Zeffy is a digital fundraising platform built for nonprofit organizations. The software consolidates online giving, campaign administration, event ticketing, volunteer peer-to-peer initiatives, storefront sales, and supporter management into a centralized web system. Operating for 7 years, the platform provides non-profit entities with tools to construct custom web forms, manage digital payments, run merchandise stores, handle membership programs, organize legal lotteries, and host silent auctions.
The platform operates without charging platform fees, transaction fees, or credit card handling charges to non-profit entities. Financial transaction processing is executed through Stripe, with collected funds arriving directly in an organization's bank account via weekly payouts. Rather than taking commissions or charging recurring software subscriptions, Zeffy relies entirely on voluntary, optional contributions left by donors during the payment checkout process. If a donor chooses not to leave an optional tip, the nonprofit still receives the full amount of the transaction.
Organizations can deploy Zeffy across multiple digital channels. Users create customizable donation forms, event registration pages, or dedicated campaign landing pages hosted on personalized Zeffy web addresses. These tools can be embedded directly onto existing organization websites using embed codes or a dedicated plugin for WordPress. Campaigns can also be shared using direct URLs, social media profiles, email signatures, or physical quick-response codes printed on marketing materials. For live physical gatherings, staff can accept in-person card payments using a mobile application.
In addition to donor checkout forms, Zeffy includes tools to administer ongoing supporter relationships and back-office financial accounting. The system provides a donor database to log offline payments, view individual donor histories, group supporter lists based on engagement, and distribute targeted email announcements or newsletters. For financial recordkeeping, Zeffy offers direct synchronization with QuickBooks Online, automatically sorting incoming bank deposits by campaign and fund classification without requiring manual ledger entries.
For technical teams and developers, Zeffy provides a public application programming interface alongside real-time webhooks. The application programming interface allows organizations to read records for payments, donor contacts, and campaign structures, as well as write contact updates and record offline transactions. Third-party automation platforms like Zapier and viaSocket extend connectivity to external databases, constituent relationship software, and communication channels. Additionally, an artificial intelligence assistant operating inside ChatGPT permits users to query organizational giving data using natural language prompts.
Nonprofits construct customizable donation forms and landing pages to accept one-time and recurring contributions online. Administrators personalize pages by adding logos, mission text, custom color schemes, and suggested gift amounts. The system supports major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay while generating shareable links and downloadable quick-response codes for physical distribution. Donors automatically receive digital tax receipts immediately after completing a successful transaction, ensuring immediate documentation without manual staff involvement.
Event Registration and Entry Control
Event managers set up registration pages to sell digital tickets for workshops, galas, and community gatherings. Nonprofits can define customizable ticket categories, bundle multi-pass options, and collect specific participant information through custom checkout questions. The software generates electronic tickets sent via email upon purchase. At physical venue doors, event staff and volunteers use connected mobile devices to scan electronic entry passes directly, maintaining real-time attendance tracking without needing printed attendee lists.
Silent Auctions and Digital Raffles
Organizations host digital auctions by creating item listings complete with descriptive text, images, and starting bid amounts. The software tracks participant bids, dispatches automated outbid notifications to keep participants engaged, and automatically processes winning balances when auctions close without requiring external mobile apps. Similarly, nonprofits can configure and operate compliant online lotteries and raffles directly through the platform, collecting entry payments online or in person.
Peer-to-Peer Community Campaigns
Nonprofits empower individual supporters, board members, and volunteers to build personalized fundraising pages beneath a main organization effort. Peer-to-peer initiatives incorporate visual tools such as live progress thermometers and public participant leaderboards to drive participant engagement and display campaign progress. Supporters share individual landing page links across social media accounts and email networks to expand donor reach beyond the nonprofit's immediate constituent base.
Structured Membership Management
Organizations design structured membership programs featuring distinct price tiers and flexible renewal intervals. The software manages active member databases, dispatches digital membership cards automatically upon registration, and facilitates recurring communications. Administrators can engage directly with member segments by sending targeted email updates and community newsletters directly from the built-in communication hub, reducing reliance on third-party bulk mailing platforms.
E-Commerce and Storefront Sales
Nonprofits sell physical merchandise and organizational items directly through an integrated online store module. Administrators create product catalogs with detailed item descriptions and photos, configure custom variations such as sizing or color options, enforce inventory stock caps, and create discount promotional codes. The system tracks participant order details alongside standard incoming contributions, consolidating store revenue directly into payout accounting files.
Automated Financial Reconciliation with QuickBooks
Finance officers and treasurers integrate Zeffy with QuickBooks Online in under 5 minutes to eliminate manual transaction entries. When Zeffy executes weekly bank deposits, payout breakdowns are automatically pushed to QuickBooks, categorized by designated campaign, class, or service item. Account reconcilers simply open the bank deposit record within QuickBooks and select the match option to finalize bookkeeping, ensuring accurate fund tracking.
In-Person Mobile Payment Processing
Event staff and volunteers collect physical, in-person contributions and ticket payments at physical venues using a mobile Tap to Pay application. This capability enables organizations to accept card payments on site without purchasing dedicated terminal hardware. In-person transactions automatically sync with central campaign databases, donor management records, and weekly bank payout schedules while keeping fees at zero.
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How does Zeffy maintain operations without charging platform or transaction fees?
Zeffy is funded entirely through optional voluntary contributions provided by donors during payment checkout. When a donor submits a payment, the software asks if they would like to add an optional contribution to support Zeffy's platform. If a donor chooses not to add an extra tip, the non-profit organization still receives 100% of their intended donation without platform, transaction, or credit card processing deductions.
Are certain platform tools or API features locked behind paid software tiers?
No. Zeffy does not utilize paid software tiers, paid feature add-ons, or premium subscription plans. Every tool provided on the platform—including event ticketing, digital auctions, peer-to-peer campaigns, membership management, storefront sales, QuickBooks financial synchronization, public API access, and real-time webhooks—is available to registered non-profit organizations at zero platform cost.
How does the QuickBooks Online financial integration operate?
Zeffy provides a direct, one-way financial integration with QuickBooks Online. Administrators sign into QuickBooks via Zeffy settings, select their payout bank account, and map Zeffy campaigns to specific income accounts, classes, or service items. When Zeffy issues payouts, detailed breakdowns are pushed to QuickBooks automatically, enabling treasurers to reconcile entries in under 5 minutes by selecting the match command.
Can non-profit organizations accept in-person payments at live events?
Yes. Non-profit teams can accept physical, in-person payment card contributions and ticket sales at live venue events using the mobile Tap to Pay application. Card entries process securely and synchronize directly with central campaign dashboards, supporter contact lists, and weekly bank payout schedules without requiring external card terminal rentals or added transaction fees.
Does Zeffy charge credit card processing fees on online transactions?
No. Zeffy covers all transaction processing fees and credit card handling charges incurred on payments made through its forms. Non-profit organizations receive the full amount of every contribution, ticket sale, store purchase, or membership fee raised on the platform, ensuring that incoming payments land in bank accounts without processing fee deductions.
Can organizations use custom domain names for Zeffy fundraising pages?
Zeffy provides organizations with personalized URL paths hosted on its domain (zeffy.com/yournonprofit). While administrators can customize logos, visual color schemes, and mission text, Zeffy pages function as dedicated fundraising landing pages rather than multi-page external organizational websites with custom domain hosting. They can complement an existing website or serve as a main giving portal.
Does Zeffy automatically issue tax receipts to donors?
Yes. Zeffy automatically generates and dispatches official digital tax receipts via email to donors immediately after a contribution or transaction is finalized. This automated receipting functionality eliminates administrative overhead for non-profit staff while providing supporters with immediate financial documentation for their giving records without requiring manual recordkeeping or manual follow-up from office volunteers.
What data resources are accessible through the Zeffy Public API?
The Zeffy Public API provides HTTPS access to three core resources: Payments, Contacts, and Campaigns. Developers can read data across all three resources, execute contact creation, updates, upserts, and deletions, and log or delete offline payment entries. Write access unlocks after the non-profit organization completes its Stripe account verification process, and rate limits are set at 100 requests per minute shared across the organization.
How does Zeffy connect to software applications like Salesforce, Mailchimp, or Slack?
Zeffy connects to applications like Salesforce, Mailchimp, Slack, and Google Sheets using no-code automation platforms Zapier and viaSocket, which link Zeffy to thousands of external applications. Alternatively, technical teams can utilize the free public REST API and real-time webhooks to build direct custom software integrations without paying connector charges or platform add-on fees to Zeffy.
What rate limits govern the Zeffy Public API?
The Zeffy Public API enforces rate limits of 100 requests per minute and 20 requests per second, shared across the entire organization rather than calculated per API key. These default limits comfortably accommodate real-time dashboard updates and routine database synchronization. Non-profit organizations requiring additional API capacity can contact Zeffy support directly to request increased rate allocations.
Who uses Zeffy?
Zeffy is built for registered nonprofit organizations, volunteer-run groups, animal rescues, political committees, youth sports academies, community arts centers, and fundraising leaders seeking to process digital payments, host events, and maintain donor records without software subscription costs or payment transaction fees.
Registered Nonprofits
Volunteer-Run Organizations
Animal Rescues
Political Committees
Youth Sports Academies
Arts and Cultural Centers
Community Associations
Zeffy pros and cons
Until real users review Zeffy, this tab shows what the vendor highlights and the points worth checking — never invented opinions.
What Zeffy highlights
Platform services provided with zero platform fees, transaction fees, or credit card processing charges for non-profit organizations.
Direct one-way integration with QuickBooks Online that categorizes bank payouts by campaign and fund.
Free public REST API with webhooks and no-code integration via Zapier and viaSocket.
Included mobile Tap to Pay app for accepting in-person card payments at events.
Points to check before choosing
Platform operations rely entirely on voluntary donor tips added during checkout.
Direct synchronization with constituent management software like Salesforce requires third-party automation tools or custom API programming.
QuickBooks integration syncs future payouts only, does not import past transactions retroactively, and requires manual ledger entry for refunds.
Public API write permissions are restricted to contact management and offline payment logging following Stripe account verification.
API request limits are enforced at 100 requests per minute and 20 requests per second shared across the organization.
Zeffy features
Fundraising Landing Pages
Users can generate mobile-friendly landing pages hosted at personalized Zeffy web addresses (zeffy.com/yournonprofit). These pages automatically consolidate active donation forms, event registration links, membership drives, raffles, and storefront items onto a single shareable web page. Pages feature custom branding, mission descriptions, and integrated email newsletter signup forms to help build organization contact lists without requiring external web hosting services.
Website Donate Button and WordPress Plugin
Nonprofits can generate shareable donate buttons and direct links for deployment across existing websites, social media profiles, and email footers. A dedicated WordPress plugin enables organizations to embed donation buttons and complete payment forms directly into WordPress site layouts without writing software code. The embedded forms support custom suggested donation tiers and branded confirmation messaging.
Customizable Contribution Checkout
Donation checkout forms allow administrators to customize branding elements including logos, color themes, and organization mission statements. Forms support one-time or recurring giving schedules, up to 4 suggested contribution amounts, custom checkout fields, mobile checkouts, and major payment options including Apple Pay and Google Pay. The system automatically issues tax receipts to donors upon payment completion.
Event Ticketing and Mobile Entry Verification
The ticketing module enables organizations to configure multiple ticket categories, construct bundled packages, and gather participant information via custom checkout questions. The software automatically dispatches electronic tickets upon purchase. At physical venue doors, event staff and volunteers scan digital entry passes directly from mobile screens to monitor attendance without maintaining printed lists or manual sign-in sheets.
Peer-to-Peer Campaign Builder
Peer-to-peer functionality enables supporters to build personalized fundraising pages under an organization's master campaign umbrella. Individual campaign pages feature visual progress thermometers showing live goal tracking, public donor leaderboards, customizable personal stories, and direct social sharing options to boost peer-to-peer participant engagement and extend donor outreach across volunteer networks.
Silent Auction Administration
Nonprofits can list virtual or physical auction packages complete with photo galleries, detailed item descriptions, and minimum opening bid thresholds. The platform monitors incoming bids in real time, sends automated email alerts to outbid participants, and processes winning card payments automatically upon auction completion without requiring participants to download third-party mobile applications.
Raffle and Lottery Hub
Organizations can configure and manage digital raffle and lottery campaigns alongside standard fundraising drives. The platform manages ticket entry allocations, tracks participant contact details, supports online or in-person payment collection, and organizes entry data for prize drawings. Nonprofits retain complete collected funds without platform deductions or ticketing transaction charges.
Membership Program Tiering
The platform enables organizations to design structured membership programs featuring distinct fee tiers and custom renewal schedules. Features include automatic digital membership card generation, record tracking within a central constituent database, and native group email communication tools for dispatching member updates, announcements, and renewal notices directly to specific constituent segments.
Integrated Merchandise Storefront
An integrated e-commerce module allows nonprofits to sell branded goods and physical merchandise online. Store administrators can upload product photos, write item descriptions, define custom item options such as size or color variants, enforce inventory count caps, and distribute promotional discount codes to purchasers during online checkout operations.
Supporter CRM and Database
An integrated donor management database logs constituent contribution histories, allows staff to record manual offline payments, tracks transaction channels, and segments supporter lists based on giving history. Organizations can compose and dispatch targeted email communications and regular newsletters directly from the platform interface without exporting constituent lists to separate email software.
QuickBooks Online Payout Sync
A direct one-way accounting integration automatically pushes weekly bank deposit breakdowns into QuickBooks Online. Payouts are categorized by designated campaign, fund, income account, class, or service item, allowing financial managers to reconcile bank deposits in under 5 minutes by opening deposit summaries and selecting the match command.
Public REST API and Webhooks
Zeffy provides a free public application programming interface for custom technical development. The interface offers HTTPS read access to Payments, Contacts, and Campaigns resources, write permissions for updating constituent records and logging offline payments, and real-time event webhooks to trigger external automated software workflows when data changes occur.
Mobile Tap to Pay App
Nonprofits can collect physical in-person card payments at live venue events using a dedicated mobile Tap to Pay application. Card reader capabilities allow event teams to accept contactless card payments on mobile devices, forwarding incoming funds directly into central campaign databases and weekly payout schedules without requiring external payment terminal rentals.
ChatGPT AI Assistant and AI Tools
An artificial intelligence assistant operating inside ChatGPT allows non-technical users to query organizational donor data using natural language prompts in under 1 minute. Zeffy also provides free AI-assisted utilities, including a Grant Finder tool to identify grant funding opportunities, alongside resource guides for launching new non-profit organizations.
Zeffy pricing
We don't publish prices: they change often and differ by country. Check current plans on Zeffy's own pricing page.
Zeffy operates on a zero-fee model for registered nonprofit organizations. The vendor does not charge platform subscription fees, transaction fees, payment processing fees, or credit card handling charges, allowing organizations to retain 100% of all funds collected. The platform is funded entirely through optional, voluntary contributions left by donors during checkout. Advanced features, accounting integrations, API access, and webhooks are included at zero cost.
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
Not stated on the site
Zeffy integrations
Zeffy connects with third-party software tools through direct native integrations, no-code automation platforms, and custom developer connections. The platform provides a direct integration for QuickBooks Online to automate deposit accounting, a WordPress plugin to embed donation buttons and forms, and an AI assistant connecting donor data to ChatGPT. For broader app connectivity, Zeffy pairs with Zapier and viaSocket to send donation, contact, and campaign data to external applications. A free public REST API equipped with webhooks allows developers to read payments, contacts, and campaigns, write contact updates, and record offline payments.
QuickBooks Online
WordPress
ChatGPT
Zapier
viaSocket
Salesforce
Mailchimp
Slack
Google Sheets
Stripe
Zeffy support
Zeffy provides online self-service support documentation, interactive API endpoint reference guides, and setup walkthroughs accessible directly inside the organization dashboard settings. Technical support assistance is available for developer queries and API rate limit increase requests. Nonprofits setting up integrations can access guided steps for connecting accounting software, site builders, and automation tools.
Help Center Documentation
Interactive API Reference Docs
Dashboard Setup Guides
Developer Support
Zeffy reviews
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How this page was made
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This page was written with AI from 9 pages of zeffy.com's own website (read on Sep 16, 2026) and checked automatically: no copied wording, no prices, and no figure that isn't on the vendor's site. Nobody on our team has tested Zeffy.
