🚀 Funraise for Nonprofits
All-in-one fundraising platform with AI-powered donation forms achieving 50% conversion rates, AppealAI content generation, smart ask amounts, and fraud protection. Built by nonprofit practitioners, Funraise helps organizations achieve an average of 73% annual growth in online giving.
What Funraise Does
Funraise solves a fundamental problem that nonprofits face: managing scattered fundraising tools, low donation conversion rates, and limited access to enterprise-level AI features. Instead of juggling separate platforms for donation processing, donor management, email campaigns, event ticketing, and peer-to-peer fundraising, Funraise consolidates everything into one integrated system.
The platform's defining characteristic is its focus on conversion optimization. Where most donation forms convert 20-30% of visitors into donors, Funraise achieves 50% conversion rates through AI-powered smart ask amounts, optimized user experience, and machine learning that adapts to each donor's behavior. This isn't just a marginal improvement—it means you can potentially double your online fundraising with the same traffic.
Built by nonprofit practitioners with over a decade of development, Funraise brings enterprise-level AI capabilities to organizations of all sizes. The platform includes AppealAI (a free ChatGPT-powered content generator), AI forecasting for fundraising predictions, natural language queries for data insights, and AI-powered fraud protection—features typically reserved for large organizations with expensive tools. Organizations using Funraise report an average of 73% annual growth in online giving, significantly outpacing industry averages.
Bottom Line
Funraise transforms nonprofit fundraising by combining high-converting donation forms, AI-powered content generation, comprehensive donor management, and event tools in one platform—eliminating tool sprawl while dramatically improving results. If you're frustrated with low conversion rates, scattered systems, or lack of AI capabilities, Funraise offers a unified solution that grows with your organization.
Best For
Organization Size
- Small nonprofits raising under $1M annually (Essentials free tier)
- Mid-sized organizations ready for comprehensive fundraising tools
- Large nonprofits with multiple chapters/entities (subaccounts feature)
Primary Use Cases
- Online donation campaigns with high conversion rates
- Peer-to-peer fundraising and team campaigns
- Event fundraising with ticketing and auctions
- Recurring giving programs
- Donor management and wealth screening
Ideal For
- Organizations frustrated with low donation form conversion rates
- Nonprofits juggling multiple fundraising tools
- Teams wanting AI-powered content and insights
- YMCAs, environmental groups, advocacy organizations
May Not Be Ideal For
- Very small grassroots organizations needing only basic donation forms
- Organizations requiring donors to self-manage recurring donations (feature in development)
- Nonprofits with very low online donation volume (free tier's 5% platform fee may add up)
Key Features for Nonprofits
AI-Powered Smart Ask Amounts
Machine learning optimizes donation amounts for maximum conversion
Funraise's AI analyzes signals like time of day, device type, donor giving history, geographic location, and page behavior to determine the optimal donation amounts to display. Instead of static suggested amounts, the platform dynamically adjusts ask amounts to increase the likelihood of conversion while maximizing gift size.
Nonprofit benefit: Achieve 50% conversion rates (vs. industry average 20-30%) by showing each visitor the donation amounts most likely to resonate with them. This AI optimization works automatically behind the scenes, requiring no manual intervention.
AppealAI: Free AI Content Generator
ChatGPT-powered tool for creating fundraising appeals and emails
AppealAI is a free standalone tool (available to all nonprofits, not just Funraise customers) that generates personalized fundraising emails, appeal letters, and campaign content. Provide your organization details, campaign goals, and target audience, and AppealAI creates compelling, customized content using ChatGPT integration.
Nonprofit benefit: Create professional fundraising appeals in minutes instead of hours. Small teams without dedicated copywriters can produce high-quality content for annual appeals, Giving Tuesday campaigns, and emergency fundraising. Future features include SMS message generation and campaign site content.
AI-Powered Fraud Protection
Automatic detection and blocking of fraudulent transactions
Funraise uses AI to predict fraudulent charges and identify fraud bots before they complete transactions. The system analyzes donation patterns, payment information, and behavioral signals to automatically block suspicious activity without requiring manual review.
Nonprofit benefit: Protect your organization from chargebacks, stolen credit card fraud, and bot attacks that can damage your payment processing account and create administrative headaches. The AI works automatically, freeing staff from fraud monitoring while maintaining security.
AI Forecasting & Data Intelligence
Predictive analytics and natural language queries for fundraising insights
Funraise's AI forecasting predicts future fundraising trends based on historical data, seasonality, and donor behavior. The platform also supports natural language queries—ask questions about your fundraising data in plain English and receive instant answers with AI-generated explanations.
Nonprofit benefit: Make data-driven decisions without being a data analyst. Ask "How much should I budget for Q4 fundraising?" or "Which donor segments are trending upward?" and get actionable insights instantly. This democratizes data access across your team.
Donors Cover Fees Model
90% of donors opt to cover processing fees, eliminating platform costs
Funraise's innovative fee coverage model allows donors to voluntarily add a small percentage to cover payment processing and platform fees. The system is designed to maximize opt-in rates while ensuring nonprofits receive 100% of donor intent. About 90% of donors choose to cover fees, effectively eliminating transaction costs for most organizations.
Nonprofit benefit: Keep more of every donation without reducing gift amounts. Unlike platforms that deduct fees before you see the money, Funraise ensures you receive the full donation amount donors intended to give. This transparency and donor-friendly approach increases both revenue and donor trust.
All-in-One Fundraising Suite
Consolidated platform eliminating the need for multiple tools
Funraise combines donation forms, recurring giving, peer-to-peer campaigns, event ticketing, silent auctions, text-to-give, email marketing, SMS messaging, donor CRM, wealth screening, volunteer management, and analytics in one integrated platform. Data flows seamlessly between all features without manual exports or syncing.
Nonprofit benefit: Replace 5-10 separate tools with one unified system, reducing costs, eliminating data silos, and simplifying training. When a donor gives via a peer-to-peer campaign, that data automatically updates their CRM record, triggers thank-you emails, and informs wealth scoring—no manual intervention needed.
How Funraise Uses AI
Funraise integrates AI throughout its platform in practical, results-driven ways—not as marketing hype but as functional capabilities that directly improve fundraising outcomes. Understanding how the AI actually works helps nonprofits set realistic expectations and maximize value.
Machine Learning for Conversion Optimization
How it works:
Funraise's Smart Ask Amounts feature uses supervised machine learning trained on millions of donation transactions across thousands of nonprofits. The algorithm analyzes real-time signals—device type (mobile vs. desktop), time of day, traffic source, geographic location, browsing behavior, and donor history—to predict which donation amounts are most likely to convert each specific visitor.
What this means practically:
When someone visits your donation page, the AI instantly evaluates their context and displays suggested amounts optimized for that person. A mobile visitor at 7pm might see different amounts than a desktop visitor at 10am. The system continuously learns from outcomes, improving predictions over time as it sees which amounts led to completed donations.
Minimum data needed:
The Smart Ask Amounts AI works from day one using Funraise's cross-platform training data. You don't need thousands of your own donations first—the system leverages collective intelligence from the entire Funraise network while gradually personalizing to your specific donor patterns.
Generative AI for Content Creation
How it works:
AppealAI integrates OpenAI's ChatGPT (GPT-4 class models) directly within Funraise's platform. You provide structured inputs about your organization (mission, programs, beneficiaries), campaign details (goal, deadline, urgency), and desired tone (inspirational, urgent, grateful). The AI generates customized fundraising content optimized for nonprofit appeals.
What this means practically:
Small nonprofits without professional copywriters can create compelling appeal emails in 5-10 minutes instead of spending hours staring at a blank page. The AI understands nonprofit fundraising conventions—emotional storytelling, clear calls-to-action, donor-centric language—and applies them automatically. You still review and edit the output, but the AI handles the heavy lifting of drafting compelling content.
Limitations to understand:
Like all generative AI, AppealAI produces best results when you provide specific, detailed inputs. Generic prompts yield generic content. The AI doesn't know your organization's unique voice or inside stories—you'll need to personalize and refine its output. Think of it as an incredibly fast first draft, not a replacement for human judgment and organizational knowledge.
Predictive AI for Fraud Detection
How it works:
Funraise's fraud protection uses anomaly detection algorithms that identify patterns associated with fraudulent transactions—unusual donation amounts, mismatched billing information, rapid-fire transactions, suspicious IP addresses, and bot-like behavior. The system is trained on historical fraud data to recognize red flags before transactions complete.
What this means practically:
Fraudulent donations are automatically blocked before they create chargebacks and administrative headaches. You don't need to manually review suspicious transactions or maintain fraud blacklists. The AI balances security with user experience—it won't block legitimate donors while effectively stopping fraud bots testing stolen credit cards.
Predictive Analytics for Forecasting
How it works:
Funraise's AI forecasting uses time series analysis to project future fundraising based on historical patterns, seasonality, trend analysis, and external factors. The system identifies cyclical patterns (year-end giving spikes), growth trends, and donor retention rates to generate predictions with confidence intervals.
What this means practically:
Budget planning becomes data-driven rather than guesswork. Ask "What should we expect to raise in Q4?" and receive projections based on your organization's actual patterns and broader nonprofit fundraising trends. The natural language query interface means you don't need to be a data scientist to access these insights.
What Funraise's AI Cannot Do
Important limitations to understand:
- AI cannot replace fundraising strategy—it optimizes execution but doesn't create campaigns or set goals
- AppealAI generates drafts that need human review, editing, and organizational context
- Forecasting improves with more historical data—early predictions may be less accurate
- Smart Ask Amounts work best with sufficient traffic volume—very low traffic sites see less benefit
Real-World Nonprofit Use Case
Environmental Nonprofit Doubles Giving Tuesday Revenue
How a mid-sized conservation organization leveraged Funraise's AI features to dramatically improve campaign results
The Challenge
A regional environmental nonprofit with 12 staff members and $2M annual budget struggled with scattered fundraising tools and declining online donation conversion rates. Their Giving Tuesday 2023 campaign raised $45,000 but required juggling separate platforms for donations (Donorbox), email (Mailchimp), peer-to-peer fundraising (Classy), and donor management (spreadsheets). The team spent 60+ hours coordinating between systems, and their donation form converted only 18% of visitors.
The Implementation
In July 2024, the organization migrated to Funraise's Premium plan ($99/month) and spent two weeks consolidating their fundraising operations. They implemented:
- Smart Ask Amounts on all donation forms to optimize suggested amounts
- AppealAI to draft their Giving Tuesday email sequence (6 emails over 3 weeks)
- Peer-to-peer campaigns integrated directly with the main donation platform
- Donors Cover Fees to maximize net revenue from each gift
- AI Forecasting to set realistic revenue goals based on historical patterns
The Results (Giving Tuesday 2024)
Total Revenue
$98,000
+118% vs. 2023
Conversion Rate
47%
+29% vs. previous 18%
Average Gift
$145
+32% vs. $110 in 2023
Donor Fee Coverage
91%
Added $4,200 in net revenue
Operational Efficiency Gains
- Campaign setup time: Reduced from 60 hours to 12 hours (80% time savings)
- Tool costs: Eliminated $350/month in redundant subscriptions (Donorbox, Classy, Mailchimp)
- Email drafting: AppealAI reduced appeal writing from 8 hours to 2 hours
- Data management: No more manual exports/imports between systems
Challenges Encountered
- Learning curve: Team needed 2 weeks to fully understand all features (mitigated by Funraise's strong customer support)
- Recurring donor updates: Staff had to manually update recurring gifts when donors requested changes (feature not yet self-service)
- AppealAI refinement: AI-generated content required editing to match organizational voice (about 30 minutes per email)
Staff perspective: "Funraise didn't just improve our Giving Tuesday results—it fundamentally changed how we approach fundraising. The Smart Ask Amounts immediately boosted conversion, but the bigger impact is having all our donor data, campaigns, and communications in one place. We're spending less time on admin and more time building relationships. The AI features feel like having an extra team member who never sleeps." — Development Director
Pricing
Essentials (Free) Plan
$0/month • Perfect for small nonprofits raising under $1M annually
- Core fundraising tools (donation forms, recurring giving)
- Basic donor management (nonprofit CRM)
- Smart Ask Amounts AI optimization
- AI fraud protection
- Donors Cover Fees option (90% opt-in)
- Mobile donor portal app
- Platform fee: up to 5% (typically covered by donors)
Payment processing fees: Standard card processing via Stripe (varies by transaction)
Premium Plans
Starting at $99/month (billed annually) • Advanced features for growing nonprofits
Premium plans unlock all Essentials features PLUS:
- Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns
- Silent auctions and event ticketing
- SMS text messaging and text-to-give
- Email campaign tools
- AI fundraising intelligence and forecasting
- Wealth screening (via Kindsight partnership)
- Subaccounts for managing multiple entities/chapters
- API access for custom integrations
- Expanded integration library
Note: Premium plans require annual billing commitment. Contact Funraise for custom enterprise pricing for very large organizations.
Pricing Notes for Nonprofits
- Free trial: Funraise offers free demos and trials. Contact their team to test the platform before committing.
- Donors Cover Fees: With 90% donor opt-in, most nonprofits effectively eliminate platform fees and processing costs.
- ROI consideration: Organizations report 73% average annual growth in online giving. A $99/month investment is easily justified by increased revenue.
- Tool consolidation savings: Replacing multiple tools (donation platform, CRM, email, P2P, events) with Funraise often reduces overall software costs.
- Payment processing: Standard Stripe rates apply. Funraise Payments powered by Stripe ensures reliable, secure transaction processing.
Nonprofit Discount & Special Offers
Nonprofit-Friendly Pricing Model
No Traditional Nonprofit Discount
Funraise does not offer a standard nonprofit discount (e.g., "30% off for 501(c)(3) organizations") because their pricing is already designed exclusively for the nonprofit sector. The platform was built by nonprofit practitioners specifically for nonprofit fundraising, with pricing that reflects this focus.
Essentials Free Tier
Small nonprofits raising under $1 million annually can use Funraise completely free with the Essentials plan. The 5% platform fee is typically covered by donors (90% opt-in rate via Donors Cover Fees), making it effectively a $0 cost solution for most small organizations.
Donors Cover Fees Model (The Real "Discount")
Funraise's innovative fee coverage approach is more valuable than a traditional discount. With 90% of donors voluntarily covering processing and platform fees, nonprofits receive 100% of donor intent rather than net amounts after deductions. This model has proven more effective than percentage-based nonprofit discounts.
Example: If your organization processes $100,000 in donations annually and donors cover fees, you save approximately $5,000-$7,500 compared to platforms that deduct fees before payout—far exceeding the value of a typical 20-30% discount on platform costs.
Premium Plan Value
At $99/month for Premium features, Funraise consolidates tools that would cost $300-500/month separately (donation platform, CRM, email marketing, P2P fundraising, events, wealth screening). The all-in-one approach delivers substantial cost savings compared to maintaining multiple subscriptions.
How to Get Started:
- Visit funraise.org to request a demo
- Schedule a consultation to determine if Essentials or Premium fits your needs
- Test the platform with a free trial before committing
- Start with Essentials (free) and upgrade to Premium as your fundraising grows
Learning Curve
Most nonprofit staff can use core features within 1-2 hours. Advanced features may require 1-2 weeks to master.
Time to Proficiency
First donation form live: 30-60 minutes
Creating and publishing your first donation form is straightforward. The interface is intuitive, with drag-and-drop form building and smart defaults. You'll spend more time on copy and branding than figuring out the tool.
Basic fundraising campaign: 2-4 hours
Setting up a complete fundraising campaign (donation form, email sequence, thank-you automations) takes a few hours. Most of this time is content creation, not platform navigation.
Comfortable with all features: 1-2 weeks
Advanced features like peer-to-peer campaigns, event management, wealth screening, and fundraising intelligence require more time to explore. Plan for 1-2 weeks of regular use to feel fully confident across all capabilities.
Team onboarding: 2-3 days
Training additional team members is quick. Funraise's consistent interface and logical organization mean once one person understands it, onboarding others is simple. Most teams report new staff are productive within 2-3 days.
What Makes It Easy
- Intuitive interface: Users consistently praise the clean, logical design
- Smart defaults: Platform suggests sensible settings for new campaigns
- Excellent support: 95% customer satisfaction score with responsive help
- Funraise University: Free training resources and video tutorials
- Campaign templates: Pre-built templates for common fundraising scenarios
Potential Challenges
- Feature richness: Many capabilities can feel overwhelming initially
- Data migration: Importing existing donor data requires careful mapping (Funraise support assists)
- AI features: Understanding how to best use AppealAI and forecasting takes experimentation
- Integration setup: Connecting to Salesforce or other CRMs requires technical understanding
Learning Resources
- Funraise University: Free comprehensive training with video tutorials and best practices
- Help Center: Searchable documentation covering all features and common questions
- Live support: Email and chat support with rapid response times (95% satisfaction)
- Developer documentation: API docs for technical teams building custom integrations
- Funraise podcast: Nonprofit fundraising insights and platform tips
Integration & Compatibility
Funraise offers robust integrations with major nonprofit platforms, ensuring your fundraising data flows seamlessly to your existing systems. All integrations sync data in real-time from Funraise to connected platforms, eliminating manual exports and reducing data entry.
CRM & Donor Management Integrations
Salesforce
Works with standard Salesforce, Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), and Nonprofit Cloud (NPC). Real-time one-way sync from Funraise to Salesforce.
- • Contact and account creation/updates
- • Donation history and recurring gifts
- • Wealth scores and donor tags
- • Campaign attribution
Other CRM Platforms
- • Raiser's Edge: Donor database sync
- • Virtuous: Responsive fundraising CRM integration
- • HubSpot: Marketing automation and CRM
- • Daxko: Member management sync
Email & Communication Tools
Mailchimp
Automated email triggers and segmented campaigns using donor data from Funraise (name, email, wealth scores, donation history, tags).
Built-in Email Tools
Funraise includes native email campaign tools on Premium plans, reducing the need for external email platforms.
Accounting & Financial Tools
QuickBooks Online
Native integration for business account management and donation reconciliation. Sync transaction data automatically to QuickBooks for streamlined accounting.
Automation & Custom Integrations
Zapier Webhooks
Connect Funraise to 5,000+ apps using Zapier webhooks. Create custom automations without coding.
API Access (Premium Plans)
Developer-friendly RESTful API for custom integrations. Build tailored connections between Funraise and your internal systems.
Platform Compatibility
Web-Based (No Installation)
Funraise is fully cloud-based and works on all modern web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
Mobile Responsive
Admin interface and donation forms are optimized for mobile devices. Donors can give seamlessly from smartphones and tablets.
Donor Mobile App
Funraise offers a mobile donor portal app where supporters can view giving history, update payment information, and manage recurring donations.
Data Export
Export your data anytime via CSV for analysis or migration. No vendor lock-in.
Honest Pros & Cons
Pros
Industry-Leading Conversion Rates
50% conversion on donation forms vs. 20-30% industry average means dramatically more revenue from same traffic
AI Features at All Price Points
Even free tier includes Smart Ask Amounts, fraud protection, and AppealAI access—enterprise AI for small nonprofits
All-in-One Platform
Eliminates tool sprawl by consolidating donations, CRM, email, P2P, events, and auctions in one system
Donors Cover Fees Model
90% opt-in rate effectively eliminates platform and processing fees for most organizations
Built by Nonprofit Practitioners
Over a decade of development based on real nonprofit needs, not adapted from for-profit software
Exceptional Customer Support
95% satisfaction score with responsive, helpful support team
Proven Results
Organizations achieve 73% average annual growth in online giving—significantly above industry norms
Real-Time Integrations
Salesforce, QuickBooks, and other CRM connections sync automatically without manual exports
Cons
No Donor Self-Service for Recurring Gifts
Most commonly mentioned limitation—donors cannot update their own recurring donations (staff must do it manually). Feature is in development.
Annual Billing for Premium
Premium plans require annual commitment at $99/month (no monthly billing option). May be barrier for orgs wanting flexibility.
Free Tier Platform Fee
Essentials plan includes 5% platform fee (though 90% of donors cover it). Very low-volume organizations might find this adds up.
Learning Curve for Advanced Features
While basic features are intuitive, fully leveraging AI forecasting, wealth screening, and peer-to-peer campaigns requires time investment
May Be Overkill for Very Small Orgs
Organizations with minimal online fundraising may not need comprehensive features—simpler tools might suffice
AppealAI Requires Editing
AI-generated content needs human refinement to match organizational voice and add specific details
Bottom Line Assessment
Funraise's strengths significantly outweigh its limitations for most nonprofits. The inability for donors to self-manage recurring gifts is a genuine inconvenience, but users consistently report that the platform's conversion rates, AI capabilities, all-in-one convenience, and exceptional support more than compensate. Organizations frustrated with low donation conversion or juggling multiple tools will find Funraise transformative. Very small grassroots groups or those with minimal online fundraising might find simpler (and cheaper) alternatives sufficient, but growing organizations will appreciate Funraise's scalability and feature richness.
Alternatives to Consider
While Funraise offers compelling advantages, it's important to evaluate alternatives that might better fit specific organizational needs. Here's how Funraise compares to similar platforms.
DonorPerfect
All-in-one donor management with predictive analytics • From $99/month
Key Differences from Funraise:
- • Reporting focus: DonorPerfect excels at comprehensive reporting (70+ templates) vs. Funraise's conversion optimization
- • Built-in email: Includes Constant Contact integration vs. Funraise's own email tools
- • Pricing structure: Similar starting price ($99/month) but different feature distribution
Choose DonorPerfect if:
- • You prioritize extensive reporting and data analysis
- • You need robust gift acknowledgment and tax receipt automation
- • You want built-in Constant Contact email marketing
Choose Funraise if:
- • Conversion rate optimization is your top priority (50% vs. standard 20-30%)
- • You want cutting-edge AI features (AppealAI, smart ask amounts, forecasting)
- • You need stronger peer-to-peer and event fundraising capabilities
Bloomerang
Donor retention-focused CRM with AI predictions • From $125/month
Key Differences from Funraise:
- • Retention focus: Bloomerang specializes in donor retention analytics vs. Funraise's conversion optimization
- • Email marketing: Built-in sophisticated email tools vs. Funraise's integrated approach
- • Price point: Slightly higher starting cost ($125 vs. $99/month Premium)
Choose Bloomerang if:
- • Donor retention is your biggest challenge
- • You want robust email marketing built into your CRM
- • You value engagement scoring and retention predictions
Choose Funraise if:
- • You need higher conversion on donation forms
- • Peer-to-peer fundraising and events are important
- • You want more AI-powered content generation (AppealAI)
CauseVox
All-in-one fundraising with truly free tier • Free or from $200/month
Key Differences from Funraise:
- • Free tier: CauseVox offers 0% platform fees (truly free) vs. Funraise's 5% fee (donor-covered)
- • AI features: Funraise has more comprehensive AI (AppealAI, forecasting, smart ask) vs. CauseVox's AI-powered CRM
- • Pricing jump: CauseVox jumps from $0 to $200/month vs. Funraise's $99/month entry point
Choose CauseVox if:
- • You want a completely free option (0% fees) without relying on donor fee coverage
- • Campaign speed is critical (live in minutes)
- • You need auctions and raffle functionality
Choose Funraise if:
- • AI-powered optimization and content generation are important
- • You need more affordable premium features ($99 vs. $200/month)
- • Higher conversion rates justify small platform fee
Donorbox
Simple donation platform • 1.5% platform fee (Free tier)
Key Differences from Funraise:
- • Simplicity: Donorbox is simpler with fewer features vs. Funraise's comprehensive suite
- • Lower fees: 1.5% platform fee vs. Funraise's 5% (though Funraise has higher donor coverage)
- • Limited AI: Minimal AI features vs. Funraise's extensive AI capabilities
Choose Donorbox if:
- • You want a simple, affordable donation form only
- • You don't need CRM, email, events, or P2P features
- • Lower platform fee is important (1.5% vs. 5%)
Choose Funraise if:
- • You want an all-in-one platform (consolidate 5-10 tools)
- • AI optimization and content generation are valuable
- • 50% conversion rates offset the higher platform fee
Decision Framework
Choose Funraise if you value:
- 1. Conversion optimization: 50% conversion rates are your top priority
- 2. AI capabilities: You want enterprise-level AI (AppealAI, smart ask amounts, forecasting, fraud protection)
- 3. All-in-one convenience: Consolidating tools saves time and reduces complexity
- 4. Donors Cover Fees: 90% opt-in effectively eliminates platform costs
- 5. Growth trajectory: You're ready to scale and want tools that grow with you
Consider alternatives if:
- • You only need basic donation forms (choose Donorbox)
- • Donor retention analytics are more important than conversion (choose Bloomerang)
- • You want 0% platform fees regardless of donor coverage (choose CauseVox)
- • Extensive reporting is your priority (choose DonorPerfect)
Getting Started with Funraise
Launching your fundraising transformation with Funraise is straightforward. Follow these steps to move from evaluation to implementation efficiently.
1Request a Demo & Evaluate Fit
Visit funraise.org and request a personalized demo. Funraise's team will walk you through the platform based on your specific needs and organizational size.
What to prepare: Your current fundraising tools, annual fundraising volume, pain points with existing systems, and questions about specific features (P2P, events, integrations, etc.).
2Choose Your Plan
Decide between Essentials (free) and Premium ($99/month):
- Start with Essentials if: You're raising under $1M annually and want to test core features before committing
- Start with Premium if: You need P2P campaigns, events, wealth screening, or fundraising intelligence immediately
Tip: You can always upgrade from Essentials to Premium as your needs grow. Many organizations start free and upgrade once they see results.
3Set Up Your Account & Import Data
Initial setup takes 2-4 hours and includes:
- Branding customization: Upload logo, set colors, configure donation form appearance
- Payment processing setup: Connect Funraise Payments (Stripe) for transaction processing
- Donor data migration: Import existing donor records via CSV (Funraise support assists with mapping)
- Integration connections: Link Salesforce, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, or other tools
Support available: Funraise's customer success team (95% satisfaction score) helps with data migration and technical setup.
4Create Your First Donation Form
Launch your first high-converting donation form in 30-60 minutes:
- Form builder: Use drag-and-drop interface to customize fields, copy, and appearance
- Smart Ask Amounts: AI automatically optimizes suggested donation amounts (no configuration needed)
- Donors Cover Fees: Enable fee coverage option (90% of donors opt-in)
- Test thoroughly: Complete test donations to verify payment flow and thank-you emails
5Launch Your First Campaign with AppealAI
Use Funraise's AI to create compelling campaign content:
- Access AppealAI: Free tool at funraise.org/appealai
- Input campaign details: Provide organization info, campaign goal, deadline, and desired tone
- Generate content: AI creates fundraising email drafts in seconds
- Refine and personalize: Edit AI output to match your voice and add specific stories
- Launch campaign: Send emails, promote donation page, and monitor results in real-time
6Monitor Results & Optimize
Track performance and continuously improve:
- Real-time dashboard: Monitor donations, conversion rates, and campaign progress
- AI insights: Use natural language queries to ask questions about your data
- A/B testing: Experiment with different messaging, ask amounts, and form designs
- Forecasting: Use AI predictions to set realistic goals for future campaigns
Success Tips from Funraise Users
- Start simple: Launch with basic donation forms before exploring advanced features like P2P or wealth screening
- Leverage Funraise University: Watch training videos to accelerate your learning curve
- Test AppealAI iteratively: Generate multiple versions and compare which resonates best with your audience
- Trust the AI: Smart Ask Amounts work—resist the urge to override with static amounts
- Engage support early: Funraise's customer success team (95% satisfaction) helps you maximize value
Need Help Implementing Funraise?
Expert guidance to maximize your fundraising transformation
While Funraise is user-friendly, getting the most from AI-powered features, data migration, integrations, and strategic campaign design can benefit from expert support. One Hundred Nights helps nonprofits implement and optimize Funraise to achieve exceptional results.
We can help you with:
- Strategic planning: Determine if Funraise fits your fundraising strategy and goals
- Data migration: Seamlessly transfer donor records from existing systems
- Integration setup: Connect Funraise to Salesforce, QuickBooks, or other platforms
- AI optimization: Maximize AppealAI, smart ask amounts, and forecasting effectiveness
- Campaign design: Create high-converting donation forms and fundraising campaigns
- Team training: Onboard your staff to use Funraise confidently and effectively
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Funraise different from other fundraising platforms?
Funraise was built by nonprofit practitioners with over a decade of development specifically for nonprofits. Key differentiators include industry-leading 50% conversion rates on donation forms, built-in AI features like AppealAI and smart ask amounts, no platform transaction fees with the Donors Cover Fees model (90% opt-in rate), and an all-in-one approach that eliminates tool sprawl. Organizations using Funraise achieve 73% average annual growth in online giving—significantly higher than industry averages.
Does Funraise offer nonprofit discounts?
Funraise does not offer specific nonprofit discounts because their pricing is already designed for the nonprofit sector. The Essentials plan is completely free (with a 5% platform fee that 90% of donors cover), making it accessible to small nonprofits. Premium plans start at $99/month with annual billing and include advanced features. The Donors Cover Fees model means nonprofits typically receive 100% of donor intent, effectively eliminating platform fees for most organizations.
How does Funraise's AI work?
Funraise uses AI in several ways: Smart Ask Amounts uses machine learning to determine optimal donation amounts based on time of day, device type, giving history, and other signals. AppealAI (powered by ChatGPT) generates personalized fundraising emails and appeal content directly in the platform. AI Forecasting provides predictive analytics for fundraising trends. Natural Language Queries allow you to ask questions about your data in plain English. AI-powered fraud protection automatically blocks fraudulent charges and bots. These features work together to increase conversion rates and fundraising efficiency.
Can donors update their own recurring donations in Funraise?
As of January 2026, donors cannot update their recurring donations themselves in Funraise—this is the most commonly mentioned limitation in user reviews. However, Funraise has indicated this feature is in development. Currently, staff must manually update recurring donations when donors request changes. While this is an inconvenience, most users report that Funraise's other features and strong customer support (95% satisfaction score) more than compensate for this limitation.
What integrations does Funraise support?
Funraise offers native integrations with major nonprofit platforms including Salesforce (standard, NPSP, and Nonprofit Cloud), QuickBooks Online, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Raiser's Edge, Virtuous, and Daxko. All integrations sync data in real-time from Funraise to connected platforms. Premium plans include API access for custom integrations, and Zapier webhooks enable connections to thousands of additional tools. The Salesforce integration is particularly robust, syncing donor information, donation history, wealth scores, and tags automatically.
Is Funraise suitable for small nonprofits?
Yes, Funraise's Essentials (Free) plan is specifically designed for nonprofits raising under $1 million annually. It includes core fundraising and donor management tools at no monthly cost, with a 5% platform fee that 90% of donors cover voluntarily. The platform is praised for its ease of use and intuitive interface, making it accessible even for small teams without technical expertise. Small nonprofits benefit from enterprise-level AI features (AppealAI, smart ask amounts, fraud protection) that are typically only available to large organizations with expensive tools.
How does Funraise compare to other platforms like Classy or Donorbox?
Funraise differentiates itself with built-in AI features, higher conversion rates (50% vs. industry average 20-30%), and an all-in-one approach. Compared to Classy (now owned by GoFundMe), Funraise offers similar peer-to-peer and event features but with more AI capabilities and no GoFundMe branding concerns. Compared to Donorbox, Funraise provides a more comprehensive CRM and advanced features like wealth screening and fundraising intelligence. Funraise's Donors Cover Fees model (90% opt-in) is more effective than most platforms. The trade-off is that Funraise's Premium plans require annual billing at $99/month, while some alternatives offer monthly plans.
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