pushed Insights
Most nonprofits battle to determine which supporters are vulnerable to lapsing earlier than it’s too late to re-engage them. HubSpot’s customized dashboards and speak to scoring capabilities present retention analytics that flag at-risk donors routinely primarily based on engagement patterns and giving historical past.
HubSpot’s reporting tools enable employees to create saved views displaying who hasn’t given in 13 months, whose e-mail engagement is declining, or which month-to-month donors have failed funds. Mixed with HubSpot’s listing segmentation, these insights set off automated re-engagement campaigns by means of HubSpot Workflows, enabling proactive outreach that saves relationships earlier than donors totally disengage.
Scale Fundraising Efforts With out Including Employees
Small nonprofit groups have to handle more and more complicated fundraising campaigns — from peer-to-peer to occasions to main items — with out the price range to rent extra employees. HubSpot permits small groups to run refined multi-channel campaigns by means of its all-in-one platform, the place one individual can:
HubSpot’s templates and cloning options imply profitable campaigns could be replicated immediately, whereas its automation handles follow-ups, reminders, and donor journeys that beforehand required a whole division. The platform’s free tier supporting as much as 1 million contacts means even resource-constrained nonprofits can entry enterprise-level capabilities by means of HubSpot.
Guarantee Monetary Accuracy and Compliance Throughout Groups
When growth and finance groups use totally different programs, present totals hardly ever match, making board studies unreliable and audit preparation nightmarish. HubSpot’s Operations Hub and native integrations with accounting software program like QuickBooks guarantee present knowledge flows seamlessly between fundraising and monetary programs, eliminating discrepancies.
HubSpot’s customized reporting builder signifies that the event marketing campaign totals all the time match the finance books as a result of each pull from the identical supply of reality. Moreover, grant studies in HubSpot pull correct knowledge routinely utilizing filtered views, and year-end tax receipts are generated error-free by means of HubSpot’s document automation, defending donor belief and organizational compliance whereas saving weeks of guide reconciliation throughout audit season.
5 Essential Options for a Nonprofit CRM
- Donor retention analytics and engagement scoring: Observe retention charges by section, determine lapsing donors, and monitor engagement tendencies over time. HubSpot’s custom dashboards and contact scoring options assist nonprofits handle the essential problem of preserving donors engaged 12 months after 12 months. On the similar time, its exercise timeline exhibits each touchpoint — from e-mail opens to donation historical past — to tell customized outreach methods.
- Multi-channel fundraising integration: Seamlessly handle donations throughout web sites, peer-to-peer campaigns, occasions, and text-to-give from one platform. HubSpot’s Forms tool captures donations from any channel. On the similar time, its Workflows routinely route items to the right marketing campaign and replace donor data in real-time, making certain each present from galas, Fb fundraisers, or junk mail flows into unified contact data with out guide entry.
- Automated present processing and acknowledgment: Immediately course of donations, ship tax receipts, and set off customized thank-you messages primarily based on present dimension or marketing campaign. HubSpot’s native Stripe and PayPal integrations and its Marketing Hub automation exemplify how nonprofits can acknowledge donors inside minutes, not days, utilizing customized e-mail sequences that adapt primarily based on donation quantity and donor historical past.
- Grant and program administration modules: Observe multi-year grants, program outcomes, and beneficiary knowledge to exhibit impression to funders. Plus, HubSpot’s custom objects and properties enable organizations to construct grant monitoring programs. On the similar time, its reporting instruments automate compliance dashboards and join program actions on to funding sources — all with out leaving the HubSpot ecosystem.
- Monetary system integration and reporting: Sync donation knowledge with QuickBooks, generate IRS-compliant studies, and make sure the growth and finance groups work from similar numbers. HubSpot’s Operations Hub and native integrations eradicate duplicate entry and reconciliation complications that plague nonprofits throughout audit season, whereas its customized report builder maintains correct monetary data for board reporting.
How one can Select a CRM for Nonprofits (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Map your workflows.
Firstly, begin by documenting your group’s key processes, corresponding to:
- How donations transfer from first contact to thank-you letter
- How volunteers get recruited and scheduled
- How occasions circulation from planning to post-event follow-up
Then, embrace each workforce member who touches donor knowledge, from growth to packages to finance. This train reveals the place guide handoffs gradual you down and the place automation may multiply your impression.
Step 2: Establish must-have options.
Secondly, primarily based in your workflow mapping, create a prioritized characteristic listing. Most nonprofits want donor administration and present processing as fundamentals, however your particular wants would possibly embrace:
- Grant monitoring for government-funded packages
- Volunteer administration for service organizations
- Occasion instruments for gala-heavy fundraisers
When you’ve carried out this, distinguish between “must-haves” for day one and “nice-to-haves” you’ll be able to add later.
Step 3: Examine ease of use and workforce match.
Thirdly, request demos specializing in every day duties your workforce performs most frequently, corresponding to:
- Getting into donations
- Pulling studies
- Sending acknowledgments
Take note of what number of clicks every activity requires and whether or not volunteers may study the system shortly. Nevertheless, additionally take into account your workforce’s technical consolation stage.
For instance, Salesforce could supply highly effective customization, nevertheless it requires hands-on coaching; conversely, Little Inexperienced Gentle gives simplicity for volunteer-run organizations however probably isn’t fitted to enterprise-level nonprofits.
Step 4: Examine value at scale.
Subsequent, calculate the whole value of possession past month-to-month charges. You should definitely issue within the following:
- Variety of person licenses wanted
- Contact database progress (3 to five years is, usually, a superb measurement timeline)
- Coaching and implementation prices
- Integration bills for connecting present instruments
Do not forget that switching CRMs is disruptive — select a platform you’ll be able to afford as you develop, not simply immediately.
Step 5: Select a versatile platform — Like HubSpot.
Lastly, choose a CRM that grows together with your group’s evolving wants. HubSpot exemplifies this flexibility: Back in 2020, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a leading non-profit, turned to HubSpot’s CMS to arrange its greatest international marketing campaign of the 12 months, Earth Hour.
WWF sought to optimize its content material technique and, by means of segmenting its person base, elevated viewers engagement with Earth Hour-specific initiatives. By using HubSpot’s Content Hub and Marketing Hub, World Wildlife Fund could centralize its website data and use that data to inform targeted email and social media strategies, ultimately leading to a 9,493% increase in newsletter signups.
WWF’s success with HubSpot’s instruments proves that an funding in HubSpot isn’t only a tech stack funding. It’s an intentional step towards results-driven, customized advertising that resonates together with your supporters and drives long-term impression.
Steadily Requested Questions
What’s the finest CRM for nonprofits?
The perfect CRM for nonprofits will depend on your group’s dimension and wishes. HubSpot gives essentially the most potent mixture of options and worth with its sturdy free tier, which helps as much as 1 million contacts. Its all-in-one platform gives essentially the most flexibility for rising nonprofits.
What options ought to I search for in a CRM for nonprofits?
Important nonprofit CRM options embrace:
- Donor administration with giving historical past monitoring
- Automated present acknowledgments and tax receipts
- Multi-channel fundraising instruments (on-line, occasions, peer-to-peer)
- Integration with accounting software program
- Retention analytics to determine at-risk donors
HubSpot is well-equipped to handle all these areas whereas offering volunteer administration, grant monitoring, and built-in e-mail advertising capabilities that many different CRMs cost additional for.
Is HubSpot good for nonprofits?
Sure, HubSpot is superb for nonprofits, notably rising organizations.
Its free tier gives complete donor administration, e-mail advertising, and fundamental automation for as much as 1 million contacts — unmatched within the business. Moreover, the platform integrates cost processing, automates donor journeys, and scales affordably as you develop.
BTW: Many nonprofits begin free and improve solely after they want superior options like workflow automation or customized reporting.
How a lot does a CRM for nonprofits value?
Nonprofit CRM prices vary from free to $600+ month-to-month. HubSpot gives essentially the most beneficiant free tier within the business; its free tier helps limitless customers with as much as 1 million contacts.
How lengthy does it take to implement a nonprofit CRM?
Implementation timelines fluctuate by system complexity and knowledge quantity. Because of its intuitive interface and free onboarding assist, HubSpot usually goes stay in 1-2 weeks, sooner than most rivals. HubSpot’s quick-start packages and intensive information base assist nonprofits launch fundamental performance inside days.
Can a number of workforce members use a nonprofit CRM concurrently?
Sure, CRMs are designed for workforce collaboration. HubSpot gives limitless customers even on its free plan, whereas most rivals cost per person.
The platform gives granular position permissions — growth administrators see every part whereas volunteers would possibly solely entry occasion check-in. Not like spreadsheet-based programs, HubSpot’s real-time updates guarantee everybody works from present knowledge with cloud-based entry from any gadget, wherever.
Meet HubSpot, the Prime CRM Alternative for Nonprofit Firms
HubSpot stands out because the premier CRM resolution for nonprofits by providing enterprise-level capabilities at a worth level that works for charitable organizations. Not like conventional nonprofit software program that expenses primarily based on donor depend or requires costly implementations, HubSpot gives a strong free tier supporting as much as 1 million contacts, making it accessible to organizations of any dimension.
Key HubSpot Options for Nonprofits
- Free Without end basis: Begin with complete donor administration, e-mail advertising, and type builders without charge, then scale options as your price range permits with out migrating platforms.
- Built-in fundraising workflows: Course of donations by means of native Stripe/PayPal integrations whereas routinely triggering customized thank-you sequences primarily based on present quantity and donor historical past.
- 360-degree constituent view: Observe each touchpoint from first web site go to by means of vital present in a single timeline, making certain any employees member can converse with supporters.
Confirmed Actual-World Affect with HubSpot
HubSpot transformed British Red Cross Training’s ability to serve over 100,000 UK businesses with essential first support and psychological well being coaching by changing their technically complicated programs with an built-in, user-friendly platform. Furthermore, over two years, the nonprofit achieved a outstanding 66% income enhance by shifting from pricey paid promoting and chilly calling to HubSpot’s inbound advertising technique that routinely generates heat leads.
All-in-all, HubSpot’s true energy lies in its flexibility — begin free, pay just for what you want, and by no means outgrow your system. With built-in instruments for volunteer administration, occasion coordination, and impression reporting, HubSpot eliminates the necessity for a number of disconnected instruments that drain your price range and employees time.
Able to see how HubSpot can remodel your nonprofit’s donor relationships? Get began with HubSpot’s free nonprofit instruments immediately.
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