DonorDock for Nonprofits: All-in-One CRM with AI Fundraising Assistant
Running your entire donor operation from spreadsheets and disconnected tools? DonorDock bundles CRM, email marketing, online giving, SMS, and Otto AI into a single platform at flat pricing with unlimited contacts, so small nonprofits can run like organizations twice their size without the budget to match.
What It Does
Small nonprofit teams often spend more time managing tools than managing relationships. A donor record lives in one spreadsheet, email campaigns run through Mailchimp, donation forms are somewhere else, and nobody has time to connect all the pieces. DonorDock solves this by putting donor management, email marketing, online giving, SMS outreach, and AI-powered action guidance under one roof.
The platform's AI assistant, Otto, surfaces daily priorities for your team through the ActionBoard dashboard. Instead of digging through reports to figure out who needs attention, Otto tells you which donors had birthdays this week, which major donors are overdue for a personal touch, and which lapsed supporters are most likely to re-engage right now. It then helps you write the email or text message to reach them.
DonorDock also handles online giving with built-in donation forms, event ticketing, recurring donations, DAF (donor-advised fund) giving, and text-to-donate, all with no platform fees. The company charges a flat monthly subscription and lets Stripe handle payment processing at standard rates, with donors able to opt in to cover those fees themselves.
Best For
Organization Size
Small to mid-sized nonprofits, typically raising under $3M annually with 1-25 staff. Designed specifically for teams transitioning from spreadsheets or fragmented tools to a proper CRM.
Best Use Cases
- Replacing spreadsheet-based donor tracking
- Consolidating 3-4 tools into one subscription
- Automating donor thank-you and stewardship sequences
- Running email and SMS campaigns without a separate tool
Ideal Roles
- Executive Directors wearing multiple hats
- Development Directors at small organizations
- Operations staff managing communications
- Part-time development staff with limited bandwidth
Key Features for Nonprofits
Otto AI Assistant
Smart nudges and automated stewardship
Otto surfaces daily action priorities, drafts personalized donor emails, suggests content headings and CTA buttons, and helps write grant content, all without leaving the platform.
- Birthday and milestone reminders for each donor
- Lapsed donor re-engagement alerts
- AI-generated email drafts from brief prompts
Unlimited Contacts
No per-contact pricing penalties
Unlike competitors that charge more as your donor base grows, DonorDock includes unlimited contacts on every plan. Your price stays flat even as your organization scales.
- Full activity tracking: gifts, meetings, calls, events
- Pledge tracking and in-kind gift recording
- Volunteer hour logging alongside donor records
6 Automated Donor Journeys
Pre-built stewardship sequences ready to deploy
DonorDock ships with six pre-built automated journeys covering the full donor lifecycle, so you don't have to build sequences from scratch.
- New prospect, first-time donor, and recurring donor flows
- Mid-level, major donor, and lapsed donor sequences
- Customizable triggers and message timing
No Platform Fees
Built-in giving with zero percentage take
DonorDock includes donation forms, event ticketing, recurring giving, DAF giving, text-to-donate, and scan-to-give in every plan with no platform fees on top of Stripe processing.
- Supports Stripe, PayPal, Square, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay
- Donor-covered fee option built into every form
- Automatic receipt and thank-you generation
How DonorDock Uses AI
DonorDock's AI capabilities center on its Otto assistant, which launched in June 2025. Here's what's actually AI-powered versus standard automation.
What's Actually AI-Powered
Smart Nudges and Priority Surfacing
Otto analyzes each donor's giving history, engagement patterns, and relationship stage to proactively surface action items. Rather than waiting for staff to remember to follow up, Otto identifies which relationships need attention today and presents them in the ActionBoard.
AI-Generated Email Drafts
Staff can describe the purpose of a communication (a major donor thank-you, a lapsed donor re-engagement, an event invitation) and Otto produces a draft personalized to that specific donor using their record data. This uses generative AI similar to ChatGPT, integrated directly into the workflow.
Smart Content Suggestions
Otto suggests email headings, button text, and messaging angles based on the communication context and donor segment. This is a generative AI feature that saves time for staff who find blank-page writing challenging.
What's Standard Automation (Not AI)
- The 6 pre-built donor journeys are rule-based automation, not AI-driven sequencing
- Automatic thank-you emails after a gift are triggered by rules, not machine learning
- Reporting dashboards and fundraising analytics are standard data aggregation
- Contact record maintenance based on activity data is automated database logic
AI Transparency and Limitations
- Otto works best with at least 6 months of donor interaction data, so newer organizations may see more generic suggestions early on
- AI-generated email drafts should be reviewed before sending, particularly for major donor communications where tone is critical
- Smart nudges are based on your organization's data only, they don't use external wealth or philanthropic data
- Your donor data is not shared with or used to train AI models for other organizations (SOC 2 Type II certified)
Real-World Nonprofit Use Case
Imagine a food pantry with a 2-person staff managing 800 donors across three spreadsheets, a separate Mailchimp account, and donation forms hosted elsewhere. Each year-end giving season means manually cross-referencing files to figure out who gave last year but hasn't given yet this year, then individually drafting re-engagement emails.
After migrating to DonorDock, their lapsed donor journey activates automatically 90 days after a donor's last gift. Otto surfaces those at-risk relationships daily on the ActionBoard, and when the development director is ready to reach out, Otto drafts a personalized message referencing that donor's giving history. The donation form links directly to donor records, and QuickBooks syncs automatically for accounting.
The result isn't just time savings. It's consistent, professional stewardship that previously only happened when someone remembered to do it. For a 2-person team, that kind of systematic approach makes a measurable difference in donor retention over time.
Quick Win: Start with the Free Steward Tool
Before committing to a subscription, try DonorDock's free Steward AI chat tool at donordock.com/landing/ai-assistant-for-nonprofits. Ask it to draft a donor thank-you email or a re-engagement message for a lapsed supporter. This gives you a realistic sense of Otto's capabilities before you import any data.
Time invested: 15 minutes. What you'll learn: Whether the AI's writing style fits your organization's voice and donor relationships.
Pricing
All plans billed annually. Monthly billing is available for Grow ($300/month) and Amplify plans at a premium. All plans include unlimited contacts, 100+ platform features, Otto AI, 5,000+ integrations, SOC 2 Type II security, and no platform fees on donations.
| Plan | Price/Month | Users | Emails/Month | SMS Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build | $98 | 2 | 1,000 | 250 |
| Grow | $250 | 5 | 10,000 | 1,000 |
| Amplify | $585 | 25 | 50,000 | 2,500 |
- Free trial: 90-day money-back guarantee on all plans (unusually generous for SaaS)
- Amplify perks: Includes white-glove data migration (valued at $1,200) and dedicated onboarding
- User limits: Additional users beyond the included count cost extra, which can affect growing teams
- Email limits: Build plan's 1,000 emails/month is limiting for active campaigns; Grow plan is more realistic for regular communications
Pricing is subject to change. Verify current pricing directly with DonorDock before purchasing.
Nonprofit Pricing Program
Organizations with annual revenue under $300,000 qualify for special pricing starting at $98/month (the Build plan rate). This effectively makes DonorDock accessible to early-stage nonprofits and small community organizations that need a real CRM without enterprise-level costs.
There is no formal TechSoup-verified discount program, but the revenue-based threshold combined with free onboarding support, live training, and data migration assistance makes the real cost of getting started significantly lower than the subscription price alone.
How to access:
- Contact DonorDock sales directly and mention your organization's revenue
- Free onboarding, live training sessions, and a help academy are included at no extra charge
- Data migration assistance included free on the Amplify plan
- No long-term contracts required; cancel anytime
Learning Curve
Difficulty: Beginner
Non-technical staff can be fully operational quickly
- Account setup: 2-3 hours, including connecting payment processor
- First campaign: Ready to send within the same day as setup
- Full proficiency: 1-2 weeks of regular use
- Advanced automation: 2-4 weeks to fully configure journeys and integrations
Support Available
- Free live training sessions and webinars
- DonorDock Academy video library
- Free data import assistance
- Chat and email support; G2 support score: 9.8/10
- White-glove migration assistance (Amplify plan)
Integrations and Compatibility
Native Integrations
- Accounting: QuickBooks Online
- Payments: Stripe, PayPal, Square, ACH
- Email marketing: Mailchimp, Constant Contact
- Fundraising: Donorbox, Give Lively, Givebutter, GoFundMe Pro
- Matching gifts: Double the Donation
- Volunteers: POINT
Via Zapier (5,000+ Apps)
- Salesforce, Google Sheets, Airtable, Microsoft Dynamics
- Gmail, Outlook, ActiveCampaign, Kit (ConvertKit)
- Asana, Monday.com, Slack, Trello, Basecamp
- Eventbrite, JotForm, Google Forms, DocuSign
- Thanks.io (postcards), Gratavid (video outreach)
Data Portability
- Full CSV export of all donor and contact data
- QuickBooks export for accounting reconciliation
- SOC 2 Type II certified with daily backups on U.S. servers
Pros and Cons
Pros
- All-in-one value: Eliminates 3-4 separate tool subscriptions (CRM, email, SMS, giving forms) with flat pricing
- Unlimited contacts: Price stays the same as your donor base grows, unlike most competitors
- No platform fees: 100% of every donation goes to your mission (minus processor fees)
- Exceptional support: 9.8/10 on G2, free onboarding and training included
- Action-oriented design: ActionBoard tells you what to do today, not just what happened
- 90-day guarantee: Low-risk trial period longer than most SaaS tools
Cons
- Limited email volume on Build plan: 1,000 emails/month is insufficient for active campaigns to even a modest donor list
- No native peer-to-peer fundraising: If P2P campaigns are core to your strategy, you'll need a separate platform or Zapier integration
- Limited event management depth: Handles basic event ticketing but lacks auction management or complex event logistics
- Smaller brand recognition: Less established than Bloomerang or Salesforce, which matters for board-level technology decisions
- User add-on costs: Additional users beyond plan limits add to monthly cost for growing teams
When DonorDock May Not Be the Right Fit
If your organization raises primarily through peer-to-peer events, online auctions, or large galas with complex registration needs, DonorDock's giving tools may not go deep enough. Similarly, organizations with existing large donor databases, complex grant management workflows, or sophisticated multi-entity reporting needs may find enterprise platforms like Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud more suitable, though at considerably higher cost and complexity.
Alternatives to Consider
Bloomerang
Bloomerang is more established with stronger brand recognition and deep focus on donor retention analytics. It starts at $125/month but scales by contact count, making it more expensive for growing lists. Choose Bloomerang if retention analytics and reporting are your primary need and budget allows. Learn about Bloomerang for nonprofits.
Little Green Light
Little Green Light starts at $45/month (lower entry price) but charges a 3% transaction fee, lacks AI features, and has a dated interface. It's a reasonable choice for very small organizations already familiar with it, but DonorDock offers significantly better value for most organizations looking to grow their fundraising capabilities.
Virtuous CRM
Virtuous focuses on "responsive fundraising" with sophisticated journey orchestration and AI-powered donor insights. It's better suited to mid-sized and larger nonprofits with more complex needs and budgets to match. If you're managing major gifts programs, planned giving, or complex multi-channel campaigns, Virtuous goes deeper than DonorDock. Learn about Virtuous for nonprofits.
Getting Started
Step 1: Test the free Steward AI tool (15 minutes)
Visit donordock.com/landing/ai-assistant-for-nonprofits and use the free Steward AI chat to draft 2-3 donor communications. This is the fastest way to evaluate whether Otto's writing style and suggestions match your needs before committing to a subscription.
Step 2: Start a free trial and connect your donation platform (2-3 hours)
Create your account, connect Stripe or PayPal, and build your first donation form. Before importing donor data, spend 30 minutes in the ActionBoard to understand the daily workflow Otto creates. Clean your existing donor spreadsheet (remove duplicates, standardize names and email addresses) before importing, because the AI's suggestions improve significantly with clean data.
Step 3: Import your donors and activate one automated journey (1-2 hours)
Use DonorDock's free import assistance or upload your spreadsheet directly. Then activate just one of the six pre-built journeys, the first-time donor welcome sequence is the easiest and most immediately valuable. Let it run for 30 days before adjusting anything.
Step 4: Send your first Otto-assisted campaign (30 minutes)
Use Otto to draft an email to a small segment (50-100 donors). Review the draft, personalize as needed, and send. Compare your open and click rates to your previous campaigns. Most teams see measurable improvement in engagement within the first 30-60 days from the combination of better segmentation and consistent stewardship.
Need Help with Implementation?
Migrating to a new CRM, even a user-friendly one, takes time your team may not have. Whether you need help with data cleanup, migration, staff training, or configuring automated journeys, One Hundred Nights provides implementation support for small and mid-sized nonprofits.
Contact Us to Learn MoreFrequently Asked Questions
Is DonorDock free for nonprofits?
DonorDock is not free, but its Steward AI chat tool (donordock.com/landing/ai-assistant-for-nonprofits) is free with no account required. Paid plans start at $98/month annually. Organizations with revenue under $300,000 can contact DonorDock directly for special pricing. A 90-day money-back guarantee applies to all plans.
What is Otto AI in DonorDock?
Otto is DonorDock's built-in AI assistant, launched June 2025 and included at no extra cost on all paid plans. It surfaces daily action priorities (smart nudges), drafts personalized donor emails, suggests content, and assists with grant writing. The Steward free tool is a standalone, no-account version of Otto.
How does DonorDock compare to Bloomerang?
DonorDock offers flat pricing with unlimited contacts starting at $98/month versus Bloomerang's contact-based tiers starting at $125/month. DonorDock includes built-in SMS and AI, and scores higher on G2 for ease of use (9.6 vs. 8.4) and support (9.8 vs. 8.8). Bloomerang has deeper retention analytics and more established market presence. For most small nonprofits, DonorDock offers better value; for organizations where retention analysis is paramount, Bloomerang is worth considering.
What integrations does DonorDock support?
Native integrations include QuickBooks Online, Stripe, PayPal, Square, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Double the Donation, and fundraising platforms like Donorbox, Give Lively, and Givebutter. Through Zapier, DonorDock connects with 5,000+ additional apps including Salesforce, Google Sheets, Asana, Slack, and Eventbrite.
Does DonorDock charge platform fees on donations?
No. DonorDock charges zero platform fees. Donors pay only standard Stripe processing fees (2.2% + $0.30), and can optionally cover those fees themselves. There are no percentage charges from DonorDock on any donation amount or fundraising volume.
How long does it take to get started with DonorDock?
Initial setup takes 2-3 hours. Data migration from a spreadsheet takes 1-2 additional hours, and DonorDock provides free import assistance. Most nonprofits send their first campaign within 24-48 hours of signing up. Full proficiency with automated journeys and advanced features typically takes 1-2 weeks of regular use.
Is DonorDock suitable for large nonprofits?
DonorDock is optimized for small to mid-sized nonprofits. The Amplify plan supports 25 users and 50,000 emails/month, which fits many mid-sized organizations. Larger nonprofits with complex peer-to-peer fundraising, multi-entity structures, or deep grant management needs may require enterprise platforms. DonorDock is actively expanding its capabilities, so check current features if you're evaluating it for a growing organization.