Fathom
Spending hours typing meeting notes while missing key moments in donor conversations? Fathom transforms your team meetings into searchable transcripts and actionable summaries—automatically and for free—so you can stay fully present while capturing every commitment, concern, and breakthrough idea.
What It Does (The Problem It Solves)
Frantically scribbling notes during board meetings while trying to facilitate discussion? Missing critical action items because you were focused on capturing the last decision? Fathom solves this by automatically recording, transcribing, and summarizing your Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls—freeing you to be fully present in conversations that matter.
Within 30 seconds of your meeting ending, Fathom delivers shockingly accurate transcripts, AI-generated summaries, and automatically extracted action items straight to your inbox. No more asking "Can you repeat that?" or losing track of who committed to what. Search your entire meeting history conversationally using "Ask Fathom" to find specific discussions or decisions in seconds, not hours.
For understaffed nonprofit teams juggling donor calls, board meetings, volunteer trainings, and stakeholder check-ins, Fathom saves 6+ hours per week on meeting follow-ups while ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
Best For
Organization Size
Small to mid-sized nonprofits with 2-50 staff members. The free plan works perfectly for lean teams, while the nonprofit discount on Team/Business seats makes it affordable for larger organizations needing collaboration features.
Best Use Cases
- Donor meetings and major gift conversations requiring detailed follow-up
- Board meetings needing accurate minutes and action item tracking
- Team standups and project meetings for distributed/hybrid teams
- Stakeholder interviews and community feedback sessions
- Training sessions and volunteer orientations for knowledge retention
Ideal For
Executive Directors drowning in meeting follow-ups, Development Directors managing multiple donor relationships, Program Managers coordinating complex initiatives, and Board Secretaries responsible for meeting documentation.
Key Features for Nonprofits
Instant Meeting Summaries
AI-generated summaries delivered to your inbox within 30 seconds of meeting end. No more spending 20 minutes writing recap emails—Fathom does it automatically, highlighting key decisions, action items, and discussion points.
Ask Fathom Conversational Search
Search your entire meeting library by asking natural questions: "What did Sarah say about the gala budget?" or "Find all mentions of the strategic plan." No more scrolling through hours of recordings.
Automatic CRM Sync
Meeting notes and action items sync directly to Salesforce, HubSpot, Close CRM, and 7,000+ apps via Zapier. Donor conversations automatically logged without manual data entry—saving fundraisers 3-5 hours weekly.
28-Language Support
Transcribe meetings in 28 languages including Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, and more. Essential for nonprofits serving multilingual communities or working with international partners.
Team Collaboration Features
Share meeting highlights, create searchable playlists of key moments, and enable team-wide search across all shared calls. Perfect for distributed teams or organizations with high turnover needing knowledge preservation.
AI Coaching Scorecards
Track conversation metrics and performance indicators (Business tier). Ideal for training fundraisers, improving donor engagement techniques, or standardizing volunteer coordination approaches across your team.
How This Tool Uses AI
What's Actually AI-Powered
Speech-to-Text Transcription
- Type of AI:Advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning models trained on millions of hours of conversation data
- What it does:Converts spoken words from meetings into written text with 85-90% accuracy, handling multiple speakers, accents, and background noise
- How it learns:Pre-trained model that doesn't learn from your specific meetings; consistent performance from day one without needing your data for training
- Practical impact:Turn a 60-minute donor meeting into a searchable, time-stamped transcript within 30 seconds of hanging up—no human transcriptionist required
Automatic Summarization
- Type of AI:Large language model (LLM) trained on summarization tasks to extract key points from conversations
- What it does:Analyzes full transcript to identify main topics, decisions made, action items, and important discussion points—condensing 60 minutes into 2-3 paragraph summary
- How it learns:On Premium+ plans, you can create custom summary formats that the AI adapts to your preferences over time
- Practical impact:Your board secretary gets instant meeting minutes draft instead of spending 2 hours writing them from scratch
Action Item Extraction
- Type of AI:Natural language understanding (NLU) model that recognizes commitment language and task assignments
- What it does:Identifies phrases like "I'll follow up," "We need to," "Can you send," and extracts who is responsible for what action
- How it works:AI scans transcript for task-oriented language patterns and creates a structured list of actionable next steps
- Practical impact:Never lose track of who committed to drafting the grant proposal, scheduling the follow-up call, or sending the donor thank-you note
Conversational Search ("Ask Fathom")
- Type of AI:Semantic search using AI embeddings to understand meaning, not just keywords
- What it does:Lets you query meeting history with natural questions and get relevant excerpts even if exact words weren't used
- Example:Ask "When did we discuss expanding the tutoring program?" and Fathom finds relevant conversations even if the phrase was "growing our educational services"
- Practical impact:Find specific donor concerns or board feedback from months ago in seconds, not hours of re-watching recordings
What's NOT AI (But Still Useful)
- Meeting Recording:Standard video/audio capture technology, not AI
- CRM Integration:Pre-built API connections using standard automation, not AI-driven
- Video Clips:Manual time-based trimming tool; you select what to clip, not AI
- Playlists:Organizational feature for grouping meetings by topic or project
AI Transparency & Limitations
Data Requirements
- • Transcription accuracy drops with poor audio quality, heavy accents, or multiple people speaking simultaneously
- • Works best with clear audio from dedicated microphones, not laptop built-ins in echo-prone rooms
- • Technical jargon or organization-specific acronyms may be transcribed incorrectly initially
Human Oversight Still Required
- • AI summaries should be reviewed before sharing externally or using for legal/compliance purposes
- • Action items are suggestions—verify accuracy and completeness before assigning tasks
- • Sensitive donor conversations may require human editing to capture nuance and context AI misses
Known Limitations
- • Recording glitches can occur when multiple speakers overlap or during poor internet connectivity
- • AI can't capture visual context (whiteboard drawings, screen shares with detailed data, body language)
- • Fathom bot is visible in meetings—participants know they're being recorded, which may affect candor
Data Privacy
- • HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II, and GDPR compliant—suitable for sensitive nonprofit conversations
- • Data encrypted in transit and at rest; passed Zoom's extensive security reviews
- • You control who has access to recordings; data isn't used to train AI models for other users
When AI Adds Real Value vs. When It's Just Marketing
Genuinely Useful AI
- • Transcribing 60-minute meetings would take humans 4-6 hours; AI does it in 30 seconds
- • Action item extraction saves 15-20 minutes per meeting on manual review
- • Conversational search makes meeting history actually usable (finding info impossible with keyword search)
AI That's Nice But Not Essential
- • Custom summary formats are helpful but most nonprofits use default summaries just fine
- • AI coaching scorecards interesting for large teams but overkill for small nonprofits
Bottom Line:
Fathom uses AI where it genuinely transforms nonprofit workflows: automated transcription, intelligent summarization, and semantic search. These features save 6+ hours per week for teams having 10+ meetings monthly—time that can be redirected to mission-critical work. The AI isn't perfect, but it's good enough to eliminate 80-90% of manual meeting documentation work.
Real-World Nonprofit Use Case
A youth development nonprofit with a 5-person team was drowning in meeting documentation. Their Development Director spent 90 minutes weekly writing donor call recaps for the CRM. Board meeting minutes took the Executive Director 2+ hours to compile. Team standup notes were inconsistent or skipped entirely due to time constraints.
After implementing Fathom on their free plan, they automated all meeting documentation. Donor call summaries now sync directly to Salesforce without manual typing—saving the Development Director 6 hours monthly. Board meeting transcripts provide verbatim accuracy for sensitive discussions, with AI-generated summaries giving the ED a 15-minute head start on official minutes. Team standups are now fully documented, making it easy for part-time staff to catch up on what they missed.
The impact? The team reclaimed 10+ hours per week collectively. That time went directly into donor cultivation calls and program delivery. When their former board chair asked for meeting notes from 8 months ago, they used "Ask Fathom" to find the specific discussion in under 30 seconds—previously would have required re-watching hours of recordings or recreating context from sparse notes.
Pricing
FreeBest Value
$0 Forever
- Unlimited recordings & transcription
- Instant call summaries to inbox
- Clips, playlists, search (personal calls)
- CRM sync & Zapier integrations
- Premium features for 5 calls/month
Premium
$20/month per user
- Advanced call summaries with custom formats
- Unlimited AI-generated action items
- Ask Fathom conversational assistant
- Asana integrations
- Customized meeting bot & hide banner
Team
$18/month per user (min 2 users)
- All Premium features included
- Global search across team's shared calls
- Playlists of team highlights
- Team collaboration (comments, folders, alerts)
- Custom transcription vocabulary
- Single sign-on (SSO)
Business
$28/month per user (min 2 users)
- All Team features included
- CRM field sync (custom field mapping)
- Deal View for cross-call insights
- Coaching metrics & AI scorecards
- Custom data retention policies
- Unlimited CRM sync users
Annual Billing: Save 25%+ on all paid plans with annual commitment, plus 90-day satisfaction guarantee.
Note: Pricing information is subject to change. Please verify current pricing directly with Fathom.
Nonprofit Discount
10 Free Team or Business Seats
Qualified charities and nonprofits receive 10 free seats on either the Team ($18/month value) or Business ($28/month value) plan.
How to Access:
- Visit the Fathom pricing page at fathom.ai/pricing
- Look for nonprofit discount information or contact Fathom support
- Submit verification of your nonprofit status (501(c)(3) determination letter or equivalent)
- Discount applied once approved (verification process timeline not publicly specified)
Estimated Savings:
Team Plan: $2,160/year (10 seats × $18/mo × 12 months)
Business Plan: $3,360/year (10 seats × $28/mo × 12 months)
Important: The free plan already provides unlimited value for small nonprofits. The 10 free seats are ideal for organizations needing team collaboration features, CRM field sync, or AI coaching capabilities beyond the generous free tier.
Learning Curve
Fathom is designed to work automatically with virtually no setup or configuration. If you can schedule a Zoom meeting, you can use Fathom.
Time to First Value
- Initial setup:5 minutes (sign up, connect calendar, authorize meeting platform)
- First recording:Automatic—Fathom joins scheduled meetings without manual intervention
- First summary:Delivered 30 seconds after meeting ends
- Proficiency:Immediate—no learning curve for basic features; 1-2 hours to explore advanced features (Ask Fathom, playlists, team collaboration)
Technical Requirements
- Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams account (covers 95%+ of nonprofits)
- Google Calendar, Outlook, or other calendar connected to Fathom
- No technical skills required—entirely browser-based
- No software installation needed (web-based tool)
Support Available
- Fathom Help Center with setup guides and FAQs
- Video tutorials for key features
- Email support (response times vary by plan)
- Active user community for troubleshooting
Bottom Line:
If you're worried about the learning curve, don't be. Most nonprofits are getting value within their first meeting. The only "learning" required is remembering that Fathom is now handling meeting documentation automatically.
Integration & Compatibility
Connects With
Video Conferencing Platforms:
- • Zoom
- • Google Meet
- • Microsoft Teams
CRM & Donor Management:
- • Salesforce (including Nonprofit Cloud)
- • HubSpot
- • Close CRM
Productivity & Collaboration:
- • Slack (real-time highlights)
- • Notion (meeting notes sync)
- • Asana (task creation from action items)
- • Gmail
Automation:
- • Zapier (7,000+ app integrations)
- • Custom workflows via API
Platform Availability
- Web-based: Works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge browsers
- No downloads required: Entirely cloud-based; access from any device with internet
- Mobile access: View transcripts and summaries via mobile browser (no dedicated mobile app currently)
Data Portability
- Transcript export: Download transcripts as text files
- Video recordings: Download original meeting recordings
- Summary export: Copy summaries and action items to any document
- Note: Meeting search history and "Ask Fathom" AI insights are not exportable in bulk (access via web interface only)
Integration Tip:
For nonprofits using Salesforce or HubSpot, the automatic CRM sync eliminates 3-5 hours of weekly manual data entry for fundraisers. Donor call summaries, action items, and next steps flow directly into contact records without copy-pasting.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Truly unlimited free plan
Unlike Otter.ai's 600 min/month limit, Fathom offers genuinely unlimited recording and transcription forever
Saves massive time
Users report saving 6+ hours weekly on meeting follow-ups and documentation
Multilingual support (28 languages)
Far more languages than Otter.ai (3) or tldv, essential for global/multilingual nonprofits
Lightning-fast summaries
Instant summaries within 30 seconds of meeting end accelerate follow-up 3X vs manual note-writing
Enterprise-grade security
HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliant; passed Zoom's rigorous security review
Generous nonprofit program
10 free Team/Business seats worth $2,160-$3,360 annually for qualified nonprofits
Cons
Visible bot presence
Fathom Notetaker appears as participant in meetings, which can be distracting or make external stakeholders uncomfortable. Premium plans allow customization/hiding, but it's still visible.
Recording glitches with crosstalk
Accuracy drops when multiple people speak simultaneously or during poor internet connectivity
Limited free tier AI features
Premium AI features (custom summaries, unlimited action items, Ask Fathom) only available for 5 calls/month on free plan
No dedicated mobile app
Mobile browser access works, but lacks native app polish for reviewing transcripts on the go
Slower support responses
Users report occasional delays with integration troubleshooting, especially for CRM and Microsoft Teams syncing
Honest Assessment:
Fathom's pros far outweigh its cons for most nonprofits. The visible bot is an annoyance, not a dealbreaker—simply inform meeting participants upfront. The value of 6+ hours saved weekly and genuinely unlimited free transcription makes Fathom the best meeting assistant for budget-conscious nonprofits, period.
Alternatives to Consider
If Fathom doesn't feel like the right fit, consider these alternatives:
Otter.ai
Mobile-first meeting transcription with live captions
Best if: You prioritize mobile note-taking, live transcription during meetings, and collaboration features like shared notes and inline comments. Otter excels at real-time transcription visible during calls.
Pricing: Free (600 min/month), Pro ($16.99/month for 1,200 min/month), Business ($30/user/month unlimited)
Trade-offs: Free tier capped at 600 minutes vs. Fathom's unlimited; supports only 3 languages (English, Spanish, French) vs. Fathom's 28; better collaboration features but weaker CRM integrations.
tl;dv
Comprehensive AI meeting assistant for sales and customer success teams
Best if: You need extensive coaching tools, trend reporting across multiple meetings, and advanced conversational intelligence. tl;dv excels for fundraising teams requiring systematic donor call analysis.
Pricing: Free (unlimited recordings), Pro (€24/month), Business (€59/month)
Trade-offs: More expensive than Fathom; supports 40+ languages and offers superior coaching features, but the Business plan ($59) is steep for small nonprofits when Fathom's free plan suffices.
Fireflies.ai
AI meeting assistant with conversation analytics and CRM integration
Best if: You want detailed conversation analytics (talk time, sentiment analysis, topic tracking) beyond basic transcription. Fireflies offers deeper insights into meeting dynamics.
Pricing: Free (800 min/month), Pro ($10/seat/month), Business ($19/seat/month), Enterprise (custom)
Trade-offs: Free tier limits vs. Fathom's unlimited; stronger analytics and search capabilities but more complex interface requiring longer learning curve.
Why Choose Fathom Instead:
Fathom's combination of unlimited free transcription, 28-language support, instant summaries, and 10 free nonprofit seats on Team/Business tiers makes it unbeatable for small to mid-sized nonprofits needing reliable meeting documentation without budget constraints.
If your main goal is capturing accurate meeting notes and action items for free, Fathom is the clear winner. Choose alternatives only if you need specialized features like Otter's mobile live transcription, tl;dv's advanced coaching, or Fireflies' conversation analytics.
Getting Started
Your first 30 minutes with Fathom—from signup to your first automated meeting summary:
Sign Up and Connect Calendar (5 minutes)
Visit fathom.ai and sign up with your Google or Microsoft account. Connect your calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook, etc.) to allow Fathom to join scheduled meetings automatically.
Pro Tip:
Use your nonprofit organization's email address when signing up to simplify future nonprofit discount verification.
Authorize Meeting Platform Access (2 minutes)
Grant Fathom permission to join your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams meetings. This allows the Fathom bot to automatically attend and record scheduled calls.
Pro Tip:
Fathom will only join meetings on your calendar—it won't randomly appear in others' meetings. You control which meetings get recorded via calendar settings.
Schedule Your First Meeting (Already Done!)
Fathom works with your existing calendar—no special setup needed. Before your next Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams call, inform participants: "We're recording this meeting for notes using Fathom, our AI assistant."
Pro Tip:
Transparency builds trust. A simple heads-up prevents awkwardness when "Fathom Notetaker" joins the call. Most people appreciate not having to take their own notes!
Review Your First Summary (30 seconds post-meeting)
Within 30 seconds of your meeting ending, check your inbox for Fathom's AI-generated summary. Review the transcript, action items, and key discussion points. Share with teammates or save to your CRM.
Pro Tip:
Use the first summary to test accuracy. If organization-specific terms were transcribed incorrectly (e.g., program names, donor names), add them to Fathom's custom vocabulary (Team plan+) to improve future accuracy.
⚡ Quick Win:
After your first Fathom-recorded meeting, use "Ask Fathom" to search for a specific topic discussed. For example, type "What did we decide about the gala venue?" and watch Fathom instantly pull the relevant transcript excerpt. This demonstrates the power of searchable meeting history—impossible with traditional note-taking.
Expected outcome: You'll realize you can finally find past decisions and commitments without re-watching hours of recordings or scrolling through disorganized notes.
Need Help with Implementation?
Setting up Fathom is straightforward, but integrating it into your team's workflow and maximizing CRM automation can be tricky. If you'd like expert guidance on:
- Configuring Salesforce or HubSpot CRM sync for donor calls
- Creating custom summary formats for board meetings or grant research
- Training your team on best practices for searchable meeting documentation
- Navigating the nonprofit discount application process
One Hundred Nights offers implementation support to help nonprofits get the most value from Fathom with minimal time investment.
Contact Us for Implementation HelpFrequently Asked Questions
Is Fathom really free for nonprofits?
Yes! Fathom's free plan offers unlimited meeting recordings, transcription, and instant summaries—forever. This isn't a limited trial. For qualified nonprofits and charities, Fathom also provides 10 free Team or Business seats, which include advanced collaboration features, team-wide search, and AI coaching scorecards.
How does Fathom compare to Otter.ai for nonprofits?
Fathom offers unlimited free transcription vs. Otter's 600 minutes/month limit, making it better for small nonprofits with frequent meetings. Fathom excels at conversational intelligence and quick summaries, while Otter.ai is stronger for collaboration features and mobile note-taking. Fathom supports 28 languages vs. Otter's 3 (English, Spanish, French).
Will meeting participants see a Fathom bot?
Yes. Fathom joins meetings as a visible participant named "Fathom Notetaker." This is the most common user complaint. However, you can customize the bot name on Premium+ plans and disable the in-meeting banner to make it less intrusive. Always inform participants that the meeting is being recorded for transparency and legal compliance.
What platforms does Fathom work with?
Fathom supports Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams—covering 95%+ of nonprofit video conferencing needs. It integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Notion, Asana, and 7,000+ apps via Zapier. Meeting summaries sync automatically to your CRM or project management tools without manual copy-pasting.
How accurate is Fathom's transcription?
Users report 85-90% accuracy in real-world conditions, depending on audio quality, accents, and background noise. Fathom uses advanced natural language processing and machine learning to generate transcripts within 30 seconds of meeting end. For critical meetings requiring near-perfect accuracy, review and edit transcripts before sharing.
Do I need technical skills to use Fathom?
No. Setup takes 5 minutes: sign up, connect your calendar, and authorize meeting platform access. Fathom works automatically from there—no configuration needed. The interface is intuitive, and recordings are searchable through "Ask Fathom" conversational queries. If you can schedule a Zoom meeting, you can use Fathom.
Ready to Save 6+ Hours Per Week on Meeting Follow-Ups?
Join thousands of nonprofits using Fathom to stay fully present in conversations while never missing an action item or decision.