Zeffy advertises zero fees, funded by donor tips. Here is how that compares to Givebutter's tip model and Whitelabel's 3.5% platform fee with donors covering fees by default.
How Zeffy's tip model works
A treasurer sits down in October to budget next year's fundraising costs and finds she cannot write the number down. The platform is Zeffy, which advertises zero fees and pays for itself through a tip the donor is invited to add at checkout, so what it earned last year depended on how many donors said yes and how much they gave. The service is real and the zero is real; the rate is decided one donor at a time, after the fact.
We think that is the whole question with a tip-funded platform. It is not whether the model is fair, because donors who tip are choosing to, but whether you want your cost of fundraising to be something you model in advance or something you read off the year-end statement. The alternatives below are compared on that basis, and we sell the one with the fixed rate.
Tips against a real fee
A donor-covered fee is a different mechanism from a tip, even though both end with the donor paying. With Whitelabel the fee is fixed and visible, 3.5 percent platform plus 1.1 percent processing, about $4.60 all in on $100, and Smart Checkout asks the donor to cover it by default. She sees the exact amount, it is plainly optional, and if she declines it comes out of the gift. The nonprofit knows its rate before the campaign starts, and 100 percent of gifts reaching the cause is a default rather than a hope.
A tip is the same money framed differently. On Zeffy and on Givebutter the platform fee is zero at the stated level and the cost sits in the tip prompt instead, so the effective rate depends on how the donor base responds to that prompt on every gift. Some teams find that framing kinder to donors; some find it harder to plan around. Our own model is set out at /fee-structure.
Like-for-like on a $100 gift
On a $100 gift the published rates work out like this, and rates change, so check them before you budget. Whitelabel is 3.5 percent plus 1.1 percent processing, about $4.60 all in, covered by the donor by default. Donorbox Free is 2.95 percent plus Stripe's nonprofit rate of 2.2 percent and 30 cents, roughly $5.45. Fundraise Up is 4 percent plus processing, about $6.50.
Zeffy is whatever the tip turns out to be. A donor who leaves the suggested amount can cost more than any of the fixed rates above; a donor who leaves nothing costs you nothing and the platform nothing too, which is why the model needs the prompt. The figure that matters, your blended rate across a year, is only known once the year is over.
Who each option suits
Zeffy suits a team whose donors respond well to a tip prompt and who value the zero-fee headline over a rate they can plan. Givebutter suits smaller teams and event fundraising on a tip model with more room in it. Donorbox Free suits a team that wants a simple form at a known $5.45. Fundraise Up suits a team that wants the strongest checkout and is content to pay the highest platform rate for it.
Whitelabel suits a team that wants AI fundraising built in, a donor front that gets found, agents that answer, matching gifts caught at checkout, with a rate that is fixed, transparent and covered by the donor by default. The comparison is never just the rate. It is what comes with it, whether you can model it, and whether the platform sits on top of your tools or asks you to migrate.
Switching without a migration project
What keeps a nonprofit on a platform it has outgrown is the dread of replatforming, and that is the part we removed. The donor front layers on top of the website you already have, the checkout swaps first, and two-way CRM sync keeps Salesforce, HubSpot or Klaviyo in step while you move at your own pace.
Most teams run the old form and the new checkout side by side for one campaign, compare conversion and all-in cost, and let the numbers decide. The treasurer gets to write the number down in October, and that is usually the end of the argument.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zeffy really free?
Zeffy advertises zero platform fees for nonprofits, funded entirely by voluntary donor tips. There's no monthly subscription or per-transaction platform fee in the traditional sense, but donors are prompted to leave a tip to support the platform. Whether it's 'free' depends on how you frame it: the nonprofit doesn't pay directly, but the donor is asked to.
How is Whitelabel different from a tip prompt?
Whitelabel charges a transparent 3.5% platform fee, and donors are asked to cover fees by default through Smart Checkout, so 100% of the gift reaches your cause. The fee is visible and predictable, not dependent on whether donors choose to leave a voluntary tip. If the donor declines to cover fees, the fee comes from the gift.
What does a $100 gift cost on Whitelabel?
About $4.60 all in (3.5% platform plus 1.1% processing) as published, and that cost is typically covered by the donor by default. Always verify current rates.
Can I switch from Zeffy without rebuilding my site?
Yes. Whitelabel layers on top of your existing website and syncs two-way with your CRM, so nothing migrates and your team keeps the tools they know.