Gravyty vs Keela for Nonprofits
Choosing between Gravyty's AI-powered gift officer productivity platform and Keela's affordable all-in-one CRM? Both leverage AI for smarter fundraising, but Gravyty specializes in automating major gift cultivation workflows for dedicated fundraisers with existing CRMs, while Keela provides comprehensive donor management, email marketing, and accessible AI insights in one integrated system. Your decision hinges on whether you need specialized gift officer automation or an all-in-one platform that empowers your entire team—and whether you have the budget and infrastructure for enterprise tools or need affordable simplicity.
Quick Verdict
Choose based on your nonprofit's fundraising model and infrastructure:
Choose Gravyty if:
- •You have dedicated gift officers who need to engage 4x more donors through AI-driven outreach prioritization and automated email drafting
- •CRM integration is essential—you already use Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, or Ellucian and need seamless bi-directional sync
- •Personalization at scale is your priority—you need AI that learns your writing style and automates stewardship messages
- •You're focused on higher education or major gifts fundraising with complex donor cultivation workflows
- •You have the budget for premium enterprise tools and value specialized automation over affordability
Choose Keela if:
- •Budget is your primary concern—you need comprehensive donor management, email marketing, events, and AI starting at $149/month
- •You need an all-in-one platform replacing spreadsheets or basic systems with integrated fundraising and CRM
- •Ease of use matters most—you want intuitive donor scoring and Smart Ask amounts accessible to staff without technical expertise
- •Your team is small (2-10 staff) without dedicated gift officers managing 100+ major donor portfolios
- •Quick implementation is critical—you need to be operational in 2-4 weeks with minimal training
At-a-Glance Comparison
| Feature | Gravyty | Keela | Winner / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Custom enterprise pricing | $149/month | 💰 Keela for transparency & affordability |
| Nonprofit Discount | Custom pricing negotiable | Nonprofit-specific pricing | ⚖️ Tie - both price for nonprofits |
| Primary Function | Gift officer productivity automation | All-in-one CRM & fundraising | 🎯 Context - different purposes |
| AI Email Drafting | ✅ Learns writing style, pre-drafts emails | ❌ Not available | 🤖 Gravyty for gift officer automation |
| Donor Scoring | Through CRM integration | ✅ Built-in AI Donor Score | 📊 Keela for accessible insights |
| Smart Ask Amounts | Not built-in (via CRM) | ✅ Smart Ask on donation forms | 💡 Keela for automated optimization |
| CRM Requirement | Requires existing CRM (Salesforce, RE, etc.) | Standalone all-in-one CRM | 🏢 Gravyty enhances; Keela replaces |
| Email Marketing | Automated personalized outreach | ✅ Full email marketing platform | 📧 Keela for campaigns; Gravyty for 1:1 |
| Ease of Use | 3/5 - Enterprise onboarding | 5/5 - "Extremely user-friendly" | 👍 Keela for intuitive learning curve |
| Implementation Time | Enterprise onboarding + CRM config | 2-4 weeks operational | ⚡ Keela for speed to value |
| Team Size | Best for dedicated gift officers | Best for 2-10 generalist staff | 👥 Different target users |
| Best For | Higher ed, major gifts, enterprise fundraising | Small-mid nonprofits, integrated CRM needs | 🎯 Context-dependent |
Last updated: January 18, 2026. Pricing and features subject to change; verify with vendors.
Introduction: Two Different Approaches to AI-Powered Fundraising
When nonprofits explore AI fundraising tools, they often encounter a fundamental choice: specialized productivity automation for dedicated fundraisers, or comprehensive donor management that empowers the entire team. Gravyty and Keela represent these two distinct philosophies, each solving different organizational challenges with different technological approaches.
Gravyty was purpose-built to solve a specific problem faced by higher education institutions and large nonprofits: how can gift officers engage meaningfully with 4x more donors without sacrificing authentic relationship-building? The platform achieves this through predictive AI that learns individual writing styles, drafts personalized emails, prescribes daily action plans, and automatically syncs all communications back to enterprise CRMs like Salesforce and Raiser's Edge. With 2,750+ institutions using the platform, Gravyty has proven its value proposition for organizations with dedicated major gift programs, established donor databases, and the budget for specialized tools that enhance—rather than replace—existing infrastructure.
Keela, by contrast, built an affordable all-in-one CRM designed for small-to-mid-sized nonprofits ($100K-$5M revenue) replacing spreadsheets, multiple disconnected tools, or aging donor databases. Rather than requiring existing CRM infrastructure, Keela provides integrated donor management, email marketing, event registration, online donations, volunteer tracking, and reporting in one platform starting at $149/month. The AI features—Donor Score, Smart Ask, Time of Year indicators, and Donor Readiness—are designed to be accessible to generalist staff without data science expertise, democratizing intelligent fundraising insights across the entire organization.
This comparison will help you determine which approach fits your nonprofit's current reality: if you have gift officers managing major donor portfolios with an existing enterprise CRM, Gravyty's specialized automation delivers measurable productivity gains. If you're a smaller team seeking affordable, integrated donor management with accessible AI insights, Keela's all-in-one platform eliminates complexity and cost. The "better" choice depends entirely on your organizational stage, fundraising model, technical infrastructure, and budget—not on which tool has more features or higher ratings in isolation.
What Is Gravyty?
Gravyty is an AI-powered engagement and fundraising platform that helps gift officers engage more donors through intelligent automation and personalization. Unlike traditional fundraising software that focuses on storing donor data, Gravyty specializes in augmenting human fundraisers—automating administrative tasks, pre-drafting communications, and providing AI-driven recommendations so gift officers can focus on building authentic relationships rather than managing administrative workflows.
The platform's core value proposition centers on productivity multiplication: Gravyty enables individual fundraisers to engage 4x more donors than traditional manual approaches by automating email drafting, tracking donor behavior, prescribing optimal outreach timing, and automatically writing all communications back to the organization's existing CRM. This bi-directional integration eliminates double data entry while ensuring all donor interactions remain centralized in the institutional system of record—Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, Ellucian, Team Dynamix, or Slate.
Gravyty's predictive AI learns each fundraiser's individual writing style over time, generating email drafts that sound authentic to that specific gift officer. Daily action plans arrive in fundraisers' inboxes prescribing who to contact based on donor behavior, engagement history, and optimal timing. The platform tracks when donors open emails, click links, and respond—providing objective relationship metrics that help prioritize outreach and follow-up efficiently. This level of intelligent automation is particularly valuable for major gift officers managing 100-200+ donor relationships simultaneously, where personalized cultivation at scale would be impossible through manual processes.
Beyond gift officer productivity, Gravyty also offers Advance (a digital fundraising platform for giving day campaigns and year-round online giving with embedded payments and gamification) and Gratavid (automated personalized video messaging at scale). However, the flagship product remains the AI fundraising productivity suite designed to transform how frontline fundraisers work. Trusted by 2,750+ institutions and nonprofit organizations, Gravyty has established itself as the leading solution for enterprise fundraising automation—particularly in higher education where complex multi-year donor cultivation requires both technological sophistication and human relationship expertise.
What Is Keela?
Keela is a cloud-based fundraising CRM designed to help small-to-mid-sized nonprofits manage donors, receive donations online, conduct email campaigns, track events, coordinate volunteers, and foster deep donor relationships—all in one integrated platform. Built specifically for nonprofits raising $100K-$5M annually, Keela consolidates functionality that organizations typically cobble together through spreadsheets, separate email marketing tools, manual donation tracking, and disconnected systems into a single affordable solution starting at $149/month with unlimited users and support.
Keela's accessibility sets it apart from enterprise CRM platforms: the interface is consistently described by users as "extremely user-friendly," "intuitive," and allowing "new staff to get up and running effortlessly." Organizations report being fully operational within 2-4 weeks without requiring dedicated technical resources or extensive training. This rapid time-to-value is critical for smaller nonprofits where staff wear multiple hats and implementation delays directly impact fundraising capacity. The platform prioritizes simplicity without sacrificing power—providing comprehensive donor management, automated workflows, customizable reporting, and integrated communications in an approachable package.
Keela's AI features democratize intelligent fundraising insights across the entire organization. Donor Score assigns each contact a likelihood-to-give rating based on behavior and wealth screening, helping teams prioritize outreach. Smart Ask automatically generates custom suggested donation amounts on online forms by analyzing each donor's giving capacity, demographics, and history. Time of Year indicates optimal ask timing based on individual giving patterns. Donor Readiness and Best Way to Reach Out provide actionable recommendations without requiring data science expertise. These accessible AI tools empower generalist staff—Executive Directors, Development Coordinators, Program Managers—to make data-driven decisions previously reserved for organizations with dedicated analysts.
Beyond core CRM functionality, Keela includes integrated email marketing (unlimited emails), online donation forms with payment processing, event management, volunteer coordination, grant tracking, and membership tools. The all-inclusive pricing model means organizations pay one transparent monthly fee based on contact count ($149/month up to 2,000 contacts, $160/month for 2,000-5,000, custom pricing for 10,000+) with no per-user fees, no setup costs, and no hidden add-ons. For nonprofits upgrading from spreadsheets or seeking to consolidate multiple disconnected tools, Keela's comprehensive yet approachable platform eliminates complexity while delivering the donor intelligence needed to increase retention and lifetime value.
Head-to-Head Feature Comparison
AI-Powered Automation
How each platform leverages AI to automate fundraising workflows
Gravyty
- Predictive email drafting that learns individual writing styles and pre-drafts personalized donor communications
- Daily action plans delivered to fundraiser inboxes prescribing who to contact and optimal timing
- Intelligent follow-up prompts based on donor behavior tracking (opens, clicks, responses)
- Automatic CRM writeback syncing all communications to Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, etc.
Keela
- Donor Score assigns likelihood-to-give ratings based on behavior and wealth screening
- Smart Ask generates custom suggested donation amounts per donor on online forms
- Time of Year indicates optimal ask timing based on individual giving patterns
- Automated workflows for donor acknowledgments, tax receipts, and engagement sequences
Verdict: Context-dependent. Gravyty excels at gift officer productivity automation—AI that drafts emails, prescribes actions, and automates cultivation workflows for major gift programs. Keela excels at accessible AI insights—donor scoring and optimization that empowers generalist staff without technical expertise. Choose Gravyty for 1:1 automation depth; choose Keela for team-wide insight accessibility.
CRM Infrastructure & Integration
How each platform handles donor data management and system integration
Gravyty
Enhancement layer for existing CRMs: Gravyty is not a donor database—it integrates bi-directionally with your existing enterprise CRM to enhance gift officer productivity without replacing infrastructure.
- Native integrations: Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, Ellucian, Team Dynamix, Slate
- Bi-directional sync: All outreach automatically written back to CRM
- Requires existing enterprise CRM investment and infrastructure
Keela
Standalone all-in-one CRM: Keela provides comprehensive donor database, contact management, gift tracking, and relationship history in one integrated platform.
- Replaces spreadsheets and basic systems—no external CRM needed
- Integrations: Mailchimp, Constant Contact, QuickBooks, PayPal, Stripe, Zapier
- All-in-one eliminates need for separate CRM investment
Verdict: Fundamentally different approaches. Gravyty assumes you already have an enterprise CRM (Salesforce, Raiser's Edge) and enhances it with productivity automation. Keela provides the CRM itself along with fundraising tools—ideal for organizations without existing infrastructure. Gravyty = enhancement layer; Keela = complete replacement.
Email & Communication Capabilities
How each platform handles donor communications and outreach
Gravyty
Personalized 1:1 automation: Gravyty focuses on automating individualized donor outreach for gift officers managing major donor portfolios.
- AI pre-drafts personalized emails in gift officer's writing style
- Automated stewardship messages and follow-up sequences
- Behavior tracking: opens, clicks, response monitoring
- Not designed for mass email campaigns (1:1 focus)
Keela
Full email marketing platform: Keela provides comprehensive email campaign tools for newsletters, appeals, and segmented communications.
- Unlimited emails included in all pricing tiers
- Drag-and-drop email builder with templates
- Advanced segmentation based on giving, engagement, demographics
- Automated workflows and drip campaigns
Verdict: Different communication models. Gravyty wins for 1:1 personalized major donor outreach with AI email drafting (gift officer productivity). Keela wins for mass email marketing campaigns, newsletters, and segmented appeals (broad donor engagement). Organizations with dedicated gift officers need Gravyty's approach; small teams managing diverse campaigns need Keela's versatility.
Reporting & Analytics
How each platform delivers insights and fundraising intelligence
Gravyty
Gift officer productivity metrics: Gravyty reports focus on fundraiser effectiveness, donor engagement, and relationship velocity.
- Outreach volume and response rates per gift officer
- Donor engagement tracking (opens, clicks, meeting conversions)
- Pipeline movement and cultivation stage progression
- Comprehensive financial reporting through integrated CRM
Keela
Comprehensive fundraising reports: Keela provides user-friendly reporting across all fundraising dimensions with customizable dashboards.
- Built-in reports: giving trends, donor retention, campaign performance
- Drag-and-drop custom report builder (no SQL required)
- Dashboard visualizations for at-a-glance insights
- Users report "incredibly insightful" and "easy to build" reports
Verdict: Both provide strong reporting within their respective domains. Gravyty reports focus on gift officer productivity and major gift pipeline metrics (enhanced by CRM reporting). Keela provides comprehensive all-in-one fundraising reports with user-friendly customization praised as "easy to build." Choose based on reporting needs: gift officer KPIs (Gravyty) vs comprehensive fundraising intelligence (Keela).
Pricing Breakdown & Total Cost of Ownership
Pricing represents one of the most significant differentiators between Gravyty and Keela. Gravyty uses custom enterprise pricing typical of specialized B2B software targeting higher education and large nonprofits, while Keela offers transparent tiered pricing designed for budget-conscious small-to-mid-sized organizations. Understanding total cost of ownership requires looking beyond monthly fees to implementation costs, required infrastructure, and hidden expenses.
Gravyty Pricing
Enterprise custom pricing model
Pricing Model
Custom pricing (contact for quote)
Based on institution size, number of gift officers, CRM platform, and feature requirements
What's Included
- • AI-powered gift officer productivity tools
- • Bi-directional CRM integration
- • Predictive email drafting
- • Daily action plans
- • Enterprise onboarding and training
- • Dedicated account management
Additional Costs
- • Existing enterprise CRM required (Salesforce: $2,400-4,800/org/year; Raiser's Edge: custom)
- • Implementation and integration services
- • Gift officer training and change management
- • Potential add-ons: Advance (digital fundraising), Gratavid (video messaging)
Note: Gravyty pricing is not publicly disclosed. Contact Gravyty directly for custom quotes based on your institution's specific needs and scale.
Keela Pricing
Transparent tiered pricing for nonprofits
Pricing Tiers (Annual Billing)
- Up to 2,000 contacts: $149/month
- 2,000-5,000 contacts: $160/month
- 5,000-10,000 contacts: ~$200-250/month (est.)
- 10,000+ contacts: Custom pricing
Monthly billing available at ~20-25% higher cost
What's Included (All Tiers)
- • Unlimited users, emails, donations, forms
- • Complete CRM & donor management
- • AI tools: Donor Score, Smart Ask, Time of Year
- • Email marketing platform
- • Event management & volunteer tracking
- • Online donation forms & payment processing
- • Unlimited email support & online training
Additional Costs
- • No setup fees or contracts
- • Payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 via Stripe/PayPal)
- • Optional SMS credits for text messaging
- • No CRM infrastructure required (all-in-one)
Value: Save up to 23% with annual billing. Pricing scales with contact count, not features—all capabilities included at every tier.
Total Cost of Ownership: 3-Year Analysis
| Scenario | Gravyty Estimated TCO | Keela TCO | Cost Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Nonprofit $100K-$500K revenue, 1,000 contacts, 2-5 staff, no existing CRM | $60,000-$90,000+ Gravyty: $15K-$25K/year (est.) | $5,364 $149/month × 36 months | Gravyty costs $55K-$85K MORE Keela saves 90%+ over 3 years |
| Mid-Sized Nonprofit $1M-$5M revenue, 5,000 contacts, 5-15 staff, existing Salesforce | $90,000-$150,000+ Gravyty: $25K-$40K/year (est.) | $5,760 $160/month × 36 months | Gravyty costs $80K-$130K MORE ROI depends on gift officer productivity gains |
| Large Institution / Higher Ed $10M+ revenue, 20,000+ contacts, 10+ gift officers, Raiser's Edge | $150,000-$300,000+ Gravyty: $40K-$80K/year (est.) | $7,200-$12,000 Custom pricing for 10K-20K+ contacts | Context-dependent Gravyty's gift officer productivity ROI may justify cost for institutions with major gift programs |
Important TCO Considerations
- • Gravyty estimates: Actual pricing not publicly disclosed; estimates based on typical enterprise software pricing for similar solutions. Contact Gravyty for accurate quotes.
- • ROI calculation: For large institutions, if Gravyty enables each of 10 gift officers to secure 2 additional $25K major gifts annually through productivity gains, that's $500K additional revenue justifying $50K-$80K annual investment.
- • Infrastructure costs: Gravyty requires existing enterprise CRM; Keela replaces it. Factor CRM costs into total ownership calculations.
- • Staff time value: Keela's 2-4 week implementation vs Gravyty's enterprise onboarding represents significant staff time cost differences.
Bottom Line: Keela is dramatically more affordable ($5K-$12K over 3 years) for small-to-mid-sized nonprofits without existing enterprise CRMs. Gravyty's higher investment ($60K-$300K+ over 3 years) is justified only for organizations with dedicated gift officer teams where productivity multiplication delivers measurable ROI through increased major gift revenue. The "right" choice depends on your fundraising model, not just your budget.
Real-World Use Case Scenarios
When Gravyty Excels
Higher Education Annual Fund
Large university with 8 gift officers
Challenge: Each gift officer manages 200+ alumni relationships but can only personally engage 50-75 donors annually through manual processes, leaving 125+ donors under-cultivated.
Solution: Gravyty's AI drafts personalized emails, prescribes daily action plans, and tracks engagement automatically—enabling each officer to meaningfully engage 150-200 donors annually while maintaining authentic relationship quality.
Result: 4x increase in donor touchpoints, 25% improvement in major gift conversion rates, $2M additional revenue in year one across 8-person team. ROI of 10:1 on Gravyty investment.
Healthcare Nonprofit Major Gifts Program
$50M revenue organization with existing Salesforce
Challenge: 5 major gift officers spend 40% of time on administrative tasks (CRM data entry, email composition, meeting notes) instead of donor cultivation.
Solution: Gravyty's bi-directional Salesforce integration eliminates double data entry, AI email drafting saves 10 hours/week per officer, automated follow-up prompts ensure no donor falls through cracks.
Result: 50 hours/week freed across team (equivalent to hiring 1.25 FTE), 35% increase in donor meetings booked, $3.5M in new major gifts attributed to improved cultivation cadence.
Community Foundation Planned Giving
Regional foundation with 500+ legacy society members
Challenge: 2 planned giving officers can't maintain regular personal contact with 500 planned giving prospects and legacy society members—many donors go 12-18 months without meaningful touchpoints.
Solution: Gravyty enables officers to send personalized stewardship emails, birthday messages, and impact updates at scale while AI tracks engagement and prioritizes high-intent prospects for personal meetings.
Result: Every planned giving society member receives 6+ personalized touchpoints annually (up from 1-2), 15 new bequest commitments in year one valued at $12M total, improved donor satisfaction scores.
When Keela Excels
Growing Animal Shelter
$500K revenue, 3 staff, managing donors in spreadsheets
Challenge: Development Director spends 15 hours/week managing donor data across Excel, MailChimp, QuickBooks, and Google Forms—missing opportunities due to data silos and manual processes.
Solution: Keela consolidates all donor data, email marketing, online donations, and event registration into one $149/month platform. Smart Ask optimizes donation amounts, Donor Score identifies cultivation priorities, automated thank-you workflows save 8 hours/week.
Result: 12 hours/week saved (30% more time for relationship building), 22% increase in average online gift due to Smart Ask, 18% improvement in donor retention through automated engagement, operational within 3 weeks.
Youth Development Nonprofit
$2M budget, 7 staff, outgrew basic CRM
Challenge: Using DonorPerfect Essentials but need more robust segmentation, email marketing, and donor insights without jumping to $10K+ enterprise platform and complex implementation.
Solution: Keela provides sophisticated donor segmentation, AI-powered donor scoring, unlimited email campaigns, and comprehensive reporting at $160/month for 3,500 contacts—10x less than enterprise alternatives.
Result: Migrated from DonorPerfect in 4 weeks, saved $8,000 annually vs. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud quote, launched segmented monthly donor program generating $45K additional annual revenue using Time of Year AI insights.
Environmental Advocacy Group
$750K revenue, 5-person team, first CRM implementation
Challenge: Never used a CRM before (managing 2,000 supporters in Google Sheets), limited technical expertise, need fast implementation for year-end campaign in 6 weeks.
Solution: Keela's "extremely user-friendly" interface enables team to get operational in 2 weeks with minimal training. Drag-and-drop email builder, donor scoring, and automated workflows accessible to non-technical staff.
Result: Year-end campaign launched on time with segmented appeals based on Donor Score, raised $185K (35% above previous year), all 5 staff members trained and comfortable using system within first month.
Learning Curve & Implementation Timeline
Gravyty Implementation
Enterprise onboarding for specialized teams
Difficulty Rating
Implementation Timeline
- Week 1-2:Discovery and CRM integration configuration
- Week 3-4:Gift officer training on AI workflows and email drafting
- Week 5-6:Pilot program with 2-3 gift officers, AI learning period
- Week 7-8:Full team rollout and optimization
- Month 3+:AI refinement as system learns writing styles
What Makes It Complex
- • CRM integration setup requires technical expertise
- • Gift officers must adapt to AI-suggested workflows
- • Change management for team adoption
- • Learning to trust and refine AI email drafts
Time to Proficiency
2-3 months for most gift officers to fully leverage AI capabilities and develop efficient workflows
Keela Implementation
Rapid deployment for generalist teams
Difficulty Rating
Implementation Timeline
- Week 1:Account setup, data import, basic configuration
- Week 2:Team training (2-3 hours), donation forms, email templates
- Week 3-4:Fully operational with ongoing optimization
- Month 2+:Advanced features, custom reports, workflow automation
What Makes It Easy
- • "Extremely user-friendly" interface praised by users
- • "New staff up and running effortlessly"
- • No technical expertise required
- • AI features accessible without training
Time to Proficiency
2-4 weeks for most users to master core functions; "easy to use right out of the box"
Bottom Line: Keela wins decisively on ease of implementation and learning curve—operational in 2-4 weeks with minimal training vs. Gravyty's 2-3 month enterprise onboarding. However, Gravyty's investment in training pays dividends for organizations with dedicated gift officers where specialized AI workflows deliver ongoing productivity multiplication. Choose based on team capacity: small generalist teams need Keela's simplicity; gift officer programs benefit from Gravyty's depth despite steeper curve.
Integration Ecosystem & Workflow Automation
Integration capabilities fundamentally differ between Gravyty and Keela because they serve different roles in your technology stack. Gravyty assumes you already have an enterprise CRM and focuses on deep bi-directional integration with that system. Keela provides the CRM itself while offering standard integrations for email marketing, accounting, and payment processing. Your existing infrastructure determines which integration model works better.
Gravyty Integrations
Deep CRM integration for enterprise fundraising
Native Bi-Directional CRM Integrations
- • Salesforce - Real-time sync of all donor communications
- • Raiser's Edge - Automated action writeback
- • Ellucian Advance - Higher ed advancement integration
- • Team Dynamix - Enterprise task management
- • Slate - Admissions and advancement coordination
What Gets Synced
- • All AI-drafted emails and donor responses
- • Meeting notes and action items
- • Donor engagement metrics (opens, clicks)
- • Cultivation stage progression
- • Gift officer activity tracking
Key Advantage: Eliminates double data entry entirely. Every donor interaction automatically flows into your institutional system of record.
Keela Integrations
Standard nonprofit tool integrations for all-in-one platform
Native Integrations
- • Email Marketing: Mailchimp, Constant Contact
- • Accounting: QuickBooks Online
- • Payments: PayPal, Stripe (built-in)
- • Analytics: Google Analytics
- • Automation: Zapier (3,000+ apps)
What's Built-In (No Integration Needed)
- • Complete donor CRM and contact management
- • Email marketing platform (unlimited emails)
- • Online donation forms and payment processing
- • Event registration and ticketing
- • Volunteer tracking and scheduling
Key Advantage: All-in-one design reduces integration complexity. Most nonprofits run entirely within Keela without external tools.
Integration Philosophy Differences
Gravyty: "Enhance don't replace" - Assumes you have enterprise infrastructure (CRM, email, payment processing) and integrates deeply with those systems. Best for organizations with existing technology stacks who need specialized fundraising automation.
Keela: "All-in-one simplicity" - Provides CRM, email marketing, donations, events, and volunteer management in one platform, reducing need for integrations. Best for organizations consolidating multiple disconnected tools or upgrading from spreadsheets.
Bottom Line: Choose Gravyty if you already have Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, or similar enterprise CRM and need deep fundraising automation integration. Choose Keela if you're building or consolidating your nonprofit tech stack and want comprehensive functionality in one affordable platform. The "better" integrations depend entirely on your existing infrastructure.
Data Privacy, Security & Compliance
When evaluating fundraising platforms, data security isn't just a checkbox—it's fundamental to maintaining donor trust and meeting regulatory requirements. Both Gravyty and Keela take security seriously, but their approaches reflect their different target markets: Gravyty serves enterprise institutions with complex compliance requirements, while Keela focuses on accessible security for small-to-mid-sized nonprofits.
| Security Feature | Gravyty | Keela |
|---|---|---|
| Data Encryption | AES-256 encryption in transit and at rest | AES-256 encryption in transit and at rest |
| Hosting | Enterprise cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure) | Canadian cloud infrastructure (data sovereignty) |
| SOC 2 Compliance | Enterprise security certifications | SOC 2 Type II certified |
| GDPR Compliance | ✅ Yes - Enterprise data protection | ✅ Yes - Built-in compliance tools |
| PCI DSS Compliance | Through payment processor integrations | ✅ PCI DSS Level 1 certified |
| Access Controls | Role-based permissions, SSO available | Role-based permissions, user activity logs |
| Data Backup | Automated daily backups with redundancy | Automated daily backups, disaster recovery |
| Data Ownership | Customer owns all data; export available | Customer owns all data; full export capability |
Gravyty Security Highlights
- Enterprise-grade security architecture designed for higher education and large institutions
- Data security inherits from integrated CRM's security model (Salesforce Shield, RE security)
- AI processing maintains data privacy—models learn patterns, not sensitive content
- Compliance with institutional security policies and IT requirements
Keela Security Highlights
- SOC 2 Type II certified and PCI DSS Level 1 compliant for payment security
- Canadian cloud hosting provides data sovereignty for Canadian nonprofits
- Built-in GDPR compliance tools (consent management, data deletion requests)
- Regular third-party security audits and penetration testing
Sensitive Data Handling Guidelines
Both platforms are suitable for nonprofit donor data, but consider these factors for sensitive information:
- •Healthcare/HIPAA: Neither platform is HIPAA-certified. For healthcare nonprofits handling protected health information, consult with compliance officers before storing PHI in fundraising systems.
- •Financial data: Both platforms handle payment card data securely through PCI-compliant processors (Stripe, PayPal). Card numbers are never stored directly in the platforms.
- •International data transfers: Keela's Canadian hosting benefits Canadian nonprofits; Gravyty's enterprise infrastructure accommodates international institutions with data residency requirements.
Bottom Line: Both platforms provide robust security appropriate for nonprofit donor data. Gravyty's enterprise security model suits institutions with complex IT requirements and existing CRM security infrastructure. Keela's SOC 2 and PCI DSS certifications provide independent verification of security practices—important for small nonprofits without dedicated IT security staff. Neither has significant security advantage; both are trustworthy for donor information management.
Honest Pros & Cons for Nonprofits
Gravyty
Pros
- ✓Proven productivity multiplication: Enables gift officers to engage 4x more donors without sacrificing relationship quality—measurable ROI for major gift programs
- ✓Sophisticated AI email drafting: Learns individual writing styles and pre-drafts personalized communications that sound authentic—saves 10+ hours/week per fundraiser
- ✓Deep CRM integration: Bi-directional sync with Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, Ellucian eliminates double data entry while maintaining institutional system of record
- ✓Daily intelligent action plans: AI prescribes who to contact, optimal timing, and follow-up priorities—removes guesswork from cultivation workflows
- ✓Specialization for higher education and major gifts: Purpose-built for complex institutional fundraising with multi-year cultivation cycles and large donor portfolios
- ✓Proven at scale: Trusted by 2,750+ institutions including major universities and healthcare systems—mature platform with enterprise support
⚠Cons
- ✗High cost with opaque pricing: Custom enterprise pricing (not disclosed publicly) typically significantly higher than alternatives—likely out of reach for small nonprofits
- ✗Requires existing enterprise CRM: Not a standalone solution—assumes you already pay for Salesforce ($2,400-$4,800/year), Raiser's Edge, or similar, adding to total cost
- ✗Steeper learning curve: Enterprise implementation, CRM integration configuration, and AI workflow training requires 2-3 months to full proficiency
- ✗Not a complete CRM solution: Enhances gift officer productivity but doesn't provide donor database, email marketing campaigns, event management, or comprehensive reporting—requires additional tools
- ✗Primarily designed for higher education: While supporting nonprofits, feature set and pricing model optimized for universities and colleges—may be overkill for smaller organizations
- ✗ROI depends on team structure: Value proposition requires dedicated gift officers with large portfolios—minimal benefit for small teams without specialized fundraising roles
Keela
Pros
- ✓Exceptional affordability: All-in-one CRM, email marketing, events, AI features starting at $149/month—saves $5K-$10K+ annually vs enterprise alternatives
- ✓"Extremely user-friendly" interface: Consistently praised as intuitive with "new staff up and running effortlessly"—minimal training required, operational in 2-4 weeks
- ✓Accessible AI features: Donor Score, Smart Ask, Time of Year insights empower generalist staff without data science expertise—democratizes intelligent fundraising
- ✓All-inclusive transparent pricing: Unlimited users, emails, donations, forms included—no hidden fees, no contracts, clear cost predictability
- ✓Comprehensive all-in-one platform: Replaces multiple tools (CRM + email marketing + donation forms + events + volunteer management) eliminating integration complexity
- ✓Excellent reporting and insights: Users report "incredibly insightful" and "easy to build" reports—powerful analytics accessible to non-technical staff
⚠Cons
- ✗No AI email drafting: Lacks Gravyty's sophisticated AI that pre-writes personalized donor communications—users must compose all emails manually
- ✗Not designed for gift officer specialization: Best for generalist teams; lacks dedicated major gift cultivation workflows and portfolio management tools that enterprise fundraisers need
- ✗Limited advanced customization: Some users note reporting could offer more advanced customization for power users—simpler but less flexible than enterprise platforms
- ✗Smaller integration ecosystem: Covers essential integrations (Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Zapier) but fewer native options than enterprise CRMs with decades of partnership development
- ✗May outgrow platform eventually: Organizations scaling beyond $5-10M revenue or 20,000+ contacts may eventually need enterprise-grade CRM complexity and specialized tools
- ✗AI features less sophisticated: Donor scoring and Smart Ask provide valuable insights but aren't as advanced as enterprise predictive analytics and machine learning models
Honest Assessment: Neither platform is universally "better." Gravyty excels for organizations with dedicated gift officers, existing enterprise CRMs, and budgets for specialized productivity automation. Keela excels for small-to-mid-sized nonprofits seeking affordable all-in-one donor management with accessible AI insights. Choose based on team structure, existing infrastructure, and budget reality—not feature checklists or software reviews written for different organizational contexts.
Decision Framework: Which Tool Fits Your Nonprofit?
Making the right choice between Gravyty and Keela requires honest assessment of your current reality—not aspirational plans or feature wishlists. Answer these five diagnostic questions to determine which platform aligns with your nonprofit's actual situation:
1.Do you have dedicated gift officers managing major donor portfolios?
YES → Gravyty is built for this exact scenario. If you have 2+ staff whose primary role is cultivating 100+ major gift relationships, Gravyty's AI automation delivers measurable productivity ROI.
NO → Keela empowers generalist teams. If your Development Director wears multiple hats (events, grants, communications, major gifts), you need accessible all-in-one tools, not specialized gift officer workflows.
2.Do you currently use an enterprise CRM (Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, Ellucian)?
YES → Gravyty enhances your existing investment. Deep bi-directional integration preserves your CRM while adding AI-powered gift officer productivity—you don't replace infrastructure, you augment it.
NO → Keela provides the CRM itself. If you're using spreadsheets, Google Sheets, or basic donor databases, Keela's all-in-one platform eliminates the need for separate CRM investment entirely (saves $2K-$5K+ annually).
3.What is your realistic annual software budget for donor management and fundraising tools?
$20K-$80K+ annually → Gravyty may be feasible. While pricing is custom, enterprise AI fundraising automation typically requires significant investment. Calculate potential ROI: if productivity gains generate $100K-$500K+ additional major gifts, the investment pays for itself.
$2K-$5K annually → Keela fits this budget. At $1,788-$3,600/year (depending on contact count), you get complete CRM, email marketing, AI tools, events, and unlimited users—comprehensive functionality at small nonprofit pricing.
4.How quickly do you need to be operational?
2-4 weeks → Keela delivers fastest time-to-value. Users consistently report being "fully operational" within 2-4 weeks with minimal training—critical for organizations with immediate campaign deadlines or board mandates.
2-3 months → Gravyty requires patient implementation. Enterprise onboarding, CRM integration, gift officer training, and AI learning periods take time—but deliver long-term productivity multiplication for teams willing to invest upfront.
5.What is your primary fundraising challenge?
Gravyty solves: "Our gift officers can't personally cultivate 150-200 donors each—too many relationships fall through cracks and major gift opportunities are missed due to bandwidth constraints."
Keela solves: "We're managing donors in spreadsheets across multiple disconnected tools—we need integrated CRM, email marketing, donation tracking, and reporting without spending $10K+ annually on enterprise software."
Final Recommendation
If you answered "YES/Gravyty" to questions 1, 2, and 3: Gravyty is worth evaluating. Contact them for custom pricing and ROI analysis specific to your institution.
If you answered "NO/Keela" to questions 1 and 2, or have budget constraints: Keela likely fits better. Start with their free demo to experience the user-friendly interface and AI features firsthand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for nonprofits: Gravyty or Keela?
It depends on your fundraising model and infrastructure. Gravyty is better if you have dedicated gift officers managing major donor portfolios and already use an enterprise CRM like Salesforce or Raiser's Edge. Keela is better if you need an affordable all-in-one CRM ($149/month) with integrated fundraising, email marketing, and accessible AI features for small-to-mid-sized teams.
Does Gravyty replace my CRM or work alongside it?
Gravyty works alongside your existing CRM through bi-directional integrations with Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, Ellucian, and other platforms. It enhances gift officer productivity by automating outreach and syncing all communications back to your CRM—it doesn't replace your donor database. Keela, by contrast, is a standalone all-in-one CRM that replaces spreadsheets or basic systems entirely.
How much does Gravyty cost compared to Keela?
Gravyty uses custom enterprise pricing (contact for quote) typically aimed at larger institutions, while Keela offers transparent pricing starting at $149/month for up to 2,000 contacts. Keela is generally more affordable and includes all features in base pricing—CRM, email marketing, events, donations, and AI tools—without requiring separate CRM infrastructure.
What AI features does Gravyty offer for gift officers?
Gravyty provides predictive AI that drafts personalized donor emails by learning your writing style, daily tailored action plans prescribing who to contact, AI-prioritized outreach recommendations, automated donor behavior tracking, intelligent follow-up prompts, and gift officer productivity analytics. The goal is to help fundraisers engage 4x more donors through intelligent automation.
What AI features does Keela offer for donor management?
Keela provides accessible AI tools including Donor Score (likelihood to give based on behavior and wealth data), Smart Ask (optimal donation amounts customized per donor), Time of Year (best timing for asks based on giving history), Donor Readiness indicators, and Best Way to Reach Out suggestions. These features empower the entire team without requiring data science expertise.
Is Gravyty only for higher education institutions?
While Gravyty was originally built for higher education and serves 2,750+ institutions, it also supports nonprofits. However, it's best suited for organizations with dedicated gift officers, complex major gift programs, and existing enterprise CRMs. Smaller nonprofits without gift officer teams may find Keela's all-in-one approach more appropriate.
Can Keela handle major gift fundraising?
Yes, Keela includes pipeline management, donor scoring, and cultivation tracking suitable for major gifts. However, it lacks Gravyty's specialized gift officer productivity tools like AI email drafting and daily action plans. Keela works well for organizations raising $100K-$5M annually with 2-10 staff managing mixed portfolios; Gravyty excels for larger institutions with dedicated major gift officers managing 100+ donor relationships each.
How quickly can we implement Gravyty vs Keela?
Keela implementation typically takes 2-4 weeks with minimal technical expertise required—users report being "up and running effortlessly." Gravyty requires enterprise onboarding, CRM integration configuration, and gift officer training on AI workflows, taking longer to implement. Keela prioritizes speed and ease; Gravyty prioritizes deep integration and specialized productivity gains.
Still Deciding Between Gravyty and Keela?
Book a free consultation and we'll help you evaluate which platform truly fits your nonprofit's fundraising model, team structure, budget, and existing infrastructure—no sales pitch, just honest guidance.