Givebutter review - free all-in-one fundraising funded by donor tips

What it is

Givebutter is an all-in-one fundraising platform: donation forms, campaign pages, event ticketing and auctions, and a lightweight donor CRM, all free to open. It is a genuine one-tool option for a small shop that does not want to stitch together separate products.

The honest math

Givebutter is free because it is tip-funded: at checkout, donors are asked to add an optional tip that supports Givebutter. When tips are enabled, you can pay 0% platform fee and 0% processing - either the donor covers the processing, or the Givebutter Guarantee makes up the difference so you still receive 100% of the donation.

If you switch tips off, the model flips to a flat 3% platform fee plus payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30 on cards (1.9% + $0.30 on ACH). On a $100 donation with tips off that nets roughly $93.80. (Note: the old tiered 1%/3%/5% platform fees were retired in September 2025 in favor of the flat 3%.)

Who it fits

Small and mid-size nonprofits that want one platform for donations, events, and light CRM, and are comfortable leaving the tip prompt on. The events and auction tools are a real differentiator at this price.

The honest take

Excellent value and genuinely all-in-one. The economics only stay at zero if you keep the donor tip prompt enabled, so decide whether that fits your audience. We are not currently enrolled in any Givebutter affiliate program, so the link above is a plain link to their site.