- Donor management tools at a glance
- Ten donor management tools
- The Gift Aid detail UK charities often miss
- Free fundraising tool or full donor database?
- Setting up donor records the right way
- Donor data habits that pay off
- Using donor data to plan your next appeal
- Keeping donor data safe
- A quick test before you choose
- My plain advice on donor management software
- Frequently asked questions
Donor management software stores every supporter, gift, pledge and conversation so you can thank people well, report to your board and plan your next appeal. The right one depends on your size, how you raise money and whether you need Gift Aid, events or memberships. Ten tools follow in no particular order.
Donors give again when they feel noticed. That's hard to do from a spreadsheet, where a returning donor looks the same as a first-time one and nobody remembers who gave in memory of whom.
The ten tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from free fundraising tools to established donor databases built for dedicated fundraising teams. Each description comes from the vendor's own site, re-checked this week. If you're comparing broader systems, see my roundup of CRMs for nonprofits.
Donor management tools at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site describes free use or a free plan, Trial only means a time-limited trial and No means neither is stated on the pages we read.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomerang | Donor CRM | Donor retention focus | No |
| Donorbox | Donation forms | Online giving pages | Yes |
| DonorPerfect | Donor CRM | Established fundraising teams | No |
| DonorSnap | Donor CRM | Hands-on training | No |
| Funraise | Fundraising platform | Online campaigns and events | Yes |
| Keela | Donor CRM | Smart prompts on who to ask | No |
| Little Green Light | Donor database | Small charities on a lean setup | Trial only |
| Neon CRM | Nonprofit CRM | Membership and donor groups | No |
| Virtuous | Responsive fundraising CRM | Personal outreach at scale | No |
| Zeffy | Free fundraising tool | A free giving and CRM setup | Yes |
Ten donor management tools
Bloomerang
Best for: Small and mid-size charities that want a donor database built around keeping donors giving year after year.
Donorbox
Best for: Causes that mainly want simple online donation forms and recurring giving, with donor records building up as gifts come in.
DonorPerfect
Best for: Charities with a dedicated fundraising team that want detailed gift records, events and reports in a long-standing system.
DonorSnap
Best for: Smaller nonprofits that want ongoing group training and a CRM they can learn with recorded sessions.
Funraise
Best for: Nonprofits running online campaigns and events that want giving pages and donor records working together.
Keela
Best for: Lean fundraising teams that want the CRM to suggest which donors to contact next and help plan their asks.
Little Green Light
Best for: Charities with one or two staff that want a straightforward donor database with good reports and acknowledgement letters.
Neon CRM
Best for: Organisations with members and donors who want both tracked in one CRM, plus a donor portal.
Virtuous
Best for: Mid-size nonprofits that want automated, personal journeys for donors based on how each person gives and engages.
Zeffy
Best for: Young US and Canadian nonprofits that want donation forms and a donor CRM without a subscription.
The Gift Aid detail UK charities often miss
GOV.UK says the donor needs to make a Gift Aid declaration for the charity to claim, and must give a declaration to each charity they want to donate to through Gift Aid.
What that means for you: if you fundraise in the UK, choose software that captures the declaration with the gift and stores it against the donor record. Without it, you can't claim, and chasing declarations after the event is slow and often fails.
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Free fundraising tool or full donor database?
Free and lightweight tools focus on donation forms, recurring giving and a basic donor list, which suits new and small charities. Full donor databases add segmentation, pledges, grants, events, acknowledgement letters and detailed reporting for boards and funders.
If you have a fundraising team, a full database pays for itself in time saved. If you're a volunteer-run group, start lighter and move up when you need to.
Setting up donor records the right way
- Decide which fields you really need before you import anything.
- Merge duplicates so each donor appears once.
- Record how and when each person agreed to be contacted.
- Tag gifts by campaign so you can see what works.
- Set up automatic thank-you emails for online gifts.
- Schedule a monthly check for missing data and bounced emails.
Donor data habits that pay off
- One record per person. Duplicates make donors feel like strangers.
- Notes after every conversation. The next person to call will thank you.
- Campaign tags on every gift. You'll know which appeals worked.
- Consent recorded clearly. It keeps your mailing lawful and your donors trusting you.
Using donor data to plan your next appeal
Your database can tell you who gave once and never again, who gives every month and who has given more over time. Treat those groups differently: a warm welcome back for lapsed donors, regular updates for monthly givers and a personal call for your most loyal supporters.
Keeping donor data safe
Donor records hold names, addresses and giving history, and donors trust you to protect them. Limit who can export data, use strong passwords and two-step sign-in, and keep a record of how each person agreed to hear from you. If you work in the UK, the ICO's guidance is the place to check your duties.
A quick test before you choose
Here's a simple test: ask each vendor to show you a donor who's given three times, then send that person a personal thank-you and pull a list of everyone who's given before but hasn't given in the past twelve months. If that's slow or confusing in a demo, it'll be worse on a busy day, and you'll know it isn't the one for you.
Do you make donor management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on donor management software
Choose the system that makes thanking people easy. Fast, personal thank-yous are the single biggest reason donors give again, so test how quickly each tool lets you send one after a gift arrives.
Be honest about your capacity. A powerful database with nobody to run it becomes an address book nobody reads. Start with what your team can keep clean, then grow into more features. For simple ways to bring in new supporters, see my five ways to fundraise online.
Frequently asked questions
What is donor management software?
It's a database that records supporters, gifts, pledges and contact history so you can thank, report and plan appeals.
Is there free donor management software?
Yes. Some tools on this list describe themselves as free or let you start for free, and others offer trials.
Do I need a Gift Aid declaration to claim?
Yes. GOV.UK says the donor needs to make a Gift Aid declaration for the charity to claim, one for each charity.
What's the difference between a donor database and a CRM?
A donor database focuses on gifts and fundraising; a CRM may also cover volunteers, members, programmes and services.
How do I move donors from a spreadsheet?
Clean and merge duplicates first, then import with campaign tags and contact permissions so your records start tidy.
Can donor software send thank-you letters automatically?
Most can send thank-you emails or letters after each gift, and many let you personalise them by campaign.
