Bloomerang vs Keela for Nonprofits
Choosing between two leading AI-powered donor CRMs designed specifically for nonprofits? Both Bloomerang and Keela help you manage donor relationships, but they shine in different ways. Bloomerang focuses on predicting donor churn and maximizing retention through engagement scoring. Keela excels at optimizing ask amounts and identifying major gift prospects through wealth screening. Your decision hinges on whether keeping current donors is your priority or whether maximizing gift amounts from prospects matters more.
Quick Verdict
Choose based on your nonprofit's primary challenge:
Choose Bloomerang if:
- •Donor retention is your #1 priority and you need AI to predict churn before it happens
- •You want engagement scoring that identifies at-risk donors and suggests next-best actions
- •Built-in unlimited email marketing is important (avoid separate Mailchimp costs)
- •Your team values an intuitive interface designed specifically for nonprofit fundraisers
- •You're managing 500-5,000 donors and need AI to prioritize stewardship activities
Choose Keela if:
- •You want AI to suggest optimal ask amounts based on donor capacity and giving history
- •Wealth screening and prospect research are critical for major gift cultivation
- •You need integrated peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding capabilities
- •Canadian nonprofit pricing and compliance features matter to your organization
- •You prefer goal tracking dashboards and visual campaign management
At-a-Glance Comparison
| Feature | Bloomerang | Keela | Winner / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $125/month (1,000 contacts) | $125/month (1,000 contacts) | ⚖️ Tie: Identical entry pricing |
| Mid-Tier Pricing | $175/month (2,500 contacts) | $199/month (5,000 contacts) | ⚖️ Context: Bloomerang cheaper at 2,500; Keela more contacts at $199 |
| Primary AI Feature | Retention prediction & engagement scores | Smart Ask (optimal ask amounts) | ⚖️ Different strengths |
| Donor Retention Focus | Core strength: churn prediction, at-risk alerts | Available but not primary focus | 🏆 Bloomerang for retention |
| Wealth Screening | Via third-party integrations (iWave, DonorSearch) | Built-in wealth indicators & capacity scores | 🏆 Keela for prospect research |
| Email Marketing | Unlimited built-in email (included) | Built-in email marketing (included) | ⚖️ Tie: Both include email |
| P2P Fundraising | Requires third-party integration | Built-in P2P and crowdfunding | 🏆 Keela for P2P campaigns |
| Learning Curve | Beginner-friendly (2-3 weeks) | Beginner-friendly (2-3 weeks) | ⚖️ Tie: Both nonprofit-focused |
| Canadian Features | US-focused, basic Canadian support | Canadian-founded, CRA compliance, CAD pricing | 🏆 Keela for Canadian nonprofits |
| Integrations | QuickBooks, Stripe, PayPal, Eventbrite, WordPress | QuickBooks, Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Mailchimp | ⚖️ Tie: Similar ecosystems |
| Best For | Retention-focused organizations | Growth-focused with major gift pipeline | ⚖️ Different priorities |
Last updated: January 5, 2026. Pricing and features subject to change; verify with vendors.
Head-to-Head Feature Breakdown
AI-Powered Donor Insights
Bloomerang:
Laser-focused on retention. The AI calculates engagement scores (0-100) for every donor based on email opens, event attendance, giving frequency, and recency. It predicts which donors are at risk of lapsing 60-90 days before they churn and suggests specific next-best actions (call, email, send impact update). The system improves its accuracy over time as it learns your donor patterns.
Best use: Identifying donors whose engagement scores dropped from 75 to 35 over 6 months and proactively re-engaging them before they lapse.
Keela:
The AI Smart Ask feature analyzes donor giving history, wealth indicators, and behavior patterns to suggest optimal ask amounts for each donor. Instead of guessing whether to ask for $100 or $500, Keela tells you the specific amount most likely to result in a gift. Also provides giving capacity scores based on wealth screening data.
Best use: Running your annual fund campaign and knowing exactly how much to ask each donor based on their capacity and likelihood to give.
Verdict: Different AI strengths. Bloomerang for retention prediction; Keela for ask optimization. Choose based on whether keeping donors or maximizing gifts is your priority.
Donor Retention & Engagement
Bloomerang:
This is Bloomerang's reason for existing. Built by retention experts who believe that improving retention is the fastest path to fundraising growth. Every feature ties back to keeping donors: engagement scores visible on every donor record, retention rate dashboards, industry benchmarking, automated stewardship workflows, and AI-suggested outreach timing.
Best use: An organization with 40% first-year donor retention wanting to reach 60%+ through systematic engagement.
Keela:
Offers donor management with activity tracking, communication history, and relationship notes. Can set up reminders and track interactions. However, retention isn't the platform's primary focus—Keela prioritizes helping you raise more from each donor through Smart Ask and wealth data rather than predicting who might lapse.
Best use: Managing donor relationships and ensuring cultivation activities happen, but without AI-powered retention prediction.
Verdict: Bloomerang is the clear winner for retention focus. If preventing donor churn is your top priority, Bloomerang's purpose-built retention features are unmatched.
Wealth Screening & Prospect Research
Bloomerang:
Does not include native wealth screening. Integrates with third-party prospect research tools like iWave, DonorSearch, and WealthEngine through partnerships. This means additional cost ($2,000-5,000/year for comprehensive screening) and data lives in a separate system that syncs to Bloomerang.
Best use: Organizations that already have or are willing to purchase a dedicated wealth screening subscription.
Keela:
Includes built-in wealth indicators and giving capacity scores. The system analyzes publicly available data to provide estimated wealth, real estate holdings, and philanthropy indicators. Keela reports 46% average increase in donation revenue when organizations use Smart Ask with wealth data to optimize asks.
Best use: Major gift officers identifying which $100 donors have capacity to give $5,000+ without purchasing separate tools.
Verdict: Keela wins for organizations wanting built-in wealth screening. Bloomerang requires third-party tools at additional cost.
Email Marketing & Communications
Bloomerang:
Includes unlimited email marketing at no extra cost. Create and send newsletters, appeals, and automated sequences directly from the platform. Email engagement (opens, clicks) feeds directly into engagement scores, so your retention AI gets smarter with every send. No need for separate Mailchimp or Constant Contact subscriptions.
Best use: Sending monthly newsletters and year-end appeals while automatically tracking which donors engage.
Keela:
Also includes built-in email marketing with templates, scheduling, and tracking. Offers email automation for donor journeys (welcome series, thank-you sequences). Can segment by giving level, campaign, or custom tags. Email is included in the base price.
Best use: Creating automated email sequences that nurture new donors through their first year.
Verdict: Tie. Both include email marketing. Bloomerang's advantage is that email engagement feeds directly into retention AI.
Fundraising Campaigns & P2P
Bloomerang:
Includes online donation forms and tracks campaign performance. However, no native peer-to-peer fundraising or crowdfunding. For P2P campaigns, you'd integrate with platforms like Classy, Donorbox, or Qgiv, then sync donations back to Bloomerang for unified donor records.
Best use: Direct appeal campaigns (mail, email, phone) with online donation forms—not P2P or crowdfunding.
Keela:
Includes built-in peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding campaign tools. Supporters can create their own fundraising pages, share via social media, and collect donations on your behalf. All donations flow directly into the CRM with complete donor records. Visual campaign dashboards show real-time progress toward goals.
Best use: Running a birthday giving campaign where 50 supporters each create personal pages to raise funds.
Verdict: Keela wins for P2P fundraising. If you run peer-to-peer campaigns, Keela's built-in tools eliminate the need for third-party platforms.
Reporting & Analytics
Bloomerang:
Strong retention-focused reporting. Dashboards show first-year donor retention, overall retention rates, and benchmarks against similar nonprofits. Cohort analysis tracks how donor groups perform over time. Engagement score trends visualize relationship health across your entire file. Standard reports for donations, donors, and campaigns.
Best use: Presenting board with quarterly retention metrics and showing improvement trends.
Keela:
Goal-oriented dashboards show campaign progress, revenue trends, and donor acquisition metrics. Visual goal trackers help motivate staff and board. Smart Reports provide insights on giving patterns, donor segments, and campaign performance. Export capabilities for custom analysis.
Best use: Tracking progress toward annual fund goal with visual thermometers and campaign comparisons.
Verdict: Bloomerang for retention analytics; Keela for campaign and goal tracking. Different reporting priorities.
Pricing Breakdown & Total Cost of Ownership
Bloomerang Pricing
- Starter (1,000 contacts): $125/month or $1,500/year
- Essential (2,500 contacts): $175/month or $2,100/year
- Plus (5,000 contacts): $275/month or $3,300/year
- Pro (10,000 contacts): $425/month or $5,100/year
What's Included:
Unlimited users, unlimited email marketing, AI retention predictions, engagement scoring, online donation forms, mobile apps. 30-day free trial.
Keela Pricing
- Essentials (1,000 contacts): $125/month (annual billing)
- Growth (5,000 contacts): $199/month (annual billing)
- Pro (15,000 contacts): $299/month (annual billing)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for 15,000+ contacts
What's Included:
Unlimited users, Smart Ask AI, wealth screening, P2P fundraising, email marketing, donation forms, goal tracking dashboards. 14-day free trial.
Total Cost of Ownership: 3 Scenarios
Scenario 1: Small Nonprofit (1,500 contacts)
Local charity with 2-3 staff managing donor relationships
Bloomerang
- • Essential tier (2,500 contacts): $175/month
- • Unlimited users, email, AI included
- • Year 1 Total: $2,100
Best if: Donor retention is biggest challenge. AI predicts churn.
Keela
- • Essentials tier (1,000 contacts): $125/month
- • May need upgrade to Growth ($199/month) for 1,500 contacts
- • Year 1 Total: $1,500-$2,388
Best if: Want Smart Ask for optimal gift amounts + wealth data.
Winner: Similar cost. Choose Bloomerang if retention is priority; Keela if ask optimization matters more.
Scenario 2: Mid-Sized Nonprofit (4,000 contacts)
Regional nonprofit with development team of 3-5 people
Bloomerang
- • Plus tier (5,000 contacts): $275/month
- • All features included
- • Optional: Wealth screening via iWave ($2,500-5,000/year)
- • Year 1 Total: $3,300-$8,300
Best if: Retention is priority; can live without wealth screening or budget for separate tool.
Keela
- • Growth tier (5,000 contacts): $199/month
- • Built-in wealth screening included
- • Smart Ask included
- • Year 1 Total: $2,388
Best if: Want all-in-one solution with wealth data and Smart Ask.
Winner: Keela is more cost-effective when you factor in built-in wealth screening. Bloomerang only wins if you don't need wealth data.
Scenario 3: Larger Nonprofit (12,000 contacts)
Established organization with dedicated development staff
Bloomerang
- • Enterprise pricing (10,000+): Custom (estimate $600-800/month)
- • Wealth screening via partners: $3,000-7,000/year
- • Year 1 Total: $10,000-$16,000
Best if: Retention is core strategy; have budget for comprehensive prospect research tools.
Keela
- • Pro tier (15,000 contacts): $299/month
- • All features including wealth screening included
- • Year 1 Total: $3,588
Best if: Want cost-effective solution with all features included.
Winner: Keela is significantly cheaper at scale when you include wealth screening. Bloomerang's enterprise pricing plus third-party wealth tools is 3-4× more expensive.
Hidden Costs to Consider
Bloomerang
- • Wealth screening integration ($2,500-7,000/year if needed)
- • P2P fundraising platform ($500-2,000/year if running campaigns)
- • $500 implementation fee (waived with annual billing)
- • Training time: 2-3 weeks to proficiency
Keela
- • More expensive if you need to pay monthly (vs annual)
- • Less robust retention prediction than Bloomerang
- • Training time: 2-3 weeks to proficiency
- • May need Zapier ($20-100/month) for some integrations
Use Case Scenarios
Bloomerang: Best Use Cases
Fixing a Retention Crisis
Organization: Animal shelter with 2,800 donors
Challenge: First-year donor retention at 23%. Losing supporters faster than acquiring them. No system to identify who's disengaging.
Solution: Bloomerang's engagement scores flagged 340 donors with declining engagement. Automated workflows sent re-engagement emails. Staff prioritized personal calls to top 50 at-risk major donors.
Result: First-year retention jumped to 47% within 12 months. Overall donor base grew 28% as retention gains exceeded acquisition losses.
ROI: $2,100/year investment retained estimated $35,000 in annual giving. 17× return.
Major Donor Stewardship System
Organization: Education foundation with 200 major donors ($1,000+/year)
Challenge: Development director couldn't track who needed personal attention. Major donors felt forgotten. Renewal rates declining.
Solution: Set Bloomerang rules to alert when major donors drop below engagement score of 70 or haven't been contacted in 45 days. Created personalized cultivation tasks for each flagged donor.
Result: Major donor retention increased from 72% to 89%. Two donors upgraded from $5,000 to $25,000 after consistent personalized attention.
ROI: $175/month investment; gained $45,000 in upgrades and prevented $50,000 in lapsed major gifts. 50× return.
Keela: Best Use Cases
Optimizing Annual Fund Asks
Organization: Health nonprofit with 4,500 donors
Challenge: All donors received same $100 ask regardless of capacity. Knew some could give more but didn't know who or how much to ask.
Solution: Keela's Smart Ask analyzed each donor's giving history, wealth indicators, and behavior to suggest personalized ask amounts. Segmented campaign by suggested gift level.
Result: Average gift increased 34% (from $87 to $117). 12% of donors gave suggested higher amounts they'd never given before. Campaign exceeded goal by 28%.
ROI: $199/month investment; raised additional $52,000 vs previous year. 22× return.
Launching Peer-to-Peer Campaigns
Organization: Youth mentoring nonprofit wanting to diversify fundraising
Challenge: Wanted supporters to fundraise on their behalf but didn't have P2P platform. Reluctant to add another tool to manage.
Solution: Used Keela's built-in P2P features for "Give Your Age" birthday fundraising campaign. 85 supporters created personal pages. All donations automatically added to CRM with complete records.
Result: Raised $47,000 from P2P campaigns—entirely new revenue stream. Acquired 320 new donors through supporter networks. Zero additional software cost.
ROI: No incremental cost (P2P included). $47,000 raised through built-in feature.
Major Gift Prospect Identification
Organization: Arts nonprofit wanting to build major gift pipeline
Challenge: Knew some $100 donors could give $5,000+ but lacked wealth screening tools. Couldn't afford $5,000/year prospect research subscription.
Solution: Used Keela's built-in wealth indicators to identify 47 donors with high capacity but modest giving history. Created cultivation plan for top 20 prospects.
Result: Secured 8 major gift upgrades totaling $62,000 within 6 months. Built sustainable pipeline of 25+ qualified major gift prospects.
ROI: $199/month with wealth screening included. Saved $5,000 on separate tools; gained $62,000 in upgrades. 31× return.
Canadian Nonprofit Compliance
Organization: Canadian environmental charity needing CRA-compliant receipting
Challenge: US-focused CRMs didn't support Canadian tax receipts, CAD pricing, or CRA requirements. Needed platform that understood Canadian nonprofit context.
Solution: Keela (Canadian-founded) provided CRA-compliant tax receipts, CAD pricing, and Canadian regulatory support. Staff appreciated Canada-based customer service.
Result: Compliant tax receipting from day one. No conversion headaches. Support team understood Canadian nonprofit challenges.
ROI: Avoided compliance risks and conversion complexity. Pricing in CAD simplified budgeting.
Learning Curve & Implementation Timeline
Bloomerang Implementation
Beginner-friendly (4/5 difficulty rating)
Days 1-2: Initial Setup (6-10 hours)
- • Start 30-day free trial and schedule onboarding call
- • Clean existing donor data (remove duplicates, standardize formatting)
- • Import donor records via CSV using Bloomerang's field mapping
- • Configure payment processor connections (Stripe, PayPal)
Week 1: Basic Operations (3-5 hours)
- • Create email templates (thank-you, newsletter, appeal)
- • Set up user accounts with appropriate permissions
- • Learn engagement score dashboard and donor lookup
- • Send first communication to test email system
Weeks 2-4: AI and Automation
- • Configure automated thank-you workflows
- • Set up at-risk donor alerts based on engagement scores
- • Create task templates for donor stewardship
- • Team becomes comfortable with daily operations
Months 2-3: AI Calibration
- • AI retention predictions become increasingly accurate
- • Engagement scores stabilize based on your donor patterns
- • Refine automated workflows based on actual results
Support Resources:
- • Dedicated onboarding specialist included
- • 500+ knowledge base articles and video tutorials
- • Weekly training webinars on specific features
- • Email and chat support (response within 24 hours)
Keela Implementation
Beginner-friendly (4/5 difficulty rating)
Days 1-2: Initial Setup (4-8 hours)
- • Start 14-day free trial
- • Import donor data via CSV (Keela offers import assistance)
- • Connect payment processors and accounting software
- • Set up donation forms and embed on website
Week 1: Core Features (3-5 hours)
- • Configure goal tracking dashboards
- • Create email templates and test sending
- • Set up user accounts and permissions
- • Explore Smart Ask recommendations for existing donors
Weeks 2-4: Advanced Features
- • Set up P2P fundraising campaign (if applicable)
- • Configure wealth screening views for major gift prospecting
- • Create automated email sequences
- • Team becomes proficient with daily donor management
Months 2-3: Optimization
- • Refine Smart Ask thresholds based on campaign results
- • Build custom reports and dashboards
- • Integrate with additional tools via Zapier if needed
Support Resources:
- • Onboarding support and data migration assistance
- • Knowledge base with tutorials and guides
- • Live chat support during business hours
- • Email support with quick response times
Which is Easier to Learn?
Both are designed for nonprofit staff, not database administrators. Neither requires technical expertise. The interfaces are intuitive, and both companies provide strong onboarding support.
Bloomerang's engagement scores are more intuitive to interpret—a score of 75 vs 35 immediately tells you who needs attention. The retention-focused design means everything points toward the same goal.
Keela's Smart Ask requires understanding wealth screening concepts (giving capacity, propensity) to use effectively. Not difficult, but there's a conceptual learning curve beyond just learning the software.
Integration Ecosystem
Bloomerang Integrations
Accounting:
QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, Sage Intacct
Donations & Payments:
Stripe, PayPal, Classy, Donorbox, GiveWP, Network for Good, Double the Donation
Events:
Eventbrite, Greater Giving, Handbid, OneCause
Wealth Screening:
iWave, DonorSearch, WealthEngine (partnerships)
Other:
WordPress, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Zapier
Keela Integrations
Accounting:
QuickBooks Online, Xero
Donations & Payments:
Stripe, PayPal, built-in donation forms
Email & Marketing:
Mailchimp (two-way sync), built-in email marketing
Productivity:
Google Workspace, Zapier (1,000+ apps)
Website:
WordPress, embeddable donation forms and widgets
Integration Verdict
Similar integration ecosystems. Both connect with major accounting software, payment processors, and use Zapier for extended connections. Bloomerang has stronger event management integrations (Eventbrite, auction platforms). Keela has the advantage of built-in wealth screening without third-party tools.
Data Privacy, Security & Compliance
Bloomerang Security
- Encryption: Data encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256)
- Compliance: SOC 2 Type II certified, PCI compliant for payment processing
- Data Location: Hosted in secure US data centers
- Access Controls: Role-based permissions, SSO available
- Data Export: Full CSV export of all donor data anytime
Keela Security
- Encryption: Data encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256)
- Compliance: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliant, Canadian PIPEDA compliant
- Data Location: Canadian and US data center options
- Access Controls: Role-based permissions, two-factor authentication
- Data Export: Full export capabilities, you own your data
Security Verdict
Both platforms meet nonprofit security standards with SOC 2 Type II certification and strong encryption. Key differences:
- •Canadian Data Residency: Keela offers Canadian data hosting, important for Canadian nonprofits with PIPEDA requirements.
- •Tax Compliance: Bloomerang is IRS-focused (US); Keela supports CRA-compliant receipting (Canada).
- •Data Ownership: Both allow full data export. You own your data with either platform.
Pros & Cons for Nonprofits
Bloomerang
Pros
- +Best-in-class retention AI — Predicts donor churn before it happens. Engagement scores make prioritizing stewardship intuitive.
- +Unlimited email included — No separate Mailchimp costs. Email engagement feeds directly into retention AI.
- +Retention benchmarking — Compare your rates to similar nonprofits. Clear metrics for board reporting.
- +Excellent training/support — Dedicated onboarding, weekly webinars, responsive customer service.
- +Transparent pricing — No hidden fees. All core features included at every tier.
Cons
- −No built-in wealth screening — Requires third-party tools ($2,500-7,000/year) for prospect research.
- −No P2P fundraising — Need separate platform for peer-to-peer campaigns, adding cost and complexity.
- −US-centric — Limited Canadian compliance features. Not ideal for Canadian nonprofits needing CRA receipts.
- −Expensive at scale with wealth tools — Total cost including third-party integrations can exceed Keela.
Keela
Pros
- +Smart Ask AI for optimal gifts — Suggests personalized ask amounts. Average 46% donation revenue increase reported.
- +Built-in wealth screening — No third-party cost for prospect research. Capacity scores included.
- +P2P and crowdfunding included — Run peer-to-peer campaigns without additional software.
- +Canadian nonprofit-friendly — CRA-compliant receipting, CAD pricing, PIPEDA compliance.
- +More cost-effective at scale — All features included; no need to add expensive third-party tools.
Cons
- −Retention AI less sophisticated — Doesn't match Bloomerang's engagement scoring and churn prediction.
- −Shorter free trial — 14 days vs Bloomerang's 30 days. Less time to fully evaluate.
- −Fewer event integrations — Limited native connections to auction and event platforms.
- −Smaller US market share — Less community support and fewer third-party resources than Bloomerang in US.
Final Recommendation & Decision Framework
The Bottom Line
Both Bloomerang and Keela are excellent donor CRMs designed specifically for nonprofits. The right choice depends on your primary fundraising challenge:
- Choose Bloomerang if: Your biggest challenge is keeping donors engaged. You need AI that predicts who's about to lapse and tells you exactly what to do about it. Retention is your strategic priority.
- Choose Keela if: Your biggest opportunity is raising more from each donor. You need AI that tells you optimal ask amounts, built-in wealth screening, and P2P fundraising tools. Growth through larger gifts is your priority.
Quick Decision Checklist
Count how many statements apply to your nonprofit:
Bloomerang Points:
- ☐Donor retention is our biggest challenge
- ☐We need AI to predict which donors will lapse
- ☐We want engagement scores to prioritize stewardship
- ☐We value retention benchmarking against peers
- ☐We're based in the US
Keela Points:
- ☐We want AI to optimize ask amounts
- ☐Built-in wealth screening is valuable (don't want third-party tools)
- ☐We run or want to run P2P fundraising campaigns
- ☐Goal tracking dashboards are important
- ☐We're based in Canada or need CRA-compliant receipts
Count your checkmarks: The column with more checks indicates your best fit. If tied, consider which AI capability matters more: retention prediction (Bloomerang) or ask optimization (Keela).
Still Deciding?
Book a free consultation and we'll help you evaluate which CRM best fits your nonprofit's fundraising strategy, donor base, and budget.